Sponsored by Bertin Exensor
www.exensor.com
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
10 Dec 25. Army Activates U.S. Army Western Hemisphere Command in Historic Transition Ceremony. The Army activated the U.S. Army Western Hemisphere Command in a ceremony held Dec. 5 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina — uniting U.S. Army Forces Command, U.S. Army North and U.S. Army South into a single, four-star operational headquarters. The ceremony also marked the casing of the U.S. Army Forces Command colors and the retirement of its commanding general, Army Gen. Andrew Poppas, who led the command since July 2022.
“Today we become something new, but ‘s spirit of readiness, resilience and warfighting strength will not fade. Rather, that spirit will radiate throughout the Army,” said Poppas, who retired after more than 37 years of service.
Army Gen. Joseph A. Ryan assumed command of West-Hemcom. He previously served as the Army’s deputy chief of staff for Operations, Plans and Training. The ceremony marked a significant moment in the Army’s transformation as the establishment of West-Hemcom is part of a broader transformation campaign to modernize Army command structures and improve operational agility. The newly established command is an operational warfighting theater command headquarters overseeing all Army plans, posture, operations and power projection in support of U.S. Northern and Southern Commands — and aligned with national strategic priorities.
“Western Hemisphere Command is designed for speed, flexibility and relevance to effectively respond to challenges in our complex times,” said Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George. “By consolidating these headquarters and aligning the theater, we will streamline processes, eliminate redundant efforts and free up talent and resources. This will allow us to better support our fighting formations.”
West-Hemcom unifies domestic-response capabilities from U.S. Army North, regional engagement expertise from U.S. Army South and large-scale readiness oversight from U.S. Army Forces Command. This integration delivers uninterrupted readiness, rapid force generation and expertise in homeland defense and civil support. It also enables the Army to respond more rapidly to crises and to continue building strong military alliances.
“Today is much more than a change of command ceremony,” Poppas said. “It’s a major step toward the merger of three powerhouse Army headquarters into one operational, transregional team that will face the nation’s top strategic priorities.”
The activation of West-Hemcom is the first step in a conditions-based transformation. By February 2026, the new command will reach its initial operational capability and will be assigned to Southcom and Northcom to prepare to accept theater Army authorities and responsibilities. Following initial operational capability, U.S. Army North and U.S. Army South will inactivate. If all conditions are met, West-Hemcom will reach full operational capability by summer 2026.
“Today, we continue in the Army’s rich history of transformation — combining Forces Command, Army North and Army South — to form the United States Army Western Hemisphere Command,” Ryan said. “The Army is making an enormous investment in this transformation, combining three important, effective and historically capable commands into one. It is our responsibility to deliver returns on that investment.” (Source: U.S. DoD)
08 Dec 25. Compromise NDAA protects Wedgetail, greenlights Black Hawk multiyear buys. Among other provisions in the FY26 NDAA, congressional authorizers would direct the defense secretary to explore possibilities for recapitalizing the military services’ executive airlift fleets. In keeping with tradition, lawmakers’ compromise fiscal 2026 defense policy bill released late Sunday tweaks several key Pentagon programs, with provisions aimed at aerospace like Air Force tankers and Army helicopters. The FY26 National Defense Authorization Act, if passed into law, would boost the Pentagon’s topline by $8 bn above what the Trump administration requested. While the NDAA holds significant sway over programmatic outcomes, funding will be formally decided by the budget process run by congressional appropriators. The final topline will “depend on what the appropriators work out,” Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., told Breaking Defense at the Reagan National Defense Forum over the weekend. “Mostly we like to follow their money, but since they didn’t put a number out there, we can’t move our bill forward with having a number.”
For now, here are some key NDAA provisions:
Up In The Air (And Space)
A top item that has garnered significant congressional pushback this year is the Air Force’s nascent E-7 Wedgetail program, which has faced the axe under the Trump administration. Along with provisions aimed at preventing the Wedgetail’s termination, in the NDAA lawmakers would also authorize a total of $846.7m to continue the radar plane’s development and procurement, according to a funding table included in the proposed legislation. The Air Force’s C-40 program, which seeks to add new jets for VIP transport and has previously faced skepticism from lawmakers, would get $250m authorized for one plane. The agreement would further direct a Pentagon-wide analysis of alternatives, with a deadline of April 2026, for recapitalizing the executive airlift fleets of each of the military services. Several of the bill’s provisions are aimed at the Air Force’s air refueling inventory, with a big change in the service’s minimum number of tankers: By October 2028 the Air Force would be required to keep at least 502 tankers in inventory, up from a current requirement of 466. Despite previously greenlighting the divestment of the KC-10 Extender, lawmakers would require the Air Force to preserve retired aircraft in storage. The bill would additionally slow some of the Air Force’s planned retirements, including by stopping the full divestment of the service’s A-10 fleet in FY26. The legislation would prevent the Air Force from retiring any F-15Es in FY26 as well. And though the bill doesn’t add any F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, it does include an extra $250m boost to spare parts procurement for F-35As and $125 m each for F-35Bs and Cs. It also trims over $300m collectively between Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy accounts for development of the jet’s Block 4 upgrade, citing delays.
Shifting to space, the bill directs the Air Force Secretary to coordinate with the DoD undersecretary for intelligence and security to study the “feasibility and advisability of establishing a program of record for tactical surveillance, reconnaissance, and tracking capabilities” (TacSRT) by July 31, 2026 — and granting such a program a nod of approval if the study is in favor. The congressional move to codify the Space Force’s pilot program for buying commercial remote sensing data follows a hard-fought agreement between the service and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) inked in May.
At the same time, lawmakers would require the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to submit an annual report for the next five years detailing all the requests made to NGA for space-based remote sensing products that includes how many were fulfilled, as well as how many were rejected and why. The first such report would be due in February.
Over At The Army
The bill gives the largest service, the Army, new multiyear procurement authority to buy Black Hawk UH-60s beginning in the fiscal year 2027. This comes after the Army’s Transformation Initiative has spurred cuts to its aviation portfolio as well as prioritized the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) program. Earlier this year Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George sidestepped lawmakers’ questions related to the future of the Black Hawk. The duo instead focused on their priorities to accelerate the production of FLRAA — which is set, in part, to replace the Black Hawk. However, months later the Program Acquisition Executive of Maneuver Air, Maj. Gen. Clair Gill, told reporters at AUSA that “fundamentally, we’re not getting rid of Black Hawk anytime soon. We’re all going to be off this earth, and Black Hawk is still going to be flying.” He added that it’s not a matter of if Black Hawks will be a part of future fleets, but more the question of how many will fly. Further, Gill said at the time that when it comes to the Black Hawks, the service is primarily focused on the modernization of the fleet. It appears Gill’s wish came true, as the compromise NDAA authorizes an additional $100m for Black Hawk modernization. The bill also gave authorization to initiate early production of the FLRAA, stating that “[t]he Secretary of the Army may enter into contracts, in advance of full-rate production, for the procurement of future long-range assault aircraft as part of an accelerated low-rate early production effort for such aircraft.” The bill also calls for Driscoll to brief Congress no later than 180 days after the enactment of the NDAA on the implementation plan and timeline for the early production effort for FLRAA, the status of industrial base readiness and supply chain coordination for early production, and estimated long-term cost savings and operational benefits “expected to be derived from such early production effort.” (Source: Breaking Defense.com)
