https://www.commondef.com Wed, 16 Sep 2026 14:44:34+0000 en-us hourly 1 https://www.commondef.com/2026/09/iran-war-burns-38-billion-and-drains-up-to-two-thirds-of-key-u-s-missile-interceptors/ https://www.commondef.com/?p=102646 2026-09-16T23:16:16+00:00 Frank Guy CBO estimates the Iran conflict cost about $38 billion through Aug. 1 while consuming up to two thirds of key U.S. missile interceptors, stocks that could require at least five years to rebuild even with increased production. https://www.commondef.com/2026/09/russia-and-iran-forge-a-dangerous-weapons-partnership-across-two-war-zones/ https://www.commondef.com/?p=102652 2026-09-16T23:16:16+00:00 Common Defense Staff Russia’s wartime upgrades to Iranian drone technology are flowing back to Tehran alongside targeting intelligence, missile assistance and expanded production, creating a military partnership that officials warn is threatening American forces and naval assets across the Middle East. https://www.commondef.com/2026/09/sweeping-air-force-tanker-modernization-will-span-decades/ https://www.commondef.com/?p=102649 2026-09-16T23:16:16+00:00 Vicki Schwarmer The Air Force will introduce KC-46 tankers while sustaining hundreds of aging KC-135 aircraft, a decades long challenge requiring spare parts, connectivity, survivability improvements and close cooperation with industry. https://www.commondef.com/2026/09/u-s-marine-stand-in-forces-in-the-pacific-set-off-alarms-in-china/ https://www.commondef.com/?p=102640 2026-09-16T23:16:16+00:00 Frank Guy A translated Chinese military article warns that missile armed Marine Stand-In Forces could complicate naval operations, drain combat resources and threaten submarines, prompting calls for surveillance, undersea weapons, maritime deception and attacks on American command networks. https://www.commondef.com/2026/09/trump-pardons-former-sailor-convicted-in-machine-gun-sales-case/ https://www.commondef.com/?p=102655 2026-09-16T23:16:16+00:00 Bethany Loveland President Trump pardoned Patrick Tate Adamiak after years of advocacy from gun rights groups, but the former sailor’s federal conviction remains intact as he continues pursuing an effort to overturn the jury’s verdict. https://www.commondef.com/2026/09/space-force-launches-massive-push-to-add-10000-guardians-in-five-years/ https://www.commondef.com/?p=102636 2026-09-16T23:16:16+00:00 Common Defense Staff The Space Force plans to add 10,000 guardians within five years, forcing dramatic growth across basic training, commissioning and professional education while STARCOM races to recruit more than 200 instructors for the coming surge. https://www.commondef.com/2026/09/deadly-betrayal-former-sailors-admit-selling-fentanyl-pills-that-killed-uss-abraham-lincoln-sailor/ https://www.commondef.com/?p=102632 2026-09-16T23:16:16+00:00 Common Defense Staff Two former sailors admitted participating in a controlled substance conspiracy involving counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, a scheme that killed one USS Abraham Lincoln sailor and hospitalized another before an NCIS investigation exposed the operation. https://www.commondef.com/2026/09/u-s-missile-stockpile-crisis-could-hamstring-taiwan-defense-in-a-china-war-report-warns/ https://www.commondef.com/?p=102658 2026-09-16T23:16:16+00:00 Frank Guy A Congressional Budget Office report says the Iran war has consumed up to two thirds of U.S. missile defense interceptors, leaving years of replenishment risk as China maintains a large missile arsenal. https://www.commondef.com/2026/09/army-basic-trainee-struck-and-killed-outside-fort-sill-before-sunrise/ https://www.commondef.com/?p=102549 2026-09-16T23:16:16+00:00 Common Defense Staff Questions remain unanswered after a 27 year old Army basic trainee was struck and killed near Fort Sill’s Key Gate before dawn while investigators examine the death and the post withholds further details. https://www.commondef.com/2026/09/future-uss-john-e-kilmer-hits-major-milestone-honoring-medal-of-honor-hero/ https://www.commondef.com/?p=102552 2026-09-16T23:16:16+00:00 Common Defense Staff Shipbuilders in Bath, Maine, laid down the keel for the future USS John E. Kilmer, advancing a destroyer named for the Navy corpsman