The effort, which was under way in June, has included conversations with senior lawmakers in the Senate about whether the administration’s picks would have enough support to be confirmed, said two of the people, one of whom added that the review was still going on as of late August. Reuters could not determine when the White House began considering candidates.

The three sources said no decision had been made to remove Feinberg from his post. They did not say why the White House was reviewing potential replacements and did not specify which candidates the White House was considering.

“These so-called anonymous ‘sources’ have no idea what they are talking about,” said White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly.

“President Trump appreciates the work of Secretary Hegseth, Deputy Secretary Feinberg, and the entire Department of War, whose record of success in Operation Epic Fury, Operation Absolute Resolve, and Operation Midnight Hammer speaks for itself,” she said, referring to U.S. military operations in Iran and Venezuela.

The Pentagon denied a process was under way to replace Feinberg. Asked for comment by Reuters, Hegseth said in a statement that Feinberg has his full support and “isn’t going anywhere.”

The Pentagon did not provide a comment from Feinberg and declined to make him available for an interview.

A departure by Feinberg, the billionaire co-founder of private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, would be the most senior staff change for a department that has already seen a string of high-profile departures under Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned this week following months of tension with Hegseth, according to a source familiar with the matter. The Army has declined to comment on the reasons for his departure. Navy Secretary John Phelan and several senior Army leaders have also departed in recent months.

Feinberg, who vowed to accelerate U.S. munitions production, has not yet met that goal, according to analysts who say that the U.S. industrial base cannot ramp up quickly. Some defense industry executives say his task has been complicated by the slow pace of Congress appropriating funds despite immense pressure from the administration.

Feinberg “has worked tirelessly to rebuild our Defense Industrial Base and ensure our military has everything it needs to win, and I look forward to continuing to work with him,” Hegseth said in his statement to Reuters, adding, “He’s doing a tremendous job for President Trump, for the Department, and for our warfighters.”

Frustration over the Iran war

Trump has increasingly expressed frustration with the lack of progress in the six-month-old Iran war, which has settled into a costly standoff between the U.S. and Iran.

One of the costs has been a drawdown of U.S. weapons stockpiles. Reuters has reported that the U.S. military faces significant shortages of certain munitions, which have alarmed Congress and military leaders.

Trump has dismissed the concerns, saying the U.S. has “far more munitions than anyone in the world.”

But in an exchange with Trump at Camp David earlier this month, according to The Washington Post, Hegseth blamed Feinberg for letting stockpiles of long-range guided missiles and air-defense interceptors shrink.

The White House has called the report “fake news.” In a statement to Reuters, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said: “Secretary Hegseth did not mislead anyone about our munitions posture, and he did not blame Deputy Secretary Feinberg.”

Appointed by Trump last year, Feinberg has attempted to reshape the Pentagon by ramping up the U.S. military’s direct investments in companies and delivering loans to military contractors through multiple offices inside the department, including the Office of Strategic Capital and the newly created Economic Defense Unit.

In an Aug. 18 memo he sent to defense firms and seen by Reuters, Feinberg called on contractors to speed up production and provide more transparency around pricing. The Pentagon did not respond to a question about the memo.

Feinberg has also come under scrutiny on Capitol Hill, where Democratic U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren has raised concerns about whether his former firm Cerberus could benefit from the Pentagon’s spending on its Golden Dome missile defense program.

“There are no conflicts of interest between Deputy Secretary of War Steve Feinberg and Cerberus,” said Parnell. “He has completely divested from Cerberus and has recused himself from any conversations or business relationships between the Executive Branch and Cerberus.”

Cerberus did not respond to a request for comment.

“We will keep supporting Ukraine, including with European air defence and PAC-3 Patriot systems,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X on Sept. 2, confirming the request alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. “We will work closer than ever with NATO. And deter anyone who attacks our freedom and security.”

The statement comes a day after Ukraine’s defense minister, Yevhenii Khmara, pressed allies for more aid. Russia is continuing a second week of launching near-nonstop aerial strikes on Kyiv, Odesa and other cities as Ukraine faces a dire antiballistics interceptor shortage.

“Ukraine calls on partners to allocate national budget funds for the procurement of Ukrainian drones, expedite the provision of the EU loan, and resume discussions on the use of frozen Russian assets,” Khmara said in a statement.

He said Ukraine currently faces a $27 billion defense budget deficit, but emphasized that supporting Kyiv is a “win-win” for Europe.

“Every euro invested in Ukraine’s defence is an investment in European security,” he said.

The €90 billion loan Kyiv hopes to tap into — finalized by the Council of the EU in April after months of delay — sets aside roughly €60 billion for defense procurement and €30 billion for budget support.

But the loan’s rules were written to prioritize European and Ukrainian-made weapons, capping non-EU/Ukrainian content at 35% of a given purchase’s value.

Because PAC-3s are built in the U.S., Kyiv’s request needs to receive a formal exemption to access the funds.

Ukraine already secured a similar carve-out in April for Chinese-made drone components, a precedent officials are pointing to as EU member states weigh the latest request.

Von der Leyen said in her Sept. 2 statement that the exemption review “is moving in the right direction,” and that EU representatives were due to decide on the exemption on Monday.

It was introduced to make civilians feel comfortable with what the military asks of its service members, shifting focus from the human beings carrying the weight to the audience watching them carry it.

America loves the perfect military family hanging in photos around the world: a service member reuniting with a supportive spouse and resilient kids — all smiles, happy tears and beautifully curated.

America kills to see a happy homecoming. We watch from the safety of our couches as loved ones run to embrace their hero.

I’ve lived that photo. I am that supportive wife who is proud of this life and its honorable purpose. My husband looks good in his flight suit, and my kids are strong as hell.

The issue isn’t the photo; it’s what exists outside the frame. The reality lives in the go-bag in the closet, tearful goodbyes, moldy base housing, paychecks stretched thin, deteriorating mental health and the solo-parenting that spouses do every day.

The photo op can’t hold it.

The reality lives within the human beings inside those uniforms: the service member who is scared, exhausted or living with post-traumatic stress disorder; the children who don’t understand; and the spouse who is angry because she has skin in the game.

We’ve decided the image of the hero is more important than the human wearing the uniform. The support is loud until they step out of the frame. The second they show exhaustion, fear or disagreement, support turns into silence, or worse, an accusation: “You signed up for this.”

Yes, we did, and proudly. But nobody signed up to have their basic humanity stripped away to become America’s pretty patriotism prop.

The second a service member says, “I am exhausted,” “My mental health is failing,” or “This policy is broken,” their limits become an inconvenience, and they are written off as a threat to morale. When a spouse speaks up about mold or destructive deployment schedules, she is framed as “ungrateful” and warned she’ll ruin her partner’s career. The institution offers performative “help” through commissions far removed from daily realities, while kids become collateral damage in a system that values silence over empathy.

The proof is in the current events section of every government-run newspaper. It’s just not the story the institution wants you to hear.

