US, Israel Launch Strikes Against Iran
US Central Command commenced Operation Epic Fury as US and partner forces began striking targets at 1:15am (ET) Saturday, Feb. 28.
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US President Donald Trump is calling for the overthrow of the Iranian government after weekend US-Israeli attacks killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reports AP News. Trump green-lit the strikes early Saturday morning after the Islamist regime in Tehran failed to meet his expectations in nuclear negotiations, reports Politico.
The USS Abraham Lincoln led the first wave of US-Israel strikes, launching jet attacks against Iran on Saturday while at least one of its escort ships, the destroyer USS Spruance, fired Tomahawk cruise missiles at Iranian targets, reports The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Iran has retaliated with air strikes on Arab Gulf countries and US military installations across the Middle East, as of Sunday morning, reports Military Times. A US Navy service center in Bahrain has been “subjected to a missile attack,” reports Dallas Express on Yahoo!News.
Fighting continued into Sunday afternoon with reports that three US service members were killed in action and five seriously wounded in Operation Epic Fury against Iran, reports Stars and Stripes. US Central Command said Sunday that several others sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions and are in the process of returning to duty. The Pentagon withholds the names of those killed as officials work to notify next of kin. Identities will be released 24 hours after families have been notified, the command said.
Trump ordered all US government departments to stop using Anthropic products on Friday, reports Politico. The artificial intelligence startup had been asked to lift its restrictions on the Pentagon’s use of its Claude AI model. Anthropic’s AI policy blocks the model from being used to conduct mass surveillance or develop lethal autonomous weapons.
“We support the use of AI for lawful foreign intelligence and counterintelligence missions. But using these systems for mass domestic surveillance is incompatible with democratic values,” Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei wrote in a statement. OpenAI boss Sam Altman made it very clear he supported his rival AI executive Amodei. Altman sent a note to his staff saying that he had the same “red lines” when it came to the application of the firm’s products, reports BBC. He said any OpenAI contracts for defense would also reject uses that were “unlawful or unsuited to cloud deployments, such as domestic surveillance and autonomous offensive weapons.” The Pentagon reached a deal Friday with Altman’s OpenAI to use its models on the military’s classified network, reports The Hill. Altman said DoD agreed to prohibitions on using its AI for domestic mass surveillance and fully autonomous weapons—the two limitations that Anthropic requested.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) praised the AI company for rejecting the Pentagon’s demands on how its technology is used, reports The Hill. Emil Michael, under secretary of Defense for research and engineering, accused Amodei of having a “God-complex” after the company said it could not accept the Pentagon’s terms, reports The Hill.
The US military shot down a Customs and Border Protection drone with a laser on Thursday, reports Task & Purpose. The Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Defense, and CBP acknowledged an apparent incident, but did not specify the origin of the drone. An incident a few weeks ago near the US-Mexico border saw the Pentagon authorizing use of a laser to shoot down what it believed to be a Mexican drone, which turned out to be a mylar party balloon, NPR reported at the time.
DefSec Pete Hegseth ordered the cancellation of military members attending some of the country’s top-ranked colleges and universities beginning in the next academic year, reports The Hill. He said the schools—such as Princeton, Columbia, MIT, Brown, and Yale—are teaching the “enemy’s wicked ideologies” to service members.
The US Indo-Pacific Command said a military plane struck a concrete road barrier during a training exercise in the Philippines last week, reports AP News. The plane was attempting to take off from a town in the northern Pangasinan province. All five American personnel on board were injured.
VADM Fred Kacher was removed as director of the Joint Staff after serving in the position for 90 days, reports Breaking Defense. The decision to send Kacher back to the Navy was made by GEN Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. A Joint Staff spokesman did not give a reason for Kacher’s removal, reports Reuters, and another source said Kacher was not the right fit for the position.
The US Navy’s director of military personnel plans and policy said the service might cut down some at-sea tours to keep sailors in uniform for longer, reports Military Times. An analysis of exit surveys completed by those leaving the service has surfaced one clear finding: the fleet is burnt out, said RADM Jennifer Couture.
The US Army has long relied on retention bonuses to keep senior technical experts in uniform. But as competition for specialized skills intensifies, the service’s leaders are trying something new: an auction, reports Army Times. Instead of receiving set bonuses, some warrant officers will have to make a bid for them.
