Come November, most active-duty and some Reserve and National Guard members will be able to sign up for flexible spending accounts to help pay for child care, preschool, day camps and even adult day care services as part of the federal Flexible Spending Account program. The program is one of several personnel initiatives announced in March by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and allows personnel to obtain a Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account, or DCFSA. Troops can set aside up to $5,000 in pretax income through payroll deductions—money that can be spent on approved types of care.
The Ukrainians need an asymmetric advantage over the Russians, and the F-16s can provide that. In an exclusive interview with the Voice of America, retired U.S. Air Force Gen. David Deptula said that Ukrainian pilots have proven themselves to be highly effective and innovative, that the Russian air defense and air force have been overhyped in terms of its capabilities. He also compared the experience of the American forces offensive and the situation on the Ukrainian front lines right now.
Virtually every part of the Department of the Air Force’s drive to modernize is being shaped by Secretary Frank Kendall’s seven Operational Imperatives—lines of effort that address the most important and urgent challenges facing the Air Force today. Now, the department and industry are working together to develop solutions for each imperative, and the results will likely change the Air Force and Space Force for the next generation. Keep up with all the latest news on each Operational Imperative.
The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) said Aug. 3 he is launching an investigation into the Biden administration’s decision to keep U.S. Space Command’s headquarters in Colorado. President Biden earlier this week overturned the Trump administration’s recommendation to move U.S. Space Command from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Ala.
Following the conclusion of Air Mobility Command’s (AMC) largest readiness exercise in its history held for the first time in the Indo-Pacific, officials are starting to unpack lessons learned, with a key takeaway being the need to “refresh” Air Force doctrine to better coordinate logistics forces, according to a top service official. “There’s definitely some refresh that needs to take place… There’s some refreshing of Air Force doctrine, probably some joint doctrine, and that’s some of our intent in getting after the institutionalization of the command and control of GAMSS forces,” Maj. Gen. John Klein, commander of the Air Force Expeditionary Center, said during a virtual discussion hosted by the Air & Space Forces Association.
Air Force officials hope to keep the new B-21 stealth bomber affordable by depending less on builder Northrop Grumman to fix and update it. The Raider program won't repeat a mistake it made on the B-2 Spirit program: relying too heavily on the contractor for sustainment, Brig. Gen. William Rogers, program executive officer for bombers, told reporters.
The Space Force’s new “operations” doctrine for the first time lays out how the newest military service sees its roles within the Joint Force during peace and war — not just to protect and defend US space assets, but also to defend terrestrial forces and enhance their “lethality” by using “combat power” in any fight. The document represents a first foundational action plan for the Space Force, and more clearly defines how it bounds its own specific missions, such as “offensive” and “defensive” space operations, and the relatively new concept of “mobility and logistics” in space.
After a successful deployment to U.S. Central Command, the Air Force’s Kessel Run software development factory is preparing to scale its Kessel Run All Domain Operations Suite (KRADOS) to support multi-domain operations for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. “Over the last several months, we’ve taken steps to start working on focusing on Pacific capabilities and requirements that will enable us to better support operations there,” Col. Rich Lopez, Kessel Run senior materiel leader, told DefenseScoop during a media roundtable at the Air Force Life Cycle Industry Days in Dayton, Ohio.
The U.S. military is considering putting armed personnel on commercial ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, in what would be an unheard of action aimed at stopping Iran from seizing and harassing civilian vessels, American officials told The Associated Press on Aug. 3. Since 2019, Iran has seized a series of ships in the strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, as part of its efforts to pressure the West over negotiations regarding its collapsed nuclear deal with world powers. Putting U.S. troops on commercial ships could further deter Iran from seizing vessels—or escalate tensions further.
It’s no secret that Barbie has had a lot of jobs since she was born in perfect plastic form in 1959. The now 64-year-old trailblazer has practiced everything from medicine and law to zoology. It makes perfect sense considering her slogan is “You can be anything.” And, ever the American patriot, Barbie has had a prolific military career, serving in the U.S. Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and Navy. Imagine the tinnitus. Alas, there is no Coast Guard. And while Barbie has been an astronaut, she’s never been a Guardian in the Space Force ... yet.