When asked if the deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln was getting too long, the response was, “Not nearly long enough.” When sailors and families raised legitimate alarms about mental health, leadership brushed it off, managed optics and expected everyone to endure. When independent press like Stars and Stripes exposes messy realities, they’re handled — shattering the illusion that service members are lethal war machines, rather than humans with limits.

When active-duty officers like Major Jason Watson raise their voice on the Capitol steps, leadership doesn’t ask why; they immediately condemn. Challenging broken policy is treated as a personal insult to fragile leadership that cares more about rank and optics than humanity. By hyper-focusing on protocol, leadership hands itself a convenient shield: It’s easier to court-martial a man than answer the uncomfortable questions he brought with him.

Which brings me back to the man in the flight suit.

My loyalty belongs to my husband, not an institution that sees him as a disposable asset, nor a leadership pushing a toxic narrative over well-being. My loyalty is to the human who willingly puts on that suit and honors his oath.

Loving my husband and being a proud military spouse does not mean silent compliance. It fuels the fire because my name sits next to his on our marriage certificate, and it’s the very reason I refuse to be quiet.

I can honor his service and still look military leadership in the eye and ask, “What are you doing to him?”

What happens to him directly impacts our family, and I refuse to let his humanity be a bargaining chip for a public relations campaign.

If America and the Department of Defense truly want to “support our troops,” they must start taking responsibility for inconvenient consequences. Stop demanding the perfect military family and start acknowledging the human beings inside the uniform; their limits, fears, exhaustion and truth.

Debunking the war machine and seeing soldiers as human beings is the absolute minimum. Human acknowledgment isn’t simply “the right thing to do”; it’s how a successful military culture is created. When a leader chooses humanity over optics, a foundation is built on genuine trust rather than quiet burnout.

Maybe then service members and families would willingly choose 20 years instead of walking away. After all, you can only push someone to their limit before they jump ship.

Alexa LeCureux is a military spouse and writer who explores the complexities of service, patriotism and family life in the armed forces. She has spent over a decade supporting her husband’s career, first as a loadmaster and more recently as an Air Force KC-135 pilot, while raising their children in military communities across the United States and overseas. Her writing reflects the lived experience of military families and the quiet weight of life behind the uniform.

The Department of Defense wants to take that idea one step further and wield AI-generated “personalities” to mimic real people — and fool enemy AI trying to identify patterns in friendly cellphone traffic.

The goal is to mask “digital exhaust,” the metadata automatically emitted by mobile phones, such as location and specific device IDs. Intelligence agencies, law enforcement, militaries and even criminals have become adept at using this digital debris to locate users and analyze their behavior.

In particular, “accessing foreign mobile phone networks exposes individuals and organizations to surveillance and espionage threats,” warned the DoD Small Business Innovation Research solicitation, which opens Sept. 23 and closes Oct. 21.

“Adversaries can leverage this data to track daily routines, identify deviations indicating special events (e.g., VIP visits or mission preparation), and map sensitive facilities based on cell phone concentration or periods of inactivity,” the solicitation explained.

The solicitation doesn’t specifically mention AI-created people chatting on their mobiles. But DoD does envision a “digital exhaust deception system” in which AI “personas” generate cellphone signals that mimic the behavior of real people.

Each device should have a minimum of two personas, and eventually four or more. The device should weigh fewer than 2 pounds and have a battery life of up to 36 hours.

Defense startup raises $61 million to put AI into a wrist-worn display

Merely generating fake cellphone signals isn’t enough. The device must “mimic realistic patterns of life to defeat automated network analysis,” DoD said.

At a minimum, this means defeating basic traffic analysis. Ultimately, the Pentagon wants a system that can defeat behavioral tracking by advanced AI.

Phase I of the project involves creating a design concept and algorithms, as well as listing any “proprietary software required to conduct AI-enabled mission planning and operations.” Phase II will generate a prototype, followed by Phase III and delivery of “fully integrated mission management software and hardened decoy box form factors (e.g., Wi-Fi router-sized team devices and puck-sized personal devices).”

The technology could lend itself to civilian applications. A capability to obscure cell phone metadata “directly translates to protecting high-value corporate assets, personnel, and intellectual property from commercial espionage and tracking,” the solicitation states.

Analyzing signal traffic has long been a useful intelligence tool. For example, in World War II, the U.S. Navy used it to derive intelligence on Japanese naval deployment. Today, police have software that uses cell phone data to trace a user’s past movement for months.

On the other hand, traffic analysis can boomerang on its creators. Japan used decoy radio signals in 1941 to convince U.S. analysts that the Japanese fleet was at home, rather than steaming toward Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Lt. Gen. Christopher Niemi, the Air Force’s chief modernization officer, told reporters at the Pentagon that a follow-on was already under discussion as the MQ-9 aged out.

“Although we have plenty of MQ-9As today, we are going through them at a rate that is concerning to us,” he said, according to Breaking Defense, which covered the briefing.

Defense Daily reported that Air Force Secretary Troy Meink directed the acceleration, and that the fiscal 2031 target of 20 mission-ready aircraft could be pulled forward by about two years.

In May, Lt. Gen. David Tabor told the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Airland the fleet was down to about 135 aircraft, roughly 54 below the service’s 189-aircraft floor. Niemi did not update the inventory.

Backfilling the fleet is difficult. General Atomics shut down MQ-9A production in 2025, and Tabor said the service was pursuing a short-term buy of existing MQ-9A airframes in fiscal 2026. Niemi said Sept. 3 that budget constraints make buying a large number of upgraded MQ-9B SkyGuardians unrealistic. It is a misconception, he said, that the Air Force could write a check and take delivery of 100 aircraft.

A Congressional Research Service Insight updated May 13 cited an April 9 news report of 24 Reapers lost since military operations against Iran began in February, and said it was unclear whether the Pentagon had given Congress an accounting. The Washington Post reported Aug. 13, citing three U.S. officials, that at least 45 had been lost, roughly 25% of the fleet.

Niemi signed requirements in May for a cheaper, modular, mass-producible aircraft.

That program, Massed Modular Aircraft, or MMA, opened as a Defense Innovation Unit competition July 7 with the Air Force as partner. The solicitation, which closed July 23, asked for a drone that could fly Reaper-class strike, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, electronic warfare and communications-relay missions cheaply enough to absorb losses. It called for at least 2,800 pounds of payload and an 8,000-nautical-mile one-way ferry range.

That is the aircraft Niemi now prices against Collaborative Combat Aircraft, or CCA. He put CCA air vehicles near $20 million and MMA at about half that, Defense Daily reported.

An Air Force spokesperson said those figures are for the air vehicle only, not a fully missionized aircraft, according to Breaking Defense. In May, Niemi told senators a Reaper with a full sensor package can cost up to $50 million. At the Sept. 3 briefing, he said the Air Force will probably field at least 180 MMA drones.

