Staff Sergeant Promotions Surge, Reversing 5-Year Slump

Promotions to staff sergeant rocketed up 42 percent versus a year ago, with 12,827 Senior Airmen selected for promotion to E-5 in the 2024 cycle, the Air Force Personnel Center announced. Nearly 23 percent of eligible Senior Airmen earned a promotion, up 5.45 percentage points from a year ago, when the selection rate plunged to just 17.4 percent—the lowest mark since 1997.

Radar Sweep

First Huey Replacement Helicopter Delivered to US Air Force

Air Force Times

Boeing announced on Aug. 5 it has delivered the first production MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopter to the U.S. Air Force. The helicopter will be stationed at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, Boeing said, where Airmen will use it to patrol the sprawling Minuteman III nuclear missile fields surrounding the base.

‘Space Fires’ to Enable ‘Space Superiority’ Are Top SPACECOM Priorities for FY27

Breaking Defense

US Space Command’s top priorities for fiscal 2027 include “space fires” to enable “space superiority,” and “enhanced battlespace awareness” capabilities, according to its top officer, Gen. Stephen Whiting. ... The FY27 list represents the beginning of SPACECOM’s “pivot towards 2040”—a holistic effort to meet anticipated needs in the face of ever-increasing threats to US space systems from Russia, China and others, Whiting explained.

Push for Self-Reliance Drives Defense Revenue Surge Among Top 100

Defense News

As Russia presses its invasion of Ukraine, Israel attacks Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the U.S. and several allies fight Yemen-based Houthi rebels, and tension over Taiwan’s independence and disputed territory in the South China Sea proliferates, nations are increasing their defense spending—and businesses are seeing their revenues climb.

US Army Seeks to Expand Space Expertise Among Soldiers

SpaceNews

The U.S. Army is considering the creation of a dedicated space career field for enlisted Soldiers, a move that could significantly expand its pool of space experts and better equip land forces to face the technological challenges of modern warfare.

Tim Walz, Who Spent Decades as an Enlisted Soldier, Brings Years of Work on Vets Issues to Dem Ticket

Military.com

A retired Army National Guard noncommissioned officer who was once the top Democrat on the House Veterans Affairs Committee could become the next vice president. Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris announced Aug. 6 that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will be her running mate. That puts someone with an enlisted background on both presidential tickets after Republican nominee former President Donald Trump chose Marine veteran Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his running mate.

Aftermath of Ukrainian Attack on Russian Su-34 Fullback Base Emerges

The War Zone

Photos have emerged showing the extent of the destruction at Morozovsk Air Base, in Russia’s Rostov region after it was struck by Ukrainian forces late last week. ... Earlier satellite imagery had confirmed that the base had been hit, and a secure storage site in its northwest corner was badly damaged. Now we can see that, as the Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff had suggested, the airfield’s weapons storage facility was indeed obliterated.

One More Thing

Through Six Decades, Wakin Blazed Trails at Academy

U.S. Air Force Academy

Colleagues and former cadets remember retired Brig. Gen. Malham M. Wakin as the service academy’s educational trailblazer. Long honored as an Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, he taught philosophy and ethics, served as Professor and Head of the Department of Philosophy, Chairman of the Humanities Division, Assistant Dean, Associate Dean, chair, and member of numerous committees. Wakin died July 30 at the age of 93. The longtime U.S. Air Force Academy educator took pride in calling himself “an old-fashioned schoolteacher.” The many cadets and faculty he mentored had significantly higher praise.