08 Dec 25. Proposed defense bill would fund Golden Dome, next-gen fighters. Congress’ proposed compromise National Defense Authorization Act would authorize $900.6bn in discretionary defense spending in fiscal 2026, which would be an $8bn increase over the Pentagon’s budget request this summer. The NDAA language, which lawmakers released Sunday night, would earmark $162bn for procurement spending, and another $146bn for research, development test and evaluation. It calls for $291bn for operations and maintenance and another $234bn for military personnel and health spending. The policy bill would fund several of President Donald Trump’s top defense priorities, including the sweeping Golden Dome missile defense program, the Air Force’s F-47 and Navy’s F/A-XX next-generation fighters, the B-21 Raider stealth bomber, Air Force drone wingmen referred to as collaborative combat aircraft, submarines and warships. But it does not contain language that would formally change the Defense Department’s official name to the War Department, Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s preferred moniker. Hegseth often emphasizes the adoption of the War Department name as signifying a shift in focus towards lethality, but it would take an act of Congress to officially rename it. In all, the NDAA would authorize more than $38 bn to develop, procure or modernize existing aircraft across the military. It would also authorize $26bn in shipbuilding funds to build or support the third Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine and one Virginia-class submarine, as well as advanced procurement for future submarines and future DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, full funding for the Ford-class aircraft carrier program, one anti-submarine warfare auxiliary ship and two ship-to-shore connector landing craft. It also would authorize more than $25bn to replenish the nation’s stock of critical munitions, including precision strike missiles, joint air-to-ground missiles, Naval Strike Missiles, Javelins, Stingers, Sidewinders, Tomahawks, Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles, artillery rounds and joint direct attack munitions. The NDAA would authorize the Pentagon to buy 47 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters in total across the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. That is in line with the Pentagon’s original budget request released this past summer, and would be a reduction from the 69 the Pentagon had originally expected to buy this year. The military bought 74 F-35s in 2025. The Pentagon’s proposed 2026 budget said that the Air Force expected to buy 24 F-35A fighters, a little more than half of the 44 jets it bought in 2025. The department said this summer that instead of buying as many F-35s, it wanted to spend more money on sustaining the jets and making sure it had a strong supply base that can support operations and maintenance, as well as making sure the planned upgrades, known as Block 4, stay on track. The House Armed Services Committee said in an August report on its initial version of the NDAA that it supported the Pentagon’s decision to shift its focus more to sustainment and improvements, saying that approach is necessary to ensure the jets are ready to “fight tonight.” The compromise NDAA would require the military to build up its stockpile of spare F-35 parts, and have at least 90 days’ worth of parts on hand by the end of September 2028. The NDAA will also keep requiring the Government Accountability Office to evaluate the F-35 program each year, and for the secretary of defense to develop a plan to acquire and integrate open mission systems architecture into F-35 jets. The NDAA would provide a reprieve for the Air Force’s E-7 Wedgetail airborne battle management program, of which Hegseth has been skeptical and the Pentagon sought to kill in its budget proposal. Lawmakers would bar the Pentagon from canceling Boeing’s rapid prototype contract for the first two E-7s, or shutting down production lines of the jet, which is already flown by Australia. The bill would require the Air Force to keep at least 103 A-10 Warthog aircraft until the end of September 2026, as well as providing a report by the end of March on the service’s plans to retire the rest of the jets before fiscal 2029, and how they will be replaced. The bill would provide nearly $2.6bn for the Air Force’s F-47 next-generation fighter, in line with the service’s request. It would also require the Air Force secretary to send the House and Senate defense committees a report on the F-47 program by March 2027. This report would include a description of the F-47’s requirements and projected costs and schedule through 2034, and an acquisition strategy. Congress also wants to see a proposed strategy to field the F-47, including estimated force structure, construction and personnel training requirements; strategic basing considerations; and a strategy to integrate Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve units into F-47 operations. The Air Force would have to show Congress a plan to extend the life of its arsenal of roughly 400 LGM-30G Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles until the successor LGM-35A Sentinel nuclear missile is fully operational. The bill would also bar the Air Force from reducing its arsenal of intercontinental ballistic missiles to fewer than 400, and keep at least 450 launch silos operational. And the Air Force would not be able to accept more than 188 KC-46A Pegasus aerial refueling tankers until the department shows Congress a plan to correct all of its remaining major deficiencies. (Source: Defense News)
08 Dec 25. U.S., Australian Cooperation on Land, Air, Sea, Industrial Base Top Topics at 40th AUSMIN. The U.S. and longtime ally Australia met at the State Department in Washington today for the 40th annual Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations.
