The Pentagon has downgraded the rank of the Air Force’s top commander in Europe to a three-star general.
President Donald Trump on Monday nominated Lt. Gen. Jason Hinds to be the next commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa. But unlike every other permanent USAFE commander since the late 1950s, Hinds’ new assignment will not come with a promotion to four-star general.
A…
US Air Force revamps pilot training as T-7 era nears
October 2, 2025
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The Air Force is laying the groundwork to start incorporating the T-7A Red Hawk into its pilot training operations.
But the service is still about two years away from the first student pilots learning in the new, fifth-generation, Boeing-made jet.
Trump signs executive order vowing to defend Qatar
October 2, 2025
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — President Donald Trump has signed an executive order vowing to use all measures including U.S. military action to defend the energy-rich nation of Qatar — though it remains unclear just what weight the pledge will carry.
The text of the…
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — The Australian Army’s appetite for the M142 HIMARS is proving voracious. With the first two of 42 units arriving in Australia only in March, the country is already eyeing another 48 of these U.S.-built rocket launchers.
This ambition was revealed in a notification issued by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency – or DSCA – published on Sep. 30.
The DSCA stated…
BAE teams with Forterra to build autonomous armored vehicle
October 1, 2025
BAE Systems is teaming up with Forterra to fast-track development of a self-driving version of the U.S. Army’s Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle, marking the first external partnership under BAE’s recently launched “capability kit” modernization push.
The collaboration…
BERLIN — Germany, France and Poland support stronger European integration to counter Russia, potentially mobilizing frozen Russian financial assets to support Ukraine under an EU-proposed scheme, as well as deeper defense integration with Kyiv.
The announcements, delivered…
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels set a Dutch-flagged cargo ship ablaze in the Gulf of Aden on Monday, officials said, wounding two mariners and forcing its crew to abandon the damaged vessel.
It was the most serious attack in the Gulf of Aden, some distance from the Red Sea where the Iranian-backed Houthis sank two vessels in July.
While the rebels…
Small defense firms warn shutdown will hurt industrial base
September 30, 2025
A collection of small defense technology firms and entrepreneurs is urging lawmakers of both parties to avert a looming government shutdown, warning such a closure would hurt the defense industrial base and startup firms.
In a Monday letter to leaders of both parties in the…
France, Sweden send anti-drone units to Denmark to secure EU summit
September 30, 2025
PARIS — France sent a military anti-drone unit to Denmark, and Sweden is planning to do the same, as the allies seek to help secure an informal European Union summit in Copenhagen this week against aerial threats, following recent flights of unidentified drones in Danish…
EU vows haste in ‘drone wall’ plan for eastern borders
September 30, 2025
BERLIN — The European Union has jump-started the development of a so-called “drone wall” to protect European skies against incursions by unmanned aerial vehicles from Russia, alongside a broader set of measures designed to protect the eastern flank of the continent.
The package of proposed measures will be called Eastern Flank Watch and was announced by EU Commission President Ursula von…
