Daily Report

Oct. 18, 2012

Turn Off the Lights When You Leave the Room

The Air Force has already reduced its real energy consumption by 30 percent over the past eight years, but continues to seek ways to operate more efficiently to help bring down its staggering energy bill, said Kevin Geiss, the service's energy czar. In Fiscal 2011 alone, the Air Force spent some $9.7 billion in total for fuel and electricity, including more than 2.5 billion gallons of aviation fuel, he said on Oct. 17 during an AFA-Air Force Breakfast Program address in Arlington, Va. That's the equivalent of buying 12 CV-22s, 12 C-17s, 36 MQ-9 Reapers, and 25 F-22s, according to a handout that Geiss' office distributed at the event. The final energy bill isn't in yet for Fiscal 2012, but "we are pretty sure that it is going to be larger," noted Geiss. Curbing the service's energy consumption by just 10 percent would result in a billion dollars of savings, said Geiss. That's much-needed funding that the Air Force could apply for other purposes. Toward that end, the Air Force is promoting ways to reduce demand, increase the use of renewable energy sources, and limit exposure to disruptions in supply, he said. Underpinning this all is the push to instill "an energy-aware culture" in all airmen, said Geiss.

Defining the Air Force’s Cyber Role

Senior Air Force leaders will meet at JB Andrews, Md., in mid November to try once and for all to define the service’s role in cyberspace, reported AOL Defense. This summit is meant to address lingering questions, including what is...

Perspective Matters

If fiscal pressures should lead to a debate on the relative value of the legs of the nuclear triad compared to other military weapons systems, Maj. Gen. William Chambers said he’d want those discussions to occur “from a strategic perspective,”...

Diplomatic Ceiling

By around the fall of 2017, the Air Force expects to arrive at the reduced force structure levels it must meet for the United States to comply with the New START agreement’s ceilings on strategic nuclear forces, said Maj. Gen....

F-35A Drops First Weapon

An Air Force F-35A completed the first in-flight weapons release for this variant of the strike fighter, announced prime contractor Lockheed Martin. AF-1, flown by Maj. Eric Schultz, on Oct. 16 released a 2,000-pound joint direct attack munition from its...

New York “Skibirds” Head to Antarctica

The New York Air National Guard’s 109th Airlift Wing in Scotia has dispatched four of its ski-equipped LC-130s to support the National Science Foundation’s research mission in Antarctica. This deployment marks the kickoff of the unit’s annual participation in Operation...

A Star is Born

A sodium guide star laser began operating on a telescope at the Starfire Optical Range at Kirtland AFB, N.M., announced Boeing. The 50-watt laser, built by Boeing and the Air Force Research Lab, is intended to improve space situational awareness...