National Defense

1 week ago | nationaldefensemagazine.org | Stew Magnuson

Over Five Years Into Modernization Campaign, Marines Highlight SuccessesARLINGTON, Virginia — The Marine Corps in 2019 kicked off a modernization campaign then known as Force Design 2030. “We committed to bold, tangible actions, actions backed by disciplined budgetary decisions and clear-eyed assessments of the threats ahead,” said Lt. Gen. Paul Rock Jr., director of the Marine Corps Staff.

1 week ago | nationaldefensemagazine.org | Stew Magnuson

Carrier-Based Refueling Drone MQ-25 Stingray to Fly in 2025 NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland — “MQ-25 in 2025” is the slogan the Navy and its contractor Boeing expounded at the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space conference in April. The MQ-25 Stingray is an uncrewed aerial system envisioned to fly off aircraft carriers and serve as a refueler for attack aircraft. A Boeing executive said its final iteration will have its first flight this year, and the first models will be delivered to the Navy in 2026.

2 weeks ago | nationaldefensemagazine.org | Jan Tegler

NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland — A fix for the V-22 Osprey’s proprotor gearbox — the culprit behind a years-long series of fatal accidents and periodic groundings — will be in place by December, a senior Navy aviation leader told National Defense. “We’re going to get the proprotor gearbox 121 version that’s going to have no limitations at all,” Rear Adm. Douglas Verissimo, commander of Naval Air Force Atlantic, said in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the Sea-Air-Space conference this week.

2 weeks ago | nationaldefensemagazine.org | Laura Heckmann

SPACE SYMPOSIUM NEWS: New Executive Order ‘Exclamation Point’ on Space Force Commercial Efforts A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket booster COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado — President Trump on April 9 signed an executive order directing the Defense Department to prioritize commercial solutions, but a Space Command leaders said his organization is already one step ahead of the mandate. Col.

2 weeks ago | nationaldefensemagazine.org | Laura Heckmann

SPACE SYMPOSIUM NEWS: Space Force to Transition Experimental Missions to Real World Ops Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha FLTA003, carrying the Victus Nox satellite COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado — From Nox to Haze, the Victus demonstrations are a series of tactically responsive space missions developed by the Space Force to showcase its ability to rapidly launch spacecraft to respond to on-orbit threats.