whose courage under fire earned the Medal of Honor in 1953. https://www.commondef.com/2026/09/air-force-secretary-reveals-orbital-weapons-ready-to-defend-joint-force/ https://www.commondef.com/?p=102555 2026-09-16T23:16:16+00:00 Vicki Schwarmer Air Force Secretary Troy Meink confirmed the deployment of orbital space control weapons capable of defending the joint force, while withholding details about their type, number, launch timeline, operations, and possible testing. https://www.commondef.com/2026/09/lockheed-expands-vectis-drone-push-with-four-more-aircraft-as-2027-flight-stays-on-target/ https://www.commondef.com/?p=102558 2026-09-16T23:16:16+00:00 Frank Guy Lockheed Martin is expanding its internally funded Vectis program to five prototypes while keeping the first flight scheduled for the end of 2027, even as the Air Force continues refining requirements for CCA Increment 2. https://www.commondef.com/2026/09/u-s-navy-and-boeing-seal-first-mq-25a-stingray-production-contract/ https://www.commondef.com/?p=102561 2026-09-16T23:16:16+00:00 Common Defense Staff The Navy’s $562 million contract launches production of three MQ-25A Stingrays, even as technical risks, labor disruptions, and delayed testing push the unmanned tanker’s possible initial operational capability to 2029. https://www.commondef.com/2026/09/six-months-later-navy-families-still-cannot-reclaim-belongings-in-bahrain/ https://www.commondef.com/?p=102564 2026-09-16T23:16:16+00:00 Bethany Loveland More than six months after the evacuation, Navy families remain separated from property and pets in Bahrain, with return trips still prohibited and service members outside the country required to rely on designated representatives. https://www.commondef.com/2026/09/air-force-colonel-reveals-harrowing-dude-44-rescue-that-put-nearly-100-troops-inside-iran-watch/ https://www.commondef.com/?p=102412 2026-09-16T23:16:16+00:00 Vicki Schwarmer An F-15E officer describes surviving a devastating shootdown, catastrophic injuries and 50 hours in Iran as approximately 92 American troops mounted a sprawling rescue operation that left multiple U.S. aircraft destroyed in the desert. https://www.commondef.com/2026/09/vengeance-and-fury-unleashed-as-u-s-air-force-races-toward-500-autonomous-aircraft/ https://www.commondef.com/?p=102415 2026-09-16T23:16:16+00:00 Bethany Loveland The Air Force has named its newest autonomous fighters Vengeance and Fury while targeting at least 500 autonomous aircraft by 2032, backed by rapid testing, expanded production plans, and a fiscal 2027 program request totaling $2.37 billion. https://www.commondef.com/2026/09/geissele-unleashes-production-ready-hicar-assault-rifle-for-socom/ https://www.commondef.com/?p=102418 2026-09-16T23:16:16+00:00 Frank Guy Geissele says its SOCOM focused HICAR has moved beyond the prototype stage, even as engineers continue testing barrel durability under the punishing pressure of ammunition designed to dramatically extend the M4 platform’s effective range. https://www.commondef.com/2026/09/long-awaited-pentagon-9-11-education-center-breaks-ground/ https://www.commondef.com/?p=102421 2026-09-16T23:16:16+00:00 Bethany Loveland A $100 million visitor education center planned near the Pentagon Memorial will explain the Sept. 11 attacks, honor the victims and document the aftermath, with organizers targeting a 2029 opening while continuing a major fundraising campaign. https://www.commondef.com/2026/09/u-s-air-force-to-launch-new-point-defense-career-field-within-two-years/ https://www.commondef.com/?p=102424 2026-09-16T23:16:16+00:00 Bethany Loveland The Air Force is building a dedicated point defense career field after deadly Iranian attacks exposed the growing missile and drone threat to American bases, with the new force scheduled to become operational within two years. https://www.commondef.com/2026/09/oregon-guard-f-15ex-jets-make-history-with-first-live-bomb-drops/ https://www.commondef.com/?p=102427 2026-09-16T23:16:16+00:00 Common Defense Staff Oregon’s 142nd Wing completed the first live bomb drops by an operational F-15EX unit at Nellis Air Force Base, advancing its transition from air superiority operations toward full air-to-ground mission capability.