Defense

The U.S. Defense Department and Lockheed Martin signed a framework agreement on Thursday to expand production of the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile, or JATM, laying the groundwork for a future multiyear buy of the classified long-range air-to-air weapon. The agreement is neither a contract nor an order for missiles. Officials described it as a demand signal to Lockheed and its suppliers…

The U.S. Air Force has a $14 billion hole in supply for aircraft parts, affecting how the service acquires parts and looks at sustainment funding, service leaders said Wednesday. As the force grapples with supply chain and maintenance issues as well as long aircraft service lives, sustainment funding is becoming increasingly necessary to bridge the gap, service officials said in a panel at the Air…

NEW DELHI — India’s Defense Ministry said that China significantly reduced troop deployment along the border with India in 2025 as increased political, diplomatic and military engagement helped ease tensions between the two Asian powers. Both countries had amassed tens of thousands of troops along their poorly demarcated Himalayan border following a deadly clash in 2020. “The year 2025…

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, emphasized that the joint force must prove readiness ahead of a conflict in a time when adversaries are becoming increasingly interconnected amid the changing character of war. The force needs to be “clear-eyed” about the environment ahead as future conflicts will be progressively contested and defy simpler solutions, Caine said in a…