Besides being a contender for USAF’s new battlefield airman training facility (see above), Barksdale AFB, La., is in line for the service’s new Cyber Command. It now serves as host to the provisional headquarters and, this week, is hosting a cyber warfare symposium for some 1,650 people from academia, industry, and government. An editorial in The Times calls the event a “key building block in this crucial military and promising economic mission.” Both local and state governments in Louisiana have made significant monetary investments in setting the stage to win Cyber Command. Other states making pitches to become the permanent home to the new command include California, Colorado, Nebraska, Texas, and Virginia.
The Air Force displayed all the firepower it has amassed on Okinawa in an unusually diverse show of force this week. IIn a May 6 “Elephant Walk,” Kadena Air Base showcased 24 F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters, eight F-15E Strike Eagles; two U.S. Army Patriot anti-missile batteries near the runway; and…