Gen. Kevin Chilton, new head of Air Force Space Command, says there is only one Space Command recapitalization program that he’s dissatisfied with—the lack of a program to replace AFSPC’s old and underperforming UH-1 helicopter fleet. The command identified a need for new missile field security helicopters in the late 1990s, Chilton said Tuesday at AFA’s Air & Space Conference in Washington, but the problem still has not been fixed with any firm plan. He says another analysis of alternatives is under way.
Secretary of Defense Austin Lloyd III met with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the Philippines to discuss bolstering defense ties on May 2. The discussion included plans for joint F-35 exercises with Japan and Australia in the coming years.