Daily Report

Based on decisions made at last week’s Corona leadership summit, the Air Force announced yesterday that it will establish a “nuclear-focused major command” to concentrate the service’s support for the US military’s nuclear and deterrence missions. And the service plans to create a new numbered air force for cyber operations within Air Force Space Command, apparently axing plans to form a major command for cyber. Locations for the new nuclear command and cyber NAF were not addressed and will require further deliberation, according to the announcement. Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said the service will announce “soon” more of its decisions regarding the nuclear enterprise, including the release of its nuclear roadmap, because they are “crucial steps” toward re-attaining excellence and re-vitalizing the Air Force’s nuclear culture. He said the conduct of cyber operations is “a complex issue,” as the Department of Defense and interagency partners have “substantial equity” in the realm. But the Air Force “will continue to do” its part to increase its cyber capabilities, he said. Among the other decisions rendered at Corona, the service leadership decided to assign a senior Air Force officer to certain joint force commanders; this officer will have command authority to direct air support. The service leaders also discussed which missions and functional specialties should receive additional allocations under the new 330,000 active duty end strength ceiling. “The leadership will work to close this issue for this budget cycle in the coming weeks,” said Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz.

The Air Force announced Monday that it has begun its search for officer volunteers with no previous flying experience to enter the service’s new training program for operating MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles. The first 10 officers...

The 17th Air Support Operations Squadron, an elite unit of tactical air control party airmen and support personnel, transitioned from Air Combat Command to Air Force Special Operation Command’s 720th Special Tactics Group during a ceremony Oct. 1 at Hurlburt...

The Air Force is delaying the launch of its next weather satellite since the currently on-orbit units are still healthy and performing so well. Spaceflight Now reported Oct. 6 that, as a result, Defense Meteorological Satellite Program spacecraft F18, originally...

A 12-member delegation from the Chinese People's Liberation Army visited Hickam AFB, Hawaii, and other nearby military installations Oct. 1-2 for a professional exchange with senior enlisted airmen, marines, sailors, and soldiers. The visit of the Chinese group, led by Maj. Gen. Zhong Zhiming, chief of military affairs for the PLA Headquarters General Staff, is part of the US military’s efforts to promote understanding and a constructive relationship. "The most interesting part of the visit was the Airman Leadership School," said Zhong. "It's really important to know how you apply your leadership to help develop the overall quality of your junior [noncommissioned officers].” The Chinese visit came after a US military delegation led by Air Force CMSgt. James Roy, US Pacific Command’s senior enlisted leader, went to China in June. And it concluded just one day before the Bush Administration informed Congress of its intent to sell Taiwan a $6.5 billion package of defensive arms, including Patriot anti-missile missiles, Apache attack helicopters, Javelin antitank missiles, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, spare parts for C-130s, F-5s, and F-16s, and upgrades for four E-2 surveillance aircraft. The Chinese government wasted no time in responding, announcing Oct. 6 that it was cancelling a senior general’s visit to Washington, D.C., later this year, the Los Angeles Times reported yesterday. The newspaper said China will also halt port calls by US naval vessels for the time being and not participate in upcoming humanitarian assistance-disaster relief exchanges or talks on stopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction. (Includes Hickam report by Capt. Genieve David)

The first batch of Republic of Singapore Air Force personnel, along with their families, arrived last month at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, to establish the operations that will qualify all Singaporean F-15SG aircrews in coming years. The first F-15SGs are...

Retired CMSgt. Robert Brown, the youngest surviving member of World War II’s Bataan Death March, received the Bronze Star Medal during a ceremony Sept. 30 at Beale AFB, Calif., 66 years over due. Brown served as a medical technician, helping...

The Department of Defense has expanded the criteria for Purple Heart eligibility by allowing prisoners of war who died in captivity to receive the award. Unless compelling evidence is presented to the contrary, DOD’s new policy presumes that the death...

Oct. 5, 2008 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total YTD ISR 27 17 44 10,046 CAS/Armed Recon 51 67 118 28,499 Airlift 146 146 36,064 Air refueling 52 52 14,071 Total 360 88,680 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation Enduring Freedom ISR=Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance...