An arrangement spawned between then commander of McGuire AFB, N.J., Rep. Jim Saxton (R-N.J.), and the presidents of Burlington County College and Thomas Edison State College is aiding the Air Force effort to indoctrinate airmen in currently relevant foreign language and culture, reports The New York Times. The Air Force has been identifying airmen with foreign language skills and made such training an integral part of the Air Force Academy curriculum. It also has created a Culture and Language Center at Air University in Alabama. McGuire started its effort last year, with the schools providing classes in Farsi, conversational Arabic, and they quickly added cultural training, as well. The schools are working around deployments, offering some programs online. The Times reports that other Air Force bases offer similar programs.
The Space Force is preparing for significant growth to its procurement budget in fiscal 2027, and the head of the service’s largest acquisition organization said April 14 he is asking companies to invest now in facilities and production capacity so they’re ready to execute when called upon.