The Pentagon’s international affairs chief said Russia’s new losses in the strategic southern Kherson region are about to spiral into a “major defeat” that would give Ukraine a defensive position amid “hot fighting” expected this winter. Amid news that Ukrainian forces broke through Moscow’s defenses in Kherson, which Moscow saw as the gateway to Odessa, Assistant Defense Secretary for International Security Affairs Celeste Wallander said the Ukrainians were on the verge of pushing back the main Russian bridgehead across the Dnipro River.
Unlike the F-35 program, which saw three U.S. military branches and a handful of international partners involved in its creation, the Air Force’s next-generation fighter will be developed independently, with many of its key attributes kept secret. However, Air Force officials have hinted there may be opportunities for the U.S. and its allies to co-develop technologies that could be “associated” with future tactical aircraft.
The Air Force is rolling out a major change to how Airmen prepare for combat deployments, hoping to reinforce those skills year-round rather than scramble at the last minute. America’s Airmen are worn out after decades of war in the Middle East. Their squadrons need a more predictable schedule in order to rest and recharge. But the service also wants to be able to respond to threats at a moment’s notice. That requires constant preparation and practice.
Service members and veterans will be able to increase their maximum life insurance coverage by $100,000 under a bill that recently cleared Congress. The bill, dubbed the Supporting Families of the Fallen Act, will boost maximum coverage for both the service members’ Group Life Insurance plan and the Veterans’ Group Life Insurance plan for the first time since 2005.
For veterans of the U.S. Air Force and other military branches, it’s been easy to find a home at King Aerospace, which offers contractor logistics support (CLS) as a prime contractor or subcontractor. It has extensive experience supporting the Air Force, Army, and Navy/Marine Corps and agencies including the Departments of Energy, Homeland Security, and Justice.
The first data strategy implementation plan issued by the Pentagon’s lead IT office seeks nothing less than to break down the myriad and storied walls that keep information from flowing freely and securely between DOD programs, military branches, and battlefield units. “Some of the unattractive data management practices that we are seeing right now is that we're working in silos instead of working collaboratively. Especially within the Department of Defense, we've always kind of been institutionalized that your data in your program is yours,” said Caroline Kuharske, the acting chief data officer of the Defense Information Systems Agency.
In Episode 96 of the Aerospace Advantage podcast, the Mitchell Institute’s executive director Doug Birkey chats with retired Air Force Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, Anthony Lazarski, and Todd Harmer to discuss remarks from the Air & Space Forces Association’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference, especially those of Gen. Mark D. Kelly of Air Combat Command about the state of the Air Force’s fighter force; and Gen. Mike Minihan of Air Mobility Command on the need to up the service’s mobility game to meet future demands.
Budgets may reflect near-term priorities, but they also reflect long-term vision. In this op-ed, retired Army Maj. Gen. John Ferrari, visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, argues that, for once, looking too far ahead with its budget may have hamstrung the Pentagon’s ability to answer the security challenges of today.
Space Systems Command announced that it selected Firefly Space Transport Services and Millennium Space Systems to conduct a demonstration of a rapid-response space mission to low Earth orbit in 2023.
Maj. Kristin Wolfe is flying high and carrying on an impressive family legacy as the first female commander of the F-35A Lightning II demonstration team. NBC’s Anne Thompson reports on how Wolfe is proving that the sky’s the limit.
Air Force secured the leg up in the 51st edition of the battle for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy with its 13-10 win over Navy on Oct. 1 in Colorado Springs, Colo. The Falcons spent much of the afternoon trying to defend its 10-0 first quarter lead from the upset-minded Midshipmen, and when the game was eventually tied in the fourth quarter, Air Force got the game-changing plays it needed from Haaziq Daniels and Brad Roberts to pull away with the win.