thedefensewatch

U.S. and Colombia Launch Southern Vanguard 2027 Exercise

The U.S. and Colombia launched Southern Vanguard 2027, bringing 800 troops together for jungle, maritime, ground security and cyber defense training.
thedefensewatch

Hegseth Reinstates Air Force Brigadier General Forced to Retire Over COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate

Pete Hegseth swears in Air Force Brig. Gen. Melissa Cunningham after her 2022 retirement over the military's COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
thedefensewatch

Canada’s Fighter Jet Fleet Faces a Critical Transition as F-35 Review Continues

Canada’s fighter force is approaching its most consequential modernization in decades. The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) is preparing to replace its aging CF-18 Hornet fleet with the F-35A Lightning ...
thedefensewatch

Exercise Combat Archer U.K. 26 Expands U.S. And RAF Fighter Combat Readiness In Europe

Exercise Combat Archer U.K. 26 concluded on July 24 after two weeks of advanced air combat training that certified U.S. Air Force fighter squadrons for operational air to air missions. The exercise ...
thedefensewatch

Sweden to Deploy Gripen Fighters Over Poland for NATO Air Defense and Ukraine Aid Protection

Sweden will deploy JAS 39 Gripen fighter aircraft for NATO operations over Poland from October 2026, reinforcing surveillance of Polish airspace and contributing to the protection of logistics ...
thedefensewatch

Raytheon Awarded $105.6 Million AMRAAM Parts Contract

The action includes Foreign Military Sales support for multiple international AMRAAM customers, alongside U.S. procurement funding. Raytheon Co., Tucson, Arizona, has received a $105.65 million ...
thedefensewatch

General Dynamics Secures $184.25 Million NGEAU Contract For Navy Growler Upgrades

General Dynamics Mission Systems received a $184.25 million firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for NGEAU ...
thedefensewatch

Next Generation Jammer NGJ-MB: From ALQ-99 to Distributed Electronic Warfare

The Next Generation Jammer NGJ-MB is the U.S. Navy’s latest major step in modern airborne electronic attack, designed to replace the aging AN/ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System on the EA-18G Growler.
thedefensewatch

U.S. Navy F/A-XX Fighter Decision Nears As Boeing and Northrop Grumman Await Contract Award

The U.S. Navy F/A-XX fighter program has reached a decisive stage, with the Pentagon having selected a preferred contractor for the next-generation carrier-based stealth aircraft, according to Reuters ...
thedefensewatch

RS-28 Sarmat Missile

The RS-28 Sarmat is a Russian silo based, liquid fueled intercontinental ballistic missile designed to replace the Soviet era R-36M2 Voevoda, known by NATO as the SS-18 Satan. The missile is intended ...
thedefensewatch

Does Iran Have Nuclear Weapons? The 2026 Threshold Reality Explained

The most accurate answer in September 2026 is there is no publicly confirmed evidence that Iran possesses an assembled nuclear weapon, but international inspectors currently lack sufficient access to ...
thedefensewatch

Canada Keeps 72 Additional F-35s Under Review as U.S. Trade Tensions Escalate

Canada keeps 72 additional F-35 fighters under review as U.S. trade tensions grow, while Ottawa weighs defense needs, interoperability and alternatives.