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The United States plans to re-establish a Cold War-era military base in southern Greenland and set up another on the east coast, now used by the Danish dog sled patrol, under a deal to be signed with Denmark and Greenland on Tuesday, according to three people familiar with the matter.

The sites are Narsarsuaq, whose population has dwindled to a few dozen people since the U.S. closed its Bluie West One military base in the 1950s, and Mestersvig, a military outpost used by the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, a Danish special forces unit, said two of the people.

Denmark, Greenland and the United States are expected to sign their new agreement at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City at 10:30 a.m. ET (1430 GMT) on Tuesday. The text of the agreement has not been made public, and the three people familiar with the deal, speaking on condition of anonymity, said its details will not be finalized until it is signed.

Denmark says the agreement puts Arctic security under the watch of NATO rather than leaving it solely to the U.S. and Denmark. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told national broadcaster TV2 on Sunday that “it (the agreement) will be in a form where responsibility for security in the Arctic is not only Danish or American,” adding that to a large extent “it would be NATO that looks after the Arctic.”

A NATO spokesperson said on Saturday that the alliance welcomed the agreement, which would “help advance security, stability and cooperation in this vital region.”

President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Friday the agreement gives the United States “permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland,” and that no U.S. adversary could have a base or military presence there without Washington’s written approval. Denmark and Greenland have not commented on Trump’s claim but said the deal will benefit the Arctic island and respect its sovereignty.

The deal follows months of pressure from Trump, who has said the United States should control Greenland and at times refused to rule out using military or economic force to acquire the semi-autonomous Danish territory. His threats, which peaked in January, triggered a diplomatic crisis within NATO and pushed Denmark and Greenland into negotiations with Washington aimed at defusing the pressure.

During the Cold War, the U.S. maintained 17 military installations and more than 10,000 personnel in Greenland. Today only Pituffik Space Base remains, with some 150 U.S. military personnel.

Key details have not been made public, including whether the deal amends the 1951 defense agreement that is the legal basis for the U.S. presence in Greenland. Copenhagen has earlier acknowledged it underinvested in Greenland’s defense for decades and has pledged to expand its military presence on the island, including more NATO troops.

Sources: Defense News · Defence Blog

A U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds F-16CM crashed Dec. 3, 2025, outside Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, after fan blades broke inside a section of the engine that maintainers cannot inspect, according to an Aircraft Investigation Board report released Monday. The pilot ejected and survived with minor injuries. The $33 million jet was completely destroyed.

The pilot, one of two solo performers on the demonstration team, was on a training flight and had pushed the engine to full thrust, known as Military Power, when two fan blades broke loose, causing “catastrophic engine damage and a significant loss of thrust,” the report found. For four minutes the pilot attempted to keep the jet airborne, including restarting the engine, but it produced no thrust. At 400 feet above the ground he announced “ejecting” over the team radio. The plane crashed four seconds later.

Board president Col. J.C. Brooks cleared the pilot, maintainers, and Thunderbird leadership of any blame.

“Before the flight, [Thunderbird] personnel performed all required inspections, documentation, and servicing. The pilot was current, qualified, medically fit, and performed appropriate actions. The scheduled mission was supervised correctly and released by pertinent authorities,” Brooks wrote.

The report identified the cause as “three misaligned, or turned, variable vanes in the 4th and 5th stages of the MA engine’s compressor section.” One 5th stage compressor blade and one 6th stage compressor blade “failed due to high cycle fatigue and separated during flight.”

The crash was the second in under two years linked to the same engine section. An F-16 at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, crashed in April 2024 after a fan blade in the same location broke free.

According to both accident reports, the Pratt & Whitney F100 engine produces thrust through 13 fans, or stages, each made up of hundreds of steel fan blades and vanes. Mechanics can inspect the first four stages from the front and stages 7 through 13 from the rear or via borescope access ports. The report states these ports “provide limited borescope views of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th, 8th, 12th, and 13th stages of engine compression, as well as the combustion chamber,” but “no APs exist which enable comprehensive inspection of the 5th and 6th stages of the engine core module.” Those stages can only be checked during major overhauls when the engine is removed from the aircraft.

Investigators could not determine when the damage in the hidden sections first occurred.

The board’s findings follow the release of the full investigation report to the public Monday.

Sources: Task & Purpose

New satellite imagery taken on September 18, 2026, of a Chinese next-generation nuclear-powered attack submarine under construction at the Bohai Shipyard in Huludao reveals a pumpjet propulsor and an X-shaped stern plane arrangement, according to The War Zone, which obtained the image from Vantor. A separate Vantor image from September 1 was reported on by Janes, which described the boat as a Type 095, a commonly used but unofficial designation.

