DefenseNews

US Air Force instructor pilots have first T-7 in training milestone

The Air Force’s first T-7 Red Hawk trainer assigned to an operational unit landed at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph in Texas on Dec. 5, opening the door to the service’s new era of pilot training. A lot more work remains, however, before the T-7 is officially folded into day-to-day activities to train the next generation of Air Force pilots. The Boeing-made T-7 is the service’s first new…
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DefenseNews

Pentagon taps Google Gemini, launches new site to boost AI use

The Defense Department on Tuesday launched a major push to get military personnel, civilian employees and contractors to use generative artificial intelligence capabilities, located on its own website. Google Cloud’s Gemini for Government is the first AI capability to be launched on GenAI.mil, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a video posted on social media Tuesday. “The future of…
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DefenseNews

Proposed defense bill would fund Golden Dome, next-gen fighters

Congress’ proposed compromise National Defense Authorization Act would authorize $900.6 billion in discretionary defense spending in fiscal 2026, which would be an $8 billion increase over the Pentagon’s budget request this summer. The NDAA language, which lawmakers released Sunday night, would earmark $162 billion for procurement spending, and another $146 billion for research, development…
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DefenseNews

The disarming of Hezbollah tests fragile government in Lebanon

BEIRUT — One year after Lebanon and Israel signed a ceasefire agreement to end hostilities that had spilled over from Gaza, the Lebanese government is walking a tightrope between disarming Hezbollah and containing local resentment over continued Israeli strikes aimed at…
DefenseNews

Autonomous surface vessels to join Pentagon’s global C2 network

Autonomous surface vessels will become part of the global command and control network used by the U.S. Navy and other U.S. military services due to a new partnership between HavocAI and SAIC, effectively making the vessels an integrated part of U.S. naval surface power and expanding their availability to serve all U.S. military branches for the first time. The agreement announced by SAIC and…
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