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In 1973, the US military took an enormously consequential step by adopting an all-volunteer force model. That decision has produced the most professional, capable joint force in history. But there have also been real costs associated with it—from the large budgets required to maintain it to a shrinking recruitment base that has serious implications for civil-military relations. So what does the all-volunteer force’s future look like? That’s the question at the center of this episode. To discuss it, John Amble is joined by Jaron Wharton and Keith Carter. Jaron is a career Army officer who most recently served as a…

Congress is unlikely to approve a third multi-hundred-billion-dollar budget maneuver to pad the Trump administration’s defense spending, Senate Republicans said Tuesday.The occasion was a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s defense panel, where Air and Space Force leaders were testifying on the 2027 budget proposal. The committee chair, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, noted that some of their services’ top initiatives, such as F-35 modernization, are not part of the Trump administration’s $1.15 trillion baseline budget request. Instead, the White House is asking Congress to pass a $350 billion appropriation through reconciliation, a process for “mandatory” government spending that only requires a…

By Flight Sergeant Mark Eaton 10 June 2026 Senior Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and United States Air Force (USAF) logistics leaders met at Defence Establishment Fairbairn recently for the Air Senior National Representatives Logistics Working Group (ASNR LWG), reinforcing bilateral efforts to strengthen logistics interoperability and enhance regional deterrence. Co-chaired by RAAF’s Air Commodore Natasia Pulford and USAF’s Major General Elizabeth E. Arledge, the forum brought together strategic and operational logistics specialists from both air forces to progress integrated logistics concepts supporting combined air operations. Air Commodore Pulford said the working group was focused on ensuring both nations could…

It is in long periods of peace that victories and defeats are prepared. Peace is the period for men of government, just as war is for men of action. Without the calm preparation carried out by the former, the courage and energy of the latter are of no use. — Captain First Class Ramón Auñón y Villalón, 1885.The Spanish-American War is widely remembered as a moment of triumph for the United States and a disaster for Spain. The war began in 1898 after Spain. The war began in 1898 after Spain’s brutal effort to suppress Cuba’s independence revolt, American outrage…

While Dana White thinks Alex Pereira could become the greatest of all time with a win at the White House, UFC analyst Laura Sanko isn’t quite as sure. This weekend, Alex Pereira attempts to make history. At UFC Freedom 250, he will go head to head with Ciryl Gane in the co-main event for the UFC interim heavyweight championship. While it may be an interim belt, a victory would mean that he becomes the first fighter ever to win UFC world titles in three weight classes. It’s quite the moment for a fighter who was once best known for his…

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) and the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) conducted a bilateral Search and Rescue Exercise (SAREX) west of Japan’s Goto Islands on June 7, marking the first such drill between the two navies since 2017. The exercise involved the Kongo-class Aegis destroyer JS Kongo (DDG-173) and an SH-60K helicopter on the Japanese side, while the ROK Navy deployed ROKS Cheon Ja Bong (LST-689), a Cheon Wang Bong-class tank landing ship. The drill included search-and-rescue operations, a LINKEX (Link Exercise), cross-deck helicopter operations, and a PHOTOEX. Originally launched in 1999 as a humanitarian mechanism for responding…

Rheinmetall, ERC System, and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia have formed a strategic partnership at the ILA Berlin 2026. The goal is to lay the groundwork for the production of the Victor U250 heavy-lift drone in North Rhine-Westphalia. The partners plan to jointly drive forward the market launch of the Victor U250 drone by establishing local production and supply chains. If successfully implemented, this will secure relevant high-tech industries in North Rhine-Westphalia and Germany for the long term. The initiative is expected to create hundreds of jobs by 2029. The unmanned, hybrid-electric heavy-lift cargo drone Victor U250 is characterized in…

The Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR), acting on behalf of the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA), awarded the Eurosam Economic Interest Group (GIE) a contract on April 30, 2026, to develop the ASTER/MICA VL multi-layer version of the SAMP/T NG. This contract involves, in addition to systems integrator Eurosam, its parent companies MBDA and Thales. This development aims to provide the SAMP/T NG with a short-range ground-to-air capability using the MICA VL missile, complementing its long-range and ballistic missile defence capability provided by the ASTER missile. The project is based on integrating the VL MICA system’s engagement chain into…

Amid the Trump administration’s workforce overhauls, some federal science agencies appear to be bearing the brunt of the changes, according to new research from the Partnership for Public Service. Federal workforce reductions, cuts to resources, and plans to increase political influence in the grantmaking process are all leading to declines in scientific development and innovation, said Max Stier, the nonprofit’s president and CEO. The effects, Stier said, will be felt for decades to come. “We’re talking about a generational loss here,” Stier told reporters during a press call last week. “This is not something that can be turned on and…

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org As L3Harris proves its OA-1K Skyraider II special operations aircraft can carry a signals intelligence sensor and electronic attack weapon, a key congressional committee is poised to boost production of the converted Air Tractor prop plane.  Along with the congressional endorsement, the demonstrations, described by a company executive to Air & Space Forces Magazine, signal positive momentum for the Skyraider program.  U.S. Special Operations Command selected the heavily modified cropduster for its Armed Overwatch program in 2022, but the plan to field 75 of…