The pumpjet propulsor is also understood to be a feature on the Type 093B nuclear-powered attack submarine, a significantly improved variation of an earlier design that first emerged in the early 2020s. Compared to traditional exposed propellers and more basic shrouded types, pumpjets offer quieter operation and efficiencies, especially at higher submerged speeds.

The X-shaped stern configuration is not found on the Type 093B, which is considered a bridge between that class and the next-generation design. An X-shaped configuration offers advantages in maneuverability, efficiency, and safety, particularly in littoral environments, and can reduce acoustic signature across significant parts of the operating envelope compared to cruciform stern planes. Another Chinese submarine design that emerged in 2024, referred to as the Type 041 or Zhou class, which is understood to feature a hybrid nuclear/conventional propulsion system, also has an X-shaped stern configuration.

The September 1 image showed an open rectangular-shaped section aft of the sail, which could be where a vertical launch system (VLS) array is set to be fitted, or it might provide access to the reactor compartment or another area of the submarine. The September 18 image shows a structure placed over that section, obscuring ongoing work. The Type 095 is widely expected to feature some type of VLS array able to accommodate anti-ship and land-attack cruise missiles, as well as potentially hypersonic types, and is sometimes referred to as a guided missile submarine, or SSGN.

The September 18 image also shows at least two relatively large circular openings, side-by-side, at the bow end of the submarine in front of the sail, the purpose of which is not immediately clear. They could be for vertically launching munitions or other payloads, or they could be tied to the submarine’s main sonar array installation.

Alex Luck, a naval analyst who closely tracks submarine and Chinese navy developments, cautioned against jumping to conclusions about the VLS configuration from publicly available imagery, noting the space could also be related to work on the reactor compartment. He pointed out that with the Type 093B, the VLS after launch was initially covered with a tarp, and the installed launchers were readily visible quickly during fitting-out.

The imagery offers fresh, concrete intelligence on China’s expanding undersea capabilities, with the Type 095 expected to feature a VLS array and other advanced systems, according to the sources.

Sources: DVIDS News · US Army

The U.S. Army has awarded Lockheed Martin $200 million to rebuild more M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System launchers to the M270A2 standard, the company said. The September award is the latest in a series of contracts that began in 2019 to modernize the tracked rocket launcher.

Upgrade details

The recapitalization strips down existing M270 launchers and rebuilds them as close to new, with a new engine, an armored cab and the Common Fire Control System, the same fire-control system used on the wheeled HIMARS launcher. That shared system lets the two launchers fire the same family of precision munitions, including GMLRS, Extended-Range GMLRS and the Precision Strike Missile, and lets crews trained on one system move more easily to the other.

Contract history

The Army has awarded similar M270A2 recapitalization contracts nearly every year since 2019, including a $362 million award in 2019, a $226 million award in 2020, a $451 million award in 2024 and a $214 million award last year. Lockheed Martin has said the goal is to keep the M270 fleet in service through 2050. The Army’s fleet includes 225 M270A1 launchers being upgraded to the A2 standard, along with about 160 older, decommissioned M270A0 launchers slated for the same overhaul.

Capabilities

The M270A2 is a tracked launcher that carries more armor and cargo capacity than the wheeled HIMARS, while HIMARS offers greater mobility on roads. Both can fire the Extended-Range GMLRS, which reaches out to 150 km (93 miles), and the Precision Strike Missile, a longer-range weapon still being fielded across the Army. Lockheed Martin has said only the M270A2 and HIMARS can fire those newer munitions, which older, unmodernized M270 launchers cannot use.

The recapitalization work is split among Lockheed Martin’s Camden, Arkansas, plant and facilities in Grand Prairie and New Boston, Texas, with the Army’s Red River Army Depot handling part of the overhaul. Recent contracts have carried completion dates stretching into 2027 and 2030, reflecting the scale of the work needed to rebuild dozens of launchers at a time.

The Army has fielded more than 220 M270-series launchers, and international partners that operate the M270 or HIMARS, including NATO members, are also eligible for the upgraded fire-control system under foreign military sales.

Sources: Stars and Stripes · US Army

The Army plans to install a small nuclear reactor at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, according to a Stars and Stripes report published Sept. 22, 2026. The project represents a major infrastructure and energy modernization step for the installation.

The report did not specify a timeline for construction or operation, nor did it name the reactor design or the contractor.

The plan is part of a broader Army effort to modernize its energy infrastructure and increase resilience at its installations.

In a related development, the Army FUZE Strategic Integration Program hosted the inaugural xTechAutonomy Phase II Live Demonstrations in July 2026 at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory’s Robotics Research Collaboration Campus at Graces Quarters in Maryland, near Aberdeen Proving Ground. Seven small businesses demonstrated autonomous capabilities in areas such as power generation, logistics, spectrum awareness, and unmanned systems. The event was part of a process that began in 2023 with over 200 proposals, down-selected to 40 finalists and 20 prize winners who shared $400,000 in cash awards. Each winner later received Army SBIR Phase I awards of up to $250,000, and seven advanced to Phase II.

Sources: DVIDS News · US Army

The Navy’s top submarine official has announced a plan to accelerate deliveries of Virginia- and Columbia-class submarines, directly addressing a critical shipbuilding bottleneck. The service has not released specific dollar amounts or delivery targets.

The goal is to overcome persistent delays that have plagued submarine construction in recent years.

The Navy has not disclosed the total cost of the plan, but officials said it will require sustained investment in shipyard infrastructure and supplier capacity.

The plan comes as the Navy faces a growing requirement for attack submarines to support both nuclear deterrence and conventional operations. The Columbia-class program, which will replace the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines, is the Navy’s top priority, and any delays could affect the nation’s sea-based nuclear deterrent.

Sources: DVIDS News · DVIDS News

The U.S. Army awarded Lockheed Martin a $1.2 billion contract for the first batch of Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) designed to strike moving maritime targets, the Pentagon announced on Sept. 14. The award covers work on early operational capability munitions for the PrSM Increment 2 variant, which integrates a new seeker capable of engaging mobile targets. Work is expected to be completed by September 2031, according to the Pentagon’s contracts page.

The procurement of the maritime strike PrSM variant was slated to begin within Fiscal Year 2026, according to the Army’s Justification Book covering missile procurement.

PrSM Increment 2 is a ground-launched missile being developed to provide the Army with a long-range, land-based anti-ship capability. The contract marks the first procurement of this specific maritime-strike variant.

Sources: Defence Blog · USNI News

The Pentagon has awarded prototype contracts to Northrop Grumman and True Anomaly to build next-generation reconnaissance satellites that can monitor other objects in orbit, Space Systems Command and the Defense Innovation Unit announced Friday. The awards support the Geosynchronous High-Resolution Optical Space-Based Tactical Reconnaissance (GHOST-R) initiative, part of the Space Force’s RG-XX program.

The dollar value of the contract awards was not disclosed. Northrop Grumman declined to disclose the value, deferring to DIU, and the Pentagon, SSC, and True Anomaly did not respond to queries about the amounts.

The vendors’ platforms are expected to launch in 2028 and transition to the Space Force for government-led operations by 2029.

“We are leveraging rapid prototyping to push the envelope of what commercial tech can deliver to the RG-XX program,” Col. Bryon McClain, acting portfolio acquisition executive for space combat power, said in a statement. “This approach burns down technical risk, drives down lifecycle costs, and gets vital capability to the warfighter faster to ensure a more resilient architecture. Successful prototypes will have a direct path to transition into the program of record.”

Officials want to use commercially developed space vehicles, buses, and electro-optical payloads to deliver “high-resolution space-to-space imagery for characterizing resident space objects” in geostationary orbit, according to a joint DIU-SSC press release.

True Anomaly will provide its Jackal platform, Mosaic command-and-control system, and a “rendezvous and proximity operations” sensor suite. Jackal is described by the company as a highly maneuverable autonomous orbital vehicle “purpose-built for space-to-space engagements,” capable of surveilling dozens of satellites, investigating anomalies on friendly assets, and keeping custody of high-value targets over multi-year missions.

Northrop Grumman plans to deliver its ESPASat-L satellite, which the contractor says is about the size of a “small suitcase,” and will incorporate optical payloads from TRL11, a maker of video solutions for space. Northrop said its GHOST-R agreement falls under DIU’s “kill web” portfolio.

“Space is becoming more congested and contested every day, and our joint forces depend on clear, timely insight into what’s happening on orbit. By rapidly fielding this prototype, we’re pushing innovation to new heights to strengthen the nation’s ability to detect, understand and anticipate activity in geosynchronous orbit so we can better protect critical space assets and keep the joint force operating with confidence,” Ryan Tintner, vice president and general manager for Northrop Grumman’s space superiority business, said in a statement.

True Anomaly CEO Even Rogers said, “Reconnaissance in geosynchronous orbit is critical to protecting U.S. and Allied systems and projecting combat power in the space domain. As agile, maneuverable adversary platforms become more capable, the reconnaissance architecture can no longer rely on a handful of exquisite assets. The advantage will go to the platforms with the endurance, flexibility, and agility to respond to the modern operational environment at a price that allows them to be fielded in numbers so U.S. forces can maneuver without regret.”

