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00:00Two years into a four year term, the Air Force's top four star unexpectedly calls it a career.
00:06What's behind the decision? Plus, Spain scraps plans to buy the F-35. What that means for Lockheed
00:14Martin and NATO. And buckle up, we're going for a ride with the hurricane hunters as they fly
00:20into the eye of Hurricane Aaron. Hello and welcome to Weapons and Warfare, a show made
00:31for people who want to know more about our national defense. Our goal is to help you have an informed
00:37conversation about what's happening with America's military. For Straight Arrow News, I'm your host,
00:41Ryan Robertson, and we start this week with a look back at America's war in Afghanistan.
00:47In 2021, Congress tasked a bipartisan commission with documenting the stories of warriors who
00:55served in America's longest running war. While the commission's full report will not be released
01:01until next year, we are hearing from some of those entrusted to do the job. And that's the subject of
01:08this week's debrief. 38 days. That's all the time that stood between the horrific
01:17events of September 11th, 2001, and the first Americans setting foot in Afghanistan on October 19th.
01:267,255 days later, the last American military contingent would leave. It is America's longest war,
01:36and now veterans from the United States' 20-year involvement in Afghanistan are telling the commission,
01:43reviewing the decisions that shaped the war. It was indeed hell, but also confounding, demoralizing,
01:50even humiliating for them. One thing that's particularly important to us is to tell a human story
01:57of the war. We know that the media has covered the issues and conflicts of Afghanistan extensively,
02:05but oftentimes the stories of the individuals who served on the ground get lost. The report will
02:11analyze key strategic, diplomatic, military, and operational decisions made between June 2001
02:19and the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. I think Afghanistan, like any war,
02:25is full of coming-of-age stories when you get down to the very individual level. And those are,
02:30as Bob said, those are gut-wrenching. Those are very personal things. According to numbers from the
02:34AMARC Foundation, more than 832,000 Americans served in Afghanistan throughout Operations Enduring Freedom
02:43and Freedom's Sentinel. Nearly 21,000 were wounded, while 2,456 made the ultimate sacrifice.
02:53One of the main goals of the commission is to take a close look at the strategic, diplomatic,
02:58and operational choices made by the U.S. during the war, as well as gather lessons learned and offer
03:05recommendations for the future. Our work is not just about what the U.S. did in Afghanistan, but
03:12what the U.S. should be doing in any country where it deems it has a national security interest. To date,
03:19the commission conducted more than 160 interviews with cabinet-level officials, military commanders,
03:26diplomats, Afghan and Pakistani leaders, and others. This isn't just us talking to Americans.
03:34We're talking to allies, partners. We're talking to Afghans about their experience and try to
03:39understand how they saw the decisions and our actions over the course of the war. The commission
03:44is also hosting forums for veterans, including a recent one at a National Veterans
03:49Foreign Wars Convention. The reason we're in Columbus today is to talk with those coming to
03:55this VFW convention. One is to educate them on the purpose of the commission, but it also allows them
04:02to have a voice and express their concerns, tell their stories about their experience in Afghanistan.
04:10The group released its second interim report in August. It draws no conclusions yet, but identifies
04:16themes emerging from documents, interviews, and veteran forums. The commission's final report
04:22is due to be made public by August 22nd, 2026.
04:28I'm joined now by senior producer and Air Force veteran, Brett Baker. Brett caught you on the road
04:33this week, but honestly, I'm really glad we did this story on the commission's findings from the war in
04:39Afghanistan so far, because whatever criticisms Americans have of their government and the handling of
04:45the global war on terror, the service members doing the actual work on the ground and in the skies,
04:52you know, they all performed admirably for the most part.
04:56Absolutely, absolutely. So it's really critical that their voices are part of the official record,
05:02and it helps inform leadership, you know, what's next going forward whenever this kind of thing happens again.
05:09All right, well, let's go ahead and get to some headlines you may have missed.
05:15Just two years into a four-year assignment, the Air Force's chief of staff is calling it a career.
05:21In a surprising move, General David Alvin announced his retirement. He will remain as chief of staff
05:27until a replacement is confirmed and expects to leave around November 1st. Two years into his four-year
05:34term of his decision to end his 39-year career. General Alvin said, more than anything, I'm proud
05:43to have been part of the team of airmen who live out our core values of integrity, service, and
05:49excellence every day as we prepare to defend this great nation. Alvin is an Air Force Academy graduate
05:56and command pilot with more than 4,600 flying hours. Brett, General Alvin's departure is,
06:03you know, surprising to say the least, and marks another in kind of a series of top commanders to
06:11either quit or be fired since President Donald Trump named Pete Hegseth as the Secretary of Defense.
06:18Yeah, and you know, this guy, we've seen him speak a few times at different symposiums we've been to.
06:24Um, he is a compelling figure. Like he, he can command a room, uh, you listen when he's talking.
06:32So, uh, whatever his reasons are, um, whatever the motivations were, uh, we don't know exactly.
06:39Uh, but I do think that it is, it's, I think it's a blow to Air Force leadership that he's stepping out this early.
06:46Um, you know, it's supposed to be a four year commitment and, you know, halfway through he's
06:52pulling the ejection handle. Uh, I don't think it's good for the Air Force. I don't think it's good for
06:57the DOD, but it is what it is. Well, his legacy will always be tied, uh, to the F-47 as well. So
07:06even though it was a, a shortened, uh, time in office there as, as chief of staff of the Air Force,
07:12he definitely made a mark on the service for sure. Thanks, but no thanks. That's the word from
07:19Spanish military officials as they put a stop to a deal with Lockheed Martin for a fleet of F-35
07:26fighter jets. Instead, Spain is turning its focus to European made options like the Eurofighter
07:32and the future combat air system. Spain had set aside more than 6 billion euros to upgrade its aging
07:39Navy and Air Force fleets, but with rising tensions over defensive ending targets and
07:43political friction between Madrid and Washington, the US jets are now off the table. Uh, Canada was
07:50looking at doing a similar deal, Brett, but ultimately it looks like they will stick with,
07:55uh, their buy of 88 F-35s. Uh, what do you make of all this?
08:00It's interesting for sure. Uh, I think it's more of a sign of, uh, the time we're in right now than it
08:06is anything that has to do with the performance of the vehicle itself. Uh, because you're right now
08:13their fleet is mostly Harriers and F-18s. So you're talking 50 to 30 year old technology,
08:20and now they're going to wait for something that is still in development. So who knows when those
08:25six gen fighters, uh, are going to become available. Whereas you have a fifth gen fighter that they're
08:31still fully realizing its capabilities available now. So I do think it's a, it's a, it's a bit of
08:38the moment. Um, you know, uh, with the America first policy, uh, European units or our countries
08:45are looking out for themselves and saying, okay, well maybe we're just going to have to operate
08:49within this. And so I think that's probably like the biggest part of this piece is let's keep it
08:55within Europe and that'll help whatever happens down the road. You bet. Yeah. There's, uh, some
09:01fears that whether they're founded or unfounded, uh, they exist that if the, if Europeans buy a lot
09:08of American technology, that the Americans might be able to, you know, turn off a function of that
09:15vehicle or a piece of equipment or something like that. Um, so Europeans want to provide for
09:20themselves and, and ensure that doesn't happen. Uh, we saw this in Ukraine when Starlink was kind
09:26of shut down for a little bit, uh, when Ukraine was trying to launch the counter-offensive into
09:31Russia, uh, that counter-offensive was ultimately called off because they didn't have, uh, the
09:38satellite communications to make it possible. Talk about a turbulent day at work. This is video of the
09:4653rd weather reconnaissance squadron, AKA the hurricane hunters tracking hurricane Aaron
09:52flying a WC-130J super Hercules out of Keesler air force base. Is that right? I mispronounced
10:01Puget sound a couple of weeks ago and I feel awful about it. So I want to make sure I get Keesler
10:07air force base, correct. Uh, Keesler air force base in Mississippi, the crew deployed ocean buoys to
10:12collect real-time measurements of waves, currents, and atmospheric turbulence. And oh yeah, they flew
10:19into the eye of the hurricane, yielding some amazing video. Brett, I will not ever do this.