“This is an incredibly strong alliance,” said Secretary of State Marco A. Rubio during remarks in advance of the talks. “In fact, as we were discussing a few moments ago, is our only ally that has fought with us in every war over the last — certainly over the last four or five decades — and we’re very grateful to them for that. And this is a very strong partnership. It’s a strong alliance, and what we want to do is continue to build on it.”
As part of the meeting, Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth met with their Australian counterparts, Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong. Hegseth noted work being done on enhanced force posture, which will benefit both nations, as a growing military-to-military partnership is central to maintaining the strong relationship between the U.S. and Australia.
“We’re upgrading the infrastructure on airbases in Queensland and the Northern Territory,” Hegseth said. “That allows for additional U.S. bomber rotations. We’re upgrading logistics and infrastructure in Darwin so more U.S. Marines can do rotational deployments and pre-positioning MV-22 Ospreys. This establishes new and resilient logistics networks across Australia.”
Another big issue for the U.S. and Australia is strengthening the defense industrial base, the collection of private-sector companies that design and manufacture hardware and supplies for militaries, including aircraft, ships, submarines, missiles, bombs, ammunition, firearms and combat vehicles.
“We’re deepening our cooperation on the defense industrial base — cooperation on guided weapons production and lethal capabilities, two-year roadmaps on Australia’s guided weapons and explosive ordinance enterprise, groundbreaking cooperative actions on things like — and precision strike missiles,” Hegseth said. “And we’re working towards coproduction and co-sustainment of hypersonic attack cruise missiles — co-sustainment air-to-air missiles cooperative programs across the board, including Mark 54 torpedoes.”
A key part of building weapons systems for both the U.S. and Australia is access to rare Earth and other critical minerals. In October, both nations signed a framework to support the supply of raw and processed critical minerals and rare earths, which are important to the commercial and defense industries of both countries.
“Critical minerals and rare earths are a huge part of ensuring both countries can operate the way we need to in that region and around the world,” Hegseth said.
The discussion also focused on the Australia, U.K. and U.S. trilateral security agreement, known as AUKUS, which has been in place for just over three years.
The War Department recently concluded a review of the AUKUS agreement meant to identify opportunities to strengthen it and ensure its long-term success, in alignment with the president’s “America First” agenda.
In October, President Donald J. Trump confirmed the U.S. is going “full steam ahead” on the AUKUS deal.
“As we move … full steam ahead on AUKUS, we applaud Australia’s upcoming delivery of an additional $1bn to help expand U.S. submarine production capacity,” Hegseth said. “We’re strengthening AUKUS so that it works for America, for Australia and for the U.K.”
The AUKUS agreement includes two pillars. The first pillar involves the delivery of a conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine capability to Australia, as well as significant investments in the industrial bases of all three partner nations. As part of that plan, Australia will buy three Virginia-class submarines from the U.S. to be delivered in the 2030s. Together, all three partner nations will also develop a new platform called “SSN-AUKUS,” which is expected to be ready for use by the U.K. in the 2030s and by Australia in the 2040s. The second AUKUS pillar involves enhancing joint capabilities and interoperability between the three nations. (Source: U.S. DoD)
06 Dec 25. Hegseth Outlines New National Defense Strategy During Speech at Reagan Library. During a keynote speech that one Pentagon official speaking on background said represented a preview of the War Department’s forthcoming National Defense Strategy, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth today outlined four distinct lines of effort for the department to take, so as to guarantee peace through strength for the U.S. and its allies in the coming years. While delivering his remarks at the Ronald Reagan National Library’s annual defense forum in Simi Valley, California, Hegseth underscored numerous parallels that he believes exist between the military strategies and policies of presidents Reagan and Donald J. Trump, while also emphasizing his view on the current president’s commitment to strengthening the U.S. military.
“Make no mistake about it: President Trump is hellbent on maintaining and accelerating the most powerful military the world has ever seen; the most powerful, the most lethal and American-made … the Arsenal of Freedom,” Hegseth said.
He added that the War Department is also working to get back to basics on the topics of restoring the warrior ethos, readiness, accountability, standards, discipline and lethality. Hegseth also said that the Trump administration and the War Department are committed to putting America first and avoiding getting into seemingly unending foreign entanglements, as well as prioritizing the nation’s security, freedom and prosperity of its citizens.
“We’re doing it in a way that leaves not only our nation better off, but the world. Out with utopian idealism, and in with hard-nosed realism,” he said.
To achieve those goals, Hegseth said it’s necessary to prioritize the aforementioned “four key lines of effort” at the War Department: defending the U.S. homeland and its hemisphere; deterring China through strength rather than force; increasing burden sharing between the U.S. and its allies and partners; and supercharging America’s defense industrial base.
Speaking on the first topic of defending the U.S. homeland and its citizens, Hegseth said that since Jan. 20 and under Trump’s direction, the War Department has made increasing security at the southern border and gaining 100% operational control a top priority.
“We did so by surging forces, where our troops partner with [the Department of Homeland Security] and [U.S Customs and Border Protection] to seal the border,” Hegseth said, adding that the number of illegal border crossings today is at virtually zero.
He added that the War Department is proud to support law enforcement in the deportation of dangerous criminals here illegally and that the War Department and its interagency partners are leaning on the U.S. Mexican counterparts to do their part to combat illegal immigration and drug trafficking. Hegseth also said that the U.S. border should be the last line of defense rather than the first, and that’s why the War Department is prioritizing combatting narco-terrorist throughout the Western Hemisphere.
“These narco-terrorists are the al-Qaida of our hemisphere, and we are hunting them with the same sophistication and precision that we hunted al-Qaida,” Hegseth said, adding that our allies in the region are also aiding in combating narco-terrorism.
On the issue of China, Hegseth said that, thanks to the leadership of President Trump, relations between the U.S. and China are stronger than they have been in many years.
“President Trump and this administration seek a stable peace, fair trade and respectful relations,” Hegseth said, adding that the War Department is committed to opening a wider range of military-to-military communications with China’s People’s Liberation Army aimed at deconfliction and de-escalation.
“This line of effort is based on flexible realism … an approach aimed not at domination, but rather a balance of power … that will enable all of us, all countries, to enjoy a decent peace in the Indo-Pacific, where trade flows openly and fairly, where we can all prosper and all interests are respected,” Hegseth said.
“That’s the world that we see in the Indo-Pacific, and that is what our approach is designed to produce,” he added.
On increasing burden sharing with U.S. allies around the world, Hegseth said that many who have shaped U.S. foreign policy have “lost the plot” when it comes to treating our allies as if they are incapable of helping themselves.
“That is, of course, patently ridiculous — not to mention insulting to our allies,” Hegseth said, adding that it’s important for America’s allies and partners to step up to do their part for our collective defense.
Noting that NATO countries have recently agreed to spend 5% of their gross domestic product on their defense, Hegseth said the Trump administration now hopes to apply that template to U.S. allies all around the globe.
“In a few years, thanks to President Trump’s visionary leadership, we will have our allies — which include some of the wealthiest and most productive countries in the world — once again fielding combat credible militaries and more state-revived defense industrial industries,” Hegseth said.
Along the fourth line of effort — defense industrial buildup — which he believes may be the the most important, Hegseth said that “supercharging” America’s defense industrial base underwrites all other lines of effort.
“Our objective is simple, if monumental: transform the entire acquisition system to rapidly accelerate the fielding of capabilities and focus on results,” he said.
Hegseth said the key to that objective is moving away from the current, prime contractor-dominated, low-competition defense industrial base to “a future powered by dynamic vendor space that accelerates production by combining investment at a commercial pace, with the uniquely American ability to scale and scale quickly.”
As his remarks concluded, Hegseth reiterated that the Trump administration is committed to putting America first by pursuing peace through strength.
“We’re reviving the warrior ethos, we’re rebuilding our great military and — every day — our warriors are reestablishing [deterrence],” Hegseth said.