Niemi argued the Reaper’s value is not the airframe.

“What makes the MQ-9 special has nothing to do with the aircraft itself,” he said, calling its speed, altitude and range decades-old technology.

Initial MMA versions, he said, will rely on proven technology rather than new systems to hit the price. He described a long-aspect-wing turboprop in the “4,000 miles-type class,” farther and heavier than a CCA but slower. Officials did not say how that class relates to the 8,000-nautical-mile ferry range in the July notice.

General Atomics is bidding a design it calls Wildfire, first reported by Aviation Week in August. Spokesman C. Mark Brinkley told Air & Space Forces Magazine it “meets every wish on the [MMA] list and exceeds most of them,” but declined to give capabilities or cost. The company has not released images.

Brinkley told The War Zone in August that treating MMA as a Reaper replacement misses the immediate need for a backfill. Wildfire does not depend on winning the competition, he said, and “we can deliver Wildfires years earlier than the current schedule.”

He framed the design targets as considerations rather than specs, among them a 10,000-nautical-mile ferry range, four Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles and 100 aircraft under semi-autonomous control.

Col. Todd Dye, senior materiel leader in the Air Force’s medium-altitude intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance division, said awards for MMA concept refinement were expected in the first quarter of fiscal 2027, Breaking Defense reported.

Officials did not announce a new date at the Sept. 3 briefing.

Textile experts and scientists with Navy Exchange Service Command worked on designs from Aug. 17 to Aug. 21 onboard Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story and at NEX Norfolk, Virginia, according to a Thursday release.

“We are committed to providing certified, high-quality Navy uniforms so that sailors are comfortable and professional looking so that they can focus on their mission,” Brianna Plummer, Group Leader of Design & Testing Laboratories at Navy Clothing and Textile Research Facility, said in the announcement.

Service members tried on prototype slacks, shirts and jumper tops, gaining an understanding of which sizes work best for them while experts with the fit clinic took measurements and learned how the new uniforms work alongside a newer numeric sizing system.

Experts will now utilize the intel collected to make decisions on future sizing recommendations, the Navy said.

The service has made a point to modernize its female uniforms, having already rolled out new service khaki slacks with back pockets and summer and dress female white overblouses over the past year.

The Navy Exchange Service Command’s Navy Clothing and Textile Research Facility has been at the helm of those efforts, announcing its first uniform updates in September 2024, as part of the Size Modernization Program.

The program was designed to address issues female sailors have had in the past with fit and comfort.

In July, Trump unexpectedly left the NATO summit in Turkey on a different plane, citing a potential threat as the conflict with Iran escalated. He switched to a smaller military aircraft in secret, using a catering truck for deception.

The swap raised further questions about the modified Qatari jet’s security as a presidential aircraft. That same month, Trump announced that the jet would be soon sent to be “maxed out” for security upgrades.

Trump said the alterations would begin in roughly a month, but no official statement has been made about the schedule.

“We don’t comment on specific upgrades or modifications to Air Force One,” a senior administration official told Military Times. “We maintain a consistent posture that ensures a safe, secure, and reliable capability for the President of the United States and routinely evolve the capability as required to maintain that posture.”

Trump will be in Ireland on Sept. 12 and 13, attending the Irish Open at his golf course in Doonbeg. The BBC reported that he is scheduled to meet Irish President Catherine Connolly and Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin during his two-day trip.

Ahead of the midterm elections, Trump is also scheduled to headline the Republican midterm convention next week in Texas, and he has promised to campaign for Republican candidates across dozens of battleground states.

The unemployment rate for all veterans also came down from 4.2% in July to 3.4% in August — compared to the overall unemployment rate of 4.1%. This comes as the economy rebounded from the negative job creation numbers recorded in July, when employers shed 23,000 jobs.

The 162,000 jobs added in August blew past most analysts’ expectations of 53,000 jobs, and also gave evidence of the economy’s resilience in the face of war with Iran, rising gas and diesel prices and a new tariff war with Canada.

The surge was led by employment in food services and bars, which added 59,000 jobs in August, compared to the average monthly gain of 12,000 jobs in food services and bars over the previous 12 months, the BLS report said.

Local government schools added 42,000 jobs in August while “employment in manufacturing continued its upward trend” by adding 16,000 jobs in August — bringing the total of manufacturing jobs added this year to 58,000, the BLS report noted.

President Donald Trump quickly seized on the latest BLS numbers as an example of his administration’s success in managing the economy that he said should lead the Federal Reserve Board to cut interest rates at its next Open Market Committee meeting on Sept. 15-16.

“Lower the interest rates because the U.S.A. is a much stronger credit than it was just a short time ago!” Trump said. “A STRONG COUNTRY MEANS A LOWER INTEREST RATE - IT’S A BETTER CREDIT…Very simple! We should have the LOWEST RATE of any country in the World, like ‘the old days.’”

The main takeaway from the latest jobs report was that “it’s a lot easier to get a job [now] than it was a year ago,” said Heather Long, chief economist for the Navy Federal Credit Union. In a phone interview with Military Times, Long noted the 21,000 construction jobs added in August to cope with the demand for new data centers.

The concern for Long, however, was that wage gains were not keeping up with the rate of inflation. Wages rose 3.1% in August while inflation stood at 3.4%, she noted.

The turnaround in the jobs market has been a boon for veterans looking for work in what has been described as a “low hire, low fire” economy, said Kevin Rasch, a retired Navy Commander and the Warriors to Work Regional Director for the Wounded Warrior Project.

“We’re seeing success in placing Warriors,” he said in a telephone interview with Military Times. “The system seems to be working like it should” and it also “seems like what we’re doing is working.”

The incentives take effect Oct. 1 under a new Marine administrative message outlining the FY2027 Enlistment Option Program and Enlistment Bonus Program.

In addition to the $15,000 bonus for Electronic Maintenance and $15,000 bonus for Cyber and Crypto Operations, the Corps is offering $5,000 or $10,000 shipping bonuses, plus up to $15,000 for those who add two years to their enlistment or $7,000 for those who add only one year.

Active-component applicants can receive only one enlistment bonus. The longer-enlistment bonuses require the additional service to be added before shipping to recruit training.

Skill bonuses trigger at the first permanent duty station joined; shipping and longer-enlistment bonuses trigger at the first School of Infantry joined.

The two $15,000 skill bonuses are not new; the same fields received the maximum targeted bonus under the FY26 program. The Corps says the program helps compete for talent, meet shipping goals, channel recruits into Force Design priorities and improve return on personnel investment. Bonuses can be adjusted during the fiscal year as recruiting conditions change.

The FY27 structure includes 31 occupational specialty categories covering aviation, intelligence, information technology, logistics, engineering, reconnaissance, infantry, cyber operations and military police. Active-duty applicants enlist rather than entering a specific MOS directly. Program Enlisted For (PEF) codes group related jobs together according to prerequisites, with requirements outlined in the applicant’s Statement of Understanding.

