Howard Altman

Days Of Rage, Nights Of Flames Across Iran Increasingly intense protests have spread across Iran over rising prices, devalued currency and government crackdowns.

The Iranian regime faces one of its greatest internal threats since it took power in 1979.

Canadian NORAD Commander Explains Urgent Need For Better Sensing Maj. Gen. Chris McKenna offers exclusive insights on the need for new satellites, airborne radar jets, and the drone threat.

Exclusive: Canadian NORAD commander talks about the urgent need for AEW&C aircraft, new satellites and how his nation is working to defend against potential drone incursions.

Canadian NORAD Commander On What It Will Take To Defend The High North Maj. Gen. McKenna offers exclusive insights into the growing threats to the Arctic from China and Russia, and what NORAD is doing about it.

Exclusive: Canadian NORAD commander opens up about what it will take to defend the high north against the increasing threats from China and Russia.

Ukrainian Spy Master Kyrylo Budanov Explains His New Job As Top Zelensky Aid Ukraine Situation Report: Zelensky taps his former spy boss as his new chief of staff as Australian Abrams tanks bolster the front lines.

Exclusive: Budanov gave me a few insights into his new role at Zelensky's chief of staff.

USAF F-35As Have Arrived In The Caribbean The F-35As bring enhanced capabilities to Operation Southern Spear, and are the first USAF fighters deployed for it.

F-35A Joint Strike Fighters from the Vermont Air National Guard's 158th Fighter Wing have arrived in Puerto Rico for Operation Southern Spear, offering enhanced capabilities for any attack on Venezuela.

Canadian NORAD Commander's View On Future F-35 Fighter Force Maj. Gen. Chris McKenna offers exclusive insights into what opportunities and challenges the F-35A will bring to his commands.

Exclusive: Canadian NORAD commander talks to me about what role RCAF F-35As could play with both the RCAF and NORAD and his plans for getting ready for their arrival (should a deal to buy 88 of the fifth-gen fighters clear a Canadian review).

F-35A Joint Strike Fighters Deploying To Caribbean The F-35s from the Vermont Air National Guard will join the growing U.S. force massed in the Caribbean aimed largely at the Maduro regime.

Scoop: US official tells me F-35As from VTANG 158th FW are heading down to Caribbean to take part in Operation Southern Spear. This brings a lot of extra capabilities to that mission.

Thanks so much for the kind words!

FBI Wants To Add Fiber Optic Drones To Its Arsenal Fiber-optic-controlled drones, ubiquitous on the battlefield in Ukraine, could be headed to the FBI's armory.

Scoop: The FBI is looking for vendors who can provide it with fiber optic drones, the ubiquitous weapon of war in Ukraine.

RC-135 Accompanied By Fighters Off Venezuela Testing Maduro's Air Defenses: U.S. Official The flights are part of a massive U.S. military presence in the Caribbean aimed at putting maximum pressure on Venezuela's Maduro.

U.S. testing Venezuelan air defenses and conducting training flights near the South American nation as part of increasing pressure campaign against Maduro.

Navy Salvage Ship Trying To Fish Crashed Super Hornet And Seahawk Out Of South China Sea USNS Salvor is on the scene in the tense South China Sea to recover both aircraft that crashed on the same night while flying from the Nimitz.

Nearly a month after a Navy Super Hornet fighter and a Seahawk helicopter crashed off the USS Nimitz in the hotly contested South China Sea, the recovery effort is in full swing.

Russian General In Venezuela Leading Advisory Mission: Ukraine's Intel Chief The long-standing Russian mission in Venezuela is not directly related to the ongoing U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean.

Scoop: Controversial Russian general is in Venezuela leading advise and train mission, Budanov tells me. It is a long-standing rotation not directly related to current US Caribbean ops.

Battlefield Commander In Ukraine Details Russia’s Increasing Frontline Pressure The commander, whose troops are fighting in Pokrovsk, offers exclusive insights about the bloody battle there and its impact on Ukraine's defenses elsewhere.

Exclusive: A battlefield commander in Ukraine offers his inside view on the blood fight for Pokrovsk and its ramifications elsewhere on the front lines.

USS Ford Holding Off North Africa As Reports Emerge Trump Won't Strike Venezuela, For Now The supercarrier, ordered to the Caribbean by Trump, has not moved significantly toward that area for two days.

The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, ordered to the Caribbean to take part in actions there, has been holding off the coast of Morocco for two days as news breaks that Trump won't strike Venezuela, for now.

You say it's only a Beaver Moon...

How Long It Will Take Russia To Resume Nuclear Detonation Tests: Experts Weigh In After Trump's comments, Putin ordered his top officials to provide proposals on how to restart Russia's live nuclear weapons testing program.

Putin has ordered his top officials to give him proposals for restarting full-scale nuclear weapons tests. Experts tell me how long that could take and what it would entail.

