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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"><head><title>US Launches Airstrikes on ISIS amid Upheaval in Syria</title><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, shrink-to-fit=no"><meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=9; IE=8; IE=7; IE=EDGE" /><style type="text/css">body { margin: 0 !important; } #overall-container table { max-width: 680px !important; } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px) { body { width:100% !important; min-width:100% !important; } table, td { max-width: 100% !important; } table#email-container { width: 100% !important; } img { max-width: 100% !important; height: auto !important; } .bodytext, h2.article-title { margin: 0.8em !important; } .article-hr { margin: 1.0em 0.5em !important; } .footer-small p, .footer-small a { font-size: 0.4em !important; } .wp-post-image { margin: 0.3em 0 !important; } .editors-note { padding: 0.5em 0.8em !important; } }</style></head><body><div style="display: none; font-size: 1px; color: #333333; line-height: 1px; max-height: 0px; max-width: 0px; opacity: 0; overflow: hidden;">PLUS Austin on the B-21 and PACAF Boss on China’s Growing Reach</div><table id="overall-container" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td align="center"><table id="email-container" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 680px;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://san.com/afa" target="_blank"><img width="680" height="90" src="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/2024/11/SAN-Newsletter-Ad-680x90-–-AFA.png"></a></td></tr><tr class="logo"><td align="center"><img style="margin: 0;" alt="airforcemag daily report logo" height="92" width="450" src="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/Image/AFM_Daily_Report.jpg"></td></tr><tr class="date"><td align="center"><p class="bodytext" style="font-size: 1em; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #1E4A85; font-weight: bold; margin: 0 0 .8em !important;">Dec. 9, 2024</p></td></tr><tr class="date"><td align="center"><p class="article-author" style="font-size: 0.8em; text-align: center; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #666666; font-weight: normal; margin: 0 0 0.8em;">Edited by Greg Hadley with Shaun Waterman, Chris Gordon and David Roza</p></td></tr><tr class="view-in-browser"><td align="center"><a href="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/daily-report/20241209/?src=dr" style="background: #3F6EB2; border-radius: 9px; color: #ffffff; text-decoration: none; padding: 0.8em 2em; display: inline-block; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: .7em; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 1em;" target="_blank">View In Browser</a></td></tr><tr class="featured-image"><td align="center"><img width="680" height="452" src="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/2024/12/8771080-scaled.jpg" class="attachment-680x9999 size-680x9999 wp-post-image" alt="" style="width: 100%; height: auto; margin: 0.8em 0 0.1em;" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" srcset="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/2024/12/8771080-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/2024/12/8771080-450x299.jpg 450w, https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/2024/12/8771080-676x450.jpg 676w, https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/2024/12/8771080-768x511.jpg 768w, https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/2024/12/8771080-900x600.jpg 900w, https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/2024/12/8771080-675x449.jpg 675w" sizes="(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px" /><em style='display: block; font-size: 0.8em; margin-bottom: 0.6em'>A U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress conducts a combat air patrol in support of Operation Inherent Resolve over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility Nov. 23, 2024. U.S. Air Force photo</em></td></tr><tr class="article"><td><h2 class="article-title" style="font-size: 1.1em; text-align: center; margin: 0; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #222222; font-weight: bold; margin: 0.8em 0"><a href="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/us-b-52-f-15-a-10-massive-airstrikes-isis-syria/?src=dr" style="text-decoration: none; color: #222222;">B-52s, F-15s, and A-10s Conduct Massive Anti-ISIS Airstrikes in Syria After Fall of Assad</a></h2><p class="article-author" style="font-size: 0.8em; text-align: center; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #666666; font-weight: normal; margin: 0.8em 0;">By Chris Gordon</p><p class="bodytext" style="font-size: 1em; font-family: Georgia, serif; margin: 0; color: #555555; line-height: 1.7;">The U.S. military conducted a punishing series of airstrikes against Islamic State militants on Dec. 8 following the sudden demise of the ruling Assad regime. U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bombers, F-15E Strike Eagles, and A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft conducted dozens of airstrikes against Islamic State leaders, fighters, and camps in central Syria, dropping about 140 munitions on over 75 targets.</p></td></tr><tr><td><hr class="article-hr" style="border: none; border-top: 1px solid #aaaaaa; margin: 1.6em 0;"></td></tr><tr class="article"><td><h2 class="article-title" style="font-size: 1.1em; text-align: center; margin: 0; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #222222; font-weight: bold; margin: 0.8em 0"><a href="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/baton-passed-austin-b-21-legacy-biden/?src=dr" style="text-decoration: none; color: #222222;">‘The Baton Will Soon Be Passed’: Austin Touts B-21 Bomber as Part of Legacy</a></h2><p class="article-author" style="font-size: 0.8em; text-align: center; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #666666; font-weight: normal; margin: 0.8em 0;">By Chris Gordon</p><p class="bodytext" style="font-size: 1em; font-family: Georgia, serif; margin: 0; color: #555555; line-height: 1.7;">Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III touted the Air Force’s B-21 Raider bomber and the military’s new command and control technologies in a major address at the Reagan National Defense Forum on the Biden administration’s legacy in national security. </p></td></tr><tr><td align="center"><a href="https://www.prattwhitney.com/en/products/military-engines/f135/engine-core-upgrade?utm_medium=email&utm_source=a_sf_daily_report&utm_campaign=pratt-whitney-military-engines-f135-ecu&utm_content=countless-solutions"><img width="680" height="265" src="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/2024/09/PW_Oct24_DR_ME_F135_ECU-CountlessSolutions_680x265_FA_ps.jpg" style="margin: 1.1em 0;"></a></td></tr><tr class="article"><td><h2 class="article-title" style="font-size: 1.1em; text-align: center; margin: 0; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #222222; font-weight: bold; margin: 0.8em 0"><a href="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/pacaf-boss-china-expanding-reach/?src=dr" style="text-decoration: none; color: #222222;">PACAF Boss: As China Expands Reach of Missiles and Warplanes, US Needs ‘Inside Force’</a></h2><p class="article-author" style="font-size: 0.8em; text-align: center; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #666666; font-weight: normal; margin: 0.8em 0;">By Greg Hadley</p><p class="bodytext" style="font-size: 1em; font-family: Georgia, serif; margin: 0; color: #555555; line-height: 1.7;">The People’s Republic of China is expanding the range of its missiles and aircraft farther and farther beyond its shores, causing the U.S. Air Force to double down on its commitment to agile combat employment and focus on the complex logistics of a potential Indo-Pacific fight, the head of Pacific Air Forces said Dec. 6. </p></td></tr><tr><td><hr class="article-hr" style="border: none; border-top: 1px solid #aaaaaa; margin: 1.6em 0;"></td></tr><tr class="article"><td><h2 class="article-title" style="font-size: 1.1em; text-align: center; margin: 0; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #222222; font-weight: bold; margin: 0.8em 0"><a href="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/experts-space-domain-awareness-ussf-ai-tools/?src=dr" style="text-decoration: none; color: #222222;">As Space Gets More Crowded, Space Force Needs New AI Tools to Keep Up: Experts</a></h2><p class="article-author" style="font-size: 0.8em; text-align: center; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #666666; font-weight: normal; margin: 0.8em 0;">By Shaun Waterman</p><p class="bodytext" style="font-size: 1em; font-family: Georgia, serif; margin: 0; color: #555555; line-height: 1.7;">Machine learning AI (AI/ML) is quite different from the generative AI large language models that have captured headlines and public imagination in the last two years, but it is vital to help human analysts sift through and make sense of the huge amount of data coming off of and about the rapidly proliferating number of satellites, especially in low-earth orbit, or LEO.</p></td></tr><tr><td align="center"><a href="https://www.usaa.com/safepilotaffinity?txid=OTH:TX1:B3AEVV7WRX"><img width="680" height="265" src="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/2024/12/USAA_Dec24_Affinity_AutoSafePilot_DrivingMan_680x265.jpg" style="margin: 1.1em 0;"></a></td></tr><tr class="article"><td><h2 class="article-title" style="font-size: 1.1em; text-align: center; margin: 0; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #222222; font-weight: bold; margin: 0.8em 0"><a href="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/air-force-warrant-officer-first-class-graduation/?src=dr" style="text-decoration: none; color: #222222;">Meet Two of the Air Force’s Newest Warrant Officers</a></h2><p class="article-author" style="font-size: 0.8em; text-align: center; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #666666; font-weight: normal; margin: 0.8em 0;">By David Roza</p><p class="bodytext" style="font-size: 1em; font-family: Georgia, serif; margin: 0; color: #555555; line-height: 1.7;">The Air Force’s first new warrant officers in 66 years graduated Dec. 6 at a ceremony at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., the inaugural class of the new Warrant Officer Training School.</p></td></tr><tr><td align="center"><a href="https://go.flightsafety.com/l/897491/2024-10-25/vm7jd"><img width="680" height="265" src="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/2024/11/FSI_Dec24_Training-That-Delivers-KC46_680x265.png" style="margin: 1.1em 0;"></a></td></tr><tr class="row-spacer" height="25"><td> </td></tr><tr><td align="center" class="radar-sweep" style="background-color: #F4F5F9;"><table id="radar-sweep" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" valign="top" width="90%"></tbody><tr class="row-spacer" height="24"><td> </td></tr><tr class="title""><td align="center"><h3 style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.3em; color: #222222; font-weight: bold;">Radar Sweep</h3></td></tr><tr class="row-spacer" height=12><td> </td></tr><tr><td align="left"><h2 style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.1em; color: #222222; font-weight: bold; margin: 0;">‘A New History for Syria’: Assad Flees to Russia in Stunning Downfall </h2><p><a class="radar-link" href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2024/12/07/syrian-president-bashar-al-assad-leaves-damascus-rebels-advance/76846432007/" style="color: #214a86; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">USA Today</a> </p><p class="bodytext-radar" style="font-size: 1em; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #555555; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0;">Syrian rebels seized Damascus on Dec. 8, and long-time President Bashar al-Assad fled the battle-scarred country amid the stunning collapse of his regime after 13 years of war. Assad and his family have arrived in Russia, granted asylum “on humanitarian grounds,” Russian news agencies reported on Dec. 8, citing a Kremlin source. </p></td></tr><tr><td><hr style="border: none; border-top: 1px solid #dddddd; margin: 1.6em 0;"></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><h2 style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.1em; color: #222222; font-weight: bold; margin: 0;">The 11-Day Blitz by Syrian Rebels That Ended 50 Years of Assad Rule </h2><p><a class="radar-link" href="https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/how-syria-rebels-ousted-assad-1b09d28d?st=qBMsqm&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink" style="color: #214a86; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">The Wall Street Journal</a> </p><p class="bodytext-radar" style="font-size: 1em; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #555555; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0;">Entering the weekend, Syria President Bashar al-Assad showed no signs of yielding. As armed rebels closed in Dec. 7 on Damascus, Assad ordered his forces to defend the Syrian capital, seemingly confident the military would come to his rescue, according to Syrian officials familiar with the matter. By late Dec. 7, Assad had vanished. He didn’t show up for a prepared address to the nation, and his cabinet had no idea where he was. They learned with the rest of the world that Assad had escaped the country hours ahead of the rebels who captured Syria. </p></td></tr><tr><td><hr style="border: none; border-top: 1px solid #dddddd; margin: 1.6em 0;"></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><h2 style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.1em; color: #222222; font-weight: bold; margin: 0;">Air Force Not Ready to Stop Buying Human-Piloted Jets </h2><p><a class="radar-link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/06/us/politics/air-force-fighter-jets-ai.html?unlocked_article_code=1.gE4.lQjp.ldHtRZ3SbnCT&smid=url-share" style="color: #214a86; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">The New York Times</a> </p><p class="bodytext-radar" style="font-size: 1em; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #555555; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0;">The Air Force is at least decades away from being ready to stop buying and flying human-piloted fighter jets like the F-35, but it also does not want to rush into building a next generation of these high-priced fighting machines until it has a better idea of just what it needs. That is the conundrum the Air Force detailed this week, as it is facing increasing scrutiny over its spending on piloted fighter jets, most notably from Elon Musk, whom President-elect Donald J. Trump has appointed to help oversee a governmentwide cost-cutting effort. </p></td></tr><tr><td><hr style="border: none; border-top: 1px solid #dddddd; margin: 1.6em 0;"></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><h2 style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.1em; color: #222222; font-weight: bold; margin: 0;">On His Last Indo-Pacific Trip as SECDEF, Austin Will See ‘a Lot of Firsts’ in Japan </h2><p><a class="radar-link" href="https://defensescoop.com/2024/12/08/secretary-lloyd-austin-japan-last-indo-pacific-trip-as-secdef-see-a-lot-of-firsts/" style="color: #214a86; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">DefenseScoop</a> </p><p class="bodytext-radar" style="font-size: 1em; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #555555; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0;">Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin touched down in Japan on Dec. 8, kicking off his 13th and final trip to the Indo-Pacific region as the Pentagon’s chief. Here, he’ll spend the next three days engaging with U.S. troops and Japanese leaders about ongoing joint command-and-control upgrades the two militaries are pursuing, as well as a range of other nascent cooperative efforts designed to expand and modernize their shared arsenals of warfighting assets. </p></td></tr><tr><td><hr style="border: none; border-top: 1px solid #dddddd; margin: 1.6em 0;"></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><h2 style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.1em; color: #222222; font-weight: bold; margin: 0;">Congress to Boost Junior Enlisted Pay by Thousands of Dollars in 2025 </h2><p><a class="radar-link" href="https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2024/12/07/congress-to-boost-junior-enlisted-pay-by-thousands-of-dollars-in-2025/" style="color: #214a86; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Military Times</a> </p><p class="bodytext-radar" style="font-size: 1em; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #555555; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0;">Junior enlisted troops will see a 14.5 percent pay raise in 2025 under a deal negotiated by House and Senate leaders in this year’s defense authorization bill, a move that adds between $3,000 and $6,000 to younger service members’ basic pay next year. </p></td></tr><tr><td><hr style="border: none; border-top: 1px solid #dddddd; margin: 1.6em 0;"></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><h2 style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.1em; color: #222222; font-weight: bold; margin: 0;">Dwarfed by China in Shipbuilding, US Looks to Build Its Defense Base to Fend Off War </h2><p><a class="radar-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/china-shipbuilding-us-defense-base-2a24238bdbf255bac821145d7b299d8d" style="color: #214a86; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">The Associated Press</a> </p><p class="bodytext-radar" style="font-size: 1em; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #555555; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0;">The U.S. severely lags behind China in shipbuilding capacity, lawmakers and experts have warned, as the Biden administration tries to build up the country’s ability to develop and produce weapons and other defense supplies to fend off war. </p></td></tr><tr><td><hr style="border: none; border-top: 1px solid #dddddd; margin: 1.6em 0;"></td></tr><tr><td align="center"><a href="https://www.afa.org/afa-warfare-symposium/" target="_blank"><img width="300" height="250" src="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/2024/10/AWS_25_300x250.png"></a></td></tr><tr><td><hr style="border: none; border-top: 1px solid #dddddd; margin: 1.6em 0;"></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><h2 style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.1em; color: #222222; font-weight: bold; margin: 0;">‘Multi-Headed Monster’: Biden, Trump Officials Address China-Russia-Iran Coordination </h2><p><a class="radar-link" href="https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2024/12/multi-headed-monster-biden-trump-officials-address-threat-fromchina-russia-iran-coordination/401521/" style="color: #214a86; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Defense One</a> </p><p class="bodytext-radar" style="font-size: 1em; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #555555; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0;">China, Russia, and Iran are working closely together across the globe, which presents new threats to U.S. and allied national security, defense officials from the outgoing and incoming administrations said Dec. 7. But even together, those countries are not stronger than the American military and its allies, they said. </p></td></tr><tr><td><hr style="border: none; border-top: 1px solid #dddddd; margin: 1.6em 0;"></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><h2 style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.1em; color: #222222; font-weight: bold; margin: 0;">NATO to Launch New Cyber Center by 2028: Official </h2><p><a class="radar-link" href="https://breakingdefense.com/2024/12/nato-to-launch-new-cyber-center-by-2028-official/" style="color: #214a86; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Breaking Defense</a> </p><p class="bodytext-radar" style="font-size: 1em; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #555555; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0;">In order for the alliance to be better equipped at dealing with cyber threats, NATO is in the process of standing up a new cyber center—to go online by 2028—that will meld parts of its various cyber entities into one, a NATO official told Breaking Defense this week. </p></td></tr><tr><td><hr style="border: none; border-top: 1px solid #dddddd; margin: 1.6em 0;"></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><h2 style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.1em; color: #222222; font-weight: bold; margin: 0;">Defense Tech Firms Establish AI-Focused Consortium </h2><p><a class="radar-link" href="https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2024/12/06/defense-tech-firms-establish-ai-focused-consortium/" style="color: #214a86; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Defense News</a> </p><p class="bodytext-radar" style="font-size: 1em; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #555555; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0;">Palantir and Anduril, two leading defense technology firms, announced today they’re creating an industry consortium to address what they see as hurdles impeding the Defense Department’s adoption of AI. </p></td></tr><tr><td><hr style="border: none; border-top: 1px solid #dddddd; margin: 1.6em 0;"></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><h2 style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.1em; color: #222222; font-weight: bold; margin: 0;">Former Trump Acting SECDEF Talks About the Future of Big Ticket Defense Programs </h2><p><a class="radar-link" href="https://www.twz.com/air/former-trump-acting-secdef-talks-about-the-future-of-big-ticket-defense-programs" style="color: #214a86; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">The War Zone</a> </p><p class="bodytext-radar" style="font-size: 1em; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #555555; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0;">Former Trump Acting SECDEF Talks About the Future of Big Ticket Defense Programs </p></td></tr><tr><td><hr style="border: none; border-top: 1px solid #dddddd; margin: 1.6em 0;"></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><h2 style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.1em; color: #222222; font-weight: bold; margin: 0;">USAF, Navy Should Jointly Develop New Fighter, Key Senator Says </h2><p><a class="radar-link" href="https://aviationweek.com/defense/aircraft-propulsion/usaf-navy-should-jointly-develop-new-fighter-key-senator-says" style="color: #214a86; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Aviation Week</a> <em style="font-size: 0.8em;">(Subscription Required)</em></p><p class="bodytext-radar" style="font-size: 1em; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #555555; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0;">The U.S. Air Force and Navy should more closely collaborate on variants of their next-generation fighters instead of further splitting apart as development continues, an influential senator argues. </p></td></tr><tr><td><hr style="border: none; border-top: 1px solid #dddddd; margin: 1.6em 0;"></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><h2 style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.1em; color: #222222; font-weight: bold; margin: 0;">US Space Force Official Warns of Rising Chinese Threats </h2><p><a class="radar-link" href="https://spacenews.com/u-s-space-force-official-warns-of-rising-chinese-threats/" style="color: #214a86; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">SpaceNews</a> </p><p class="bodytext-radar" style="font-size: 1em; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #555555; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0;">The vice chief of space operations for the U.S. Space Force, Gen. Michael Guetlein, issued a stark warning this weekend about China’s accelerating advances in space technology and its growing capacity to challenge the United States’ dominance in orbit. Speaking Dec. 7 at the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, Calif., Guetlein described the evolving space environment as increasingly hostile, marked by the erosion of longstanding norms and the emergence of new threats to U.S. space assets. </p></td></tr><tr><td><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="dark-block" style="margin: 1em 0; background: #F4F5F9;" valign="top" width="100%"><tbody><tr class="row-spacer" height="25"><td style="background: #1f2a39; border-color: #1f2a39; border-top-right-radius: 9px; border-top-left-radius: 9px;"> </td></tr><tr><td style="background: #1f2a39;" align="center"><table width="90%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><h3 style="font-size: 1em; color: #dddddd; margin: 0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0.8em; font-weight: normal">One More Thing</h3><h2 style="font-size: 1em; color: #eeeeee; margin: 0; font-family: Georgia, serif; letter-spacing: 0.01em;">GALLERY: US Military Bases Celebrate the Season with Christmas Tree Lightings, Holiday Festivals </h2><p class="bodytext-radar"><a style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1em; color: #dddddd; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.03em; text-decoration: underline #bbbbbb solid;" href="https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2024-12-05/military-bases-christmas-tree-lighting-16070240.html" target="_blank">Stars and Stripes</a> </p><p class="bodytext-radar" style="font-size: 1em; font-family: Georgia, serif; margin: 0; color: #eeeeee; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: 0.01em;">U.S. military bases across the country and around the world are hosting Christmas tree lighting ceremonies and festive activities for service members and their families to celebrate the beginning of the holiday season. Military communities are gathering to witness the illumination of largely decorated Christmas trees and to enjoy