Separately, Space Systems Command on September 18 published a request for information seeking industry proposals for satellites that could rendezvous with and inspect objects in orbit under the VICTUS responsive launch model. Responses are due October 19, with the Space Force targeting fiscal year 2029 for first spacecraft deliveries. The RFI asks for satellites that can launch within 14 days of a call-up, with stretch goals of 36 or 12 hours, and close to zero meters from a target in low, medium, or highly elliptical orbits.

Sources: Defence Blog · Defence Blog

Three Democratic senators have called for a Department of Defense investigation after reports that an AI-assisted intelligence report used by the military nearly triggered a conflict with China. In a letter sent Saturday to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton, Sens. Mark Warner of Virginia, Jack Reed of Rhode Island, and Chris Coons of Delaware expressed concern about the reliability and oversight of AI-driven targeting and intelligence systems.

The incident, first reported by an unnamed publication citing anonymous sources, involved an AI chatbot that incorrectly identified material aboard a Chinese ship in the Middle East as components of a nuclear weapons program. According to the sources, armed military members prepared to board the ship and planes were sent into the air before officials realized the AI report was false. One source said the incident had “almost started a war,” and another said the AI report was false.

In their letter, the senators said they had “growing concern about the extent to which agencies under your oversight have prioritized acceleration of AI capability adoption and ‘experimentation’ over effective governance.” They asked Hegseth and Clayton to provide inspectors general with “unrestricted access to both instances this year in which media reports have suggested significant errors in AI-enabled targeting workflows, as well as any additional instances that may have so far not been publicly reported.”

The incident comes amid the Trump administration’s push to expand military AI use. In January, Hegseth released an Artificial Intelligence Acceleration Strategy. The Pentagon’s GenAI.mil platform, launched in December 2025, reported more than 1.2 million unique users as of April 2026. The Pentagon has also formally adopted Responsible Artificial Intelligence principles, and in August the Navy appointed M. Barry Tanner as permanent chief information officer to advance AI adoption.

President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet Thursday with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington for a bilateral summit on national security and trade. The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment from Military.com.

Trump claimed without evidence in a July White House address that China had illicitly acquired U.S. voter files. In February, Trump said he would direct federal agencies to stop using technology from AI developer Anthropic after the company refused to give the military full access to its tools. Over the weekend, Trump announced on Truth Social the formation of an “AI Force,” saying, “We will not in any way hinder or stifle the Growth of this incredible Industry… However, we will also be looking for BAD.”

Sources: Military.com

Prime Minister Mark Carney met Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in Ottawa on Sunday to push deeper defence co-operation in the Arctic, citing renewed threats from Russia and a planned trilateral submarine deal involving both countries.

At a joint news conference on Parliament Hill, both leaders were asked about warnings from the Polish prime minister that Russia may be planning attacks on European countries that support Ukraine. Støre said those warnings should be taken seriously, adding that Norway’s intelligence service has concluded there are “real threats coming from hybrid activity, ranging all the way to potential sabotage.”

Carney did not comment on the credibility of the threats but said he agreed with Støre’s statements. “One of the advantages of this relationship and deepening across a broad range of relationships is, yes, greater intelligence sharing, greater perspective, greater capacities that are built together,” he said.

Carney said that includes having the “right partners” among Arctic nations working together. “The phrase that always sticks with me … is ‘High North, low tension,'” he said, adding that submarine and space capacity are part of that approach.

In July, Carney chose to buy a dozen submarines from a European shipbuilder instead of a Korean firm, after a months-long bidding process. The chosen partnership involves a German company but partners with Norway, with the three nations collaborating to produce and maintain the submarines.

Carney said the “time spent, whether it’s in the high north in Norway, a meeting with the French president who’s directly implicated in a number of these decisions, our meeting today and beyond, it’s all connected.”

Before meeting Støre, Carney travelled to Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon earlier in the day to meet French President Emmanuel Macron.

Støre’s visit comes as Carney looks for closer ties with Europe, including potential “associate membership” in the European Union. Norway is not an EU member, but for three decades has had a deal with the bloc giving both sides free access to each other’s markets for goods and services, and giving Norway access to most EU programs.

Carney is also courting investment from Norway’s petroleum-based sovereign wealth fund.

Carney was in Norway in March, the first visit by a sitting Canadian prime minister since 1980. During that trip, the two leaders pledged to advance collaboration in fields ranging from Arctic security and space to critical minerals and energy.

The meeting comes a day after Canada’s chief of the defence staff, Gen. Jennie Carignan, lost a secret-ballot vote on Saturday to chair NATO’s Military Committee. German Gen. Carsten Breuer won the election among top commanders from NATO’s 32 members, and is to take office in July 2027.

Sources: CBC Politics · Canada DND Newsroom