Experimental Supersonic Jet Completes 1st Test Flight

The X-59 is a one-of-a-kind supersonic aircraft designed to demonstrate the ability to fly at supersonic speeds while reducing the sonic boom to a gentle thump. (Lockheed Martin photo)

Morning Coffee is a robust blend of links to news around the internet concerning the Naval Air Station Patuxent River economic community. The opinions expressed here do not reflect opinions of the Leader’s owners or staff.

Lockheed Martin and NASA successfully completed the first flight of the X-59, a quiet supersonic aircraft designed to pave the way for faster commercial air travel, reports ExecutiveGov. The X-59 took off from Skunk Works’ facility at a US Air Force plant in Palmdale, CA, before landing near NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, CA. The company is proud to be at the forefront of quiet supersonic technology development, said OJ Sanchez, vice president and general manager of Skunk Works.

The Trump administration’s decision to send the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier to South America leaves the Middle East and Europe with no carrier in that region, reports AP News. The Ford will be part of the ramped-up campaign against drug cartels in the Western Hemisphere.

The US Marines stand ready amid rising tensions with Venezuela, reports Military Times. Deployments there include thousands of Marines and sailors, plus naval assets, as part of counter-narcotics operations. Marine units have trained in the past for jungle and amphibious operations with military exercises suited to Venezuela’s terrain.

USNI fleet tracker weekly reports the approximate positions of the US Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world. Here is the Oct. 27, 2025, Fleet and Marine Tracker.

On Thursday, DefSec Pete Hegseth reported a strike on another vessel operated in the Eastern Pacific, alleged to be carrying drugs, reports ABC News. Four men on the boat were killed, according to a post by Hegseth on X. It follows strikes against four alleged drug vessels also in the Pacific on Oct. 27 that killed 14 people, according to Hegseth.

Pentagon Joint Staff LT GEN Joe McGee was pushed out of his post after disputes with Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine, reports Washington Examiner on MSN. No date was provided for McGee’s resignation, but a report indicated tensions had been brewing between McGee and Pentagon leadership for a while. McGee reportedly disagreed with Hegseth and Caine over the Russia-Ukraine war and the recent airstrikes in the Caribbean.

GEN David W. Allvin retired last month after serving as the Air Force chief of staff for two years. “We can’t always pick when we’re asked to lead. We can’t always pick when we’re asked to leave,” he told Air & Space Forces Magazine, pushing aside the questions about his tenure and abrupt retirement. During his tenure, he secured the White House’s backing for the F-47 Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter and designated the service’s initial Collaborative Combat Aircraft, the YFQ-42 and YFQ-44, as fighters, the first uncrewed aircraft designated with an “F.”

A Department of Government Efficiency holdover who pushed for cuts at HHS is headed to the Navy as chief of the Office of Naval Research, reports Politico on MSN. Rachel Riley, 33, is replacing RADM Kurt J. Rothenhaus. Riley was the driving force behind an attempt to lay off nearly 8,000 Department of Health and Human Services employees in September. Rothenhaus held the Navy job, which disburses billions of dollars in grants, since June 2023. He has been moved to an unknown position.

McLean, VA-based Booz Allen Hamilton announced a new round of layoffs last week, reports Virginia Business. In addition to the layoffs, the company will restructure its business to cut $150 million in annual costs.

The Marine Corps will ramp up security around its ammunition and explosives after a recent Government Accountability Office audit found annual inspections did not meet DoD standards, reports The Hill. The audit cited a series of “physical security deficiencies” as a result of inspections that were either “not conducted or completed.”

All 50 states as well as Puerto Rico and Guam will have a quick reaction force unit made up of hundreds of troops ready to deploy by Jan. 1, reports Task & Purpose. The QRF troops will be trained in crowd control and civil disturbance that can be ready to deploy to US cities. A Guard spokesperson said the bureau is coordinating with the Defense Department.

The United States will scale back some troops along Europe’s eastern border with Ukraine, reports Army Times. This comes as the US turns its focus on security priorities elsewhere in the world. The US Army said this is not a sign of a lessened commitment to NATO.

Since 1945, the US Army has been designed to defend Europe. In the Obama years, focus shifted from Europe to Asia. Today, the Trump administration is prioritizing homeland defense, the Western Hemisphere, and the Pacific. Drones could replace large US Army units of tanks and infantry fighting vehicles in Europe, reports Army Times. NATO’s European members could provide traditional combat arms and be backed by American drone units that would provide a mix of strike, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare unmanned aerial vehicles, said Benjamin Jensen of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

President Donald Trump has directed the Pentagon to resume testing of nuclear weapons “on an equal basis” with other countries’ tests, reports CBS News.

Trump’s order for the US to resume nuclear weapons tests has drawn scrutiny from nuclear experts over the safety, feasibility, and purpose of kickstarting an effort that has been paused for more than three decades, reports Politico.

Trump has given South Korea approval to build a nuclear-powered submarine at a Philadelphia shipyard, where South Korean firms have increased investment, reports Breaking Defense.

Satellite imagery shows China has been building at least two shelters with retractable roofs near its border with India, reports The War Zone. The facilities look to be examples of a new pattern of air defense site, with the shelters allowing for surface-to-air missiles to be fired from transporter-erector-launchers situated within.

Trump suggested last week that contaminated fuel might have been a factor in the US Navy’s loss of an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter and an F/A-18F Super Hornet in the South China Sea, reports The War Zone. Asked if he thought “foul play” led to the crashes, Trump said “I don’t think so.” The aircraft went down within 30 minutes of each other on Oct. 28. They were on separate missions.

Background checks for many government positions, including those that require security clearances, are still being conducted during the federal government shutdown, reports Federal News Network. The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency — which conducts most of the background investigations across government — has paused some normal operations.

The US Department of Navy has issued new guidelines and service member responsibilities when posting on social media, reports Navy Times. The department said it is also reviewing reports of personnel violating its social media policies that were put in place in March.

Several current Trump cabinet members and other officials have moved into military quarters, which is unusual, says The New York Times. DefSec Hegseth lives in a home at Fort McNair in Washington, DC, traditionally reserved for the Army’s vice chief of staff. StateSec Marco Rubio and others also now live in military housing.

Former Army sergeant Joseph Daniel Schmidt, 31, who once held top secret clearance at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington was sentenced last week to four years in federal prison for attempting to provide national defense information to China, reports New York Post.

Contacts awards are not being published during the government shutdown.