Pentagon officials briefed the results of the oft-revised tanker analysis of alternatives on Capitol Hill on Jan. 26. The AOA concludes that USAF should replace its elderly KC-135s with one or more medium-to-large size commercial airframes, but it offers no...

Depending on which account you believe, the tanker AOA says the Pentagon should consider its ever-tightening budget because there is no reason to rush into procuring a KC-135 replacement, or it says the opposite. Government Executive notes a “government source”...

Plans to reduce the Army Guard and Air Guard continues to spur bipartisan action around the country. On Capitol Hill, Senators are trying to use a nonbinding resolution to encourage the Administration to have second thoughts. According to the National...

Letters have been sent to the Pentagon and the White House, decrying the proposed cuts to Army and Air Guard forces. A plea to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld from the National Governors Association urged him to take the “holistic approach...

The Amazing, Nearly Disappearing, ABL: The news of the Airborne Laser’s demise, to paraphrase Mark Twain, has been greatly exaggerated—at least according to the man who leads the effort for the Missile Defense Agency. Air Force Col. John Daniels, director...

Currently, the Airborne Laser, designated YAL-1A, is in Wichita, Kan., being outfitted to handle the chemical laser housings and having its optics system fine-tuned. Daniels said that plans for 2006 include low power active ground tests in August, in-flight atmospheric...

The Air Force has asked the National Aeronautics Association to consider the F-22 Combined Test Force at Edwards AFB, Calif., for the 2005 Collier Trophy. NAA traditionally announces the trophy winner in the spring.

Democratic lawmakers have sent a letter to President Bush, protesting the Pentagon plan to raise Tricare fees for military retirees. They note that, according to Administration officials, the fee increase would “force 600,000 veterans out of the Tricare system.” (Perhaps that is the plan.) The legislators call the proposal “unconscionable” and maintain it will only “exacerbate” a growing recruiting and retention problem.

Myers Returns to Alma Mater: Retired USAF Gen. Richard Myers, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will be going back to his alma mater, Kansas State University, to teach military history and leadership. KSU president Jon Wefald called...

ANG Captain Is a Seahawk: Football fans likely know that the Seattle Seahawks will meet the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL on Feb. 5 in Detroit. Some may not know that one of the Seahawks moonlights as Capt. Bryce...

AMC Airmen Get Lighter Load: Air Mobility Command’s airmen participating in the latest air and space expeditionary force rotation (AEFs 9 and 10) get to travel about 50 pounds lighter as part of phase 2 of the new mobility bag...

Firefighters from F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo., and the Wyoming Air National Guard helped save homes and other structures from a quickly spreading grass fire earlier this week. According to the Associated Press news service, high winds fed the fire, which...

A high-ranking former Iraqi air force official claims Saddam Hussein moved his weapons of mass destruction into Syria before the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The New York Sun reports that Georges Sada, one-time second in command of the Iraqi...

Hypersonic Craft Is “Very Unique”: The joint Air Force and DARPA program to develop hypersonic technology comes in two parts: a glided or powered system and a link to low cost, responsive space launch vehicles. Air Force Research Lab’s Space...

Spokane Paper Looks at Fairchild: The staff of the Spokane (Wash.) Business Journal has assembled an impressive six-story special report on the future of nearby Fairchild Air Force Base. The articles review base missions and examines the base’s impact on...

Rumsfeld Plays QDR Dodge Ball: The left hand and the right hand need to get together. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was playing dodge ’em with reporters over the QDR, while his henchmen were giving background interviews. But, Rumsfeld would not...

January 25, 2006 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total ISR 10 5 – 15 CAS/Armed Recon 34 21 – 55 Airlift – – 170 170 Air refueling – – 27 27 Total 44 26 197 267 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation...