Steve Hirsch
Recent stories by Steve Hirsch
Pence Renews Administration Push for Space Force
Vice President Mike Pence continues the Trump administration's push for its proposed Space Force, disucssing it at a meeting of the National Space Council, as well as during an interview at a Washington Post event.
DoD’s Space Force Plan Diverges from USAF Vision
The Pentagon's plan to create an independent Space Force would create a lean new military service headed by a secretary and uniformed chief of staff and built from staff and commands now in the Air Force, Navy, and Army.
Tyndall Begins Cleanup and Evaluation of Aircraft, Will Start Allowing Families to Return
The Air Force will start letting families return to Tyndall AFB, Fla., about six days after Hurricane Michael made landfall and caused "catastrophic damage" to the facility and damaged an undisclosed number of F-22s.
“Crimped” Component— Not Ejection Seat— Caused B-1B Mishap, UTC Says
The manufacturer of the B-1B’s ejection seat says it’s not to blame for the May B-1B incident in which the crew was forced to make an emergency landing during a fire emergency after one ejection system failed.
Tackling Battlefield Airmen Attrition Rates
USAF's Battlefield Airmen Training Group is using innovations to improve how it trains prospective Air Force special operators, AETC said Thursday, pointing to a reported 11 percent overall graduation rate jump since its activation in 2016.
White House and Pentagon: Wilson Not at Risk of Firing Over Space Force
The Trump administration Friday categorically denied a report that President Trump is considering firing Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson over her handling of the administration’s Space Force proposal.
US NATO Ambassador Warns Moscow on Missile Development
If Russia doesn't stop working on missiles in violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, the United States could move to “take out” the missiles, Kay Bailey Hutchison, the US ambassador to NATO, told reporters in Brussels.
F-35 Crashes for the First Time, Pilot Ejects Safely
The Sept. 28 crash of a Marine-Corps-operated Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II fighter, like the one shown here, comes just one day after the Afghanistan airstrike that marked the first combat attack by one of the service's F-35Bs. Marine Corps...
Internal Pentagon Memo Outlines Deadlines for Establishment of Space Force
Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson addresses a National Press Club luncheon in Washington Wednesday. Senior military leaders will have to meet a series of important deadlines in the coming weeks, as planning for the creation of a sixth military service...
US Should Act Quickly to Counter Hypersonic Weapons, Former MDA Official Says
The US must act quickly to deal with the threat from hypersonic weapons, the former deputy director of the Missile Defense Agency told a Washington, D.C., audience Tuesday.?
Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality Help Airmen Learn Better, Faster
AETC is conducting beta tests and studying to better understand how the human brain works in order to take advantage of AI to help students gain a deeper knowledge of their jobs much faster than they would under traditional teaching methods.
Two Texas Squadrons Use Advanced Technology to Train Pilot Instructors
Two training squadrons at JBSA-Randolph, Texas, have begun an experimental program to use commercially available monitors and simulators which incorporate virtual reality and other advanced technology to train pilot instructors more economically and effectively than had been done in the...
The Air Force’s Plan for Space Force
The Air Force sets out a proposal for the establishment of a Space Force in a Sept. 14 memo from Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson to the Defense Department, outlining a department with about 13,000 employees that would cost about $3.3 billion.
House, Senate Conferees Reach Agreement on Fiscal 2019 Spending Bill
House and Senate conferees Friday released compromise defense spending legislation agreed to the day before. The $674.4 billion spending bill is likely to be taken up in each house in coming weeks, then to be sent to President Trump for his signature.
Russian Aircraft Intercepted West of Alaska, NORAD Says
Two F-22s assigned to JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, intercepted two Russian Tu-95 “Bear” bombers accompanied by two Su-35 “Flanker” fighter jets west of mainland Alaska around 10 p.m. Tuesday, the Pentagon said Wednesday.