Japanese officials this week expressed concerns over the U.S. military continuing to fly the aircraft in Japan without Washington providing more information about Wednesday’s fatal crash.
One airman was killed and seven others are missing after an Air Force CV-22 Osprey crashed off the shore on Yakushima in southern Japan.
A large search effort for the aircraft and missing crew members is ongoing, with “air, surface, and subsurface search of water and coastline in the vicinity of Yakushima,” Air Force Special Operations Command said in a statement Friday.
Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.
South Korea on Friday successfully placed its first spy satellite into orbit, a little over a week after the nation’s archenemy North Korea did the same. The satellite was fired into space atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. SpaceX captured the successful launch of the mission, known as Korea 425, on video. South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense said the satellite was …
Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said his home in Bellevue, Wash., was vandalized Thursday night over the current conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas. “Last night, my house was vandalized by people advocating for a ceasefire in Israel and Gaza,” Smith said in a statement in a Friday press release. “This attack is sadly reflective of the coarsening of the political discourse in our country, and is completely …
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called out Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, as Israel restarted attacks in its war on Hamas after a roughly weeklong truce. “Netanyahu’s resumption of bombing in Gaza is beyond the pale,” Sanders posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “Two million people are now in south Gaza. Many have fled earlier fighting in the north.” Israeli fighter jets hit Gaza minutes after …
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr.will speak at the Reagan National Defense Forum on Saturday morning in Simi Valley, Calif.
FBI Director Christopher Wray will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on oversight of the bureau at 10 a.m. Tuesday.
In Other News
Branch out with a different read from The Hill:
Looming deadline to extend warrantless surveillance powers sparks congressional scramble
Lawmakers staring down an end-of-the-year deadline to reauthorize the nation’s warrantless spy powers are grappling with a dizzying number of options for how to tackle needed reforms as well as a chorus of complaints about how to proceed. Congress is weighing everything from a Senate bill that would …
The Middle East Institute will hold a talk on “The silent enemy, presence and evolution of the jihadist threat in the broader Mediterranean” at 1:15 p.m.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chair Adm. Christopher Grady will speak at the Atlantic Council on “Designing the future joint force” at 2:30 p.m.
The Wilson Center will have a conversation on“Forgotten warriors: The long history of women in combat” at 4 p.m.
What We’re Reading
News we’ve flagged from other outlets:
Extremism stand-down checked a box with no lasting result, critics say (Military Times)
A Marine recruiter’s ‘grooming’ of a teenage recruit led to an investigation. The family says he’s still terrorizing them (Military.com)
House impeachment inquiry leaders seeking testimony from Hunter Biden sought to turn his offer for public testimony on its head Friday, writing that … Read more
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) went head-to-head in a Fox News debate Thursday as the governors — one a current … Read more
Opinions in The Hill
Op-eds related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill:
