Anduril Industries announced it will head an industry consortium, including Impulse Space, Inversion Space, K2 Space, Sandia National Laboratories, and Voyager Technologies, to develop and deliver space-based interceptors for the U.S. Space Force under the Golden Dome missile defense initiative's Space-Based Interceptor (SBI) program.

Between late 2025 and early 2026, Space Force awarded 20 Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreements worth up to $3.2 billion to 12 companies for SBI development, with Anduril now fielding its team alongside Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, SpaceX, and Lockheed Martin. The program is focused on scalable, affordable solutions against emerging missile threats at a rapid scale.

Anduril said the team will integrate hardware and software from its partners to meet the SBI program's defense objectives. Golden Dome is expected to demonstrate an integrated interceptor capability by around 2028, with senior Department of War officials stating that the program remains ahead of schedule and on budget, with an estimated total cost of $175 billion.

Greg Ulmer, who has led Lockheed Martin's aeronautics arm since February 2021, is retiring in June. OJ Sanchez, who joined the company in 2014 after a career as an F-22 pilot and took over the classified Skunk Works design shop in 2025, will succeed him.

The aeronautics business is Lockheed's largest portfolio, described by the company as a "$30 billion business with more than 35,000 people," encompassing the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, F-22, F-16, C-130, and Skunk Works. Ulmer will remain as a strategic advisor through the transition.

CEO Jim Taiclet cited Sanchez's "steadfast leadership and a passion for performance" in announcing the appointment. The transition arrives as Lockheed's aeronautics division faces sustained pressure around F-35 production timelines and next-generation platform development, with Skunk Works at the center of several classified programs.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard announced Wednesday that safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz would be restored under unspecified procedures, following President Trump's decision to pause "Project Freedom," the U.S. military operation to escort commercial vessels through the strategic waterway.

Trump followed with a social media post warning that bombing would resume at a "much higher level and intensity" if Iran fails to agree to the current U.S. terms. Iran's foreign ministry confirmed it has received the U.S. proposal and is reviewing it, with Pakistan continuing to serve as mediator between the two sides.

The Strait has been effectively closed since the U.S. and Israel launched their attack on Iran on February 28, with shipping traffic down over 90 percent and more than 22,500 mariners still trapped on roughly 1,550 commercial vessels in the Arabian Gulf, according to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine.

Marine Corps Training Command Maj. Gen. Michael Brooks announced that the Corps is considering establishing a dedicated Scout Primary Military Occupational Specialty (PMOS), similar in structure to existing designations such as Machine Gunner (0331) and Mortarman (0341). Currently, Scouts hold MOS 0315 as an additional MOS rather than a primary one.

The proposal is tied to broader changes to the Reconnaissance training pipeline, including replacing the 12-week Basic Recon Course with two new courses: the Ground Reconnaissance Course and the Amphibious Reconnaissance Course. Scout training would likely overlap with the Ground Recon Course, creating shared efficiencies across the pipeline.

Retired officer Lt. Col. Worth Parker told Task & Purpose that formalizing a Scout PMOS would benefit professional development but would require establishing a career roadmap for Marines who advance beyond sergeant. No decision timeline has been set, though Brooks indicated the Corps is "getting closer" to making the call.

The Army's 82nd Airborne Division is serving as the joint command and control (C2) hub for Project Freedom, synchronizing more than 100 fighters, attack aircraft, and manned and unmanned platforms in real time to protect commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, according to Gen. Dan Caine during a Pentagon press conference Tuesday.

The division is using next-generation tactical networks with AI-enabled tools to integrate land, air, space, sea, and cyber forces simultaneously across the enhanced security area CENTCOM established on the strait's southern side. Caine said the effort marks a significant expansion of the 82nd Airborne's role beyond its traditional forcible entry mission.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the U.S. presence as a "red, white, and blue dome" over the strait, with 24/7 overwatch by destroyers, fighters, helicopters, drones, and surveillance aircraft protecting commercial traffic. The 82nd has been aggressively integrating AI tools and modernized C2 systems into its workflows in the months prior to the deployment.

Air Force clears Boeing's T-7A Red Hawk for low-rate initial production with a $219M contract for the first 14 aircraft, targeting initial operational capability in 2027 — Read More

UAE signs a deal for 10 Embraer C-390 Millennium airlifters with options for 10 more, marking the type's first sale in the Middle East and largest single-country international order — Read More

F-22 Raptors from Alaska and Virginia rotate into Kadena Air Base, Japan, reinforcing Indo-Pacific air posture ahead of the F-15EX transition — Read More

Navy and Air Force developing a compact AIM-9X Sidewinder variant sized for internal carriage on stealth aircraft and collaborative combat aircraft (CCA), with $83M requested in the FY2027 budget — Read More

Baykar debuts three one-way attack drone systems at SAHA 2026, including the long-range Mizrak with a range beyond 1,000 km — Read More

Turkey debuts the SLEEK loitering munition at the SAHA 2026 expo — Read More

Army launches a "right to integrate" initiative aimed at reducing industry friction in connecting weapons and sensor systems — Read More

Army wants to field next-generation C2 (NGC2) capabilities across all 11 divisions within a five-year window — Read More

Army seeking vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) UAS (unmanned aerial system) options for battalion-level reconnaissance — Read More

Turkish military exercise brings Libya's rival factions together for joint training for the second time in weeks — Read More

Navy expected to deliver its new medium unmanned surface vessel (MUSV) 12 to 18 months ahead of the schedule set under the previous MASC effort — Read More

Northrop Grumman delivers the 70th E-2D Advanced Hawkeye to the U.S. Navy, with 82 total produced for U.S. and Japanese operators — Read More

Coast Guard establishes a new Special Missions Command (SMC) to unify its deployable specialized forces under one operational headquarters, set to commission October 1 — Read More

Royal Navy's UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) team reports Hormuz shipping has dropped more than 90 percent since the conflict began, with fewer than 10 vessels transiting daily — Read More

USS Gerald R. Ford transits the Strait of Gibraltar into the Atlantic, capping a record 315-day deployment spanning South America, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East — Read More

Pakistan's first Chinese-built submarine set to significantly expand the country's undersea warfare capability — Read More

Aselsan unveils the TUFAN unmanned surface vessel (USV) and KILIC autonomous underwater strike system at SAHA 2026 — Read More

Combat unmanned surface vessel (CUSV) tested in an air defense role — Read More

HII CEO says submarine contract awards are expected in the second quarter and the company is not focused on auxiliary ship increases — Read More

4th Fleet and Naval Southern Command test drones and AI to track and target suspected narco boats in counter-trafficking operations — Read More

Army CIO Leonel Garciga exits his role — Read More

Pentagon plans to use AI to help achieve its long-deferred financial audit goals — Read More

NATO officials say common policies and standards are needed before allies can share AI-generated intelligence across national lines — Read More

UK pushes a common digital language framework to improve interoperability across allied force networks — Read More

State Department approves $1.1 billion in potential FMS (foreign military sales) to Canada for C-17 sustainment, Ukraine for JDAM-ER munitions, and the Philippines for helicopters — Read More

Navy's Cahill nominated to lead the surface warfare community; Air Force's Tulley nominated for Air Mobility Command (AMC) — Read More

Retired Air Force fighter pilot Gerald Brown charged with teaching Chinese airmen secret U.S. dogfighting tactics for $250,000 annually, with feds finding a fake passport and fake currency in his home — Read More