holiday parades, markets, games and special appearances by Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus. </p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr class="row-spacer" height="25"><td style="background: #1f2a39; border-color: #1f2a39; border-bottom-left-radius: 9px; border-bottom-right-radius: 9px;"> </td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td align="center"><a href="https://shopafa.org/" target="_blank"><img width="680" height="265" style="margin: 0.8em 0;" src="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/2024/11/ShopAFA_Dec24_Holiday_680x265.png"></a></td></tr><tr><td align="center" style="padding: 1.1em 0 1em; text-align: center; background: #2d3d44;"><table width="100%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 border=0><tbody><tr class="footer-logo"><td align="center"><img width="171" style="margin-bottom: 0.8em;" src="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/Image/ASF_mag_logo_white.png"></td></tr><tr class="footer-nav"><td align="center" style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 0.9em;"><a href="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/daily-report/?src=dr" style="font-size: 0.9em; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #fff; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Daily Report</a> | <a href="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/contact-us/?src=dr" style="font-size: 0.9em; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #fff; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Contact Us</a> | <a href="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/advertise/?src=dr" style="font-size: 0.9em; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #fff; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Advertise</a> | <a href="https://www.afa.org/join/?src=dr" style="font-size: 0.9em; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #fff; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Join AFA</a> | <a href="https://www.afa.org/?src=dr" style="font-size: 0.9em; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #fff; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Air & Space Forces Association</a> | <a href="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/reprint-permission/?src=dr" style="font-size: 0.9em; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #fff; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Reprints</a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td align="center"><p style="margin: 0.8em 0 0;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ASForcesMag" target="_blank"><img src="https://cdn2.iconfinder.com/data/icons/social-icons-33/128/Facebook-512.png" width="33"></a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ASForcesMag" target="_blank"><img src="https://cdn0.iconfinder.com/data/icons/social-network-7/50/4-512.png" width="35"></a></p></td></tr><tr class="footer-small"><td align="center"><p style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #555555; font-size: 0.6em; margin: 0.8em 0">Published by the Air & Space Forces Association.<br/><a href="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/?src=dr" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #214a86; font-size: 1em;" target="_blank">airandspaceforces.com</a> material is under copyright by the Air & Space Forces Association. 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Air & Space Forces Magazine Daily Report for Dec. 9, 2024 View in your Web Browser: https://www.airandspaceforces.com/daily-report/20241209/?src=dr Edited by Greg Hadley with Shaun Waterman, Chris Gordon and David Roza -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ Advertisement ] https://san.com/afa -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- B-52s, F-15s, and A-10s Conduct Massive Anti-ISIS Airstrikes in Syria After Fall of Assad By Chris Gordon The U.S. military conducted a punishing series of airstrikes against Islamic State militants on Dec. 8 following the sudden demise of the ruling Assad regime. U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bombers, F-15E Strike Eagles, and A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft conducted dozens of airstrikes against Islamic State leaders, fighters, and camps in central Syria, dropping about 140 munitions on over 75 targets. https://www.airandspaceforces.com/us-b-52-f-15-a-10-massive-airstrikes-isis-syria/?src=dr -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ‘The Baton Will Soon Be Passed’: Austin Touts B-21 Bomber as Part of Legacy By Chris Gordon Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III touted the Air Force’s B-21 Raider bomber and the military’s new command and control technologies in a major address at the Reagan National Defense Forum on the Biden administration’s legacy in national security. https://www.airandspaceforces.com/baton-passed-austin-b-21-legacy-biden/?src=dr -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ Advertisement ] https://www.prattwhitney.com/en/products/military-engines/f135/engine-core-upgrade?utm_medium=email&utm_source=a_sf_daily_report&utm_campaign=pratt-whitney-military-engines-f135-ecu&utm_content=countless-solutions -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PACAF