Radar Sweep
PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE: Every Airman a Warrior
“On every continent, Airmen are on watch and ready to deliver decisive blows to our enemies and critical aid to their teammates in arms—Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines,” writes retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Bruce “Orville” Wright, president of the Air Force Association. “Teamed with our remarkable Special Operations forces, our Airmen are the ‘killer angels’ overhead. To much of America, however, they are all but invisible. Yet their work should never be a thankless task.”
U.S. Sends Three Aircraft Along Taiwan Strait after Back-to-Back Chinese Drills Near Taiwan
The Air Force flew two B-52 bombers and an MC-130J Commando II tanker along the Taiwan Strait on Feb. 12 after Chinese naval and air forces flew over the island twice this week, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said. The aircraft flew north to south along the airspace over the Taiwan Strait and were “closely monitored,” the defense ministry said in a statement.
U.S. to Seek More Help from NATO to Counter Islamic State
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Feb. 11 he is looking to NATO allies for more help countering the Islamic State group in Iraq and in bolstering U.S. defense efforts in the Middle East more broadly. Speaking to reporters enroute to Brussels for a NATO defense ministers meeting, Esper said he wants NATO countries to do more to help Iraq’s security forces.
Iran Touts Big Ballistic Missile and Lightweight Solid Fuel Rocket Motor Leaps
The technology could lead to new and improved ballistic missile designs with greater reliability, flexibility, and added range.
U.S. Space Force, Space Command to Get State-of-the-Art Facility in Colorado
The Pentagon’s budget request for fiscal 2021 includes $88 million to complete the construction of a Consolidated Space Operations Facility at Schriever Air Force Base, Colo. The CSOF was requested two years ago by the U.S. Air Force Space Command and U.S. Strategic Command to meet growing demands for secure facilities for military space operators and analysts from the intelligence community. The facility is funded in the U.S. Air Force budget, and will be used by the U.S. Space Force and U.S. Space Command.
Space Software Startup to Pursue SDA Contracts
Three of the founders of bankrupt Vector Launch have created a new startup, NewSpace Networks, to develop space software products for applications such as data analysis, cybersecurity, and the Internet of Things. As one of their first forays into the market, the company intends to respond to the Space Development Agency’s January call for “leap-ahead technologies” for its evolving Defense Department space architecture.
Neo-Nazi Group Membership May Not Get You Booted from Military, Officials Say
Membership in a white supremacist or neo-Nazi group won't necessarily get a U.S. service member tossed out of the military, defense officials told a House subcommittee Feb. 11. The officials, including representatives of Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Army's Criminal Investigation Division, appeared to make a distinction between membership in an extremist organization and "active participation" in deciding on recruitment and retention.
VA’s Electronic Health Records System Won’t Make Its First Go-Live Deadline
Training was supposed to start this week ahead of deployment in March, but Veterans Affairs officials said that timeline has been pushed out.
Air Force Pilot Sends Ring to Space in Epic Marriage Proposal
Capt. Stuart Shippee, of the 393rd Bomb Squadron at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.,, proposed to his girlfriend Marie Lisman by launching a weather balloon into space with a ring soaring high above the Earth, according to a recent news release.