The MITR half-mask and goggle system is designed to protect wearers from dangerous chemicals and toxic substances in the atmosphere, including lead powder from gunfire, ballistics and poisonous substances like fentanyl.

Casey Galligan, Avon’s senior director for the U.S. Homeland Security and the Department of Defense, told Defense News that fentanyl and chemicals found in drug labs are now part of a wide array of hazards that special warfare operators must guard against, in addition to biological weapons and other breathing hazards.

“Precursor drug chemicals now are a huge issue that are just as dangerous as a chemical hazard,” Galligan said. “As an operator, every day you’re doing something quasi-dangerous, particularly those at the frontline doing maneuver. This is not meant to replace a full-face respirator. A split system gives you options.”

The half-mask system walks the line between an N-95 disposable mask and a heavy, full-face respirator. The goggles and half-mask can be worn linked together or separated, giving operators a lightweight option that will give them eye and breathing protection as needed without requiring them to carry heavy full-face respirator masks.

The MITR features positive pressure-sealed goggles to stop hazardous chemicals from getting in around its edges. The system features sweat drainage outlets inside the goggles and blows cool air into them from both sides, preventing lens fogging.

A former U.S. Army Green Beret, Galligan said the system provides safety against toxic materials while allowing wearers to breathe easier — literally.

“If you don’t always want to be wearing a full-face respirator, and you’re worried about different levels of threats, this is a half-pound and easy to put on. You can wear it with a head harness or with helmet attachments,” he explained.

Half-mask systems are not new, but the MITR system has evolved constantly to incorporate new evolutions in technology to reach its current capabilities.

“We’ve been going through iterations and continuing to improve it,” said Galligan, adding that the U.S. is joining Canada and another FVEY nation in purchasing the system.

Elite warfare units of U.S. Special Operations are already wearing the new half-mask and goggles in the field, he disclosed.

“We’ve fielded it to units already. Some are en route right now, being delivered,” Galligan said. “The feedback I get talking with end users is pretty amazing.”

The Defense Department’s decision to equip SOCOM operators with improved breathing equipment follows a November 2025 report, called the SOF Cancer Study, which revealed that SOF operators face an 18% higher risk of cancer than non-SOF personnel due to hazardous materials in their environments that they are exposed to constantly in the line of duty.

Shifting to a half-mask system could mark the dawn of a new era in how military service members approach facial protection overall.

“When you see the tip of the spear using it, it’s going to make it a lot more acceptable,” Galligan said.

During the ceremony, 10 warrant officers were formally introduced as 390A robotics technicians. They will now serve as subject-matter experts on all aspects of using robotic and autonomous systems, including programming, building and repairing them, plus integrating them into combat.

The 390A inauguration is the result of a lengthy process that has been in the works since 2024, when U.S. Army Special Operations Command announced its aim to train experts in using autonomous systems.

The Army deemed it necessary to introduce robotics as a separate specialization to avoid overburdening special warfare operators with having to master an additional, highly complex skill set, in addition to their existing knowledge.

“What we’ve determined is it cannot be an additional task or an additional hat for someone on the ODA,” Chief Warrant Officer 5 Jerry Brown, command chief warrant officer for 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne), said in a release, adding that the new specialists will be able to leverage their specific field of knowledge within robotics to help the force as a whole.

The new 390A technicians will be assigned to tactical formations at the brigade and group level. As experts in autonomous warfare, they will advise commanders on how best to deploy autonomous systems during operations.

They will also be required to think quickly in the field to instantly propose solutions to any problems that may arise with robotics in the field, and to use their expertise to come up with innovative ways of using drones to reach objectives.

To prepare them for this role, 390A candidates are required to complete a 19-week course, where they must build drones from scratch that do not require GPS or radio frequencies to navigate.

The Army stated in a release that robotic systems assembled during the course will rely primarily on artificial intelligence and machine learning to navigate to targets.

Fiber optic cables also provide a way for drones to reach targets while being invulnerable to external signal interference, such as jamming. Known as “tethered drones,” cable-linked unmanned aircraft systems can use artificial intelligence for targeting and navigation while having a direct physical connection to their operator.

At the time of publication, the Army had not responded to questions about whether 390A candidates would be learning to build and field tethered drones.

“The Army is implementing changes in force structures, adding a multi-domain task force equipped with autonomous long-range fires,” Gen. Christopher LaNeve, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, said in a statement.

“These technical experts will help command teams understand integration across the force. We are scaling this across the Army.”

The defense giant unveiled the PAC-3 Edge this Friday and debuted it at the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C., today.

“This missile is capable of being launched from the traditional M903 launcher. It’s capable of being launched from the containerized launchers that are being sought after domestically and internationally, as well as our HIMARS FLEX, which is the offense and defense configuration of our traditional HIMARS vehicle,” Jason Reynolds, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control Integrated Air and Missile Defense, told Defense News.

Lockheed in January announced a seven-year framework agreement to increase annual PAC-3 interceptor production from approximately 600 to 2,000.

Designed to defend against hypersonic and advanced missile threats, the unveiling of the PAC-3 Edge comes as the U.S. military’s reliance on costly interceptors against cheap munitions, particularly those deployed by Iran during Operation Epic Fury, has come under increased scrutiny over the past eight months.

The new PAC-3 Edge missile builds on the foundations of the PAC-3 MSE, Lockheed’s baseline missile, and pushes its abilities farther.

The Edge system is longer and features a larger diameter, increasing its range.

“It also goes higher in altitude and has more agility. It has attitude control motors, which are located near the front of the missile and basically divert the missile in flight,” Reynolds explained. “This has additional attitude control motors that give it additional agility.”

While the PAC-3 MSE uses a two-pulse solid rocket motor to speedily approach moving targets, the new system has multi-pulse motor designed by Northrop Grumman.

“It has a third pulse to the motor, so that means the motor will fire three times during its flight, giving it additional agility to kill the target,” Reynolds said.

The weapon is designed not only for unprecedented maneuverability but to be easily integrated with both present and future missile defense networks. It is compatible with Northrop’s Integrated Battle Command System, or IBCS, a command-and-control network the Army uses to mesh air and missile defense sensors into a central hub.

The company intends to begin testing the PAC-3 Edge in 2027 and have it ready to deploy by 2031, although Lockheed aims to have it ready earlier, Reynolds added.

“The U.S. Army’s timeline is 2031. We, Lockheed Martin, are trying to pull that in and deliver this capability sooner, so around the turn of the decade,” he said.

The $6.3 billion contract, which provides two additional option years, will see Raytheon provide the Defense Department with a continuous supply of Standard Missile-3 Block IB interceptors manufactured primarily in Tucson, Arizona and Huntsville, Alabama.

“SM-3 Block IB has proven its relevance in combat and this contract helps ensure we can replenish inventories and keep pace with the evolving threats the U.S. Navy, MDA and their partners face around the world,” Raytheon President Phil Jasper said in a statement.

The SM-3 Block IB interceptor belongs to a larger family of “hit-to-kill” SM-3 missile interceptors, which seek and destroy incoming ballistic missiles using sheer speed and momentum.

The Block IB type can be used by land forces and ships and is frequently deployed on vessels due to its range and highly flexible steering. The interceptor tracks flying targets with a two-color infrared seeker and propels itself towards them in short bursts, giving it accuracy at high speed as it homes in on targets.

It is designed to knock short- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles out of the sky when they are halfway to hitting their targets, and has long striking reach. It was used in combat for the first time in 2024 when the U.S. Navy destroyers USS Arleigh Burke and USS Carney fired them to intercept Iranian missiles aimed at targets in Israel.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies named the SM-3 Block IB among “seven critical munitions” in an April report detailing ammunition shortages, alongside Patriot missiles, Precision Strike Missiles, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missiles, Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles and others.

The contract for more SM-3 Block IBs, announced by Raytheon on Thursday, was among five framework agreements the defense giant signed with the Pentagon this February.

The deal comes at a time when the DoD is seeking to avert diminishing munitions stockpiles. National security specialists, defense analysts and foreign policy pundits cautioned in March that the U.S. military’s increased use of missile interceptors during the war with Iran poses strategic risks to integral defense capabilities if fighting spills into a long-term conflict.

Raytheon stated in its release that the contract for SM-3 Block IB supply “supports urgent replenishment of missile defense inventory that has been successfully used in combat and remains central to protecting U.S. forces, allies and critical infrastructure.”

Measures to prevent environmental damage were proposed in only 22 of 74 civil works projects the Corps submitted to Congress for approval from 2020 to 2025, according to a report published Wednesday by the Government Accountability Office.

The Corps deemed that no such measures were needed for the remaining 52 projects and failed to provide detailed evidence as to why, the watchdog alleges.

The agency regularly works to improve water navigation channels to prevent flooding and restore aquatic habitats around the country through its civil works program. It is required by statute to make detailed reports to Congress outlining whether its projects will require measures to prevent possible harm to fish, wildlife and the environment.

The engineers are expected “to plan for environmental mitigation — that is, to take actions to avoid, minimize, or compensate for expected losses to fish and wildlife and damage to ecological resources,” which could include reinforcing riverbanks or restoring wetland areas to create new habitats for fish and wildlife, according to the report.

The Corps of Engineers may decide not to undertake conservation measures if it deems certain projects will not cause harm. However, the Army is expected to provide Congress with clear explanations for those decisions.

A chart published by GAO shows a sharp decline in the Corps’ decisions to make mitigation plans for wildlife and habitat protection from 2022 to 2025. In 2024, for example, the agency decided that only one of 13 projects would require measures to safeguard the environment.

The GAO’s chart shows zero mitigation plans made in 2025.

In its findings, the GAO alleges that the Corps failed to provide necessary details to Congress demonstrating the reasons behind its decision-making in cases when it deemed no environmental protection measures were needed.

The watchdog said the vast majority of documents sent to Congress during those five years contained broad and general language that failed to clarify how the Corps reached its decisions.

The GAO recommended that the Army establish clear guidance for the Corps to document how it reaches decisions to keep Congress and the public better informed.

The Army disputed the GAO’s recommendations in a Sept. 16 letter signed by D. Lee Forsgren, the senior official performing the duties of the Army’s assistant secretary for civil works.

“We do not concur with the recommendation in the draft that we need to create more guidance about mitigation decision making on Civil Works projects,” Forsgren wrote.

“The water resources project reports (including associated Chief’s Reports) produced by USACE have sufficient technical information for decision makers and the public and resource agencies to understand when habitat mitigation is or is not included in a final recommendation.”

Agreements made with Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems and Honeywell Aerospace will rapidly accelerate production of a wide array of missile components, including ballistic interceptors.

“Through this agreement, we are actively building the Arsenal of Freedom with speed and urgency,” Michael Duffey, Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment, said in a release. “By empowering industry to invest in the factory floor, we are building a decisive and enduring advantage for our warfighters to outpace any potential adversary.”

Lockheed will quadruple production levels of the Precision Strike Missile, which was used for the first time in combat against Iranian targets in Operation Epic Fury.

“Lockheed Martin delivers the advanced precision fires capabilities the warfighter needs, including the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), which expands deep-strike capability,” said Jim Taiclet, Chairman, President and CEO of Lockheed Martin, in a statement.

The company will also work with BAE Systems to ramp up output of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptor, or THAAD. BAE Systems announced that annual THAAD production rates will also quadruple.

Honeywell will rapidly increase production of critical missile components. These include navigation systems, electronic warfare mediums used on fighter jets and Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air, or AMRAAM, missiles, and the Assure actuator, which controls and maneuvers missiles in flight.

Jim Currier, president and CEO of Honeywell Aerospace, said in a statement that the company “is proud to embrace the challenge and meet this urgent need.”

All missile systems and components being surged have critical bearing on U.S. ability to defeat aerial threats, including one-way attack drones. The THAAD interceptor is designed to take down aerial threats including intermediate and short-range ballistic missiles flying at up to 17,000 miles an hour.

The PrsM features enhanced GPS capabilities, can hit targets from about 250 miles away and is compatible with both the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, launcher as well as the M270A2 Multiple Launch Rocket System, or MLRS, commonly used by European allies.

Lockheed recently tested a new version of the PrSM designed to strike moving targets at sea.

The Grizzly system incorporates design elements of Lockheed’s M299 missile launchers, which can be configured three ways and can be used to shoot both the Hellfire and Joint Air-to-Ground Missile. Hellfire missiles can track targets autonomously and are used by the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and international partners over 15 platforms across air, land and sea domains.

“Our first live fire tests come just six months after the program began research and development, through internal Lockheed Martin investment, demonstrating our focus on quickly delivering a mobile and versatile launcher capability to defeat evolving threats,” Randy Crites, vice president of Lockheed Martin Advanced Programs, said in a statement.

Built out of low-cost commercially available materials, the containerized launcher can be easily lifted and transported by a wide variety of commercial freight and transport equipment, including trucks, aircraft and ships.

The development comes as the Navy is seeking the development of containerized payloads, which can potentially be placed on unmanned surface vessels to increase firepower and flexibility at sea.

“In the early hours of Operation Epic Fury last month, a deployed [Fly-Away Kit] successfully detected and defeated sUAS operating over a strategic U.S. installation,” Guillot said in his written statement ahead of a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Thursday.

Although he did not give details about the installation threatened, Guillot revealed that the threat was defeated by USNORTHCOM’s counter-drone Fly-Away Kit.

The FAK is produced by Anduril and was “designed specifically to detect, track, identify and mitigate drone incursions at military installations within the United States,” USNORTHCOM previously said. The kit is manned by a team of 11 soldiers who became operational as a rapid counter-drone response force last November.

The Defense Department’s lead counter-drone task force, Joint Interagency Task Force 401, did not provide specific details about the location or nature of the incident but told Military Times that the unit will continue to monitor the situation.

“We are aware of the action reported by U.S. Northern Command, and we continue to work closely with them on how best to array our c-UAS capability to defend the homeland,” a spokesperson for the JIATF-401 told Military Times.

“We also work with our law enforcement and interagency partners to monitor and investigate illicit drone use around military installations and other defense critical infrastructure. Our top priority is the safety of our service members and civilian personnel that work and live on the base.”

