Daily Report

June 7, 2010

Corner Turned

The Air Force has successfully transitioned from being in reactive mode in its nuclear oversight to a more active manner of operations, says Maj. Gen. Donald Alston, point man for nuclear matters on the Air Staff. In fact, he asserts...

Services Told to Shift $102 Billion

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates on Friday issued guidance directing the services and defense agencies to come up with $101.9 billion in total savings over the five-year period Fiscal 2012-16. They are to do this by reducing overhead and support...

Clapper Tapped for Top Intel Post

President Obama on June 5 nominated retired Air Force Lt. Gen. James Clapper to be the director of national intelligence, responsible for coordinating the activities of the military and non-military organizations across the US intelligence community. Obama described Clapper, who...

Gates Endorses Clapper, Bond Has Concerns

Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Sunday voiced his support for James Clapper’s nomination to be the next director of national intelligence. “I think the President could not have found a better person, a more experienced person or [one] with a...

Alexander Backs Cyber Talks

Army Gen. Keith Alexander, head of the Defense Department’s new Cyber Command, said last week he is open to the US engaging in talks with Russia on limiting military attacks in cyberspace. “What Russia’s put forward is, perhaps, the starting...

CIA Says Drone Operations are Lawful

“Without discussing or confirming any specific action, [CIA] operations are, of course, designed from the very start to be lawful and are subject to close oversight within our government,“ CIA spokeswoman Paula Weiss told the Daily Report Friday. She was...

U-2 Pilot Presented Kolligian Trophy

Lt. Col. Joseph Santucci, 99th Reconnaissance Squadron commander at Beale AFB, Calif., received the Koren Kolligian Jr. Trophy, the Air Force’s top flight safety award, from Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz during a June 1 ceremony in the Pentagon....

First Non-Military RPA Training Center

L-3 Link Simulation and Training and the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks have agreed to establish the first non-military educational institution in the US providing initial qualification and continuation training for MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper operators. The memorandum of understanding says the facility will open its doors in March 2011, according to the company's June 2 release. The training center will be located both on UND's campus and at Grand Forks Air Force Base, where the US Customs and Border Protection agency already operates an unarmed MQ-9s to patrol the US-Canada border. The base is slated to receive the first of its Air Force RQ-4 Global Hawk Block 40 reconnaissance aircraft in mid-2011, A1C Rachel Martinez, spokeswoman for Grand Forks' 319th Air Refueling Wing, confirmed to the Daily Report Friday. (See CBP UAS overview.)

More Mini Decoys

Raytheon has received a $96.7 million contract from the Air Force for the third production lot of miniature air launched decoys. The company will build approximately 300 MALDs during Lot 3, a quantity it says is “nearly equal to the...

Airman Earns Third Bronze Star

MSgt. Van Hood, an explosive ordnance disposal airman with the 4th Civil Engineer Squadron at Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., in May received a Bronze Star medal—his third such award—for his meritorious service during a six-month deployment to Afghanistan. During this...

Air Sorties from SWA 052410

Air Sorties in Southwest Asia, May 24-25, 2010 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total YTD ISR 50 103 153 9,207 CAS/Armed Recon 40 172 212 13,586 Airlift 363 363 24,804 Air refueling 97 97 6,331 Rescue 71 71 2,514 Total...