The two $15,000 bonuses are tied to Program Enlisted For, or PEFs, for Electronic Maintenance, covering MOSs 2171, 2831, 2841, 2847, 2871, 2887, 5939, 5948, 5955, 5974 and 5979; and PEF DG, Cyber and Crypto Operations, covering MOSs 1721, 2621, 2631, 2641 and 2651.

For Marine reservists, the detailed FY27 provision sets the Selected Marine Corps Reserve enlistment bonus at $10,000, with all eligible quota serial numbers included. The opening summary, however, says the SMCR bonus is authorized for either $10,000 or $6,000.

Reserve applicants must enlist to a Reserve Affairs-validated quota serial number under the Reserve Optional Enlistment Program with a six-year obligation and complete required training for their contracted military job and elected Marine Corps Reserve unit or SMCR. Applicants under Incremental Initial Active Duty Training are ineligible. The bonus is paid as a lump sum after initial active-duty training, including recruit training, Marine Combat Training and MOS school, and after the SMCR unit joins the Marine to the appropriate RUC/MCC.

The Montgomery GI Bill-Selected Reserve kicker can provide up to $350 per month for up to 36 months, and eligible Reserve applicants may receive it with the enlistment bonus. Both incentives depend on available funding and are approved in the order received until allocations or funding limits are reached.

Marines reclassified into another occupational specialty eligible for the bonus during initial active-duty training retain SMCR bonus eligibility. Those who fail to meet prerequisites for their contracted MOS or fail academically forfeit the incentive. Recipients must serve satisfactorily during the six-year Reserve obligation; those who fail to fulfill their bonus agreement generally must repay the unearned portion. Exceptions include death, retirement or separation with a combat-related disability.

The program remains in effect through Sept. 30, 2027.

Libby Klinner, the wife of Alex Klinner, turned to social media to share the story of her husband’s passing and the struggles her family was facing in receiving certain additional benefits since the federal government did not officially declare war on Iran.

U.S. Air Force Maj. John “Alex” Klinner, 33, of Auburn, Alabama, was among the six killed on March 12 when a KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed over western Iraq during combat operations against Iran. Klinner was the chief of Squadron Standardizations and Evaluations within the 99th Air Refueling Squadron, located in Birmingham, Alabama.

He entered the Air Force in 2017 and deployed in 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2026 for a range of missions — flying 362 combat hours and 181 combat support hours in theater. His achievements include the Air Medal with oak leaf cluster, Aerial Achievement Medal and Air and Space Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster.

Recently, Libby posted on Instagram that her casualty assistance officer told her that additional combat-related benefits, such as Hostile Fire Pay or Imminent Danger Pay and Combat Zone Tax Exclusions, could not be given to her family because the U.S. has not officially declared war against the Middle East country.

“The Air Force recently told me that because we haven’t officially declared war, my kids and I aren’t eligible for some benefits,” Libby wrote. “So not only was my husband killed in a war he never wanted to participate in, but now the benefits we’re left with are being dictated by semantics and public perceptions.”

In a later post, Libby said that the director of mortuary affairs reached out to her to audit the benefits.

On Thursday, Vance said the administration would reach out to Libby directly to ensure she receives “what she is entitled to.”

“We will certainly work that on the back end,” Vance told reporters in a White House briefing.

Libby did not return a request for comment from Military Times.

Libby has since taken down her personal Instagram with the original posts, but a statement of hers circulated social media on Thursday, saying “classification issues” caused the combat-related benefits to not be available for her family.

“That was the information I shared publicly at the time,” Libby wrote. “As the story spread, however, it created the impression that our family’s military benefits had been broadly denied or withheld, which was not the case.”

She said that the Department of Defense has since completed its review and confirmed her family’s benefits. Libby wrote that the experience highlights how challenging it can be to navigate classifications, terminology and government processes during a time of grief.

“No Gold Star family should have to become an expert in government language to understand what they are entitled to,” she said.

“Getting this right for the families left behind isn’t a footnote—it’s part of how we honor the service and sacrifice of those we lost,” she concluded.

Department of the Air Force officials spoke with Libby on Monday to address her questions and ensure she is receiving all eligible benefits her and her family are entitled to, an Air Force spokesperson told Military Times on Friday.

The spokesperson said that officials confirmed that all eligible combat theater benefits were included in the areas of pay she already received, including Imminent Danger Pay or Hostile Fire Pay and Combat Zone Tax Exclusion benefits.

Alongside other benefits spouses retain, Hostile Fire Pay, at the rate of $225 per month, is given when a service member is killed, injured or wounded by hostile fire, explosion of a mine or other hostile actions. Imminent Danger Pay, $7.50 for each day on official duty in a designated area up to $225 a month, is given when an airman is ordered to fly in an airspace designated as an imminent danger for a mission.

Service members can receive one pay or the other but not both. When a service member is entitled to one form of pay, they may also be eligible for Combat Zone Tax Exclusion, which excludes certain pay from their taxable income.

The Air Force spokesperson did not say which pay the Klinner family is entitled to.

The Department of Defense also provides a one-time, tax-free sum of $100,000 as a Death Gratuity to survivors of members of the armed forces who died while on active duty or in certain statuses.

Trump announced his choice via Truth Social on Thursday evening.

“I am pleased to announce that Adam Telle, the current Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, will become Acting Secretary of the Army, effective immediately,” Trump wrote, adding, “He is a Great Patriot, who is respected by all.”

Telle’s selection comes after former Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who championed modernization and acquisition reform, resigned this week amid tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. His departure is the latest in a series of high-profile firings and leadership changes under Hegseth’s tenure.

The unconventional move sidestepped Michael Odabal, the Army’s second-highest-ranking civilian leader, in favor of Telle, a Northport, Alabama, native who most recently held the formal position of 14th assistant secretary of the Army (civil works). Normal conventions dictate that Odabal would have taken Driscoll’s place.

Telle began overseeing the Corps of Engineers in August 2025. In that position, he set the agenda for projects ranging from commercial waterways and storm damage reduction to Clean Water Act permitting. Before that, Telle served as chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty, a Republican from Tennessee, and during Trump’s first term, as the president’s chief liaison to the Senate.

He was also the chief staff member on the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee in charge of managing the budget of the Department of Homeland Security.

Previously, Telle spent a decade in the office of Thad Cochran, a former U.S. senator from Mississippi, where he worked on Hurricane Katrina recovery.

Telle is married with two children and has degrees in computer science and communications from Mississippi State University. According to his official Army biography, Telle “spends his free time enjoying the Gulf of America.”

Hegseth lauded his appointment on social media, calling Telle, “strong and whip smart,” in a statement on X.

The 128 states that are party to the Convention on ​Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), an international framework hosted under the United Nations in Geneva that regulates or bans specific types of weapons considered excessively injurious or indiscriminate, have been meeting this week in the Swiss city.

They are set to decide whether consensus can be reached on a non-binding text that may usher in negotiations on prohibitions and regulations for Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS).

