September 7, 2025

The USAF confronts a critical readiness and capacity crisis—pilots are flying as little as five hours per month, well below the “peer war-ready” standard of 16 hours, while aircraft are aging (average fighter age now around 26 years) and mission-capable rates remain worryingly low. Can the the USAF be restored to a posture of dominance?

The U.S. has deployed warships, fighter jets, and thousands of personnel near Venezuela as part of expanded operations against drug cartels, a move POTUS tied to designating groups like Tren de Aragua as terrorist organizations. Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro has denounced the accusations, mobilized a volunteer militia, and appealed to the U.N. for support, while opposition leaders frame the U.S. actions as evidence of his weakening rule.

The move to rename the DOD to “Department of War” and to allow SECDEF to use the “Secretary of War” title drew sharp criticism from lawmakers, historians, and defense experts, who warned it could signal a more aggressive posture and undermine longstanding norms. The Pentagon’s legal name remains unchanged, and any official renaming would require congressional approval.

CBP has released privacy documentation detailing its ongoing test of facial recognition technology for vehicle crossings under the Traveler Verification Service. The program captures live facial images of all unobstructed occupants in moving vehicles, temporarily storing them—up to six months—for identity verification and evaluation using a cloud-based testing platform.

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Turns out, centralizing government services isn’t always the hero we hoped for—sometimes it’s more like Thanos snapping away efficiency, leaving agencies scrambling. Experts suggest a mix-and-match approach, letting some services stay local while others are centralized, so the government can actually assemble better outcomes for the public.

A February 2024 ransomware attack on Change Healthcare disrupted interface testing for the VA and DOD’s new Oracle Health EHR system at Chicago’s VA Medical Center, resulting in delayed testing and inadequate documentation of results. The VA IG’s report notes that the affected interface wasn’t replaced with a functioning system until November 2024—highlighting risks to future EHR deployments.

NASA is advancing its Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program by supporting the development of multiple private space stations, including Vast's Haven-1 and Starlab, through Space Act Agreements. These partnerships aim to establish a sustainable low Earth orbit economy, with NASA planning to procure services from these commercial stations following their development phases.

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