F-35 Fighter Jet, World's Costliest Weapons Program, Failed to Hit Readiness Marks for 6 Years, Watchdog Finds
WASHINGTON — All versions of the F-35, the world’s costliest weapons program, have failed to meet minimum combat readiness rates for six straight years, according to the watchdog agency for Congress. That’s despite the Army, Navy and Marine Corps spending $12 billion, or about 21%, of $57.2 billion for aircraft operations and maintenance appropriated by […]
After Mass Shooting, Bill Would Require Army to Use State Crisis Laws to Remove Weapons
PORTLAND, Maine — A bill that’s being introduced Monday after a mass shooting in Maine would require the Army to use state crisis intervention laws to remove the weapons of a service member who is deemed to be a serious threat to themselves or others, said U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, the bill’s sponsor. The Armed […]
Soldiers Set to Get One Shoulder-Fired Round to Replace Multiple Weapons in Move to Ease Loads, Training
Soldiers will soon train on fewer systems and haul less gear downrange thanks to the Army’s adoption of an advanced new shoulder-launched munition. The service awarded a $494 million contract to Swedish defense contractor Saab in late August to furnish soldiers with the XM919 Individual Assault Munition, a single-shot multi-mission round that’s designed to combine […]
Ex-Green Beret Behind Failed Venezuela Raid Released Pending Trial on Weapons Charges
TAMPA, Fla. — A federal judge ordered the release Wednesday of a former U.S. Green Beret indicted in connection with a failed 2020 coup attempt against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, rejecting arguments he would flee while awaiting trial on weapons smuggling charges. Jordan Goudreau was arrested in July after a four-year investigation into the amphibious […]
Fort Liberty Soldier Gets Booted After Indictment for Weapons Trafficking, Lying About White Nationalist Ties
A paratrooper at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, who was indicted last week on charges of weapons trafficking and lying about his association with a white nationalist group has been removed from the Army, Col. Mary Ricks, a service spokesperson, said Tuesday. Spc. Kai Nix was indicted Aug. 14 by a grand jury and arrested the […]
DNA on Weapons Implicates Ex-US Green Beret in Attempted Venezuelan Coup, Federal Officials Say
MIAMI — Federal investigators say they found the DNA of a decorated former U.S. Green Beret on some of the 60 automatic weapons he allegedly smuggled from Florida to South America as part of a failed 2020 coup attempt against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The allegations were detailed in court papers filed days after Jordan […]
As US-Supplied Weapons Show Impact Inside Russia, Ukrainian Soldiers Hope for Deeper Strikes
KHARKIV REGION, Ukraine (AP) — Weeks after the decision allowing Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied weapons for limited strikes in Russian territory, the country is having some success in halting Russia’s new push along the northeast front, but military commanders are clamoring for restrictions on long-range missiles to be lifted. Deteriorating battlefield conditions forced the U.S. […]
The Army Has Officially Deployed Laser Weapons Overseas to Combat Enemy Drones
The Army has officially deployed a pair of high-energy lasers overseas to blast incoming enemy drones out of the sky, the service recently confirmed, marking a major milestone for the U.S. military’s ongoing development of futuristic directed-energy weapons. The 20-kilowatt Palletized High Energy Laser, or P-HEL, “is currently deployed to support the Army’s mission” in […]
The Army Has Finally Fielded Its Next Generation Squad Weapons
The Army has officially fielded its brand-new Next Generation Squad Weapon rifles to its first unit, bringing an end to the service’s decades-long effort to replace its M4 and M16 family of military firearms. Army Futures Command announced Thursday that soldiers from 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, accepted […]
Top General in Mideast Calls for Microwave Weapons for 'Layered' Defense Against Drone Swarms
The Army’s newest operational laser weapon may be undergoing testing in the Middle East, but the top general responsible for U.S. troops in the region is already looking ahead to bigger and better directed-energy systems amid a rising tide of adversary drones. Speaking during a Senate Armed Service Committee hearing on Thursday, U.S. Central Command […]
