Breaking Defense
While activists and officials angst about “killer robots,” software developers and staff officers are quietly working on artificial intelligence tools for something far more likely to help win the next war: logistics.
Colorado Springs Gazette
Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind took over from interim leader Maj. Gen. Thomas P. Sherman. The former superintendent, Gen. Richard Clark, retired on June 1. Bauernfeind said he plans to lead the school through a fundamental change in its leadership program that will replace an emphasis on the freshmen's transition into the cadet wing. The new four-class system will teach cadets first how to be front-line supervisors, then team leaders, and finally unit leaders.
NBC News
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Aug. 2 withdrew the controversial plea deal for the three men accused of planning the 9/11 attacks. “Today, Secretary Austin signed a memo reserving for himself the specific authority to enter into pre-trial agreements with the accused in the 9/11 military commission cases,” the Defense Department said in a press release. “In addition, as the superior convening authority, the Secretary has also withdrawn from the pre-trial agreements that were signed in those cases.”
The New York Times
The United States, with some success, has tried to control the export of chips. Still, The New York Times has found an active trade in restricted A.I. technology—part of a global effort to help China circumvent U.S. restrictions amid the countries’ growing military rivalry.
The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
In episode 195 of the Aerospace Advantage, Heather Penney chats with members of the Mitchell Institute team about the latest defense news from the Beltway and the broader national security community.
DefenseScoop
The Department of the Air Force’s integrating program executive office for command, control, communications and battle management (C3BM) has begun work to tie some of the service’s aircraft into its distributed network of systems and capabilities. Since becoming the Air Force’s first PEO for C3BM in 2022, Brig. Gen. Luke C.G. Cropsey and his team have focused on developing a plan and associated baseline architecture that will connect the Air and Space Forces’ sensors and shooters under a single network known as the DAF Battle Network.
Military.com
An attorney representing two families who lost loved ones last November in an Air Force CV-22 Osprey crash due to a mechanical failure said a recently released accident report unfairly criticizes the crew, adding to the pain and suffering those families are experiencing.
The War Zone
NATO nations have been getting more access to especially sensitive details about the stealthy F-35 Joint Strike Fighters that are increasingly entering service across the alliance. Being ‘read into’ F-35-related Special Access Programs (SAPs) will give member countries a deeper understanding of the aircraft’s capabilities and how they can be used most effectively with other platforms, especially non-stealthy fourth-generation fighters.
Forbes
Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula traveled through an ancient city’s suburbs to the shores of the Mediterranean, and back again, becoming the first U.S. general officer (Active or retired) to travel across Gaza during this war.
Nikkei Asia
China has growing concerns about a land-based U.S. missile launcher in the Philippines that was used in recent military drills, a move Beijing worries could significantly alter the balance of power if deployed on a permanent basis.
Air Force Times
The 29th chief of the National Guard Bureau relinquished command Aug. 2, retiring after four decades of service. Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, 61, previously served as the director of the Army National Guard and 11th Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau before taking the post as bureau chief in 2020.
Defense One
A new “convergence” of Asian nations including Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines is reshaping the security environment of the Indo-Pacific, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told a crowd in Manila.
One More Thing
CBS News
John Fisher was a U.S. pilot who died after his plane nosedived into the ground in 1944. His remains were never found. Now, more than 100 British and American service members are volunteering their time hoping to find his remains as the 80th anniversary of the crash approaches.
