In his testimony before Congress last week, Air Force Undersecretary Ron Sega acknowledged that the Air Force will be losing many experienced space professionals through retirement, saying that USAF must “focus on the basics of recruiting, training, and mentoring” to develop a balanced space workforce. He told the House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee that the Fiscal 2007 defense budget contains “roughly twice” the amount of the 2006 request for the National Defense Education Program, which targets undergrad and grad students studying science, math, and engineering. He urged continued Congressional support for such activities.
An important U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS command and control plane was among the aircraft damaged in a March 27 Iranian missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine.