Early Bird Brief: September 17, 2024

Welcome to the Early Bird Brief's LinkedIn Edition, a tightly edited round-up of today's most important military and defense stories. To get the full EBB, with dozens of stories, subscribe here .

US Air Force plans to bed down 25 F-35s in FY26, report says

(Defense News) The U.S. Air Force plans to bed down 25 F-35As in fiscal 2026, according to a recent Defense Department report outlining how the service plans to field an inventory of nearly 700 of the aircraft by the end of the decade. Read More

Pentagon to oversee $3 billion effort to strengthen microchip supply

(Defense News) The Pentagon announced Monday it will help lead a $3 billion U.S. Commerce Department initiative designed to make sure the U.S. military has access to a reliable domestic microelectronics supply chain. Read More

This week in Congress: Lawmakers rush to pass VA funding

(Military Times) Lawmakers are optimistic they will pass a quick fix to the Department of Veterans Affairs funding shortfall before a looming Friday budget deadline. But a resolution isn’t expected until just a few hours before that cutoff. Read More

Medal of Honor recipients could get $100,000 annual pensions under bill proposed in Congress

(Military.com) Living Medal of Honor recipients could get a significant boost in their pensions under a bill recently introduced in the Senate. Read More

Houthi rebels claim they shot down another US MQ-9 Reaper drone

(The Associated Press) Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed Monday that they shot down another American-made MQ-9 Reaper drone, with video circulating online showing what appeared to be a surface-to-air missile strike and flaming wreckage strewn across the ground. Read More

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