Dik A. Daso
Recent stories by Dik A. Daso
Trump Picks NRO’s Meink as Next Air Force Secretary
President-elect Donald Trump has picked Dr. Troy E. Meink to become the next Secretary of the Air Force, he announced Jan. 16. Meink is currently the principal deputy director of the National Reconnaissance Office, a Department of Defense intelligence agency that works closely with the ...
USAF Rejiggers T-7 Plan Again: New Test Aircraft, Delayed Production
The Air Force plans to buy four more production-representative T-7 jets for test and delay the first production contract by a year, until fiscal 2026—the latest setback to acquiring USAF's first new trainer in decades.
Hegseth Vows to ‘Look Under the Hood’ of NGAD, Review Air Force Capacity
Pete Hegseth vowed to review plans for the future of the Air Force during a contentious three-and-half-hour confirmation hearing Jan. 14 on his nomination to serve as the next Secretary of Defense. Perhaps the most significant Air Force decision Hegseth will face, if he is confirmed ...
VIDEO: Watch an Air Force C-130 Crew Fly Low to Fight LA Fire
U.S. Northern Command and the National Guard posted a video to Facebook on Jan. 12 which presents an over-the-shoulder view of a C-130J crew with the California Air National Guard's 146th Airlift Wing as they drop lines of fire retardant on the mountains above the ...
Guard F-35s Deploy from Vermont to Kadena
F-35 Lightning II fighters from the Vermont Air National Guard deployed to Kadena Air Base, Japan, on Jan. 13, in the latest rotation of fighters to the strategic U.S. outpost in the western Pacific.
Chief to Airmen: New Standards and Enforcement Are Coming
The Air Force is reviewing dress and appearance standards for Airmen and will begin to more strictly enforce regulations, Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin said in a video address to Airmen released on Facebook Jan. 10. The changes will start rolling out in ...
Biden Admin Prepares ‘Substantial’ Final Aid Package to Ukraine
The Biden administration is preparing to announce its final package of military assistance to Ukraine before Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20, defense officials said Jan. 7. The military assistance, which is to be drawn from existing U.S. stocks, will be detailed when Secretary of ...
F-16s, F-15s, and A-10s Conduct Airstrikes Against ISIS in Iraq
The U.S.-led coalition and Iraqi forces stepped up their campaign against Islamic State fighters over the past week, including a confrontation with militants holed up in an Iraqi cave, U.S. Central Command said Jan. 6.
‘Air Force One’ Plane to Transport Carter for State Funeral
The U.S. Air Force VC-25 aircraft commonly known as Air Force One is scheduled to transport former President Jimmy Carter for the final time this week for services in Georgia and Washington, D.C., before he is laid to rest Jan. 9.
How Stealthy F-22 Raptors Learned to Take on Elusive Iranian Threats in the Middle East
When Lt. Col. Dustin Johnson was ordered to deploy to the Middle East last year, he and his fellow F-22 Raptor pilots prepared for an unusual challenge. As America’s premier air superiority fighter, the F-22 was designed to take on advanced enemy aircraft, capable of maneuvering ...
New Pentagon Report: China Expanding Military Reach to Project Power Around the Globe
The People’s Republic of China has improved its ability to project power globally despite corruption purges and a shrinking economy, the Pentagon’s annual report card on the Chinese military says. That includes a growing nuclear arsenal that added 100 new warheads in the last year.
US Conducts Fresh Anti-ISIS Airstrikes in Syria in New ‘Permissible’ Airspace
The U.S. military conducted a new round of airstrikes against militants from the Islamic State group in central Syria on Dec. 16, as the Pentagon is attempting to stop ISIS from gaining ground following the sudden collapse of the regime of Bashar Al Assad.
B-52s in Europe Head Home, Bombers in Middle East to Follow
After more than a month of operations that saw 10 B-52s—nearly 15 percent of the entire fleet—operating across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, four have returned to the U.S., with the rest slated to follow in the coming weeks.
USAF Leaders See ‘Human-Machine Teams’—Not Robots—as Future of Airpower
The Air Force has a word of caution for those who are urging that autonomous systems supplant crewed platforms: we still need a human in the loop.
American MQ-9 Drone Shot Down in Syria—by US Ally
A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper was mistakenly shot down in northern Syria on Dec. 9 by the U.S.-allied Syrian Democratic Forces, U.S. officials told Air & Space Forces Magazine.