MD Guard Divests Its A-10Cs, But White House Nixes F-16 Deal
Maryland Air National Guard LT COL Steven Montalvo gestures farewell to fellow guardsmen while taxiing in an A-10C Thunderbolt II at Warfield Air National Guard Base at Martin State Airport, MD, on March 26. The aircraft was the first to be sent from the 175th Wing to the boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, AZ, as part of the initial process of divesting the Maryland Guard’s A-10C fleet. (Photo by Air National Guard Airman 1st Class Sarah Hoover)
Morning Coffee is a robust blend of links to news around the internet concerning the Naval Air Station Patuxent River 
economic community. The opinions expressed here do not reflect opinions of the Leader’s owners or staff.
The White House has said that the deal made last year to transfer an F-16 Fighting Falcon squadron from the District of Columbia Air National Guard to Maryland is off the table, reports Military.com. “The F-16s will stay with the DC ANG,” the White House said a statement. The deal emerged late last year amid talks to redevelop the city’s RFK Stadium, Maryland Matters had reported at the time.
Maryland’s Air National Guard had hoped its A-10 Thunderbolts, which are being phased out, could be replaced by the F16s from the D.C. Air National Guard. Now, Maryland will soon be the first branch of the Air National Guard in the US to not have a flying mission as it transitions to a focus on cyber security, reports NBC4 in Washington, DC, on MSN. Last Wednesday, the first of the 21 A-10C Thunderbolt II combat jets left Warfield Air National Guard Base in Middle River, MD. The Maryland ANG started the divestment of its A-10C fleet March 26 and is expected to be complete by September 2025, reports dvidshub.net.
Maryland’s congressional delegation expressed concerns over the A-10 divestment, particularly that talented pilots and maintainers might leave the service if they don’t stay on for another flying mission. The lawmakers had asked DefSec Pete Hegseth to pause the divestment of the A-10s at Warfield, reports The Washington Post.
More F-35 fighter jets are being deployed to the Middle East, reports Navy Times, as the US continues to strike Yemen’s Houthi rebels. An extra air wing of the F-35s is being sent to Jordan, a close US partner in the region but one publicly shy about hosting American military equipment, according to a congressional aide.
The DoD Inspector General’s Office is investigating DefSec Hegseth’s use of the messaging app Signal to discuss highly sensitive military information, reports The Hill. The probe will look at whether Hegseth “complied with DoD policies” when he used a group chat to discuss details of a strike against Houthi militants in Yemen last month.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi is downplaying the need for the Department of Justice to probe the use of Signal chat to discuss the attacks in Yemen, reports The Washington Post. Democratic lawmakers have called on the DOJ and FBI to investigate whether officials mishandled classified information.
Gmail users soon will be able to send and receive encrypted emails without a third-party provider, reports Security Week. The new process will allow Gmail users to send end-to-end encrypted messages to “any user on any email inbox with just a few clicks,” Google wrote in a blog post.
After a loss on the US Air Force’s F-47 program and its withdrawal from the Navy’s F/A-XX competition, Lockheed Martin is facing questions from Wall Street about how the company responsible for both of the US military’s fifth-generation fighters now finds itself shut out of the sixth-generation fighter market, reports Breaking Defense.
The US Navy’s eldest aircraft carrier set sail out of San Diego, CA, late last month for what is expected to be its final trip, reports Air Force Times. This is a regularly scheduled deployment to the Indo-Pacific region for the 50-year-old USS Nimitz carrier. The Nimitz will eventually return to Virginia in 2026 before it is set to be decommissioned. The Nimitz’ first deployment began July 7, 1976, when she departed Norfolk for the Mediterranean according to the ship’s history page.
Pregnant US Air Force pilots and aircrew will no longer be allowed to fly during their first trimester under revised flight rules, reports Task & Purpose. The move is one of several updates to the policy regarding pregnant women that both restrict and loosen when they can fly. The new rules bring the Air Force guidelines more in line with other military branches’ policies, said an AF spokeswoman.
The US Marine Corps will debut its new Philippine Rotational Force at the Balikatan 2025 drills, reports USNI News. The new formation builds on three years of training in the Philippine archipelago in littoral operations and coastal defense, according to the Marines.
A proposal from Army veteran Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) would make military enlistment and re-enlistment bonuses tax free, reports Marine Corps Times. Those bonuses can range from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands and are currently taxed at a rate of 20% or more.
The fourth and final soldier has been identified from the armored vehicle that sank in Lithuania during a military training exercise, reports Task & Purpose. Staff Sgt. Troy S. Knutson-Collins, 28, of Battle Creek, MI, was the final soldier recovered from an M88A2 Hercules recovery vehicle that sank in a swamp March 25. The names of the other three soldiers were released earlier last week: Sgt. Jose Duenez Jr., 25, of Joliet, IL; Sgt. Edvin F. Franco, 25, of Glendale, CA; and Pfc. Dante D. Taitano, 21, of Dededo, Guam, Military Times reported.
President Donald Trump’s pick to be the next ambassador to NATO was confirmed by the Senate last week, reports The Hill. Matthew Whitaker had served as acting attorney general during Trump’s first term. Whitaker told senators during his confirmation hearing that if he is confirmed for the post, he would urge the alliance’s members to bolster their defense spending and showed commitment to the transnational military organization.
Navy Cmdr. Christopher Johnson, commanding officer of Navy Information Operations Command Colorado, was relieved of his duties Thursday, reports Navy Times. The service said it was due to a “loss of confidence in his ability to command.”
Northrop Grumman has been awarded a US Space Force contract to develop a satellite refueling capability and demonstrate it through a new mission called Elixir, reports Defense News. The award follows a Space Systems Command contract the company received last year to develop a tanker satellite called GAS-T, or the Geosynchronous Auxiliary Support Tanker, and incorporates technology and lessons learned from that effort, which the company recently completed. The value of the contract was not disclosed.
Rocket Lab and Stoke Space have been added to the Space Force’s list of launch providers that could compete for future national security space missions, reports Defense News. Those firms join SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, and Blue Origin chosen last year to enter the vendor pool.
Greece will spend $27 billion over the next decade to adapt its military to evolving high-tech warfare technologies, reports Defense News. Defense Minister Nikos Dendias told parliament the overhaul will be built around a planned air defense system called “Achilles Shield,” mostly aimed at addressing tensions with its neighbor Turkey.
Contracts:
Bechtel National Inc., Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $242,282,475 modification (P00284) to contract W52P1J-09-C-0012 to capture past contract overruns for the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant. Work will be performed in Pueblo, Colorado, with an estimated completion date of April 3, 2026. Fiscal 2015 research, development, test and evaluation, Army funds in the amount of $242,282,475 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity.
General Dynamics NASSCO, Norfolk, Virginia, is being awarded a $21,735,171 modification to exercise options on a previously awarded contract (N00024-25-C-4427) for the USS Porter (DDG-78) fiscal 2025 extended dry-dock selected restricted availability. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by May 2026. Fiscal 2025 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $21,735,171 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
