Ops Brief 080: Daily Drop - 24 July 2025 - Space Force Wants $175B for a Dome? Cool Cool Cool…

Peaches drops into the team room to roast the DoD’s latest brainchild—the $175 billion Golden Dome missile defense program. Because nothing says “fiscal responsibility” like duct-taping old tech to new threats. From sketchy F-35 upgrades to AI-driven psyops and a pistol that just…goes off, this episode is a rollercoaster of bureaucratic brilliance and defense déjà vu. Oh, and shoutout to the DoD for finally noticing that maybe, just maybe, over-classifying everything isn’t helping. Get ready for Space Force buzzwords, Air Force growing pains, and a masterclass in defense spending madness.

🔥 Key Takeaways:

Golden Dome missile defense: now with existing tech and future sticker shock
RAND wants Skynet on our team—AI psyops incoming
F-35s on hold until they deliver what we actually paid for (imagine that)
M18 pistol yeets itself into the danger zone—AF halts use after fatal mishap
Space Force plans innovation…by hosting contests (no, seriously)
Overclassification is a problem? You don’t say…
Vandenberg gets launch upgrades, but only if policy catches up
⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00 – Peaches kicks it off
01:20 – Golden Dome: $25B now, $175B later
02:40 – AI in psyops: totally not scary at all
04:00 – Innovation in the DoD? We’ll believe it when we see it
04:30 – F-35s delayed, A-10s on the chopping block
05:45 – M18 pistol suspended after tragic incident
06:50 – Pacific Air Force surge and unmanned launch tests
07:40 – Space Force news dump: buzzwords and budget
09:00 – Overclassification strangling progress
09:45 – Senate calls out Air Force Material Command
10:50 – Silo construction drama and the Nunn-McCurdy mess
11:30 – Pentagon acquisition “reform”…again
12:30 – Vandenberg wants to launch more, bureaucracy says no
13:10 – PCS system overhaul: don’t hold your breath
13:40 – Secretary of Defense motivational speech (yawn)

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