In January 2026, a windowless Boeing 747 touched down at Los Angeles International Airport and the internet lost its collective mind. It was the first time in the aircraft’s 51-year operational history that it had ever landed at LAX. Plane spotters scrambled for cameras. Social media threads exploded with speculation. Theories ranged from imminent nuclear war to an alien first-contact situation. The plane was the E-4B Nightwatch, and the Air Force calls it the National Airborne Operations Center. Everyone else calls it the Doomsday Plane. And yes, it flies over American states regularly, often without anyone on the ground realizing…
Author: Tommy Grant
The U.S. Army is turning its helicopter pilot training over to civilian instructors and a private company as the military grapples with a rise in severe aviation accidents. M1 Support Services won a contract to operate the service’s new Flight School Next Program, the Army announced Thursday, shifting training and equipment to a “contractor-owned, contractor-operated” model at Fort Rucker, Alabama. The award, worth up to $10 billion for up to 26 years, comes amid growing concern about aviation catastrophes that, according to Pentagon data released in 2025, showed around a 55% jump in serious accidents during the 2024 budget year,…
Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadTen minutes is not a scenario. It is a kitchen fire, a gas leak, a fast-moving wildfire, a chemical spill on the nearby rail line, or a deputy pounding on your door, screaming for you to go—and go now! You get the warning, and the clock starts. What you carry out is whatever you can think of, find, and load in the precious little time you have. That is the problem. Most people don’t struggle from a lack of gear and supplies to pack. Most people struggle with indecision about what to bring. They…
Two top commanders in the New Mexico Air National Guard were removed from their posts recently, a spokesperson confirmed to Military Times.Col. Christopher George was relieved of his duties as commander of the 150th Special Operations Wing, located at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Friday. Separately, Col. Jeffry Heggemeier, the wing’s deputy commander, was “reassigned” to Headquarters, New Mexico, Air National Guard.“[Heggemeier’s] reassignment is a personnel assignment action and is not a relief from duty or command,” New Mexico National Guard spokesman Hank Minitrez told Military Times on Monday.In place of George, Col. Angela Black will…
The Navy’s newest Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier completed acceptance sea trials Saturday, inching the ship closer to its scheduled 2027 delivery.The USS John F. Kennedy successfully concluded the testing period on Saturday after departing from Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia on Wednesday, according to a release from the shipbuilder.“Our nation is depending on us to deliver these critical assets that will protect freedom around the world, and we’re proud to see CVN 79 take another step toward joining the fleet,” said Derek Murphy, NNS vice president of new construction aircraft carrier programs.The ship successfully completed builder’s sea trials…
President Donald Trump on Sunday instructed the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” joint military exercises with long-term Asian ally South Korea, citing the cost of the drills and Seoul’s refusal to take part in actions against Iran. Hours before exercises were scheduled to begin, Trump said on his Truth Social site he was “not happy” that the U.S. had agreed to participate and highlighted his “very good relationship” with Kim Jong Un, the leader of nuclear-armed and heavily sanctioned North Korea.“These exercises are not only costly… but send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile, to a Country that, as…
The top leader for U.S. Central Command visited the crew of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln on Saturday after reports emerged of deteriorating mental health and declining morale aboard the ship.Adm. Brad Cooper met with sailors and Marines after Military Times learned that two service members attempted to jump overboard during the Lincoln’s extended deployment of more than 260 days.“Of the U.S. Navy’s 11 active aircraft carriers, the Lincoln currently has among the lowest number of cases to mental health,” Cooper said in a social media statement.Cooper conceded that not everything was perfect aboard the ship and that…
The military retail customer has changed during Tom Shull’s 14-year tenure leading the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, primarily because of the COVID-19 pandemic.“We went suddenly from business attire to very casual, and that happened overnight, so we had to adjust very quickly to that shift,” he said during a recent interview with Military Times. Even now, customers haven’t returned completely to previous norms, he said. There have been some significant shifts in tastes, and fashion needs have focused more on beauty products and footwear. “We’re meeting the needs of the customer, as customers transition to a different focus,…
The Brief: A man in north Harris County fatally shot his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend during an attempted forced entry into her apartment. The incident occurred while a resident was on a 911 call reporting the intrusion. Law enforcement found the suspect deceased at the scene after he breached the physical threshold. A child present during the encounter was unharmed and reunited with her mother. Authorities are reviewing the incident under Texas statutes regarding the defense of habitation and the use of deadly force. The case will be presented to a grand jury for a formal self-defense determination. HOUSTON, TX — A…
The Pentagon ordered 30 U.S. academic institutions to audit their research and financial ties to certain foreign entities or risk losing eligibility for future federal research funding, it announced Monday. The institutions must review partnerships with international entities identified under federal law, as well as organizations associated with rebranded Confucius Institutes, and evaluate whether they may have revealed sensitive or export-controlled information. Institutions have until Aug. 31 to report their conclusions and any mitigation efforts, including discontinuing collaborations deemed troublesome, to the Defense Department. The department did not name the 30 institutions publicly.“The Department of War has zero tolerance for…