Unshin Lee Harpley
Unshin Lee Harpley is a reporter at the Air and Space Forces Magazine. Previously, Unshin was a multimedia journalist at Voice of America where she covered local and national stories, including the 2020 Presidential Election. She hosted a weekly program promoting the English language and American culture, targeted at South Korean viewers and North Korean senior officials.
Prior to Voice of America, Unshin was in Seoul at Arirang TV and TBS eFM for three years where she reported on some of the region’s major political, social, and cultural events.
Unshin graduated from Iowa State University where she studied journalism at the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication. Her grandfather, who named her, was a lieutenant colonel served in the Korean War, and she spent half of her life in the States and the other half in South Korea. With her unique background, she has always been eager to explore the dynamics at play within the U.S. military and its profound impact on both domestic and global polices.
She is also passionate about establishing connections within the DMV community and advocating for the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voices. Unshin can be reached at uharpley@afa.org
Recent stories by Unshin Lee Harpley
May 8, 2024
It is critical that the Air Force move forward on the replacement for its E-4B “Doomsday” aircraft to keep the capability “viable” into the next decade and beyond, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. told lawmakers May 8.
May 6, 2024
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall caught a ride in the front seat of a modified, artificial intelligence-piloted F-16 on May 2, a high-profile show of confidence in the service’s autonomous technologies—and another key step in maturing that technology for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program.
May 4, 2024
Navy Adm. Samuel J. Paparo Jr. assumed leadership of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, succeeding Navy Adm. John Aquilino at a change of command ceremony, urging action amid China's “increasing intrusive and expansionist claims,” on May 3
May 3, 2024
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.
May 2, 2024
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy John F. Plumb warned lawmakers that Russia is developing an “indiscriminate” nuclear weapon to go in space, confirming reports from several months ago and describing potentially devastating effects in orbit.
May 1, 2024
F-22A Raptors from the 27th Fighter Squadron at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., recently arrived at Kadena Air Base in Japan, bolstering the fifth-generation airpower at the closest U.S. military installation to Taiwan.
May 1, 2024
Questioned by lawmakers on the state of the Air Force's maintenance depots, Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James C. "Jim" Slife said April 30 that the service is investing in IT and data infrastructure to better sustain new software-intensive platforms—while acknowledging that there is still ...
April 29, 2024
A recent seven-day exercise sent Air Force F-22s—along with other USAF aircraft—to austere, challenging environments across Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. Agile Reaper, taking place for the second time after its inaugural edition last year, featured 800 Airmen and 29 aircraft across five different ...
April 26, 2024
F-15E fighters from the 335th Fighter Squadron of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., arrived in the Arabian Peninsula last week for a multilateral exercise hosted by the United Arab Emirates. Alongside the Strike Eagles, A-10s from the Maryland Air National Guard are also participating ...
April 25, 2024
In the wake of a major Chinese military shakeup, the head of U.S. Space Command warned of China’s “breathtakingly fast” advances in space during visits to Japan and South Korea. Gen. Stephen N. Whiting’s trip to the Indo-Pacific is his first overseas visit since taking ...
April 24, 2024
Small one-way attack drones widely used on the frontlines of Ukraine and against U.S. outposts in the Middle East have fundamentally altered the definition of air superiority, Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. James C. “Jim” Slife said April 24. "Our traditional ...
April 24, 2024
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design, the Air Force ...
April 23, 2024
South Korea conducted the final live-fire drills with its F-4 Phantoms and AGM-142 Popeye missiles amid the largest U.S.-South Korea air exercise of the year.
April 19, 2024
The Air Force carried out the largest B-2 Spirit fly-off in recent history, when 12 aircraft—the majority of the nation's stealth bombers—took off one by one on April 15 from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo. The event also created a massive elephant walk as the ...
April 18, 2024
Two B-52 bombers made a rare touchdown at a civilian airport earlier this month to practice landing at non-military airfields. The jets from Barksdale Air Force Base, La., landed at Chennault International Airport, La., on April 12. “When it comes to nuclear war, all bets ...
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