The F-47 sixth-generation fighter remains on track to fly in the next two years, said Air Force GEN Dale White, acquisition officer overseeing the program, reports Air & Space Forces Magazine. White said the service continues on its ambitious schedule to debut the air superiority-focused fighter by 2028—only three years after the contract was awarded to Boeing in March 2025.
The Pentagon will nearly double its innovation arm, reports Defense One, spending its $151 billion in funding from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Large portions of the plan are classified, but the biggest group of allocations—$24.4 billion—is for new missile-defense systems as part of the Golden Dome effort.
The US Bomb Technician Association headquartered in Indian Head is seeking $950,000 in congressional funding through the US Department of Justice Byrne Grant program for an initiative focused on bomb technician and hazmat training and response exercises, reports The BayNet. If funding is secured, officials said Indian Head could become a national “go-to” destination where bomb technicians and hazardous materials teams from across the country travel for advanced training, exercises, and certifications.
Legislation proposed in Alabama would allow military veterans to teach without the usual certifications, reports Military.com. The bill calls for creating a temporary teaching certificate, which would last military veterans five years and not require a bachelor’s degree. It passed Alabama’s Senate and House and now awaits Gov. Kay Ivey’s (R) signature.
Russia launched a barrage of 420 drones and 39 missiles at Ukraine last week, as US and Ukrainian envoys prepared to hold more talks in Geneva on ending the war that is now in its fifth year, reports Military.com.
Astronaut Mike Fincke said last week that it was his medical issue aboard the International Space Station in January that prompted NASA to return the SpaceX Crew-11 mission to Earth early, reports Orlando Sentinel. Fincke said he experienced a medical event that required immediate attention from his crewmates. “Thanks to their quick response and the guidance of our NASA flight surgeons, my status quickly stabilized,” he said.
NASA has delayed the first crewed launch of its Artemis program after encountering a problem with its rocket system, reports UPI. The space agency determined there was an issue with the flow of helium to the upper stage of the rocket. The latest snag pushes the mission’s launch timeline to no earlier than April, reports Yahoo!News. Engineers discovered the issue with the 322-foot-tall rocket less than 24 hours after a successful wet dress rehearsal.
Maryland native Reid Wiseman will serve as mission commander for the Artemis II mission, reports Baltimore Fishbowl. Wiseman, a resident of Cockeysville, will head the voyage that will travel approximately 4,700 miles beyond the far side of the Moon. The journey will shatter the current record of a 158-mile altitude from the lunar surface, set by the Apollo 13 mission in 1970.
The US Justice Department has charged Gerald Eddie Brown Jr., a former US Air Force officer, for providing unauthorized defense services to China, reports Air Force Times. “The United States Air Force trained Major Brown to be an elite fighter pilot and entrusted him with the defense of our Nation. He now stands charged with training Chinese military pilots,” reads a DOJ statement.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office and US Naval Criminal Investigative Service announced that nine Navy service members have been arrested for their part in an assault that took place in San Diego, CA, in May 2025, reports Navy Times. The sailors were wanted in connection with a violent assault at a house party. Many of the suspects were associated with criminal street gangs, according to a sheriff’s office news release.
Contracts awarded in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., Feb. 26-27, 2026:
M.C. Dean Inc., Tysons, Virginia, is being awarded a $99,997,217 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N6523626D1023). This commercial contract is for the design, development, delivery, and sustainment of electronic security system and emergency management system solutions for Department of Defense and federal agencies at shore installations worldwide. The contract includes a five-year ordering period. Fiscal 2026 operations and maintenance, Marine Corps funds in the amount of $552,345 will be obligated at time of award. The obligated funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Work will be performed in Washington, D.C. (50%) and Charleston, South Carolina (50%), and is expected to be completed by February 2031. The contract was competitively procured by full and open competition via the System for Award Management website, with three offers received. Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic, Charleston, South Carolina, is the contracting activity.
