The U.S. must lift sanctions against China if the Biden administration wants high-level communication between the Chinese and American armed forces, a Chinese diplomat said on June 28. “The U.S. side knows the reason for difficulties in its military-to-military relations with China—it actually imposed unilateral sanctions on China,” Liu Pengyu, the spokesman for China’s Embassy in Washington, said in a briefing. “Such obstacles should be removed before any exchange and cooperation could take place between the two countries.”
The Pentagon has launched a formal investigation into a strike in Syria, following allegations that the strike may have killed a civilian, not the senior al Qaeda leader the U.S. had targeted. “The civilian casualty credibility assessment process has become an AR 15-6 investigation,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement. “Maj. Gen. Matthew McFarlane, commander of CJTF-OIR, appointed a general officer as the investigating officer, effective June 23, 2023. CENTCOM is committed to the objectives in the Secretary of Defense’s Civilian Mitigation and Response Action Plan.”
The way modern Airmen and Guardians prepare for the future fight is changing, with live, virtual, and constructive training offering new ways to practice essential skills. Learn more about how virtual and augmented reality, simulated environments, and other technologies are helping train warfighters everywhere from the cockpit to the maintenance depot.
Air Force officials are changing the way the service deploys Airmen, offering more time at home after a tour and more training by sending units on long-term assignments instead of individual deployments. It's the most substantial change to Air Force deployments in two decades, the service said in a press release June 27. Dubbed the "Air Force Force Generation model," the new deployment cycle will apply to all Airmen by Oct. 1.
The Space Force will move to a more predictable schedule for its annual performance reviews, following the Air Force’s lead on an initiative that began last year. Rather than ask Guardians to submit job reviews on a rolling basis throughout the year, each rank will stick to a set due date known as a “static closeout date.” The changes apply to officers up to the rank of colonel, or O-6, and all enlisted Guardians.
The U.S. Air Force is experimenting with a mix of drones, artificial intelligence, and cloud collaboration to find ways to slash the time it takes to inspect aircraft for wear and tear. In trials backed by aircraft manufacturer Boeing and Near Earth Autonomy, a developer of drone operating systems, service technicians at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii are launching autonomous uncrewed aerial systems with mounted cameras to catalog the condition of Boeing C-17 cargo planes that transport heavy weapons and passengers.
More than 80 F-35s could be left in limbo as the Pentagon refuses to accept new jets until testing of updated technology on the stealth fighters is complete. Deliveries of new F-35s are on hold until December at the earliest and April at the latest, according to F-35 Joint Program Office spokesperson Russ Goemaere.
With just days until he retires, Gen. David Berger, the Marine Corps commandant, has spent part of this week giving some of his last addresses to the public, industry, and the Marines he has led for the past four years. In a discussion with a small number of reporters June 28, Berger fielded questions on just about every relevant topic imaginable: What are his final thoughts on the criticisms from retired officers about Force Design 2030? What lessons did the Marine Corps learn from Afghanistan? What will he be doing on July 11, the first day in a long time that he’ll be a civilian again?
The Spaceport Company, a startup developing floating launch pads for space rockets, is one of 17 companies selected to receive government funding this year under the National Security Innovation Capital program. The NSIC program, run by the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit, allocated $35 million in 2023 funding to 17 early-stage companies from different sectors of the tech industry, DIU said June 28.
U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Cory Engberg received the Purple Heart medal this month at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico for wounds received in action during his July 2021 deployment in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, according to an Air Force news release. The Purple Heart is presented to service members who have been killed or wounded in the line of duty. It is one of the oldest military awards, and it symbolizes the sacrifice the recipient has made.
In the spring of 1945, Wally King was a young lieutenant flying a Republic P-47 Thunderbolt over Germany. During King’s last combat mission, his plane was hit by flak and he bailed out over enemy territory. He survived the last few weeks of World War II in captivity but was able to return home, raise a family, and start a successful career as a CPA, eventually owning one of the largest accounting firms in Pittsburgh. Today, the 99-year-old veteran serves as a volunteer for the Meals on Wheels program, visiting shut-ins and the infirm near his home in New Wilmington, Penn. The active almost-centenarian spoke about his military career.