Excessive landing speed was the primary cause of the May 19 crash of an F-35A at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., though faulty flight control logic, the helmet mounted display, the jet's oxygen system, and improper training and were all contributing factors, according to an Air Force investigation. An Accident Investigation Board found that the principle reason for the crash was the pilot setting a “speed hold” of 202 knots indicated airspeed for the landing, which was 50 knots too fast, while the jet's approach angle was too shallow, according to the report released Sept. 30. The second main cause was the tail flight control surfaces “conflicting” with the pilot’s apparently correct efforts to recover the jet after it bounced on the runway, a problem the Air Force said was a “previously undiscovered anomaly in the aircraft’s flight control logic.” The plane and pilot “quickly fell out of sync,” as the flight computer commanded nose down while the pilot commanded nose up, attempting to abort the landing and go around. Sensing that he was being “ignored” by the airplane, the pilot ejected, sustaining significant but non-life-threatening injuries.

The U.S. military’s workforce can’t succeed in the long run unless it fully embraces the digital age, overhauls its lagging information technology systems, and pursues a more flexible and diverse workplace, according to the Pentagon’s new personnel strategy. The document from Pentagon personnel and readiness boss Matthew P. Donovan enshrines many of the realizations the Defense Department has come to over the past several years. “The department’s success depends on a digitally savvy military and civilian workforce that can operate within a security environment fueled by groundbreaking technology, and exploit information as the connective tissue to dominate in competition and conflict,” the strategy said.

A formal search for designs for the Air Force’s new nuclear command plane is again delayed into 2021, the service said Oct. 2. The Survivable Airborne Operations Center is meant to replace the Air Force E-4B “doomsday” jet that can send the command to launch nuclear missiles if crews on the ground cannot, and that allows government officials to communicate in times of crisis. The effort is falling into the group of the Air Force’s highest and most expensive acquisition programs, known as Acquisition Category 1. Those efforts cost more than $480 million to develop and more than $2.8 billion to produce. The replacement program's price tag is still evolving.

The release of the Air Force’s Arctic Strategy comes at a “pivotal time on the timeline of the Arctic,” as global powers exert their influence in an increasingly important region where climate change is also taking its toll, the head of Alaskan Command said Oct. 5. The service in July released its first-ever strategy on the Arctic, which argues the Air Force is the most active and invested U.S. military department in the region. Airmen must remain vigilant, project military power, cooperate with allies, and prepare for possible conflict in the area, the strategy said. Lt. Gen. David A. Krumm, commander of Alaskan Command and 11th Air Force, said Oct. 5 during an online event hosted by the Wilson Center that the Arctic is a “demanding environment, and it’s changing rapidly.”

Maj. Gen. Dawne L. Deskins recently became the first woman and non-pilot to become the deputy director of the Air National Guard. She formally stepped into ANG’s number two spot in July. Though her priority has always been doing the best possible job and being recognized for that effort—rather than the boxes she might happen to check off in the process—she told Air Force Magazine that, with age, she’s come to understand why her personal role in increasing female representation among ANG ranks matters so much. Giving women “a point … to be able to aspire to” is a responsibility she takes “quite seriously,” she said.

On March 23, the Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies will host a virtual Nuclear Deterrence Series event featuring Scowcroft Group Principal Frank Miller. At a time when nuclear modernization programs are accelerating around the world, proposals to recapitalize the U.S. nuclear arsenal are at the forefront of debates over defense spending. Miller will share his insights into the prospects for U.S. nuclear modernization programs and the value of nuclear deterrence in today's competitive security environment. The think tank will post event video on its website and YouTube page after the live event.