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Tony Capaccio
Visitors walk past China's first nuclear missile on display at the Military Museum in Beijing.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 24, 2024
China speeds nuclear-weapons buildout, U.S. defense agency says
The Defense Intelligence Agency’s report offers the most detailed accounting yet of the country’s bid to catch up to the U.S. in an area where it lagged.
A B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber flies over the 133rd Rose Parade in Pasadena, California, in 2022.
WORLD
Oct 17, 2024
U.S. bombers strike Houthi weapons storage sites in Yemen
The strikes hit five hardened underground facilities, with no indication of civilian casualties so far.
A Ukrainian tank crew take a break while operating a Soviet-made T-72 tank in the Sumy region, near the border with Russia, on Aug. 12.
WORLD
Aug 21, 2024
Russia and Ukraine can’t mount major offensives against each other, U.S. says
The Pentagon’s intelligence agency said in new assessments that the two sides appeared headed toward a stalemate.
Gen. Stephen Whiting, head of U.S. Space Command, participates in a panel discussion at the 2023 Air and Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colorado, in March 2023.
WORLD
Jul 20, 2024
U.S. prepares jamming devices targeting Russian and Chinese satellites
The Pentagon’s space service branch tested the system for the first time earlier this year at two locations, with control of the system at a third.
An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile is launched during an operational test at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in August 2017. Surging costs for the U.S. Air Force's new Sentinel ICBM may further embolden arms control advocacy groups who argue that the Sentinel should be scrapped in favor of extending the life of Minuteman III missiles.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 6, 2024
Cost of U.S. Sentinel ICBM swells again to $214 million per missile
The program is now expected to cost taxpayers $141 billion, or 81% more than forecast four years ago.
Law enforcement officers walk along the Kremlin wall near Red Square in Moscow on Dec. 31.
WORLD / Politics
May 7, 2024
U.S. says soldier who went to Russia detained for ‘misconduct’
A U.S. soldier was detained in eastern Russia on "charges of criminal misconduct,” the U.S. Army said Monday, a potential new flashpoint in relations between the nations already at a low since Russia’s February invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.
A Ukrainian serviceman stands next to a Starlink antenna near Bakhmut, Ukraine.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 10, 2024
Pentagon reveals SpaceX contract for Starlink in Ukraine costs $23 million
A U.S. official characterized the service as a vital part of the security assistance the U.S. is providing to Ukraine.
Virginia-class attack submarine USS Hawaii passes by Diamond Head crater on Oahu in Hawaii in July 2009.
WORLD
Apr 3, 2024
U.S. attack submarines to counter China are up to two years late
Delivery dates for Virginia-class subs are an estimated 24 to 36 months past the contracted dates
A law requires the Pentagon to inform Congress and extensively justify any program when costs exceed the original estimate by 15%, 25% or as much as 50% depending on the categories measured.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 15, 2023
New U.S. ballistic missile costs risk project termination
A U.S. Air Force review will take about 45 days before a determination is made as to whether the ICBM program exceeds congressional cost thresholds.
Ukrainian soldier fire a mortar near Kyiv on Nov. 8.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 13, 2023
Pentagon has a workaround to send Ukraine arms despite aid stalemate
The tactic: Continue to provide arms from U.S. stockpiles in hopes of waiting until later for the money to replace them.
Spectators watch as a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off with a payload of 21 Starlink satellites from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Feb. 27.
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 7, 2023
Starlink arctic test paves way for U.S. government contracts
Smooth performance under extreme conditions makes satellite service a crucial asset in an increasingly vital area of competition with Russia and China.
Smoke rises from Gaza following an explosion on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 15, 2023
U.S. sending ammo and missiles to Israel on 'near-daily basis'
Washington is providing bunker-busting M141 munitions, small-diameter bombs, 155 mm artillery shells, laser-guided missiles, night-vision kit and vehicles
A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B fighter jet during a preview of the Singapore Airshow in Singapore in February 2022
WORLD / Politics
Sep 24, 2023
F-35s are rarely flight-ready and repairs are too slow, GAO says
The Marine Corps’ goal for availability of its F-35B is 85%. Instead, the "mission capable” rate for F-35B training jets in 2022 was about 55%.
A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II, a short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) version of the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, flies past during a preview at the Singapore Airshow in Singapore in 2022.
WORLD
Sep 19, 2023
Debris field found in search for missing U.S. F-35 fighter jet
The military had asked for civilian help in finding the F-35B Lightning II jet that suffered a "mishap” on Sunday afternoon
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 10, 2023
Documents in Trump indictment were among nation’s most closely guarded
The fresh revelations will unsettle allied nations that share such classified information with the U.S., experts said.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 7, 2023
New U.S. spy satellites to track Chinese and Russian threats in orbit
The U.S. Space Force is set to launch a constellation of satellites this summer to track Chinese or Russian space vehicles that can potentially disable or damage orbiting objects.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 24, 2023
Taiwan won’t get U.S. F-16s until 2024 thanks to problems beyond COVID
Complex developmental challenges have been encountered, and the U.S. government, Taiwan and Lockheed are actively working to mitigate delays.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
May 6, 2023
U.S. submarines are popping up more often and it's not clear why
A U.S. nuclear-armed sub will make a publicly announced visit to South Korea within months, prompting debate about the wisdom of a heightened public role for the 'silent service.”
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 18, 2023
Taiwan to buy 400 U.S. anti-ship missiles intended to repel China invasion
Taiwan has previously purchased ship-launched versions of the Harpoon missile, which is made by Boeing.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 29, 2023
Hypersonic missile test by U.S. Air Force set back by loss of in-flight data
The transmission failure and loss of data in the March 13 exercise wasn’t reported in an official statement, and may hinder efforts to catch up with China and Russia in a key capability.

Longform

Akira Oishi (left) and Shinichi Okanobori have taken on the responsibility of surveying the flora and fauna of Mount Tenran and Mount Tonosu in Saitama Prefecture.
Inside Japan's 100-year project to monitor its deteriorating biodiversity