Gen. Lance Lord, commander of Air Force Space Command, has authorized wear of the new Space Badge—but it is not yet available for purchase. Lord announced the creation of the new badge last year. (See our article on “New Space Badge To Replace ‘Pocket Rocket’” here.) According to AFSPC, the command will award the badge to personnel in space billets once they have completed the required education and training and gained requisite training. Read more here.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.