Air Force Research Laboratory workers are busy at Kirtland AFB, N.M., developing the first portable, non-lethal deterrent weapon—called the Personnel Halting and Stimulation Response, or PHaSR. The weapon uses a two-wavelength laser system which temporarily impairs aggressors by “dazzling” bad guys so they can’t see the PHaSR-wielding troops. AFRL has delivered the first two prototypes to the Human Effectiveness Directorate at Brooks City-Base, Tex., and the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate at Quantico, Va., for testing.
Air Force Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost—a trailblazer and one of the first 10 women to reach a four-star rank across the U.S. military—retired and passed control of U.S. Transportation Command to Air Force Gen. Randall Reed on Oct. 4, finishing an eventful tenure at TRANSCOM.