Mike Stone

Exclusive: Trump's Golden Dome looks for alternatives to Musk's SpaceX The Trump administration is expanding its search for partners to build the Golden Dome missile defense system, courting Amazon.com's Project Kuiper and big defense contractors as tensions with Elon Musk threaten SpaceX's dominance in the program, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

Golden Dome seeks alternatives to SpaceX: Kuiper, which has launched just 78 of a planned constellation of 3,000 low-earth orbit satellites, has been approached by the Pentagon to join the effort, signaling the administration's openness to integrating commercial tech www.reuters.com/business/aer...

Ukraine celebrates Trump's weapons reversal, but the 'devil's in the details' President Donald Trump has finally found a way to like arming Ukraine: ask European allies to donate their weapons, and sell them American replacements. Now comes the hard part — agreeing on who will actually give up their prized systems.

It has become clear Trump presented a framework - not a fleshed-out plan. How sizeable any support ends up being for Ukraine will depend on coming negotiations about who provides which equipment, according to 10 officials...
www.reuters.com/world/europe... w/ @gramslattery.bsky.social

Thank you for writing this up Phillips. Hope all is well!

Trump to use presidential authority to send weapons to Ukraine, sources say President Donald Trump for the first time since returning to office will send weapons to Kyiv under a presidential power frequently used by his predecessor, two sources familiar with the decision said on Thursday, a move suggesting new interest by the president in defending Ukraine.

Susan, lovely column. FYSA. This is a fresh draw from the remaining 3.8 in PDA. www.reuters.com/world/europe...

Mark, these are fresh ones. Not the Biden gear.

Trump to use presidential authority to send weapons to Ukraine, sources say President Donald Trump for the first time since returning to office will send weapons to Kyiv under a presidential power frequently used by his predecessor, two sources familiar with the decision said on Thursday, a move suggesting new interest by the president in defending Ukraine.

Scoop- President Donald Trump for the first time since returning to office will send weapons to Kyiv under a presidential power frequently used by his predecessor, two sources familiar with the decision said

www.reuters.com/world/europe...

After today’s relatively quiet stage, tomorrow has the potential to explode into fireworks 🔥

@poetina.bsky.social has broken down the route of 🇫🇷 #TDF2025 Stage 4 in full detail - every key moment, every tactical twist that could shape the race.

📰 www.domestiquecycling.com/en/features/...

📷 ASO

Turkey sandwiches and stealth: Preparing for B-2 bomber missions Before strapping into the cockpit of the U.S. Air Force's B-2 Spirit stealth bomber for missions that can stretch beyond 40 hours, pilots undergo weeks of preparation that focuses not only on flight plans, but what to eat.

Here’s mine. It got great readership when I put it out a couple days ago.

www.reuters.com/business/aer...

Turkey sandwiches and stealth: Preparing for B-2 bomber missions Before strapping into the cockpit of the U.S. Air Force's B-2 Spirit stealth bomber for missions that can stretch beyond 40 hours, pilots undergo weeks of preparation that focuses not only on flight plans, but what to eat.

Refueling is done blind - pilots can't see the boom extending from a tanker full of gas attaching to the B-2 16 feet behind their heads. www.reuters.com/business/aer...

Inbox:

MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY RELEASE

The Golden Dome for America Industry Summit has been CANCELED.

The Summit will not be held on June 11, 2025 at the Von Braun Center downtown Huntsville, AL. An announcement will be made on SAM.gov if/when a new date and location are planned.

Japan flexes defence ambitions at arms show Japan opened one of its largest-ever arms shows on Wednesday in a display that Defence Minister Gen Nakatani said marked the pacifist nation's deepening push for overseas defence cooperation and weapons exports.

Japan flexes defence ambitions at arms show reut.rs/4jZbXmk

Trump to make Golden Dome announcement on Tuesday, US official says President Donald Trump is expected to announce he has selected the path forward for his ambitious Golden Dome missile defense shield, a U.S. official said on Tuesday.

The vice chief of space operations, United States Space Force General Michael Guetlein, is expected to be in the Oval Office this afternoon where the officials, who declined to be identified, said that it was likely he will be named as the program lead

www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...

US Navy's new fighter jet threatened by funding dispute, sources say The U.S. Navy and Congress are battling with the Trump administration to keep moving forward with a contract award to build the Navy's next-generation fighter jet, according three people with knowledge of the matter.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's cost assessment office plans to slash funding for the next-generation jet's development by shifting the $454 million that Congress provided for the F/A-XX in the fiscal year 2025 budget to other programs

www.reuters.com/world/us/us-...

