Daily Report

Still unresolved is whether the Air Force will regain milestone decision authority for Defense Department space programs as part of USAF's role as DOD's executive agent for space. However, the newly announced realignment of USAF's headquarters-level space functions was designed in part to strengthen the service's ability to execute that authority should the Office of the Secretary of Defense return it. "[T]his structure will posture us to accommodate any future decisions on the roles and functions of the EA for space," wrote Air Force Secretary Michael Donley in the memo that he issued last week discussing the oversight changes. OSD stripped the Air Force of milestone decision authority back in 2005 during a period when USAF had several senior leadership vacancies and was facing space acquisition challenges. Donley has gone on the record, saying he'd like to see the authority returned. Discussions are ongoing. Donley said he's "very encouraged by the collaborative process" with OSD so far. (Donley memo) (For more background, see Drifting in Space from the Air Force Magazine archives.)

The Hawaii Air National Guard’s 199th Fighter Squadron at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam has completed its final F-15 training mission. The unit is transitioning to F-22s, the first two of which arrived in July. “It’s like saying goodbye to a...

Air Force Space Command last week held its biannual Air Reserve Component focus day at Peterson AFB, Colo. During the day-long summit, senior AFSPC, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve Command officials discussed issues, such as funding constraints, the...

The California Air National Guard’s 163rd Reconnaissance Wing at March Air Reserve Base has broken ground on a new remotely piloted aircraft hangar at the Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville. It is the Air Guard’s first-ever hanger designed specifically...

A contingent of more than 100 airmen and four KC-135s from the 22nd Airlift Wing at McConnell AFB, Kan., participated in a first-of-its-kind forward-deployment drill during a nuclear operational readiness exercise. These assets moved to Grand Forks AFB, N.D., for...

The Air Force needs to re-evaluate its procedures for the RQ-4 Global Hawk to make sure the remotely piloted aircraft system is relevant beyond 2020, said Brig. Gen. Jake Polumbo, Air Combat Command’s director of plans and programs. Topping the...

F-15Es from the 391st Fighter Squadron at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, have been deployed to JB Elmendorf, Alaska, to train with F-22s of Elmendorf’s 3rd Wing. This temporary deployment represents the second recent pairing of Strike Eagles and Raptors. F-22s...

The fourth and final iteration of US Pacific Command’s Operational Pacific Angel 2010 has concluded in Sri Lanka. Over an eight-day period in mid August, airmen operating with US military teams worked with their Sri Lankan counterparts to carry out...

The Global Positioning System Wing at Los Angeles AFB, Calif., has received 21 prototype GPS receivers from contractor Rockwell Collins. These Ground-Based GPS Receiver Application Module Modernized receivers are designed to work with the new M-code military signal resident on...

TSgt. Stephen Kaufman, an explosive ordnance disposal flight team leader with Air Force Reserve Command’s 512th Airlift Wing at Dover AFB, Del., has received a Bronze Star medal for meritorious service while deployed to Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, from September 2009...

Charles Everett Bullard, now 87, was a C-47 maintainer back in World War II with the 440th Troop Carrier Group that operated from Pope Army Air Field, N.C. Sixty-five years later, Bullard has taken a ride on a C-130 transport...

Air Sorties in Southwest Asia, Aug. 20, 2010 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total YTD ISR 23 69 92 16,514 CAS/Armed Recon 10 81 91 22,242 Airlift 172 172 40,335 Air refueling 58 58 10,852 Rescue 15 15 5,007 Total...