“We owe safety, freedom and prosperity to the American people; and we will deliver.” (Source: U.S. DoD)
05 Dec 25. JIATF-401 Visits NCRCC, Emphasizes Data Sharing & Interagency Unity to Protect U.S. Airspace. Army Brig. Gen. Matt Ross, director of Joint Interagency Task Force 401, visited the National Capital Region Coordination Center this week to meet with senior leaders from the Department of Homeland Security, the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Air Marshal Service and U.S. Air Force personnel who staff the center’s operational watch floor. The visit underscored how integrated data sharing, real-time information fusion and interagency coordination are essential to safeguarding the sovereignty of U.S. airspace and protecting the homeland. The NCRCC represents a cutting-edge model of interagency collaboration where military, law enforcement and homeland security professionals work side by side around the clock. During his visit, Ross observed the center’s watch floor and learned how sensors, intelligence feeds, aviation data and threat reporting are aggregated and fused into a shared operational picture which enables rapid, coordinated responses to potential threats.
“Our goal is to integrate sensors, effectors and mission command systems into a responsive, interoperable network that protects service members and American citizens alike” Ross said. ”Countering drones is not just a battlefield problem — it’s a homeland defense imperative.”
These statements reflect a shift in how the War Department approaches modern threats to the homeland. The integrated, information-driven approach ensures that decision-makers from across agencies see the same picture at the same time.
Real-Time Data Fusion and Information Sharing
During the visit, NCRCC leaders briefed Ross about the center’s processes for bringing a whole-of-government approach to establishing a unified air picture around the NCR. That consolidated view allows rapid detection and a timely, coordinated response to any potential threats. Ross emphasized that “success will be judged not by bureaucratic milestones, but by real-world capabilities and readiness.”
“The American people have a right to expect that the entire government is working together and in close coordination with local law enforcement to keep them safe,” he remarked.
Unified National Effort
As national stakeholders begin planning for America 250 and the 2026 World Cup, the types of threats faced in U.S. airspace will play a central role in the national security posture for each event. Mitigation efforts will be reinforced by the data-sharing architecture and coordination between the NCRCC, JIATF-401 and other relevant agencies. Ross noted that modern unmanned systems “are a defining threat for our time. Drones are prolific, inexpensive, evolving quickly and increasingly available to non-state actors and individuals.” He stressed that no single agency or organization can overcome this threat alone, necessitating a layered defense involving military assets, law enforcement, homeland security agencies, intelligence partners and first responders all working from a common operational picture.
Interagency Collaboration
The visit reinforced that the strength of national airspace defense lies not in any single agency, but in the synergy of many. The NCRCC’s watch floor brings together operators and analysts from numerous agencies creating a unified, 24/7 hub to keep Americans safe and providing an immediate response to any threats. Ross observed firsthand how an integrated model improves responsiveness and decision-making speed.
“When our agencies work together, there is no challenge we cannot meet,” he said.
By transforming a “community of interest” into a “community of action,” JIATF-401 and its partners are building a resilient, adaptive defense posture for U.S. airspace — one that adapts as threats evolve. Ross concluded his visit by reaffirming JIATF-401’s commitment to deepen interagency cooperation, expand data-sharing capabilities and build readiness. (Source: U.S. DoD)
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Founded in 1987, Exensor Technology is a world leading supplier of Networked Unattended Ground Sensor (UGS) Systems providing tailored sensor solutions to customers all over the world. From our Headquarters in Lund Sweden, our centre of expertise in Network Communications at Communications Research Lab in Kalmar Sweden and our Production site outside of Basingstoke UK, we design, develop and produce latest state of the art rugged UGS solutions at the highest quality to meet the most stringent demands of our customers. Our systems are in operation and used in a wide number of Military as well as Homeland Security applications worldwide. The modular nature of the system ensures any external sensor can be integrated, providing the user with a fully meshed “silent” network capable of self-healing. Exensor Technology will continue to lead the field in UGS technology, provide our customers with excellent customer service and a bespoke package able to meet every need.
A CNIM Group Company
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-