LinQuest Corp., Herndon, Virginia, has been awarded a $44,924,742 cost-plus-incentive-fee modification (P00120) to a previously awarded contract (FA8808-19-C-0006) for additional systems engineering, integration, and test support. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $810,726,980. Work will be performed at El Segundo, California, and is expected to be completed by Feb. 26, 2026. Fiscal 2026 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $3,345,613; and fiscal 2026 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $6,219,122, are being obligated at the time of award. The Space Systems Command, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, is the contracting activity.
Ki Ho Military Acquisition Consulting Inc., Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $32,400,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for sustainment services on the AN/FPS-117 Weapon System. This contract provides support for program management, engineering support, emergency support, diminishing manufacturing and material shortages support, software and hardware procurement, repairs, travel, and shipping. Work will be performed at Reston, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by Feb. 26, 2034. This contract was a competitive acquisition and one offer was received. Fiscal 2026 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $1,156,351 are being obligated at time of award. The Air Force Lie Cycle Management Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity (FA8217-26-D-B002).
Textron Systems Corp., Hunt Valley, Maryland, is awarded a $32,034,493 cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-25-C-6309) to exercise an option for Mine Countermeasures Unmanned Surface Vehicle software development and sustainment support. Work will be performed in Hunt Valley, Maryland (60%); Panama City, Florida (30%); and Arlington, Virginia (10%), and is expected to be completed by February 2027. Fiscal 2026 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,427,108 (4%) will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
L3 Harris Maritime Services Inc., Norfolk, Virginia (N3220526D1005); L3 Technologies Inc. Herndon, Virginia (N3220526D1006); and Sea Wrench LLC,* Bedford, New Hampshire (N3220526D1007), are each being awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity firm-fixed-price contract to provide engine room control system maintenance and repair onboard Military Sealift Command vessels. The shared ceiling for all three contracts is $49,000,000 with the companies having the opportunity to compete for individual firm-fixed-price orders. This contract contains a five-year ordering period and one six-month option. The contract will be performed on a worldwide basis beginning Feb. 27, 2026, and ending Aug. 26, 2031, if option is exercised. This contract was procured utilizing other than full and open competition, solicited via the Government Point of Entry website; four offers were received. Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
General Dynamics Mission Systems Inc., Pittsfield, Massachusetts, is being awarded an undefinitized contract action with a not-to-exceed amount of $36,150,000 under contract N0003026C7000, for technical and engineering services for fire control efforts in support of the Nuclear-armed, Sea-Launched Cruise Missile Program. Work will be performed from March 2026 through March 2027, and performed in Pittsfield, Massachusetts (80%); and Manassas, Virginia (20%). Research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy) funding, as provided in the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act, in the amount of $18,075,000 will be obligated on this award. No funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract action is being awarded on a sole source basis under 10 U.S. Code 3204(a)(1) and was previously synopsized on the System for Award Management online portal. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Innovative Defense Technologies LLC,* Arlington, Virginia, is awarded a $9,364,049 modification (P00009) to contract (N0001423C1006) for the “Naval Digital Engineering Ecosystem (NDEE)” effort. The modification provides for the design, development and accelerated deployment of NDEE-derived Counter-/C5ISRT S&T solutions for field-testing adoption by Naval forces. Innovative Defense Technologies is proposing to refine prototype AI agents and optimization algorithms and integrate these into its Automated Test Re-Test Enterprise Platform AI framework. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia. The modification will increase the value of contract line-item number 0006 by $9,364,049 from $9,999,993 to $19,364,042 and extend the period of performance to March 23, 2027. After execution of the modification, the total cumulative value of this contract will be $62,332,183. Fiscal 2025 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $9,293,544 are obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Office of Naval Research, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
Elbit Systems of America – Night Vision LLC, Roanoke, Virginia, was awarded a firm-fixed-price contract for the development, production and testing of the Binocular Night Observation Device. The amount of this action is $450,602,778. Bids were solicited via the internet with six received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 27, 2033. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W91CRB-26-D-A002).
HII Mission Technologies Corp, McLean, Virginia, was awarded a $12,000,000 modification (P00008) to contract W58RGZ-26-P-0008 for transportation logistics services in support of the Army mission. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $12,000,000. Work will be performed in McLean, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of April 30, 2027. Fiscal 2026 operation and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $12,000,000 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command – Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. (W58RGZ-26-P-0008).
*Small business
