Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne has high praise for airmen in a recent letter, noting that they continue to accomplish “amazing things” every day. Traveling within Southwest Asia over the holidays, Wynne said he saw airmen who had added IR sensors to their vehicles to search for improvised explosive devices. He wrote, “Airmen continue to impress me with their passion for finding a better way.” However, even though Wynne believes no one else can do what the Air Force does on a daily basis, he noted, “We still have room for improvement” to maintain that excellence.
A top Pentagon tech official called on industry this week to help the military develop “lighter, more efficient” directed energy weapons designed to go on aircraft and conduct special operations missions or down drones—areas where the Air Force’s directed energy efforts have been quiet as of late.