New Mexico has thrown its hat in the ring to try to win USAF’s new Cyber Command. Gov. Bill Richardson said his state is forming a US Air Force Cyberspace Command Task Force “to promote New Mexico” for the permanent home to the new command. Currently, USAF has created a provisional headquarters in Louisiana, where 8th Force at Barksdale Air Force Base took the lead in organizing the cyber effort. Besides Louisiana, which has put around $100 million behind its push, there are six other states vying for the new command. Richardson says New Mexico “has the right conditions and the best scientific talent to serve as the new home” for Cyber Command.
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.