Sentry

United States lawmakers say the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) needs more power to safeguard the country’s nuclear stockpile from emerging threats. Their concern: Drones. A bipartisan group introduced legislation in March 2025 to give the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the semiautonomous DOE agency that manages the nuclear stockpile, the authority to build and develop technology to counter unmanned aerial systems. The NNSA’s missions include servicing U.S. nuclear weapons when they are not on missiles and bombers and making safety and security upgrades to warheads, according to a February 2025 report by National Public Radio. The bill, called the…

United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. plans to increase spending on offensive and defensive space operations. “I feel like there’s no way to ignore the fact that the next and the most important domain of warfare will be the space domain,” Hegseth said in March 2025 at the Department of the Air Force Summit — a gathering of senior leaders from the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force. “You’re going to see far more investment from this administration into that domain, both offensively and defensively … because that’s where we can continue to maintain an advantage,”…

United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, on his first trip to the Indo-Pacific, called Japan a vital Ally in deterring an increasingly pugnacious China in the region. “Japan is our indispensable Partner in deterring communist Chinese military aggression,” Hegseth said in Tokyo before the late-March 2025 meeting with his Japanese counterpart, according to The Associated Press (AP). “The U.S. is moving fast … to reestablish deterrence in this region and around the world.” Hegseth, after his talks with Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, said the U.S. would abide by promises to increase security cooperation with Japan. That includes a previously announced…

The United States will build the world’s most advanced warplane — the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter, which is considered pivotal to preserving air superiority of the skies over competitors such as China. The U.S. Air Force awarded a $20 billion contract to Boeing to develop the world’s first sixth-generation fighter jet. “Nothing in the world comes even close to it, and it’ll be known as the F-47,” U.S. President Donald Trump said at a March 2025 White House announcement attended by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin. Hegseth said the F-47’s…

The geopolitical landscape is undergoing a seismic shift as China, Iran, North Korea and Russia embark on an unprecedented level of cooperation. These burgeoning partnerships — while not codified — raise significant concerns among Indo-Pacific nations, NATO and the United States. The implications of their cooperation are profound, threatening the stable and open international system and democratic values shared by the U.S. and its Allies and Partners. In recent months, their collaboration has manifested in various forms, from joint military exercises to coordinated diplomatic efforts — and the four countries form what the U.S. government in December 2024 described as…

Next-generation defense systems will be faster, more accurate and more powerful to better protect the United States and its Allies and Partners from emerging threats. As the U.S. military and its Partners modernize their systems, new technology offers advanced capabilities that include offensive systems to detect and defend against threats to the Indo-Pacific and elsewhere. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Russia increasingly seek to disrupt U.S. and Allied defense systems and the CCP continues to field its own offensive systems. Iran and North Korea also are expanding their arsenals and nuclear capabilities. “For U.S. forces and U.S. Allies and…

The United States House Intelligence Committee warned in February 2024 of a “serious national security threat.” The committee provided few details publicly, but news outlets soon reported that Russia is developing a space-based nuclear weapon — an anti-satellite system armed with a nuclear weapon. U.S. officials called the possibility a “destabilizing foreign military capability” while also trying to allay public alarm by assuring that the threat isn’t imminent; Russia was not known to have deployed or tested such a weapon. As U.S. officials briefed lawmakers in Washington and Allies in Europe, Moscow denied the claims. In April 2024, Russia vetoed…

The United Kingdom’s approach to maintaining and enhancing its nuclear deterrent capabilities is a multifaceted national endeavor, encompassing extensive investments in infrastructure, technology and human resources. This initiative is critical to the nation’s security, economic prosperity and its role in international stability. “Our nuclear deterrent has been the cornerstone of our national security, safeguarding our values and way of life, for more than 70 years,” Rishi Sunak, then British prime minister, said in the foreword of a March 2024 report by the U.K.’s Defence Nuclear Enterprise (DNE) titled “Delivering the U.K.’s Nuclear Deterrent as a National Endeavour.” “It has protected…

As new technology and emerging security threats intersect, United States Army leaders are developing what they call a “new triad” to enhance integration and operational capability across all domains. The goal is to deploy critical capabilities from the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC), Army Cyber Command (ARCYBER) and Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) for a more agile response to threats. U.S. military leaders say the new triad augments — but does not replace — the traditional nuclear triad and takes advantage of emerging technology brought to bear by the different commands to ensure effective integrated deterrence. The…

The United States has expanded its missile defense capabilities with the completion of 20 new interceptor silos at Fort Greely, Alaska. This project, originally conceived in 2022, increased the number of ground-based midcourse defense (GMD) system interceptors at the site from 40 to 60, upgrading the nation’s ability to defend against intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) threats. The GMD system also includes interceptors housed at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, forming a key component of U.S. national defense. Ballistic missile flights can be separated into three general phases: boost phase, midcourse phase and terminal phase. The GMD system is designed…