Top stories
Air Force crew honors WWII-era Flying Tigers with A-10 paint job
Maintainers at Moody AFB have transformed an A-10 into a piece of visual history, tracing its lineage to the famous Flying Tigers squadron of WWII.
Air Force returns T-38 Talon to flight status while crash investigation continues
After over a week of a fleetwide halt in operations, the T-38 Talon is returning to flying status while the May 12 crash investigation continues.
Latest
SPECIAL FEATURES
Iran Coverage
Defense News is covering the evolving military, strategic, and regional implications of tensions and operations involving Iran.
Insurance Guide
Military Times has outlined helpful information about car insurance, renters insurance, and life insurance for troops.
2025 PCS Guide
Read up on tips and tricks in Military Times’ 2025 Permanent Change of Station Guide.
2025 Benefits Guide
Learn how your military benefits — including health care, retirement pay and more — have changed in 2025.
EDITOR'S PICKS
Your Air Force
US court blocks Pentagon from removing transgender troops, for now
The court ruled that the Trump administration could, for now, bar transgender people from enlisting, but blocked the discharge of current service members.
Trump invokes national security in push for White House ballroom ‘drone port’
The president wrote that today's highly sophisticated weaponry means "we can no longer defend Washington, D.C., with rifles and pistols, alone."
US military seeks cultural advisors in Somalia amid regional strikes
The U.S. special operations task force in Somalia is looking for contractors to advise troops on Somali politics, culture and tribal dynamics.
Not ‘just a gun’: New SOCOM rifle allows barrel swapping and cartridge changes
At SOCOM’s request, the rifle features a swappable barrel, allowing operators to change between legacy cartridges and the newer 6.5mm Creedmoor.
In other news
US general holds rare meeting with Cuban military officials near Guantanamo Bay
The meeting is the first in recent memory by a head of U.S. Southern Command and comes amid growing concerns in Cuba of a possible U.S. military attack.
Sailor reportedly finds dead rat in finished energy drink
The sailor said medical personnel informed him, “with the chemicals that are in Monster, that it should be OK.”
That time the Air Force proposed making a ‘gay bomb’
The Air Force once explored the idea of a chemical weapon that would make enemy soldiers sexually irresistible to one another — striking a blow to morale.
Master Chief actor condemns use of character in White House’s Iran war hype video
“I demand that the producers of this disgusting and juvenile war porn remove my voice immediately,” Steve Downes wrote in a post on X.
‘War Machine’ review: Finally, a training scenario with aliens
The sci-fi flick raises the premise: What if the final phase of U.S. Army Ranger selection suddenly involved fighting a giant alien robot?
Don't miss
VIDEOS
Game-changing new tech emerges for troops and commands | Defense News Weekly Full Episode 6.2.26
A box that makes drinkable water out of the air and hydrofoil drone tech have emerged at defense shows. Plus, an interview with a top executive at Lockheed.
Featured Videos
MORE STORIES
Not ‘just a gun’: New SOCOM rifle allows barrel swapping and cartridge changes
At SOCOM’s request, the rifle features a swappable barrel, allowing operators to change between legacy cartridges and the newer 6.5mm Creedmoor.
US general holds rare meeting with Cuban military officials near Guantanamo Bay
The meeting is the first in recent memory by a head of U.S. Southern Command and comes amid growing concerns in Cuba of a possible U.S. military attack.
By Phil Stewart, Reuters
Air Force slashes number of fields eligible for fiscal year 2026 reenlistment bonuses
The number of career fields elibile for the Selective Retention Bonus dropped by 73% in fiscal year 2026.
Pentagon failed to assess impact of cuts to civilian workforce, watchdog finds
Roughly 78,000 civilian positions were eliminated in 2025 — about 10% of a workforce that originally exceeded 793,000.
By Tanya Noury
‘Scary and silencing’: Troops, families receive threats from foreign bad actors
The threats began after the U.S. strikes against Iran and have included identifying details about troops, their spouses and children.
By Karen Jowers
SpaceX awarded $4 billion Space Force contract to track airborne threats
As part of the SB-AMTI program, SpaceX is meant to accelerate the delivery of sensors tracking and targeting threats globally from space.
1,200 active-duty troops will be invited to White House UFC event
Roughly 1,200 tickets out of a total 4,000 are reserved for active members of the U.S. military.
By Tanya Noury
Vance advises Air Force Academy graduates to not concede decision making to AI
Vice President JD Vance warned Air Force cadets to not "submit" to AI as it continues to change warfare.
How far is there to go until the US and Iran end the war?
A tentative deal has been reached to end the war and restart transit in the Strait of Hormuz, and then negotiations on more difficult issues would begin.
By Parisa Hafezi, Angus McDowall and Michael Georgy, Reuters
Double amputee paratrooper to jump into Normandy for 82nd anniversary of D-Day
Fourteen years after losing both his legs to an IED, Jon Harmon will step out of a C-47 and jump into same spot the 82nd Airborne fought on D‑Day.
US troops are reportedly being targeted using location data, Pentagon says
U.S. forces deployed to war zones have been targeted using commercially available location data, according to reports fielded by military officials.
By Raphael Satter, Reuters
US carries out new strikes in Iran against military site, official says
The U.S. military carried out new strikes overnight in Iran targeting a military site that officials believed posed a threat to U.S. forces.
By Phil Stewart, Reuters
US munitions depleted by Iran war will take years to restore, analysis finds
Replenishing stockpiles of critical weapons systems could take until 2030 or 2031, creating a "window of vulnerability," a new analysis found.
By Tanya Noury
US lawmakers weigh aviation fuel cost increase from Iran war in fiscal 2027 defense hearing
Ahead of drafting fiscal year 2027’s NDAA, U.S. lawmakers are grappling with the rise in fuel prices and what it means for the military's aviation costs.
Pentagon spars with SpaceX over Starlink price hike during Iran war
The Pentagon should be paying more for access to their satellite Wi-Fi network, SpaceX officials argues.
By David Jeans, Reuters
Bill aims to make military hazing a separate criminal offense
Rep. Judy Chu renewed her longtime efforts to fight military hazing after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for rougher training last year.
By Hope Hodge Seck