Daily Report

In retrospect, hurrying the F-35 strike fighter into production was, to say the least, a big mistake, according to the Pentagon’s acquisition executive nominee. “Putting the F-35 into production years before the first test flight was acquisition malpractice. It should...

President Obama has nominated Lt. Gen. Janet Wolfenbarger to receive a fourth star for her next assignment as commander of Air Force Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, announced the Pentagon on Monday. With the Senate’s nod, Wolfenbarger would become...

David Van Buren, the Air Force’s acquisition executive, is stepping down, said a senior Pentagon acquisition official on Monday. “David’s been a great colleague for me for the last two years. I’ve learned an enormous amount from him. He’s a...

The Defense Department must remain focused on today's conflicts whiles developing a future force that can answer the nation's call "anytime, anywhere," wrote Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, Joint Chiefs Chairman, in his strategic direction to the joint force released on Monday. In addition, military leaders must "confront" the "aftermath of war" and "keep faith with our military family," he stated. The 16-page direction outlines Dempsey's "early thoughts" on how to accomplish those goals. "In the years to come, our joint force will face several challenging transitions," wrote Dempsey. "We will transition from war, but in the context of an increasingly competitive security environment. We will transition from abundant to constrained resources. And, many service members—and their families—will transition into civilian life." Dempsey noted that DOD "will pass this test." He continued, "I'm determined that we will stay ready now, be ready for the future, renew our commitment to the profession of arms, and always honor our families. I will put the weight of my personal effort behind realizing these critical efforts." (See also Monday's Chairman's Corner entry.)

Acquisition and care for the Air Force’s nuclear arsenal will now be the responsibility of the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center’s newly minted Nuclear Capabilities Directorate at Kirtland AFB, N.M. Officials simultaneously inactivated the 498th Nuclear Systems Wing, while passing...

Air Force Material Command leadership concluded a new master labor agreement with the American Federation of Government Employees Council 214 that will govern the working conditions of approximately 35,000 of the command’s civilian employees. AFMC Commander Gen. Donald Hoffman and...

The United States and Russia each completed 18 on-site nuclear inspections—the maximum permitted under the New START agreement each year—since the treaty entered force last February, according to a State Department release marking the first year of treaty implementation. The...

NATO defense leaders agreed “to collectively cover the costs for operating” the Alliance Ground Surveillance system, the first intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance capability that alliance members will jointly purchase and operate. NATO’s AGS webpage states that their Feb. 2 decision paves the way...

Three KC-135 tankers of the 91st Air Refueling Squadron from MacDill AFB, Fla., are temporary operating from Robins AFB, Ga., while MacDill’s runway is closed for maintenance. “When we arrived, everything was ready for us,” said Maj. Christopher Callahan, commander...

Airmen from Andersen AFB, Guam, along with local Guam government officials and sailors from Naval Base Guam, conducted a mass casualty-response exercise, simulating an aircraft crash at Andersen. The exercise was the first in Andersen history to include off-base, and...