Daily Report

Gen. Douglas Fraser, head of US Southern Command, said Wednesday he spends about half of his time focused on transnational crime, most of which revolves around the drug trade. However, the command is only able to interdict about 33 percent...

US Southern Command is hoping to gain access to the Air Force’s MC-12 Liberty intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance fleet when operations in Afghanistan wind down, said SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Douglas Fraser Wednesday. During a meeting with reporters in Washington, D.C., Fraser said he...

Lt. Gen. Bud Wyatt, Air National Guard director, told lawmakers Wednesday that the proposed cuts to the air mobility fleet, as put forth in the Air Force’s Fiscal 2013 budget request, could impact the Air Guard’s ability to accomplish its...

Industry captains don’t think Pentagon spending cuts will stop with the planned $487 billion reduction over 10 years and, therefore, they are structuring for deeper cuts and diversification. That’s according to Fred Downey, Aerospace Industries Association vice president for national...

The most threatened specialty in the defense industrial base is “manned fighter aircraft design,” said Fred Downey, Aerospace Industries Association vice president for national security, Wednesday. That’s because maintaining such design talent is expensive, and there are no new manned...

A tightening budget drove the Air Force’s decision to cancel the C-130 Avionics Modernization Program in Fiscal 2013, said Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz. “This was simply a recognition of affordability,” Schwartz told the House Appropriations Committee’s defense panel...

US Special Operations Command boss Adm. William McRaven has assigned his command sergeant major and a one-star general to oversee a Preservation of the Force and Families Task Force. It will build and implement "innovative solutions" to improve the well-being of special operations forces and their families, McRaven told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday. While he said "increasing predictability" in deployments is essential to resiliency, the task force's holistic approach will "ensure we provide responsive counseling, medical, psychological, and rehabilitative care to our SOF warriors and their families." The new task force will build on the work of the Pressure on the Force and Families Task Force that McRaven's predecessor, Adm. Eric Olson, initiated, said McRaven. There are several SOF-specific resiliency programs that exist already. However, McRaven said there is still a need for additional care programs and rehabilitation services. "We have a resilient force and it remains steadfast in its mission. While SOF capabilities are not in danger of degradation now, we must and will continue to look for ways to mitigate potential problems in the future," he said. (McRaven's prepared testimony)

The 58th Rescue Squadron at Nellis AFB, Nev., is adapting the Air Force’s GPS-guided Joint Precision Airdrop System to support combat rescue officers and pararescuemen in the field. “We’re currently in the initial phase of building a true precision airdrop...

Air Mobility Command recently stood up two squadrons to provide dedicated airlift for President Obama’s re-election bid. Four C-17s temporarily stationed at JB Andrews, Md., and approximately eight C-130s at New Castle ANGB, Del., form the 305th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron...

Boeing delivered the Navy’s first production P-8A Poseidon maritime warfare and patrol aircraft, announced the company. “The Navy fleet is more than ready to receive the P-8A, which will provide the users and operators a step increase in mission capabilities,”...