10:26What say you? Uh, I, you know, I'm game. Let's go. I mean, they're not going to go fly it if they
10:32don't plan on coming home. So, uh, it's true. It's true. You know, turbulence has never brought down an
10:38airplane, but well, they say it hasn't brought down an airplane. Um, yeah, I think it's, it's
10:44amazing work they're doing really. Uh, you know, the technology is catching up to where now they can
10:50put things into these storms. I couldn't even begin to comprehend what it all is, but I do think it's
10:56fascinating that they're like opening the back of that plane and just chucking stuff out and saying,
11:01all right, go to work. Yeah. Yeah. Definitely some amazing technology. Hopefully they learn a whole
11:05bunch of stuff. Uh, you know, I don't know if humanity will ever be able to stop a hurricane,
11:11but if we can predict paths and that sort of thing, uh, then hopefully we can, you know,
11:16get people out of harm's way. Uh, Brett want to thank you for joining us and, and being a trooper
11:21this week. Obviously you got some seasonal, uh, allergies going on. Uh, hope you feel better
11:25next week, get some honey, get some tea in your system and we'll see you later. See you next night.
11:31It's time to break up with mainstream media and try something new at straight arrow news. We're
11:37bringing back trustworthy journalism, bringing you news, not noise, bringing you facts, not fluff,
11:46bringing you clarity, not chaos. We are, we are, we are straight arrow news. The news you've been
11:55looking for for unbiased straight facts, visit san.com. Innovation is at the heart of the defense
12:05industry, people with a vision for what's possible, pushing things forward. And as American leadership
12:10turns its attention toward the Indo-Pacific, they are asking their defense industry partners to bring
12:17new ideas to the table at a pace not seen in decades. While that's always been the business model,
12:24recently there's been a significant change. Where they once wanted bigger, stronger, faster,
12:30they're now asking for smaller, smarter, and more cost efficient. That's why the Cummings
12:36Aerospace Hellhound is our weapon of the week.
12:42As the video evidence shows, the Hellhound S3 is a bit of a head-turner. This man-portable,
12:493D printed, turbo-jet powered drone is capable of delivering on a wide range of loitering munition
12:57missions. So through flight tests, we've demonstrated a top speed of 384 miles per
13:02hour to date. In addition to that, it gives you rapid time to target. So where you can,
13:07the operator can use that speed to really execute a target quickly. Sheila Cummings is the founder,
13:12president, and CEO of Cummings Aerospace. She tells us the S3 was designed with portability in mind.
13:20Well, the vehicle itself is approximately 12 pounds. It's 3D printed, so it makes it a very light and
13:26effective solution. Overall, the launch canister, the vehicle, ground control system, you're looking
13:32at a total system weight of about 40 pounds. And so it's integrated onto a rucksack to demonstrate
13:38that man portability. Cummings says once trained, an operator can have the system up and ready to go
13:44in as few as two minutes. But it's really in the skies over the battle space that she says this variant
13:51of the Hellhound really offers the user a lot of bang for the buck. The Hellhound S3 variant can not
13:57only hold a munition solution, but it can carry an EW payload or RF payload or other payloads we haven't
14:04even identified yet. And so the open systems architecture design really supports technology
14:10evolution and gives you the flexibility for changes in the mission needs. The S3 was designed to compete
14:17for the U.S. Army's Low Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordinance Program, also known as LASSO. And
14:24while it wasn't picked up in the first increment of weapons purchased, that opportunity went to Aero
14:29Vierman's Switchblade 600. The Army says LASSO will not be a single manufacturer program,
14:36suggesting a future opportunity for outfits like Cummings Aerospace. Despite that initial
14:42disappointment though, Cummings says her company has its sights set on a much bigger picture.
14:48The reality is Hellhound is a family of UAS products. So the S3 variant is just one. We have others
14:53that we want to bring online to support the broader UAS market and counter-UAS market.
15:01To that point, just a few weeks ago at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium,
15:06Cummings Aerospace rolled out the Hellhound S4, which is a Group 2 UAS that could fit within the scope
15:13of President Trump's Golden Dome project. If you like a bargain, good news. This is a BOGO edition
15:21of Comms Check. Two for the price of one, so let's get straight to it.
15:28First up, after decades of failed attempts, including the recent cancellation of a second
15:34robotic combat vehicles competition, the U.S. Army is attempting to develop RCVs with a unit cost cap
15:41of $650,000 while also asking for prototypes of unmanned ground commercial robotic vehicles
15:50that can carry more than 2,200 pounds and navigate alongside soldiers in armored brigade combat teams.
15:58The RCVs should support basic remote capabilities and include autonomous features for navigation
16:05and various operational modes. They need to reach at least 34 miles per hour on roads and 25 miles
16:13per hour off-road with a range of 140 miles, advanced sensing capabilities, and potential features
16:21for countering unmanned aerial vehicles and conducting electronic warfare. A lot of kit in a little box.
16:29About a month ago, we featured the Lockheed Martin Jagum in our Weapon of the Week.
16:35Well, now the U.S. Army has awarded Lockheed Martin a $720 million contract
16:41for the joint air-to-ground missiles and Hellfire missiles. It's a deal that will not only take
16:47care of the Army and Navy, but international customers as well, including 160 Jagums for the UK
16:54and Hellfire missiles for NATO allies like Poland, Spain, the Czech Republic, Italy, and Canada.
17:05All opinions expressed in this segment are solely the opinions of the contributors.
17:08All right, folks, that's going to just about do it for us this week here at Weapons and Warfare.
17:13If you liked what you saw and or heard in the episode, and you want to share it with your friends,
17:18we encourage that. So go ahead, like and subscribe to our social media feeds,
17:23and download the Straight Arrow News app today. Our mission here at the show is to try and make the
17:28world of defensive technologies and national defense more accessible for you. So for my wrap this week,
17:34I thought it was important to add some context to a story I saw Reuters put out recently. It got picked
17:40up by a bunch of different outlets. The headline reads, the U.S. Navy is building a drone fleet to
17:46take on China. It's not going well, which is somewhat true, but doesn't give enough context.
17:53The Reuters report details two Navy tests where different types of unmanned surface vessels
17:59were being controlled by AI agents. Things did not go exactly as planned. The mishaps from one of
18:06those tests was caught on video and the Navy ultimately put a hold on a 20 million dollar
18:12contract with L3 Harris, one of the companies providing AI software for the autonomous tests.
18:19The story only talks about two tests though, which included just a few surface vessel and software
18:25providers. But the Navy is performing dozens of these types of tests with many different vendors
18:32trying to find the right combination of craft, software and armaments. For instance, I spoke with
18:39the CEO of Havoc AI earlier this year about his software successfully controlling dozens of surface
18:46vessels in two different parts of the globe simultaneously from a land-based testing facility.
18:54That test went very well. Doing live field tests will inherently include failures, as many tests are
19:02designed to push a system to the point of failure so you can find its limits. When it comes to fielding
19:09naval drones, it's true there may be too many cooks in the kitchen. There were several naval offices all
19:15working on drones. Now they're getting rolled into one, the Naval Rapid Capabilities Office. So in my mind,
19:22it's not necessarily that the Navy is failing to field a drone fleet. It's just easier to get people
19:28to click on an article about failures. I don't know if that says more about the outlet or the audience.
19:35For senior producer Brett Baker, video editor Brian Spencer, and motion designer Dakota Patio,
19:40I'm Ryan Robertson with Straight Arrow News, signing off.
19:47Simon 602-3155-745-116-6555-7555-6456-7111-5465-713N-217-174-11500.
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