In Singapore, China Warns US While Zelensky Seeks Support
The New York Times
The competing strains on U.S. global power came into sharp focus at a security conference on June 1, where China accused the United States of stoking tensions around Taiwan and the South China Sea, and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine sought greater support for his embattled country.
US Defense Secretary Says War with China Neither Imminent nor Unavoidable, Stressing Need for Talks
The Associated Press
United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told a gathering of top security officials June 1 that war with China was neither imminent nor unavoidable, despite rapidly escalating tensions in the Asia-Pacific region, stressing the importance of renewed dialogue between him and his Chinese counterpart in avoiding “miscalculations and misunderstandings.”
Florida Deputy Who Fatally Shot US Airman Is Fired Following Internal Investigation
CBS News
A sheriff’s deputy who fatally shot a Florida Airman at his apartment earlier this month has been fired, authorities announced May 31. Deputy Eddie Duran was “terminated” following an investigation by internal affairs, the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office reported in a news release. The investigation determined that Duran's “use of deadly force” in the shooting death of Senior Airman Roger Fortson “was not objectively reasonable and therefore violated agency policy,” the sheriff's office said.
PODCAST: Congressional Update, Triad Questioned, Space Guard Debate: The Rendezvous
The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
In episode 186 of the Aerospace Advantage, Heather Penney chats with members of the Mitchell Institute team about the latest defense news from the beltway and the broader national security community. The conversation begins with a review of where defense issues stand on The Hill. There have been a lot of hearings related to the FY25 defense budget request and the House Armed Services Committee just marked up their version of the National Defense Authorization Act—with major potential implications for the F-35 and other elements of the Air Force’s aircraft inventory. Panelists also discuss how the space equities in the Guard are being handled—will these responsibilities be absorbed into the Space Force or a new Space National Guard?
US Airstrike in Somalia Kills Three ISIS Members
Task & Purpose
The U.S. military’s fight against ISIS continues, even outside of the Middle East, according to U.S. Africa Command. On May 31, the American military killed three ISIS members operating in inland Somalia. U.S. Africa Command announced the strike on June 1. The three militants were killed near the town of Dhaardaar. No civilians were killed or injured in the airstrike, AFRICOM said.
Boeing Resumes KC-46 Deliveries
Aviation Week
Boeing on May 31 resumed delivering KC-46 tankers to the U.S. Air Force following an almost three-month pause. The company announced two tankers were delivered to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.—the 21st and 22nd KC-46s for the base.
Tensions Mark Air Force Debate on How to Use New B-21 bomber
Washington Times
The Air Force this week made public ... photos of its new sixth-generation strategic bomber, the B-21 Raider, and military planners are divided over how best to use what will be one of America’s most powerful warplanes. Two Air Force bomber experts are warning that the B-21’s full capabilities for use in non-nuclear military operations are not well understood and may be limited by bureaucratic tensions within the service.
AFRL Seeks ‘Advanced’ ISR Sensors, Including for Moving Targets
Breaking Defense
Air Force Research Laboratory is seeking bidders for a new initiative to develop new radars for a variety of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, including tracking moving targets for use by the Air Force, Space Force, Army, and Navy.
Japan to Award Contract for Glide Phase Interceptor Work by March 2025
Breaking Defense
Japan plans to publicly award a contract for work on a joint U.S.-Japanese Glide Phase Interceptor program by March 2025, the head of the Japanese defense ministry’s guided weapons efforts told Breaking Defense in a recent interview. On May 15 Washington and Tokyo signed off on a formal agreement for GPI co-development that tasks Japan with building “rocket motors and propulsion components” for the interceptor, built to take down hypersonic weapons during the glide phase of flight.
Space Development Agency Opens Door to New Vendors with ‘HALO’ Satellite Program
SpaceNews
The Space Development Agency (SDA) wants to give commercial space companies a chance to prove their mettle for future military satellite contracts. The agency on May 31 released a solicitation for its “Hybrid Acquisition for Proliferated LEO” (HALO) program, which aims to establish a pool of pre-approved vendors eligible to compete for upcoming demonstration projects.
European Union Weighs Creation of Air Defense Shield
Defense News
The European Union is considering setting up its own air defense shield after bloc leaders threw their support behind a Greek-Polish initiative to that effect this week. The two countries’ prime minsters, Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Donald Tusk, respectively, pitched the idea to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a letter earlier this month.
Pentagon Getting Ready to Onboard New Vendors and Applications for CJADC2 Tech
DefenseScoop
The Department of Defense is set to make more moves in the coming months to bring new vendors and applications into its Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) architecture. On May 30, the Pentagon’s Chief Digital and AI Office announced a new initiative called Open Data and Applications Government-owned Interoperable Repositories.
Dutch F-35s Take on a Full Nuclear Role
The War Zone
The Netherlands has become the first nation to declare that its F-35 stealth fighters are now fully responsible for the nuclear strike role, something that had been expected since the aircraft was fully certified to carry the B61-12 thermonuclear bomb earlier this year. Coming amid repeated nuclear saber-rattling from Russia, the development is an important one in the context of NATO’s nuclear deterrence posture in Europe.
Navy’s Former Second-Highest-Ranking Officer Arrested, Charged with Bribery
The Washington Post
The Navy’s former second-highest-ranking officer and commander of naval forces for Europe and Africa was arrested May 31 on federal bribery charges for allegedly awarding a sole-source contract to a company in 2021 in exchange for a $500,000-a-year job and stock options, the Justice Department announced.
F-16 Pilot Who Was Prepared to Take on Suicide Mission to Save Lives on 9/11 Retires
ABC News
Twenty-three years ago, F-16 fighter pilot Marc Sasseville was sent on a mission that he thought could be his last. Two hijacked planes had flown into the World Trade Center’s twin towers in New York City, and a third had struck the Pentagon. Sasseville received orders on Sept. 11, 2001, to prevent another hijacked airliner headed for Washington from reaching its target. That plane was United Airlines Flight 93, which had been hijacked by four al-Qaida terrorists and ultimately crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz spoke with Sasseville about the heroic operation he took on alongside fellow F-16 pilot Heather Penney, who was just 26 years old at the time.
