The Space Force is hashing out how to incorporate offensive cyber operations into its future combat plans, as the new service charts a path forward for the cyber-focused Airmen who transfer in, officials said during a recently livestreamed town hall. The Space Force at first is looking at bringing in about 130 cyber officers and around 1,000 enlisted members. Those transfers will largely handle defensive cyber operations, though Space Force cyberspace operations division chief Col. Aaron Gibson indicated that may change. Offensive cyber operations are “definitely something we’re looking at as we’re starting to write our cyber strategy,” Gibson said.

About 5,000 National Guard personnel—including more than 375 Air National Guardsmen—had been activated as of the morning of May 31 "in response to civil disturbances" that erupted after the death of George Floyd, according to the National Guard Bureau. An additional 2,000 Guard forces were on deck if the situation demanded, the bureau noted. “The situation is fluid so those numbers can change rapidly,” an NGB release stated.

Two B-1B Lancers on May 29 flew another long-range bomber task force flight to Eastern Europe, integrating with Ukrainian fighter jets and Turkish KC-135s for the first time, as well as with multiple other allied nations. The flight of B-1s from the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., marked a rare trip into the Black Sea region. In response, Russia scrambled Su-27P and Su-30SM fighters to intercept, the Russian Defense Ministry announced, posting a video of the intercept on their YouTube channel. The B-1s flew direct to the region, first integrating with Polish F-16s and MiG-29s, then Romanian F-16s and MiG-21s. The Polish and Romanian aircraft provided escort and combat patrol overwatch while in the Black Sea region, U.S. Air Forces in Europe said in a release.

The Air Force finalized updates to its official song to be more inclusive, removing male-only references to reflect the “central role that women play” in the service. USAF Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein announced the changes in late February, saying “we are a profession of arms, we do the nation’s business, and it has to reflect all of us and who we aspire to be.” The service in March changed the third verse of the song, and on May 29 announced all male-only references have been changed. Goldfein, in a release, said the changes were made with “careful consideration” to ensure they are adding to, not subtracting from, the service.

A B-1B Lancer will play the bad guy and try to penetrate U.S. airspace in a large force exercise that will bring together assets and players from four combatant commands, as well as North American Aerospace Defense Command and the Navy’s Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, U.S. Northern Command announced on May 29. The command did not release a date for the air defense exercise, but said it’s “a first of its kind” aimed at demonstrating U.S. and Canadian capabilities. “Leading complex multi-combatant command operations across multiple domains demonstrates our readiness to defend our homeland regardless of COVID-19,” NORTHCOM commander USAF Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy said in the release. “The high-end training we are conducting enables integration between strategic-level organizations who all play a significant role in the most important mission for our nation—defending our homeland.”

Agile Combat Employment, a push to expand Airmen's capabilities beyond their regular job so they can be more flexible in a fight, will quickly become second nature in U.S. Air Forces in Europe, as wings are tasked with practicing the idea multiple times per month. This played out May 28 at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, where Airmen with the 435th Contingency Response Squadron, whose main job is maintenance on mobility aircraft, quickly refueled F-16s from the 52nd Fighter Wing while the engines were running for a quick combat turn. USAFE and Pacific Air Forces officials recently met to develop a joint summary on the concept to present to the Air Staff, explaining how ACE can be spread across the force, USAFE boss Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian told Air Force Magazine earlier this month.

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.