The FAK features an enhanced array of sensors to detect rogue drones, including Anduril’s Wisp, an AI-infrared system with 360-degree motion sensor; a Heimdal mobile sensor trailer that uses thermal optics and radar; and Pulsar, an AI-enhanced electromagnetic warfare platform.

It uses a self-guided drone interceptor called Anvil to home in on and ram drones out of the sky.

USNORTHCOM expects to receive more of the kits in late spring, according to Guillot’s written testimony.

During the committee hearing Thursday, in response to questions from Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., Guillot also revealed that the U.S. has seen a spike in drone intrusions over military installations over the the last year.

“Some of that might be due to the fact that we have more detection capability now than we did in the past, and then our ability to defeat them has improved,” Guillot said. “Whereas a year ago, almost every one that was detected was not defeated. Now about a quarter of the ones that we detect we’re able to defeat.”

Guillot stated that he works closely with U.S. Strategic Command to ensure that submarine silos, aircraft bases and other key locations have adequate protection from potential threats posed by small unmanned aircraft systems.

Meanwhile, as a deterrent to drone intrusions, the Defense Department, along with the Federal Aviation Administration and other federal agencies, announced a zero-tolerance policy toward unauthorized drone flights in restricted airspace, with penalties including fines of over $100,000, criminal charges and imprisonment.

During Operation Skyfall held at Grafenwoehr Training Area, soldiers of the 2-159th Attack Battalion, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, used the Boeing AH-64E Apache to pursue and attack Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

It is not the first time that the Army has ever practiced using Apaches against drones. In December, the service held an air-to-air combat training exercise in Yuma, Arizona, that saw the Apaches destroy a a variety of drones in flight using a 30mm fragmentation round called the APEX.

The exercise in Germany, however, marks the first time that the U.S. Army has wielded Apaches for this purpose in Europe. It is a significant move due to the relevance of anti-drone training for NATO allies.

Soldiers of the 12th CAB train regularly alongside British, Dutch and Polish NATO forces. They remain in Germany as “a tactical necessity,” the service said in a statement last month.

Operation Skyfall is aimed to advance NATO’s Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative, or EFDI, to protect countries in Eastern Europe from incursions.

The Apache has proved well-suited to chasing and killing drones as it can fly at speeds of over 180 miles per hour and is more nimble at maneuvering than many larger fixed-wing aircraft.

Many pilots within the 12th CAB’s attack unit, known as the “Gunslingers Battalion,” had never previously used Apache helicopters in this manner.

“Most pilots in our unit and across the Army have never engaged in air-to-air with the Apache, so this is a new engagement profile for us that we have to develop tactics, techniques, and procedures for,” said Maj. Daniel Murphy, operations officer for the battalion, in a statement.

“We’re looking forward to sharing what we learn so we can continue developing the EFDI alongside our NATO allies.”

The new training will provide “a blueprint for Allied aviation units“ across Europe, the Army has stated.

The service also noted that this training is “more critical than ever as Poland prepares to become the second-largest operator of Apaches in the world.”

Last November, Boeing announced that 96 Apaches would be produced for the Polish Armed Forces under a $4.7 billion U.S. Army Foreign Military Sales contract, with deliveries expected to start in 2028.

While the PrSM Increment 2 is part of the U.S. Army’s long-range fire program, it is designed for sea denial. It features a seeker within its navigation system that provides targeting guidance and homes in on fast-moving threats, including ships.

Its new capabilities will allow the Army to “strike relocating or fleeting targets in both land and maritime environments,” according to a statement released by Lockheed.

The company said the first flight test was a “major milestone” and added that missile development was “backed by significant investment,” thus advancing rapidly through initial tests. Two more tests are set to take place this year.

The upgraded missile builds off the foundation of its predecessor, and both systems share common baselines.

Both missiles are compatible with M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, as well as the M270A2 Multiple Launch Rocket System, or MLRS, which is commonly used in European countries.

The missiles are designed to withstand turbulent in-flight weather conditions, and their warheads are built to deliver fragmentation effects when they explode on impact.

During the recent test, the upgraded PrSM launched from a HIMARS system and flew more than 200 miles.

“With Increment 2, PrSM delivers the long-range capability the Army asked for to defeat moving land and maritime threats,” Carolyn Orzechowski, vice president of Lockheed Martin Precision Fires Launchers and Missiles, said in the statement.

Production of the the original PrSM was already accelerated last fall prior to its combat debut in Operation Epic Fury, during which it was fired against Iranian targets from HIMARS launchers positioned in open terrain.

The PrSM was launched among an array of weapons systems, including Patriot Interceptor Missile Systems and THAAD Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems. LUCAS one-way attack drones were also used for the first time by the U.S. Special Operations Command-led Task Force Scorpion Strike.