Daily Report

July 23, 2012

Airman Killed in Colorado Theater Shooting

SSgt. Jesse Childress, 29, an Air Force Reservist assigned to the 310th Forces Support Squadron at Buckley AFB, Colo., died in the mass shooting on July 20 in a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., near Denver, announced Air Force officials...

The F-22 and Clout Deficit

The Air Force lobbied former Defense Secretary Robert Gates several years ago for more than the 187 F-22s it ultimately was allowed to buy, but service leaders chose to give up the fight rather than expend all their clout to...

Shake It Up

Preoccupied with the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Air Force may have become too complacent about its structure and methods, said outgoing Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz. In a mid July exit interview, Schwartz said the Air Force,...

New Wrinkle in the Total Force

The Air Force will likely experiment with a new way of filling manpower needs called “sponsored reservists,” said outgoing Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz. Britain’s armed forces “have a contract for their refueling where their contractor provides both the...

Former BMT Instructor Found Guilty of Sexual Misconduct

SSgt. Luis Walker, a former basic military training instructor at JBSA-Lackland, Tex., will spend 20 years in confinement and receive a dishonorable discharge after his conviction last week on 28 counts of sexual misconduct in his general court-martial. The Air...

The Pacific Pivot

The Air Force’s capabilities need to focus on the “Pacific first,” based on the Obama Administration’s new defense strategic guidance, said Chief of Staff nominee Gen. Mark Welsh last week. The guidance means that the Air Force will have to...

Information is Operations

Lt. Gen. Michael Basla, chief of information dominance in the Air Force Secretariat, thinks a centralized approach to the cyber theater will save the Air Force money and generate capabilities for the armed services at large. He said joint efforts...

Updated Re-Enlistment Bonus List Issued

The Air Force’s Fiscal 2012 mid-year list of selective re-enlistment bonuses identifies 53 specialties that will receive bonuses—down from 78 at the start of the fiscal year, according to service manpower officials. Airmen in stressed career fields, such as special...

Boeing Receives B-1B Upgrade Contract

The Air Force awarded Boeing a $65.8 million contract for Lot 2 production of integrated battle stations for the B-1B bomber fleet, announced the company. Under this production lot, Boeing will supply IBS kits for nine B-1s, according to the...