2024 USAF & USSF Almanac: U.S. Space Force

In the wake of an intense storm, Alaska Air National Guard Airmen evacuated more than 500 residents by C-17s as heavy storm surges flooded villages in the region.

The Space Force’s recent contract to Muon Space to repurpose their commercial weather satellites for military use will inform a broader “data-as-a-service” strategy for its space-based environmental monitoring mission.

The Space Development Agency added 21 satellites to its nascent data transport network in an Oct. 15 launch, the second mission in a 10-month campaign to field 154 operational spacecraft.

A new Space Force partnership with Blue Origin to expand payload processing capacity at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., will allow the launch range to support as many as 16 more missions per year. 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's recent direction that the military services return to a more old-school approach to basic training—with instructors "tossing bunks" and "putting their hands on recruits”—will likely require the Air Force to rewrite policies for military training instructors it has modified over time to cut down on such…

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force David A. Flosi is retiring following the unexpected death of his wife Katy last month, he announced in an email to the force Oct. 13.

The Senate passed its version of the 2026 National Defense Authorization bill late Oct. 9 with new language restricting retirements for B-1 bombers and E-3 AWACS. Now lawmakers from the House and Senate must set about resolving the differences between their two bills, which could lead to significant changes for…

Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach, nominee to be the next Air Force Chief of Staff, voiced support for reducing the number of PCS moves Airmen and their families have to make, arguing it could improve retention. 

The Space Force wants access to a fleet of small, maneuverable commercial satellites that can provide a range of services from geosynchronous orbit, chiefly satellite communications.