Iran’s supplying of bomb-carrying drones to Russia could see Moscow help Tehran’s program become more lethal, raising risks across the wider Middle East, the top U.S. Air Force commander in the Middle East said Sept. 20. Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, the head of U.S. Air Forces Central, described the danger potentially posed by Russia’s “cooperation and collusion” with Iran as extending from the airspace over Syria, while Tehran threatens commercial ships in the waters of the Persian Gulf.
Citing the criticality of space domain awareness for everything the Space Force does, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman said Sept. 20 that the service is concentrating on closing two key “technology gaps” in its capabilities. The first is a dearth of systems to gather “exquisite, high-fidelity information about what’s going on” in geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) “and beyond.” The second is the “lack of sensors in the Southern Hemisphere” needed to provide “comprehensive” coverage of adversary satellites as they pass over the region in low Earth orbit.
If lawmakers can’t come to an agreement to avoid a government shutdown Oct. 1, many activities of the Defense Department could be affected, including some aspects of military benefits such as medical care and child care. The question of military pay is also up in the air. Troops could be required to report to work even if their pay is withheld. In 2013, just hours before a 16-day shutdown began, Congress passed temporary legislation protecting military pay. But some bonuses and other compensation were affected.
A contentious memo penned by Gen. Mike Minihan was intended to create a sense of urgency for his troops, the Air Mobility Command leader said, adding that this mindset delivered “success” in the organization’s recent exercise. Minihan’s memo, which circulated earlier this year, predicted war with China by 2025 and instructed AMC commanders to report all major efforts to prepare for “the China fight.” After the memo drew criticism, Pentagon officials distanced themselves from its remarks. Asked last week whether he still thinks the U.S. will fight in the Pacific within two years, Minihan said, “My assessment is that war is not inevitable, but the readiness I’m driving with that timeline is absolutely essential to deterrence and absolutely essential to the decisive victory.”
The U.S. will spend more than $750 billion over the next decade to revamp nearly every part of its aging nuclear defenses. Officials say they simply can’t wait any longer—some systems and parts are more than 50 years old. For now, it’s up to young military troops and government technicians across the U.S. to maintain the existing bombs and related components. The jobs are exacting and often require a deft touch. That’s because many of the maintenance tasks must be performed by hand. The Associated Press was granted rare access to nuclear missile bases and weapons production facilities to see how technicians keep the arsenal working while starting the government’s biggest nuclear overhaul since the Cold War.
“The U.S. Air Force wants to retire the A-10 Warthog, an aircraft I have flown for years around the globe, by the end of the decade. While many may think all of us in the A-10 community want to hold onto our beloved mount for dear life, that isn’t necessarily the case. What many of us do want is a suitable replacement, of which there is none currently planned. This new aircraft should be relatively economical while also bringing additional capabilities to the fight, especially one in the Pacific against China. That aircraft should be the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet for a slew of reasons, some of which may be surprising,” writes Patrick “BURT” Brown, an Air Force weapons officer.
The Pentagon has officially selected entities to enable its “Microelectronics Commons” program and make up the underpinning new network of regional innovation hubs envisioned to drastically drive the United States’ domestic manufacturing base of such circuits, chips, and other small-scale electronic items in the near term.
Australia has two defining military efforts taking shape—the implementation of its Defense Strategic Review at home and the kickoff of a trilateral technology-sharing agreement—that are changing the way the nation’s defense and innovation ecosystems interact.
The Defense Health Agency has a new mission statement that its director says is more appropriate for a medical system that serves family members, retirees and their families in addition to active-duty personnel. Army Lt. Gen. Telita Crosland said the new statement, “The Defense Health Agency supports our nation by improving health and building readiness—making extraordinary experiences ordinary and exceptional outcomes routine,” is “about improving health” for all, compared with previous iterations that focused primarily on military readiness.
The Pentagon will consider recommending upgrades to the discharges of about 2,000 service members who were separated under the now defunct “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law, defense officials said. The decision to review those discharges was announced on Sept. 20, which marked the 12th anniversary of the end of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” which prevented gay and lesbian troops from serving openly and was in effect from Feb. 28, 1994 to Sept. 20, 2011.
Lockheed Martin is in “late-stage negotiations” apparently to stand up a new supplier of solid rocket motors, Chief Executive Officer Jim Taiclet revealed Sept. 20, though he offered few details. With the solid rocket motor industrial base dominated by two key players—Orbital ATK and Aerojet Rocketdyne, both of which have been acquired by larger firms—Lockheed is looking to bring on a brand new vendor to broaden the industrial base, Taiclet told lawmakers during a House Armed Services Committee hearing. He did not identify the company in question.
Between 1983 and 1994, almost everyone knew that the one place to go for free, top-tier painting lessons was PBS’ “The Joy of Painting.” Hosted by beloved Air Force veteran Bob Ross, the show was more than just tips and tricks: Ross completed an entire landscape painting during each half-hour show. That means after 403 episodes, there are at least 403 Bob Ross originals out there. But some lucky art lover, pop-culture fan, or ironic hipster is about to pick up the very first painting from the show—just as long as they have the $9.85 million to pay for it.