May 19, 2025

Trump Proposes New Fighter Jet, the F-55

President Donald Trump wants the US military to have a new twin-engine F-35. He wants to call it the F-55. It will have two engines and a super upgrade on the F-35. Some analysts say it will be a highly challenging engineering endeavor.

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F-35 Dodged a Houthi Missile

F-35 Pax Rver

As the Trump administration considered ending the US missile strikes in the Red Sea, Houthi rebels in Yemen fired a missile so close to a US F-35 the pilot had to take evasive action, a potential “absolute disaster” for the costly fighter jet.

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Admission to Academies Will Be Based Exclusively on Merit

Academy

US military academies have been ordered to end consideration of race, gender, and ethnicity in their admissions processes. Acceptance will be based “exclusively on merit.”

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USS Truman Loses Yet Another Jet

The USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier has lost yet another F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet into the Red Sea, the second fighter jet lost from the carrier in just over a week.

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New Names for DoD and Veterans Day?

DefSec Pete Hegseth wants a new name for the Defense Department. He wants to call it the War Department. And President Donald Trump wants to rename the federal holiday Veterans Day “Victory Day for World War I Day” and create another holiday to commemorate World War II on May 8.

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Navy Loses Super Hornet Overboard

Air Dominance

The USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier lost another F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet when it fell overboard on Monday along with a tow tractor. In December, a Navy cruiser downed another F/A-18 fighter jet from the Truman in a friendly fire incident. 

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Pentagon to Expand Defense Innovation Unit

Defense Innovation Unit

The Pentagon said it will expand the Defense Innovation Unit across the US to help it connect with a broader swath of technology companies. Three new DIU hubs will be located in Kentucky, Minnesota, and Montana.

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Trump Extends Hiring Freeze into July

President Donald Trump has extended his hiring freeze of all federal civilian positions until July 15. He signed an executive order on Jan. 20 to freeze the hiring civilian employees for vacancies or new positions in all federal agencies. The freeze was initially set to end April 20.

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Caudle Leads List for Navy’s Top Officer Post

ADM Daryl Caudle, commander of the US Navy’s Fleet Forces Command, has emerged as the front-runner for the service’s chief of naval operations position.

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MD Lawmakers Slam NASA Budget Cuts

NASA

Maryland lawmakers are urging the Trump administration to reconsider cuts at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center that could slash US space programs in half.

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