Concerns have been mounting about the role of semi-autonomous weapons that can identify and engage targets with varying degrees of autonomy in conflict zones such as Ukraine, Sudan and the Middle East.

Human Rights Watch and the Stop Killer Robots campaign group have warned that weapons systems, some of which are assisted by artificial intelligence, may behave unpredictably, raising the risk of fatal errors.

States agree that international humanitarian law applies to LAWS, but specifically binding international standards for such systems remain virtually non-existent.

A majority of countries at the meeting have expressed support for a draft text, but the U.S. and Russia have proposed late changes and deletions to it, two diplomatic sources said.

The Russian mission in Geneva did not comment. The U.S. mission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“The window is getting smaller to getting an agreement,” one of the diplomatic sources told Reuters.

Diplomats may run out of time and key provisions discussed over several years could be dropped, running the risk of no deal emerging, a second diplomatic source said.

Differences over language

The U.S. position has hardened over the past six months, a senior diplomat said, with Washington favouring something more akin to guidelines than a legally binding international treaty as it says international humanitarian law already provides a framework to govern the conduct of warfare.

This position is supported by states including Russia, India and Turkey.

At least six countries received formal diplomatic approaches from Washington to back its position concerning the draft text, two diplomats said. This showed U.S. engagement to try to reach consensus on the issue, one of them said.

Policies needed to share AI-generated intel across NATO countries, official says

But differences remain over language, with the use of words such as “lethality” and a section related to exercising human judgment and control being debated, one of the sources said.

Backers of a legally binding treaty, including Brazil, Ireland and several African states, say safeguards are needed to ensure meaningful human control over the weapons systems in question. Opponents favour greater flexibility.

In August, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Red Cross President Mirjana Spoljaric warned the world was nearing a moral red line where autonomous weapons could kill without human involvement.

The study, “Breaking Glass, Missing Hands,” asks how quickly the country could replace satellites and supporting systems lost early in a protracted conflict. It sets the benchmark for reconstitution, the term for restoring lost capability, at 12 to 24 months, a pace much more demanding than the decade or so the report says it typically takes to replace an aging satellite.

The study examines whether the space defense industrial base could meet that timeline between 2027 and 2032. The authors argue that existing workforce gaps could take years to close, putting a 12-to-24-month timeline out of reach.

Gen. Michael Guetlein, now the Golden Dome director, sponsored the study while serving as vice chief of space operations. RAND Project AIR FORCE conducted it as part of a fiscal 2024 project titled “In Emergency, Break Glass,” with Alexandra Gerber as lead author.

Researchers analyzed federal labor and education statistics from October 2024 through March 2025, and interviewed industry representatives and education administrators from May through July 2025.

The report divides the space-supporting workforce into three categories.

The first is engineers who design and test space systems. Nearly 3 million Americans work as engineers in jobs requiring a bachelor’s degree or higher, but only about 3% of them work in industries RAND counted as supporting space: satellite communications, semiconductors and nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing that produces optical glass. RAND calls that grouping a subset of the space industrial base. Aerospace manufacturing was not included.

RAND estimates that those three counted industries account for only about 7,000 of 208,000 annual engineering job openings, noting that the space sector has little leverage against employers in the artificial intelligence, software and data analytics sectors that pay more and offer more flexible work environments.

The second category is “skilled touch labor,” the technicians and assemblers who physically build spacecraft. Using 2023 Bureau of Labor Statistics figures, researchers estimated about 30,000 annual openings for technicians, while only about 11,000 people earn the necessary qualifications each year.

For assemblers, including cleanroom technicians, they found about 244,000 annual openings with just 13,000 credentialed workers each year, a gap of 19 to 1. The space industry accounts for a small share of that demand, but it competes for the same pool as semiconductor manufacturers.

The third category takes the longest to build: specialists who advance infrared and electro-optical detection, and engineers who design systems to survive natural and man-made radiation. Qualified candidates hold master’s or doctoral degrees, and the expertise can take 15 years or more to develop.

Few schools offer advanced degrees in laser and optical engineering, and most specialists come up through electrical or computer engineering programs instead. Of recent doctorates in those fields, 70% went to foreign nationals, the report says, shrinking the pool eligible for classified work.

Security clearances slow hiring even further. In fiscal 2024, initial Secret investigations averaged more than 87 days while Top Secret cases took nearly six months, according to a Trusted Workforce 2.0 progress report RAND cites.

Separately, interviewees said even fully credentialed workers can take up to a year to become productive, and the report notes that cleanrooms and secure work areas cap how fast plants can absorb new hires.

Those interviewed described the central problem as “surging from zero.” Without steady production between contracts, specialized skills atrophy and experienced workers leave, taking with them the institutional knowledge needed to scale. RAND says writing surge-planning requirements into future contracts would help companies prepare to expand before a crisis.

Researchers found no consensus that emergency mobilization would work. Defense Production Act authorities could pull workers from other industries, but interviewees questioned whether that is feasible given security clearances, certifications and domain expertise.

RAND recommends roughly $5 million a year for scholarships, internships and academic outreach, plus an $800,000 study on whether workers from other fields could be retrained for surge production.

The report also suggests advocating for the expansion of the National Imperative for Industrial Skills program and evaluating the Navy’s Talent Pipeline Program as a model for the trades.

Another proposal would let Reserve Officers’ Training Corps graduates satisfy service obligations by working at qualifying space firms, and would extend the same option to SMART scholarship recipients now committed to civilian Defense Department jobs.

RAND assigns the policy lead to the assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration, arguing workforce capacity is a supply-chain and production risk, not an internal Space Force staffing issue.

Interviewees pointed to hiring pipelines and faster clearances, rarely mentioning robotics, process automation or AI as a way to cut the labor hours per satellite. RAND did not independently assess whether automation is feasible, but flags that absence as a gap in reconstitution planning.

Most space producers run at volumes too low to justify the investment in automation, though RAND argues a reconstitution surge could change that math.

The appointment follows the departure of Dan Driscoll, who served as the Army’s civilian leader since February 2025 and tendered his resignation Monday, a source with knowledge of Driscoll’s actions told Military Times. His exit comes amid reports of heightened discord with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

“Huge congrats to Adam,” Hegseth wrote Thursday on X. “Strong and whip smart. He is indeed a great Patriot — and will be an immediate asset to the @USArmy.”

“We’re investigating it because obviously we care. We want to know,” Vance told reporters during a White House press briefing.

“If we do make mistakes, again, this is a big difference between us and Iran, when our military makes mistakes, they learn from them to try to get better from them,” Vance added.

Iranian officials say four people died and nearly 70 were wounded by a strike that hit a home during a wedding. Iranian state TV reported on Thursday that a fifth person, a 22-year-old woman, had since died at a hospital.

The U.S. military has said it was aware of the Iranian reports but that it “never targets civilians.”

