About this episode
Send us a text The Pentagon dropped a $962B budget bomb, and Razin Caine dropped an actual bomb—well, more like 125 aircraft dropping GBU-57 bunker busters on Iranian nuclear sites. In this no-fluff Daily Drop, Jared unpacks the FY26 defense budget, the rise of the F-47, the death of the A-10, and why space is the new high ground (sorry, Wedgetail). He also calls out bureaucratic nonsense, praises enlisted studs like Tech Sgt. Montoya, and side-eyes yet another “brilliant” plan to split the Air Force into four separate services. Meanwhile, Hoist is still the drink of choice, even if Congress can’t get theirs together. 🔥 Key Takeaways: 💣 Operation Midnight Hammer : 125 aircraft, 7,000 miles, 37 hours, and big bunker busters. 🛫 F-35 out, F-47 in : Air Force pivots to next-gen air dominance… while retiring the beloved A-10. 💸 $962B Defense Budget : Includes $184B for construction and $25B for Space Force’s “Golden Dome” (yes, seriously). 🛰️ Wedgetail Axed : Airborne command and control is out, space-based C2 is in—eventually. 🪖 Tech Sgt. Montoya FTW : Combat training in Korea actually gets a shoutout from Public Affairs. 🧠 Split the Air Force? : A retired general thinks more bureaucracy is the answer. Jared strongly disagrees. 🥇 Air Force Academy's New Motto : “Cultivate intensity”—aka try harder, cadets. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00 – Welcome & Hoist plug (because hydration > ads) 00:38 – Pentagon drops a $962B budget bomb 01:45 – Iran didn’t move uranium—but Razin Cain sure moved mountains 02:30 – MOP attack explained (yes, they used that bomb) 03:15 – Caine roasts volleyball-playing pilots 04:00 – 15 years of planning for one big boom 04:45 – Was Cain pressured? Nope. Just doing his job. 05:20 – Military buffer zones coming to AZ & TX 06:00 – Air Force budget breakdown: stealth, ICBMs, and goodbye A-10 07:15 – Jared rants about F-35 vs. F-16 and workhorse platforms 08:30 – E-7 Wedgetail canceled in favor of satellites 09:10 – ARRW hypersonic missile gets new life 10:00 – B-2 crews rock Operation Midnight Hammer 10:30 – USAFA cadets told to “culti Support the show Join this channel to get access to perks: HERE Buzzsprout Subscription page: HERE Register for our Operator Training Summit: OperatorTrainingSummit.com Collabs: Ones Ready - OnesReady.com 18A Fitness - Promo Code: ONESREADY ATACLete - Follow the URL (no promo code): ATACLete Danger Close Apparel - Promo Code: ONESREADY DFND Apparel - Promo Code: ONESREADY Hoist - Promo Code: ONESREADY ...