Boeing last fall connected the F-22 Mission Training Center at Langley AFB, Va., to USAF’s Distributed Mission Operations Network, according to a Feb. 4 release, making it possible for Langley F-22 pilots to train in the virtual world with pilots of other platforms at other locations. The Langley facility is the first of four F-22 training centers Boeing is to link to the DMON over the next three years. Mark McGraw, Boeing VP of training systems and services, said that the Langley F-22 MTC “was the first trainer in the industry to achieve first-pass success on its initial DMON testing.” The F-22 MTC also employed Agile Software Development for the first time, permitting faster assessment of component functionality. The other three F-22 MTCs are to be installed at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, Hickam AFB, Hawaii, and Holloman AFB, N.M.
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.