On Tuesday, a three-judge panel on the D.C. Circuit ruled that the federal court that overturned Bergdahl’s military conviction did not have the jurisdiction to do so, arguing that only the military justice system could reverse Bergdahl’s judgment.

“District courts lack jurisdiction on collateral review to vacate court-martial judgments,” Judge Robert Wilkins wrote on behalf of the panel.

The former U.S. Army soldier, then 23, walked off his base during a deployment to Afghanistan in 2009 and was subsequently captured by the Taliban. American soldiers were severely injured and one military working dog, Remco, was killed during the operations to find him. Bergdahl said he left his post in an attempt to reach another headquarters and report perceived issues with leadership. Instead, he was abducted, tortured and held in brutal conditions.

Then-President Barack Obama negotiated Bergdahl’s release in a 2014 prisoner swap. He was exchanged for five members of Taliban leadership who were held at Guantanamo Bay.

Bergdahl pleaded guilty to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy during a 2017 military court-martial, after which he was dishonorably discharged and ordered to forfeit $10,000 in pay. Though prosecutors sought 14 years’ imprisonment, he was not sentenced to any time after presenting evidence that he was tortured.

The prisoner swap, case and sentencing set off political fireworks, with former Sen. John McCain and President Donald Trump calling for Bergdahl to be harshly punished. Trump called for Bergdahl’s execution during his 2016 campaign, and the former soldier’s attorneys argued that Trump’s comments could have influenced the military judge.

Around three years ago, a civilian judge vacated Bergdahl’s conviction, arguing that the military judge in his initial court-martial did not disclose an application for an executive branch job as an immigration judge, which could have been a potential conflict of interest.

The D.C. panel did not rule on whether the case was influenced by Trump’s incendiary comments or whether the initial military judge should have disclosed that he was looking for a Justice Department job.

Eugene R. Fidell, Berdahl’s attorney, in an interview with Military Times, said the case is about “the integrity of the military justice system,” and added that “there is a grave command influence problem that has pervaded this case from the very beginning.”

He said he had hoped the appeals court would address that issue, but it did not. Fidell’s team has 45 days to weigh several options for challenging the ruling, including asking the same panel to reconsider or seeking a discretionary review by the Supreme Court.

Rather than deploying missiles to shoot down unmanned aircraft, the E-HEL fires a laser beam at its targets and can reload its magazine through the system’s power supply, according to the Army.

“This first-of-its-kind directed energy program will enable our formations to defeat unmanned systems and dominate from the outset,” Vice Chief of Staff of the Army General Christopher LaNeve said in an Army statement. “Pairing human ingenuity with advanced technology is what ensures our Army will continue to outpace America’s adversaries.”

Under the Other Transaction Agreement, AV will deliver dozens of 30 kW LOCUST laser weapons capable of taking down smaller drones that fit within what the Defense Department characterizes as groups one through three. Those include miniature UAVs comparable to the Air Force’s Wasp III to the Army’s RQ-7B Shadow in the larger class.

The E-HEL production announcement also notches a much-needed win for the service’s laser program, following soldiers’ disappointing feedback on the Army’s Directed Energy Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense (DE M-SHORAD) performance in the Middle East.

While those prototypes were tailored for the Stryker combat vehicle, AV’s LOCUST X3 laser weapon is platform-agnostic and can fit on the Army’s Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV).

The E-HEL program builds on the success of the Army Multi-Purpose High Energy Laser (AMP-HEL) prototypes currently in use by U.S. soldiers.

The contract follows LOCUST’s successful testing at White Sands Missile Range, led by Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF-401) and PAE Fires, which demonstrated safe, effective counter-drone operations in U.S. airspace and directly enabled a DOW–FAA safety agreement validating the system for domestic use.

The service used two C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft from Yokota Air Base, Japan, on Wednesday to provide bobcat front loaders, first aid kits, stretchers and specialized disaster victim recovery supplies, delivering them to Tribhuvan International Airport, a U.S. Pacific Command spokesperson told Military Times on Thursday.

“The U.S. military joins U.S. Embassy Nepal, the Government of Nepal, and response partners on the ground to provide urgent life-saving supplies and equipment to areas affected by flash flooding,” a PACOM release says.

On Aug. 26, Rasuwa, located in central Nepal, suffered floods from Bhote Koshi, a river that flows through Tibet and Nepal. The floods occurred after a large glacial collapse and avalanche in the Himalayas of Tibet.

“This rapid delivery reflects the enduring U.S.-Nepal partnership and our shared commitment to helping affected communities through this disaster,” the post says.

The embassy said that the humanitarian and disaster response assistance comes after requests from Nepal’s government, following the $3.6 million already announced by the U.S. for flood support.

On Wednesday, the Pentagon posted the “Clinical Guidance for Health and Human Performance Optimization” on its website. By Thursday, the memo and an accompanying statement from spokesperson Sean Parnell had been removed.

“The draft (document) published on September 2, 2026, has been temporarily rescinded to allow for updates,” the official said, adding that interim guidance remains in effect.

The detailed clinical guidelines had laid out separate testosterone deficiency screening paths for men and women that were to happen during their annual health assessments.

The guidance was set to take effect immediately, and the ​Pentagon said it is aimed at improving military readiness by ​identifying and managing hormonal and energy-availability issues.

“Page Not Found” appeared on websites for both the Pentagon and Defense Health Agency when clicking on links for the memo and statement.

Wednesday’s guidance said that men aged 30 and older would be screened through a questionnaire that could then trigger a blood test for testosterone levels and, if needed, testosterone hormone therapy.

Women would also be screened through a questionnaire, which could then move to treatment for conditions related to hormonal imbalance. Testosterone would be used in women only for one of the diagnoses for which there is evidence of efficacy, such as Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder, characterized by a distressing level of low sexual interest.

Staff Sgt. Deonte Lamar Davis, assigned to the 19th Engineer Battalion, 20th Engineer Brigade, XVII Airborne Corps, died on Tuesday at Fort Knox, Kentucky, according to a Wednesday statement.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Staff Sgt. Davis,” Col. Jeff Burges, commander of the 20th Engineer Brigade, said in the release. “He was an outstanding Soldier and leader, and will be deeply missed by all his family, friends and fellow soldiers across the formation.”

Davis hailed from Daytona Beach, Florida, and he was a bridge crewmember assigned to the base since 2024.

Preliminary information regarding the incident found that engineering equipment fell on Davis while he was working in the motor pool, according to a Tuesday base release shared with Military Times.

Army motor pools are facilities where units maintain and work on vehicles, equipment and machinery.

Emergency responders were called to the scene around 10:30 a.m. local time, and David received emergency medical care before being transported by air to University of Louisville Hospital. He was later pronounced dead, the release states.

As part of the standard process for investigating soldiers’ fatalities, the incident is under investigation by the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division, but initial indications are that it was accidental.

Davis’ awards include the Army Commendation Medal, two Army Achievement Medals, two Army Good Conduct Medals, National Defense Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon and Overseas Service Ribbon, per the release.