Navy Cruiser Joins Caribbean Flotilla As Reports Claim U.S. Is Readying Venezuela Strikes (Updated) The deployment of USS Gettysburg comes as a carrier strike group is also heading to the region, while Trump denies he is about to strike.

Scoop: Tico class guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg now deployed in Caribbean as part of counter-narco operation. News comes as Trump denies plans to attack Venezuela.

Experts Explain How Reviving Nuclear Weapons Tests Would Actually Happen While it remains unclear exactly what Trump meant by "testing our nuclear weapons," we got expert opinions on the timelines and processes required to restart live detonations.

While it is unclear what Trump was talking about when commenting on nuclear weapons testing, we reached out to some experts who do this for a living to get their take on what it all could mean.

Inside The Fight To Stop Russia's Biggest Battlefield Advance In A Year The chief of staff of First Corps Azov offers exclusive details about the ongoing battle for Dobropillia in eastern Ukraine.

Exclusive: Chief of Staff of First Corps Azov offers new details about the fight around Dobropillia, a counteroffensive Zelensky today called a success.

CBP Claims "Credible Threat" Of Drone Attacks Prompted Massive Chicago Airspace Restrictions Customs and Border Protection has responded to our inquiry about the airspace closure, saying it was put in place due to a risk of drone attacks.

Scoop: CBP tells me the Chicago drone ban I wrote about earlier today was prompted by "credible threat" that agents will be attacked by small drones during protests. We asked for proof of claim and will update with any pertinent information provided.
www.twz.com/air/cbp-clai...

New Quick Reaction Force Will Counter Military Base Drone Incursions Soon, teams of counter-drone experts and sensors, electronic warfare systems, and drone interceptors will rush to bases being swarmed by drones.

This just in: Drone incursion reports at US military bases have increased significantly in the past year, says NORTHCOM, which unveiled its new quick reaction force for bases that need help countering incursions.

U.S. Amphibious Landing Exercise Underway In Puerto Rico As Tensions With Venezuela Mount The amphibious training in Puerto Rico comes as the U.S. has at least eight warships in the Caribbean and just struck a Venezuelan drug boat.

On a day when the US carried out a lethal strike against a claimed Venezuelan drug boat, US Marines and sailors practiced amphibious landings in Puerto Rico.

Colombian Black Hawk Downed By Drone Is A Glimpse Of What's To Come Easy to access and employ, weaponized drones pose a rapidly increasing threat to combat helicopters around the globe.

The drone attack on a Colombian National Police Black Hawk helicopter is one more sign that the future of rotary-wing aviation in combat is murky.
www.twz.com/air/colombia...

Howard Altman: On invasion's anniversary, those with much at stake in Afghanistan look back In the early morning hours of Oct. 20, 2001, Mark Nutsch and Robert Pennington were Green Berets assigned to ODA 595. They were stepping off a helicopter to meet with members of the Northern...

On this, the 4th anniversary of the fall of Afghanistan, remember those who served there, those who came home forever changed, those who made the ultimate sacrifice and the loved ones left behind. And of course, those we abandoned who risked their lives to help us.

U.S. MQ-9 Drone Just Flew A Mission Deep Into Mexico The flight of the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Guardian drone comes as the Trump administration is ramping up its campaign against Mexican drug cartels.

U.S. MQ-9 flies deep into Mexico as Trump administration ramps up campaign against cartels.

Inside The U-2's Record-Setting 70th Anniversary Mission With One Of Its Most Experienced Pilots The U-2 just made the longest flight of its 70-year flying career as its future is very much in doubt.

What's it like to set U-2 flight records by zig-zagging over America for 14 hours? Instructor pilot Cory Bartholomew gave us some insights on the flight and the future of a program on the brink of being shuttered.

Critical Weapons Development Lessons From Ukraine Are Not Being Learned By The West An American defense investor in Ukraine offers exclusive insights on Kyiv's grassroots military buildup and the velocity of its weapons development.

Exclusive: An American investor in Ukraine talks about how the war-torn nation became a defense tech powerhouse and how the US and allies are ignoring the lessons.

Happy Hummus Face

Sig M18 Pistols Pulled From Use By Air Force Global Strike Command A fatal incident prompted the order to pause M18 use, which also comes after the disclosure of a concerning FBI report that Sig has pushed back on.

Breaking: Tragic death at F.E. Warren AFB prompts Global Strike Command to order temporary pause on use of Sig Sauer M18 pistols

Eurofighter Typhoon Canopy-Shattering Bird Strike Captured In Amazing Images A photographer snapped the instant a Spanish Eurofighter impacted a bird during an aerobatic demonstration.

Javier Alonso de Medina Salguero took some of the most amazing shots you will ever see of a combat jet striking a bird during high-speed aerobatic maneuvers.

The pilot survived. The bird? Not so much.