Chairman Caine talks cislunar ops, plus a window into next-gen airlift
We discuss top news from the final day of AFA 2026.
Space Force’s GMTI program gets a name, with Northrop as prime: General
Separately, the Space Force plans to issue the first operational contracts for space domain awareness to commercial firms “very soon,” according to Space Force Col. Timothy Tremailo.
The Army’s Digital Transformation
AI is reshaping the Army’s approach to cyber, electronic warfare and command and control. At TechNet Augusta 2026, leaders outlined how they’re turning emerging technology into capabilities for the battlefield.
Space Force programs supporting Golden Dome see big FY27 budget boost
Missile warning and tracking programs, and the emerging Space Data Network being developed to ferry space sensor data to shooters on the ground, in the air and at sea are among the programs seeing huge increases.
Space Force launching sats to ‘enable’ GMTI ahead of mission-dedicated birds in 2028
Lt. Gen. DeAnna Burt, the Space Force’s deputy chief of space operations for operations, cyber and nuclear, also said the service expects to complete an analysis of alternatives by this fall for a separate but related effort to track airborne targets from the heavens.
EXCLUSIVE: GMTI emerges as new front in Space Force-NGA turf battle
NGA chief Frank Whitworth defended his agency’s role in Ground Moving Target Indicator operations to Breaking Defense, as sources say there’s tension behind the scenes.
Space Force, NRO approach key milestone for GMTI as other programs fall behind: Calvelli
With apparent frustration with another program, Space Force acquisition chief Frank Calvelli asked, “What I don't get… [is] why would somebody want to have this sort of reputation-ruining stain in the papers all the time?”
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Biodefense is force protection: Ready today, prepared for tomorrow
A decorated combat aviator and biotech CEO advocates preparing for novel viral threats before the next crisis.
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Building A Smarter ISR Aircraft
ISTAR will operate faster, longer and higher than other platforms.
Build Joint STARS: Leverage Competition, Lower Risk
Air Force senior leaders must decide whether to build a new airborne ground radar surveillance capability. The Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) is a system boasting sophisticated radar, electronic, and communication suites installed in a modified Boeing 707. Over the last decade, this command and control aircraft, empowered by its Ground Moving […]
Don’t Delay JSTARS Replacement: Rep. Austin Scott
As a member of the House Armed Services Committee and a proponent of the JSTARS radar plane since arriving in Congress, I am alarmed by the undercurrent of discussion within Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) considering delaying the Next Generation JSTARS acquisition program. This is in stark contrast to the support for JSTARS […]