Exclusive: Trump poised to offer Saudi Arabia over $100 bln arms package - sources The United States is poised to offer Saudi Arabia an arms package worth well over $100 billion, six sources with direct knowledge of the issue told Reuters, saying the proposal was being lined up for announcement during U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to the kingdom in May.

“The kingdom first requested information about General Atomics' drones in 2018, they said. Over the past 12 months, a deal for $20 billion of General Atomics' MQ-9B SeaGuardian-style drones and other aircraft came into focus, according to one of the sources.”

www.reuters.com/world/trump-...

Exclusive: Musk's SpaceX is frontrunner to build Trump's Golden Dome missile shield Elon Musk's SpaceX and two partners have emerged as frontrunners to win a crucial part of President Donald Trump's "Golden Dome" missile defense shield, six people familiar with the matter said.

Scoop- SpaceX is pitching for the part of the Golden Dome initiative called the "custody layer," a constellation of satellites that would detect missiles, track their trajectory, and determine if they are heading toward the U.S. www.reuters.com/business/aer...

I vbet searches for dollar cost averaging are off the charts tonight. #Tariffstankmarkets

Only when it matters. 😉

Boeing, Northrop Grumman await US Navy next-generation fighter contract this week, sources say The U.S. Navy is expected to announce this week who will build its next-generation carrier-based stealth fighter - a program worth hundreds of billions over its lifetime and a key part of plans to confront China, people familiar with the decision said.

SCOOP: Another massive fighter jet contract will be announced this week. This time it’s the Navy. $NOC $BA www.reuters.com/business/aer...

Interesting

No.

The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans U.S. national-security leaders included me in a group chat about upcoming military strikes in Yemen. I didn’t think it could be real. Then the bombs started falling.

In 25 years of covering national security, I’ve never seen a story like this: Senior Trump officials discussed planning for the U.S. attack on Yemen in a Signal group--and inadvertently added the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic. www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday will award Boeing a contract to build the U.S. Air Force's most sophisticated fighter jet, known as Next Generation Air Dominance, two sources familiar with the situation said. $BA $LMT #NGAD

Pentagon set to award US Air Force's next-generation fighter jet contract, sources say The Pentagon is set to announce its decision on a next-generation fighter jet contract initially worth more than $20 billion as soon as Friday, despite earlier concerns about budget constraints and shifting priorities, sources briefed on the plan said.

The winner of the high-stakes contest will receive hundreds of billions of dollars in orders over the contract's lifetime, underpinning their businesses for decades.

www.reuters.com/world/us/pen...

The Pentagon is set to announce its decision on a next-generation fighter jet contract initially worth more than $20 billion as soon as Friday, despite earlier concerns about budget constraints and shifting priorities, sources briefed on the plan said. $BA $LMT

US approves precision rocket sale to Saudi Arabia amid Houthi conflict The U.S. State Department has approved what would be the first sale of advanced precision kill weapon systems to Saudi Arabia for an estimated cost of $100 million, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

The potential sale comes as the U.S. continues a wave of strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen which began last Saturday, killing at least 31 people in the biggest such operation since Trump returned to the White House in January. Via @michaelstone.bsky.social - www.reuters.com/world/us-app...

Amid ‘DEI’ purge, Pentagon removes web page on Iwo Jima flag-raiser Pages celebrating Navajo code talkers and other minority service members were also erased.

The Pentagon purge of media it considers 'DEI' has expanded to stories about Navajo code talkers and Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian who helped raise the US flag over Iwo Jima. w/ @jonswaine.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...

Famed Pentagon Office of Net Assessment - disbanded.

US long-range bombs headed to Ukraine as ATACMS supply dwindles The U.S. is poised to resume shipments to Ukraine of long-range bombs known as Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bombs (GLSDB), after they were upgraded to better counter Russian jamming, two people familiar with the weapon told Reuters.

In recent weeks, 19 GLSDBs were test-fired to assess the effectiveness of the upgrades. Part of the modifications involved reinforcing connections within the weapon to enhance its resilience, the people said.

www.reuters.com/world/us-lon...

This week, Pentagon Station had its busiest day since 2020! Metro supports national security by getting key personnel to and from their duty stations throughout the region.

Ban sugary soda from US food stamps- food expert Congress should ban sugary sodas from the $58 billion-a-year U.S. food stamp program as a step to combat the obesity crisis, the House Agriculture Committee was told on Thursday.

Will Coke and Pepsi lobbyists fight this? Wil they win? www.reuters.com/article/mark...