U.S. Army

Fort Hood shooter set for firing squad execution, a first since World War II

Preparing to carry out Hasan's Dec. 3 execution at Fort Hood without a livestream; families of victims may attend in person.

President Donald Trump canceled the livestream of Nidal Hasan's Dec. 3 firing squad execution on Oct. 15. The move reversed a Pentagon plan that drew bipartisan criticism.

Updated Oct 23

Army awards Havoc SBIR Phase III contract for autonomous resupply software

New Capabilities

Customer for Havoc's autonomous logistics software; running parallel resupply programs; consolidating autonomy programs under a new command

The Army awarded Havoc a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase III contract on October 12 to expand software that lets one operator command teams of drones across air, sea, and land for military resupply. The service also picked Havoc's MAVRIK subsidiary for a direct-to-Phase II award to develop the HATCHET heavy-lift drone.

Updated Oct 16

Army leases six bases to private developers for gas, storage, and nuclear power

Built World

As of September 2026: Landlord under Enhanced Use Leases

Three private developers will build and run commercial power plants on U.S. Army land at six bases, under conditional leases announced Sept. 18. The projects bring natural gas, battery storage, and nuclear reactors onto military installations with a target of 2030.

Updated Sep 24

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll steps down, leaving Army without confirmed top leaders

Force in Play

As of September 2026: Led by an acting secretary and acting chief of staff; no Senate-confirmed leaders

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll left office September 2 after 18 months, the latest departure in a Pentagon leadership shakeup. President Trump named Adam Telle, the Army's civil works chief, acting secretary the next day.

Updated Sep 16

Anduril's rise as a Pentagon challenger

Money Moves

As of September 2026: Major customer; signed $20B enterprise deal in March 2026

Anduril is negotiating a raise that could value it near $100 billion, per Reuters, three months after closing a $5 billion round at $61 billion. The Army also awarded Anduril $65 million to build hardware for the Palantir-led TITAN (Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node) system.

Updated Sep 4

Pentagon consolidates Army and Navy laser weapons under Golden Dome shield

New Capabilities

As of May 2026: Co-leads JLWS after retiring Valkyrie laser program

The U.S. military spent four decades chasing a laser that could shoot down a cruise missile. On April 28, 2026, the Pentagon detailed its latest attempt: the Joint Laser Weapon System, a containerized 150-kilowatt beam (scalable toward 500 kilowatts) that the Army and Navy will share, mounting it on trucks, ships, or anywhere a 20-foot container can sit.

Updated May 31

Washington mid-air collision: From tragedy to safety reckoning

Rule Changes

As of May 2026: Subject of 8 NTSB recommendations; acknowledged regulatory violations

The National Transportation Safety Board concluded its investigation into the January 2025 collision between American Airlines Flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River—the deadliest U.S. aviation accident since 2001. All 67 people aboard both aircraft died, including 28 members of the figure skating community returning from a national development camp. The NTSB found the crash was '100% preventable' and issued 50 safety recommendations, with 32 directed at the Federal Aviation Administration.

Updated May 23