The 600-member “Unmanned Assault Battalion,” created as part of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, was charged with learning tactics and skills from Ukraine’s more-than four-year fight against Russia and applying them to the U.S. military. In a letter, legislators expressed concern that eliminating the battalion was another sign of the Defense Department’s “uneven and inconsistent” support to Europe and Ukraine, and they questioned how the U.S. would continue to learn drone warfare from the Ukraine theater.

“We have deep concerns that eliminating this specialized drone unit will limit our ability to learn from allies, particularly the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and hinder our efforts to modernize drone warfare at the speed necessary to compete on the modern battlefield,” Sens. Jeanne, Shahee, Thom Tillis, Angus King and Rep. Michael Turner, said in the Sept. 1 letter, provided by Sen. Shaheen’s office.

“This specialized unit was a prudent response in a moment when the character of warfare is changing faster than a conventional formation’s ability to adapt,” the lawmakers said after asking if the decision to close the unit was made by the Army or based on guidance from Defense Department leadership. They asked for an explanation by Sept. 21.

The unit is expected to return to its airborne infantry mission after participating in the multinational Exercise Saber Junction this month.

In the letter, addressed to Acting Army Chief of Staff. Gen. Christopher LaNeve and outgoing Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, legislators said they understood the move to be a result of Gen. LaNeve’s “back to basics” message, where he ordered the force to focus on its primary combat mission.

The Army has seen a massive leadership shakeup as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired over a dozen top leaders. Former Army Chief of Staff, Gen. Randy George, who championed drone innovation through his Transformation in Contact initiative, was ousted at Hegseth’s behest. He has not yet nominated a successor.

Driscoll, who supported modernization measures and acquisition reform, resigned on short notice this week amid friction with Hegseth. His resignation further thins the Army’s top ranks as the country remains locked into a war with Iran that has now stretched over six months amid missile stockpile shortages and extended deployments.

The newest iteration was designed with feedback from service members to provide lightweight material and an updated fit for future field training and military operations.

“Equipment must evolve continuously to outpace near-peer technological advancements and deliver peak capabilities to the Fleet Marine Force,” said Todd Towles, clothing and equipment team lead.

The next-generation combat utility uniform also incorporates a crotch gusset to increase comfort and durability, as well as more sizing options for a wider variety of body types.

The Marine Corps is currently in the testing and user evaluation phase of the rollout.

On Aug. 4 and 5, the service issued the recently produced uniforms to command staff, drill instructors and recruits from three platoons in Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island.

Participants will wear the uniforms and provide their honest opinion at the end of a limited user evaluation period.

The service also recently modernized how service members can access the guide for uniform standards.

A new mobile app lets Marines check proper regulations for their outfit and grooming.

Service members can toggle between different uniform categories, with descriptions that explain what activities those uniforms are allowed to be worn for.

The Sept. 2 guidance, signed by DHA Director Vice Adm. Darin Via, establishes clinical pathways for female hormonal optimization and lays out when a woman should receive additional evaluation, what conditions providers should consider and when treatment or referral is warranted.

A female Marine interviewed by Military Times said low testosterone can occur in women but can be harder to identify because women normally have much lower testosterone levels than men.

“Low testosterone isn’t really a problem that affects women the same way as it affects men,” the Marine said.

Unlike the mandatory testosterone blood testing for male service members aged 30 and older, the female pathway begins with an annual clinical screen for hormonal dysregulation during the Periodic Health Assessment, or PHA.

Testosterone

DHA identifies fatigue, musculoskeletal pain and changes in menstrual patterns, including cycles longer than 35 days, as signs that should prompt a targeted assessment for Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport, or RED-S.

DHA says military operational demands, fitness standards and occupational stressors can increase the risk of RED-S, a condition associated with low energy availability that can contribute to bone-stress injuries, impaired endocrine function and lost operational readiness.

If the initial assessment does not indicate concern for RED-S, no further evaluation is required under the DHA guidance. If concern remains, active-duty service members are referred to their primary care managers for further assessment and treatment.

The next step can include a validated screening tool such as the Low Energy Availability in Females Questionnaire, followed by the International Olympic Committee’s RED-S Clinical Assessment Tool Version 2. That assessment places service members into four risk categories, ranging from low risk, with unrestricted training and duties, to high risk, where limited duty, medical profiling or hospitalization may be necessary.

DHA also recognizes that one of the most visible indicators of RED-S can be obscured by treatment and notes that functional hypothalamic amenorrhea can be masked by hormonal contraception.

At the same time, menstrual-cycle and sex-hormone indicators are not scored in the RED-S assessment for women taking thyroid or sex-hormone-altering medications, including hormonal contraceptives.

When RED-S is suspected, clinicians can order blood tests including a complete blood count, comprehensive metabolic panel, ferritin, iron studies, vitamin B12 and thyroid-stimulating hormone. For women with prolonged or absent menstruation, pregnancy testing and additional hormone testing may be ordered when clinically indicated.

Treatment focuses first on correcting the underlying energy deficit, which can mean increasing dietary energy intake, reducing training volume or both. DHA also calls for attention to protein, carbohydrates, calcium and vitamin D, with psychological support when disordered eating, body-image concerns or performance pressures are involved.

Female service members aged 35 and older who report clinically significant symptoms of perimenopause or menopause are to be assessed for whether those symptoms affect operational duties or quality of life. If they do — or if the service member requests education or treatment — the provider is to refer her to a midlife-transition specialist.

That specialist could be an obstetrician-gynecologist, certified nurse midwife, women’s health nurse practitioner, endocrinologist or primary care provider trained in perimenopause and menopause care. If appropriate expertise is unavailable locally, DHA directs providers to its Midlife Telehealth Hub.

A Navy hospital corpsman interviewed by Military Times, says the military standard should remain the ability to perform the job.

“As long as they are fit for duty, any medically optional test they would like to have is fine for me personally,” she said. “If a testosterone treatment makes you fit for duty, then great, get in there.”

The DHA guidance addresses testosterone treatment for women within a narrow clinical context, citing the 2019 Global Consensus Position Statement on testosterone therapy, which identifies Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder, or HSDD, in postmenopausal women as the only evidence-based indication for testosterone therapy in women.

The guidance does not establish a testosterone blood-test threshold for diagnosing HSDD. Instead, it calls for a clinical assessment, consideration of other causes and shared decision-making between the patient and provider.

DHA says available evidence does not demonstrate a benefit from testosterone therapy for psychological well-being, depressive symptoms, cognitive performance, cardiovascular outcomes, bone mineral density, or muscle mass and performance. Evidence for treating HSDD with testosterone in perimenopausal women remains limited, according to the guidance.

For a postmenopausal service member with a distressing decline in sexual function, DHA recommends addressing other possible causes before considering testosterone. If treatment is chosen, it is off-label: The guidance recommends one-tenth of an FDA-approved male 1% testosterone cream or gel.

Those undergoing treatment will have their testosterone levels checked three to six weeks after treatment begins or after a dose increase, with the goal of keeping levels within the normal premenopausal female range.

DHA recommends stopping treatment after six months if there is no demonstrated benefit. For women who remain on treatment, the guidance calls for clinical evaluation and testosterone testing every four to six months.

The agency also cautions that safety data for physiologic testosterone treatment in women do not extend beyond 24 months and recommends caution for women with hormone-sensitive breast cancer or high cardiometabolic risk.

The guidance takes effect immediately and expires one year after its Sept. 2 signature unless DHA reissues or cancels it earlier.

Among these ideas, none have been more controversial than the proposed Trump-class battleship.

Proponents argue that this new capital ship would bring concentrated fighting power with new high-tech weapons and large magazines that could fight independently and also withstand substantial punishment in battle. With its currently planned nuclear propulsion, moreover these behemoths could patrol for extended periods without the need to refuel.

Critics have taken aim at the project’s enormous expense, as well as the feasibility of the proposed design that is characterized as over-ambitious.

Into this roiling debate, it is instructive to survey a rather different perspective: What do the Chinese make of this project? An Aug. 21 article in China National Defense News [中国国防报] provides some initial insights into how America’s chief global rival is assessing this potentially major change in direction for the U.S. Navy surface fleet.

This article, published in an official paper of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) does note that the ship could have the advantages that “large vessels can continue to execute certain combat missions even when communications are jammed, and their hulls offer superior damage resistance compared to small or medium-sized ships.” It notes that smaller, distributed platforms could overly “rely on stable data links.” In addition, it’s worth observing that this rendering does note that the planned U.S. battleship would have nuclear propulsion, and would possibly also carry nuclear-armed missiles.

Nevertheless, the Chinese analysis, mirroring many Western evaluations, is suffused with ample skepticism.

For 15 Trump-class battleships built between 2028 and 2056, the costs would amount to $275 billion, with the lead class carrying the price tag of $23.4 billion. The report says that cost is 55% higher due to the change from conventional to nuclear propulsion and terms this price as “exorbitant.” Illustrating some familiarity with nuclear power issues, the analysis adds that “nuclear waste disposal and vessel dismantling following retirement are not included” in the $275 billion estimate.

“Unfinalized designs and insufficient technological maturity” are also flagged as potential major problem that may cause delays and cost overruns. Potentially carrying rail guns, hypersonic weapons, as well as lasers, this critique seems quite valid. As the PLA assessment states: “This ‘build the platform first, install equipment later’ approach could increase the risks.” The piece cites the examples of the both the Zumwalt-class destroyer and the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) as relevant examples of recent problematic programs.

Notably, the Chinese article is also particularly attuned to potential shifts in the basic U.S. Navy warfighting doctrinal paradigm.

The article observes: “This design differs from the Distributed Maritime Operations concept that the U.S. Navy has been advancing in recent years. The theory of distributed maritime operations emphasizes the dispersal of detection, command, and strike capabilities across multiple nodes … to mitigate the impact that damage to a few large vessels would have on the entire formation.”

In a closely related point, the PLA article also broaches the question of whether large surface combatants are simply too vulnerable to quiet submarines, hypersonic missiles, and “drone swarms.”

Apparently quite aware of major difficulties in U.S. shipbuilding, the Chinese military assessment adds that leading American shipyards “are currently facing average delays of five years, with the delivery cycle for a single ship extending from approximately five years in the early 2000’s to about eleven years today.”

Noting that the new battleship program could have cascading results for other high priority U.S. Navy programs, the article concludes: “Assembly of nuclear-powered battleships … could further slow the construction of aircraft carriers and submarines.” These Chinese strategists are no doubt aware such a delay would further impact the Asia-Pacific naval balance.

China itself has indicated interest in nuclear-powered surface vessels. Thus, they have thoroughly investigated the newly renovated Russian battle cruiser Admiral Nakihimov.

Yet it is would be foolhardy to invest in such ambitious platforms for the U.S. Navy at a time when the service confronts so many shipbuilding challenges and when the nation also faces an inevitable process of belt-tightening. Perhaps some of America’s allies can experiment with the new battleship concept. But the U.S. Navy will be well advised to go toward its time-tested strengths, especially in undersea warfare, but also in the emergent domain of drones.

Overall, America’s sea service must bring its force structure into alignment with a new strategy appropriate to the multipolar world that involves reducing expensive “presence” missions and embracing more cost-effective hedging.

That will most likely mean a less high-profile role for surface combatants and thus recognizing the reality that the Trump-class battleship will most likely never get built.

Certainly, this Chinese military article implies that at least some Chinese strategists are eager for the U.S. to pursue that extravagant project, knowing that it is folly and would thus weaken Beijing’s chief rival.

Lyle Goldstein is director of the China Initiative at Brown University’s Watson School and concurrently serves as director of the Asia Program at the think-tank Defense Priorities.

The goal is to develop sensors that can “scan individual hard armor plates for cracks and delaminations,” according to a Marine Corps Request For Information, which is due Oct. 2. More specifically, the devices will inspect Enhanced Small Arms Protective Inserts and United States Marine Corps Lightweight Plates.

The Enhanced Armor Inspection System will use computed tomography, or CT, scanners. CT scanning, commonly used for tasks such as medical imaging and airport bomb detection, creates 3D images that are more detailed than traditional 2D X-ray images.

The Marine Corps intends to set up 10 CT scanners for body armor inspection. This includes six devices in the continental United States, two in Japan and one each in Hawaii and Guam.

The Marine Corps currently uses two techniques to spot defects in body armor, as explained in a 2023 Small Business Innovation Research solicitation that sought new methods of examining cracked ceramic plates and delaminated polyethylene layers. Cracked ceramics are detected by X-rays and deformed polyethylene by tapping the armor and determining whether the sound is like a chime (good) or a thud (bad).

The SBIR did point to CT scanning as an alternative, but noted that “this method is extremely expensive and requires highly trained personnel.”

The new RFI seeks an automated commercial system. It should include an “automated material custom conveyance & sorting system, imaging system, and data processing/handling that is fully equipped with customized Automated Defect Recognition (ADR) software to meet the USMC’s requirements.”

Contractors should specify how many plates per minute their systems can examine. They are also asked to describe how well the scanners can handle “materials with varying densities or compositions, such as the blend of boron carbide and silicon carbide, or the presence of metal crack arrestors.”

In 2011, a Department of Defense Inspector General audit found that the U.S. Army had purchased 5.1 million ballistic inserts that might have been defective. Army tests sometimes failed to use the correct-sized armor plates, the proper velocity for bullets fired at the plates or assess the effects of weathering and altitude.

The Army replied that there was “no case in which the military’s body armor has failed to do its job in protecting troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

There have also been claims of defective military body armor in Britain and Taiwan, as well as for U.S. police departments.