Air Force leaders have instructed public affairs personnel to use the phrase “force shaping,” rather than terms such as “downsizing” or “layoffs” whey they are discussing the upcoming personnel cuts. And, leaders have deemed as strictly taboo the obvious, logical, and traditional term “reduction in force.” Why? Senior leadership wants to emphasize that the service is deliberately moving toward a new and smaller organization, rather than having folks construe the cuts as a money-saving effort.
A new Air Force organization is searching for counter-drone firms to participate in a dozen or more exercises to help create operating plans by the end of this year for defending the service’s U.S.-based installations from drone attacks.