Air Force Reserve Command plans on Jan. 7 to activate a new space unit—the Headquarters Reserve National Security Space Institute—to work with the NSSI in Colorado Springs, Colo. The NSSI is the DOD lead for educating the military about space power. The Reserve NSSI will provide a “surge capacity” for the NSSI to develop new courses and offer “long-term continuity and a firm knowledge base,” says the unit’s commander, Col. Susan Rhodes. It will be part of AFRC’s 310th Space Group at Schriever AFB, Colo., and comprise 11 full-time reservists and 44 traditional reservists.
The Pentagon awarded a contract worth over $2 billion for the next batch of F-35 engines to Pratt & Whitney on June 5. The deal for Lot 17 F135 engines, totaling $2.02 billion, is expected to be completed by December 2025.