@bychrisgordon.bsky.social
Pentagon Editor/National Security Correspondent, Air & Space Forces Magazine AirandSpaceForces.com | Board, Military Reporters & Editors | Member, CFR | “Subject Matter Expert.” [Redacted] F-16D flight hours. | CGordon@afa.org/Signal chrisgordon.24
MQ-9 Reapers are flying numerous orbits over Iran, gathering intelligence and taking out missile launchers in Operation Epic Fury. Yet Iran has managed to down about 10 of the armed drones, according to people familiar with the operations. www.airandspaceforces.com/mq-9s-over-i...
MACDILL AFB, Fla.—The U.S. is moving to surge firepower over Iran, including its capital of Tehran, officials leading the campaign said at CENTCOM’s headquarters here. Bomber strikes are being stepped up and additional fighter squadrons are being deployed. www.airandspaceforces.com/more-fighter...
Weapons of Operation Epic Fury: Fighters, Missiles, and ‘Special Capabilities’
www.airandspaceforces.com/weapons-of-e...
The U.S. military struck over 1,000 targets on the first day of its air campaign against Iran, unleashing enormous firepower in the opening 24 hours of Operation Epic Fury.
Four B-2s conducted strikes against Iran yesterday on a round trip mission from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo, I’m told.
Jennifer Griffin of Fox News first reported the use of the B-2s.
A senior administration official said the U.S. believed the American and Israeli militaries needed to strike first to blunt Iran’s retaliation. The official said Iran’s refusal to discuss its ballistic missile program led the U.S. to attack.
The Israeli Defense Forces said they launched an “opening strike” against high-level officials that also killed the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran’s defense minister, and other senior officials. www.airandspaceforces.com/us-israel-at...
The U.S. and Israel attacked hundreds of targets in Iran on Feb. 28 with aircraft, one-way attack drones, and Tomahawk cruise missiles in what the U.S. called “Operation Epic Fury.” www.airandspaceforces.com/us-israel-at...
Israeli officials say they killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. U.S. officials also believe Khamenei is dead, but are still assessing the situation. Trump said the U.S. offered intelligence support to Israelis for the strike. www.airandspaceforces.com/us-israel-at...
Life or Death Over Yemen: How 2 F-16 Pilots Survived a Houthi SAMbush
www.airandspaceforces.com/life-death-y...
The U.S. military is moving to restock its supply of the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bunker-busting bombs it used against Iran’s underground nuclear facilities last June, according to Air Force documents. www.airandspaceforces.com/pentagon-res...
U.S. Air Force F-35A stealth fighter jets were observed flying toward the Middle East today, the latest step in the U.S. military buildup in the region as the Trump administration weighs possible strikes on Iran. www.airandspaceforces.com/f-35s-middle...
More stealthy U.S. fighter jets moved closer to the Middle East as 6 F–35As from the Vermont ANG landed at RAF Lakenheath, U.K. after crossing the Atlantic. www.airandspaceforces.com/f-35s-deploy... Trump admin has threatened to strike Iran if a deal constraining its nuclear program is not reached.
Failure to Alert Judge to Press Law for Reporter Search Draws Ethical Scrutiny
The Justice Department may have violated a candor rule by not disclosing a 1980 law when seeking a warrant for a Washington Post reporter’s home.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/u...
The U.S. has launched significant airstrikes in recent days against ISIS in Syria in a renewed air campaign against remnants of the group. The strikes have been carried out by AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, MQ-9 Reaper drones, and U.S. warplanes, I’m told. www.airandspaceforces.com/us-launches-...
Next Up in Pentagon’s Push for Defense Industry Reforms: Space www.airandspaceforces.com/pentagon-def...
Two U.S. Air Force F-16s, along with the guided missile destroyer USS McFaul, helped escort a U.S. tanker threatened by Iranian gunboats just hours before a U.S. F-35 shot down an Iranian drone near the USS Abraham Lincoln, I’m told. www.airandspaceforces.com/american-f-3...
The Air Force One jet carrying President Trump to a high-stakes gathering in Switzerland diverted over the Atlantic last night and returned to Joint Base Andrews due to an issue with the Boeing VC-25, forcing the president to use a backup plane, a USAF C-32. www.airandspaceforces.com/air-force-on...
The Pentagon rushed more F-15E Strike Eagles to the Middle East in recent days as the U.S. military is reinforcing its airpower in the region amid high tensions with Iran. President Trump has been weighing military action against the country. www.airandspaceforces.com/pentagon-f-1...
Military Reporters & Editors’ annual conference is right around the corner on Nov. 7! Please register here if you plan to attend. We can’t wait to see you all there! The keynote speaker is the new Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S. www.militaryreporters.org/2025/10/2025...
Gen. Dave Allvin completed two years as Chief of Staff, half the tour length—but long enough, he says, to have made a mark on the Air Force.
“We can’t always pick when we’re asked to lead. We can’t always pick when we’re asked to leave,” Allvin told me. www.airandspaceforces.com/allvin-depar...
Multiple Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers flew towards Venezuela today in the latest U.S. show of force aimed at Caracas and drug cartels from the Latin American country. This is the third bomber flight in the region since Oct. 15. Expect that pace to continue. www.airandspaceforces.com/air-force-b-...
Pentagon reporters could be seen leaving the sprawling U.S. military headquarters with boxes after at least 30 news organizations declined to sign a new Pentagon access policy for journalists, warning of the potential for less coverage of the world's most powerful military.
Lt. Gen. Jason Hinds, the current 3-star deputy commander, has been nominated to become commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa and NATO Allied Air Command at his current rank. www.airandspaceforces.com/usafe-nato-a...
The job is currently vacant following the retirement of Gen. James Hecker over the summer. That made the change easier to carry out as it didn’t require removing a currently serving officer from the position. www.airandspaceforces.com/usafe-nato-a...
The Pentagon is downgrading a significant 4-star Air Force position, making the commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, who is also head of NATO Allied Air Command, a 3-star job, effectively demoting the U.S. commander below his or her NATO counterparts. www.airandspaceforces.com/usafe-nato-a...
MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va.—President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth addressed hundreds of senior military officials today. Air & Space Forces Magazine takes you inside the room. www.airandspaceforces.com/inside-the-r...
When U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles headed out to blunt Iran’s attack on Israel last April, they tried an unusual tactic: Knock Iranian drones out of the sky with laser-guided bombs. www.airandspaceforces.com/how-f-15s-tr...
What does the future hold for the Space Force?
Here’s my interview with Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman: www.airandspaceforces.com/cso-saltzman...
The U.S. military is deploying significant airpower in the Caribbean one week after carrying out an airstrike on what it said was a boat operated by a Venezuelan drug cartel.
www.airandspaceforces.com/airpower-car...
Airpower in the Caribbean: US Bulks Up Presence with MQ-9s, F-35s, and More
