Daily Report

May 17, 2011

Passing the Torch

The 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw AFB, S.C., turned over responsibility for protecting the airspace in the southeast United States to the South Carolina Air National Guard’s 169th FW at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, announced Shaw officials Monday. Shaw’s...

White House Releases Cyber Strategy

The White House on Monday released the US International Strategy for Cyberspace. The "landmark document" sets out to explain US cyberspace policy, including how the United States intends to enhance security and "safeguard openness in our increasingly networked world," said Howard Schmidt, White House cybersecurity coordinator. "The International Strategy lays out the President's vision for the future of the Internet, and sets an agenda for partnering with other nations and peoples to achieve that vision," said Schmidt. The strategy is based on seven policy priorities: economic engagement, cybersecurity, law enforcement, military cooperation, multiple-stakeholder Internet governance, development, and Internet freedom. "It is hard to overstate the importance of cyberspace in the Department of Defense or the need to engage our allies and partners to keep it secure," said Deputy Defense Secretary Bill Lynn. "Department of Defense networks are probed millions of times a day, and more than 100 foreign intelligence agencies have tried to penetrate our networks or those of our industrial base." (White House blog entry) (White House fact sheet) (Cyberspace strategy full document; caution, large-sized file) (AFPS report by Cheryl Pellerin)

Space Wing Supports Final Endeavour Launch

The Space Shuttle Endeavour successfully lifted off on its final voyage into space Monday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Airmen, civilians, and contractors with the 45th Space Wing at nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station provided support for...

Tracking Resilience

The Air Force intends to launch a study this summer, together with RAND, to track more than 5,000 active duty families across a full deployment cycle—before, during, and after an airman’s deployment—to measure their resilience, according to two senior service...

Australia Eyed as Space Fence Partner

The Air Force seeks to establish a ground-based radar site in Australia as part of the future Space Fence space-surveillance network and jointly operate the site there with the Australians, said Maj. Gen. John Hyten, director of space programs in...

A Rare Repair

For the first time in 15 years, maintainers at Robins AFB, Ga., are fitting an F-15E with a new rear half. Last August, during a training exercise near Shaw AFB, S.C., this Strike Eagle’s left engine ingested a bird, which...

Preparing for the Worst

Keesler AFB, Miss., is acting as the primary aerial hub for Ultimate Cadeuceus, this week’s national-level interagency disaster response exercise spanning several states. Keesler will act as the collection point for mock casualties from a simulated 7.7-magnitude earthquake northwest of...

Sheppard Hosts Training for African Countries

The first-ever Trans-Sahara Culture of Maintenance and Logistics Course is under way at Sheppard AFB, Tex., for military personnel from seven African nations. The three-week course—a partnership between 17th Air Force (Air Forces Africa) and Air Education and Training Command—is...

Astronaut Hall of Fame Inducts Two USAF Officers

Lt. Gen. Susan Helms, commander of 14th Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., and retired Air Force Col. Karol Bobko are the newest members of the US Astronaut Hall of Fame at the Kennedy Space Center in...

Editor’s Note

Data on the air sorties in Southwest Asia are available once again and will appear periodically in the Data Points section of the airforce-magazine.com home page. The most recent Data Points entry, Airpower on the Rise, includes the air sorties...