F-22s from the North American Aerospace Defense Command, with help from KC-135 tankers and an E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System, intercepted Russian aircraft near Alaska for the second time in a week and the sixth time this month. On June 27, the NORAD fighters intercepted four Russian Tu-142 reconnaissance planes as they encroached upon the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone, according to a command release. The June 27 intercept was the second interaction between U.S. and Russian aircraft in two days. On June 26, a Russian fighter intercepted a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon, USAF RC-135, and USAF KC-135 over the Black Sea.
The Air Force may not have enough remotely piloted aircraft pilots and sensor operators to stand up a new wing in 2024, as it struggles to retain personnel and increase the size of its instructor pilot cadre, the Government Accountability Office says in a new report. The service is planning to open a new RPA wing so it can have enough dwell time within the RPA community to take a squadron off combat operations to focus on training. The GAO, in the June 25 report, states “the Air Force does not have enough pilots and sensor operators to meet its staffing targets for its unmanned aircraft.” The GAO also said the Air Force does not track its overall progress in accessing and retaining enough RPA personnel to meet the dwell goal, though USAF partially disagreed with that finding.
Nuclear modernization concerns are again on the table for fiscal 2021 defense policy negotiations, as House lawmakers raise issues about staffing, program delays, and how to use the weapons themselves. The Air Force’s three major nuclear weapon upgrade programs—the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent, the Long-Range Standoff Weapon, and the B61-12 bomb—all received the funding they requested in the House Armed Services Committee’s version of the fiscal 2021 defense policy bill. Those programs total $2.9 billion for the upcoming year, split between the Defense and Energy Departments. That contrasts with last year’s process, when Democrats tried to shrink GBSD funding in a move that irked Republicans and contributed to a broader clash over nuclear issues.
The Space Force’s third GPS III satellite will head to space June 30, after its launch was rescheduled from late April due to the coronavirus pandemic. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will carry the Lockheed Martin-built satellite from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Once on orbit, it will replace an older satellite in the 31-piece GPS constellation. New GPS III systems boost the accuracy of navigation and timing software and are harder to attack by jamming signals. This is also the first national security space launch in which SpaceX will try to recover and reuse its rocket booster, said Col. Edward Byrne, senior materiel leader in the Space and Missile Systems Center’s medium Earth orbit space systems division.
As states across the country roll back reopening plans, some USAF bases are tightening their own restrictions following a surge in COVID-19 cases. As of June 26, there are 1,128 total cases of COVID-19 in the Air Force, with 10,606 across all services including contractors, civilians, and dependents. Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, on June 26 raised its health protection condition to Charlie, the second highest, as its host state has become a hot spot for COVID-19, according to a base news release. The base complex, which includes Air Force basic military training, had lowered its health protection condition to Bravo in May. Laughlin Air Force Base in the state confirmed its first case of the virus on June 24. The base is requiring facial coverings when six feet of distance is not possible, but has not announced closures or other restrictions. Goodfellow Air Force Base is following the same guidelines, and encouraging Airmen to be open about how they feel.
Service members will be able to anonymously seek mental health treatment, without their chain of command being notified, under new proposed legislation. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) introduced the “Brandon Act,” which aims to protect service members from hazing, bullying, and any other issue if they feel they need to seek help. The bill is named for U.S. Navy Petty Officer Third Class Brandon Caserta, who took his own life in 2018 on the flight line at Naval Air Station Norfolk, Va., after hazing from other members of his squadron. “This bill will ensure our service members can [get] help and have no fear of retaliation for doing so, as it’s the right thing to do,” Moulton said in a statement.
Josh Jabin, a Marine Corps veteran and the chief operating officer at the Travis Manion Foundation, hopes the group's employment of positive psychology to promote mental health among veterans and the families of fallen service members can help inspire its broader use to fight suicide—and not just among former U.S. troops.
The Women’s Health Transition Training Program, a joint venture with the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense, has shifted its trainings completely online through the end of July in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program teaches woman Active-duty troops about Veterans Health Administration support services at their disposal before they transition out into civilian life or a reserve component.
