Radar Sweep
General Says North Korea Could Test New Intercontinental Missile ‘in the Near Future’
The head of U.S. Northern Command says North Korea may begin testing an improved intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) “in the near future.” Air Force Gen. Glen D. VanHerck said in prepared testimony before the Senate Armed Services panel that North Korea "indicated that it is no longer bound by the unilateral nuclear and ICBM testing moratorium announced in 2018, suggesting that Kim Jong Un may begin flight testing an improved ICBM design in the near future."
Congressional Democrats Urge Biden to Cut Defense Spending
A March 16 letter signed by 50 House Democrats urges President Joe Biden to reduce the Pentagon’s budget to pay for other activities. The letter is intended to influence the President’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2022, which the administration is expected to submit to Congress in early May.
Air Force to Award SiAW Contracts to Select Companies Without Competition
The Air Force has chosen five companies that may receive contracts without full-and-open competition to field Stand-in Attack Weapon technologies on an accelerated schedule, according to a notice released on March 17.
Top Military Court Considers Challenge to DOD's Authority to Court-Martial Some Retirees
The Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, or CAAF, heard arguments March 9 in the case of a retired Navy Sailor who is challenging the constitutionality of his conviction by court-martial after he left military service.
Competition Stiffens for Promotion to Senior Master Sergeant
Snagging a promotion to Air Force senior master sergeant is becoming even harder, as fewer than 7 percent of eligible Airmen made the cut in the latest selection round announced March 16. Only 1,194 of 17,107 eligible master sergeants earned a promotion to senior master sergeant this time, for a selection rate of 6.97 percent, according to the Air Force Personnel Center. That’s down from 7.62 percent in February 2020.
Even with Democratic Support, Colin Kahl Faces Long Climb to the Pentagon
Colin Kahl, nominated for the Pentagon’s undersecretary for policy, remains stalled at the Senate Armed Services Committee, but even if he clears it, he could well face a gauntlet of tough votes toward confirmation by the 50-50 Senate.
POLITICO Pro Q&A: Michael Brown, Director of the Defense Innovation Unit
Brown spoke to POLITICO Pro about how DIU is scaling up and the growing willingness of once-wary tech firms to partner with the Defense Department.
DOD’s New Adaptive Acquisition Framework Takes New Approach to Tailoring Procurement Strategies
The Defense Department’s latest rewrite of its internal acquisition rulebook, a project called the Adaptive Acquisition Framework (AAF), whose development spanned most of the Trump administration, aims to at least make the system easier for the acquisition workforce to digest and navigate.
SPONSORED: Improving Distributed Decision Making
As Airmen have transformed dining rooms into desks and serve as technical support for their children’s remote learning, bigger challenges persist. How does an organization such as the Air Force transition from an in-person prioritization and planning process to an equally effective digital alternative during and after the pandemic?
This Cockpit View of a C-17’s Wild Ride Through Star Wars Canyon Is Bonkers
The C-17 is a big, but incredibly nimble beast, as proven in this video of one making hard maneuvers while rocketing low through the Jedi Transition.