Boss: As China Expands Reach of Missiles and Warplanes, US Needs ‘Inside Force’ By Greg Hadley The People’s Republic of China is expanding the range of its missiles and aircraft farther and farther beyond its shores, causing the U.S. Air Force to double down on its commitment to agile combat employment and focus on the complex logistics of a potential Indo-Pacific fight, the head of Pacific Air Forces said Dec. 6. https://www.airandspaceforces.com/pacaf-boss-china-expanding-reach/?src=dr -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As Space Gets More Crowded, Space Force Needs New AI Tools to Keep Up: Experts By Shaun Waterman Machine learning AI (AI/ML) is quite different from the generative AI large language models that have captured headlines and public imagination in the last two years, but it is vital to help human analysts sift through and make sense of the huge amount of data coming off of and about the rapidly proliferating number of satellites, especially in low-earth orbit, or LEO. https://www.airandspaceforces.com/experts-space-domain-awareness-ussf-ai-tools/?src=dr -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ Advertisement ] https://www.usaa.com/safepilotaffinity?txid=OTH:TX1:B3AEVV7WRX -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Meet Two of the Air Force’s Newest Warrant Officers By David Roza The Air Force’s first new warrant officers in 66 years graduated Dec. 6 at a ceremony at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., the inaugural class of the new Warrant Officer Training School. https://www.airandspaceforces.com/air-force-warrant-officer-first-class-graduation/?src=dr -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ Advertisement ] https://go.flightsafety.com/l/897491/2024-10-25/vm7jd -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Radar Sweep -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ‘A New History for Syria’: Assad Flees to Russia in Stunning Downfall Syrian rebels seized Damascus on Dec. 8, and long-time President Bashar al-Assad fled the battle-scarred country amid the stunning collapse of his regime after 13 years of war. Assad and his family have arrived in Russia, granted asylum “on humanitarian grounds,” Russian news agencies reported on Dec. 8, citing a Kremlin source. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2024/12/07/syrian-president-bashar-al-assad-leaves-damascus-rebels-advance/76846432007/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 11-Day Blitz by Syrian Rebels That Ended 50 Years of Assad Rule Entering the weekend, Syria President Bashar al-Assad showed no signs of yielding. As armed rebels closed in Dec. 7 on Damascus, Assad ordered his forces to defend the Syrian capital, seemingly confident the military would come to his rescue, according to Syrian officials familiar with the matter. By late Dec. 7, Assad had vanished. He didn’t show up for a prepared address to the nation, and his cabinet had no idea where he was. They learned with the rest of the world that Assad had escaped the country hours ahead of the rebels who captured Syria. https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/how-syria-rebels-ousted-assad-1b09d28d?st=qBMsqm&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Air Force Not Ready to Stop Buying Human-Piloted Jets The Air Force is at least decades away from being ready to stop buying and flying human-piloted fighter jets like the F-35, but it also does not want to rush into building a next generation of these high-priced fighting machines until it has a better idea of just what it needs. That is the conundrum the Air Force detailed this week, as it is facing increasing scrutiny over its spending on piloted fighter jets, most notably from Elon Musk, whom President-elect Donald J. Trump has appointed to help oversee a governmentwide cost-cutting effort. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/06/us/politics/air-force-fighter-jets-ai.html?unlocked_article_code=1.gE4.lQjp.ldHtRZ3SbnCT&smid=url-share -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On His Last Indo-Pacific Trip as SECDEF, Austin Will See ‘a Lot of Firsts’ in Japan Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin touched down in Japan on Dec. 8, kicking off his 13th and final trip to the Indo-Pacific region as the Pentagon’s chief. Here, he’ll spend the next three days engaging with U.S. troops and Japanese leaders about ongoing joint command-and-control upgrades the two militaries are pursuing, as well as a range of other nascent cooperative efforts designed to expand and modernize their shared arsenals of warfighting assets. https://defensescoop.com/2024/12/08/secretary-lloyd-austin-japan-last-indo-pacific-trip-as-secdef-see-a-lot-of-firsts/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Congress to Boost Junior Enlisted Pay by Thousands of Dollars in 2025 Junior enlisted troops will see a 14.5 percent pay raise in 2025 under a deal negotiated by House and Senate leaders in this year’s defense authorization bill, a move that adds between $3,000 and $6,000 to younger service members’ basic pay next year. https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2024/12/07/congress-to-boost-junior-enlisted-pay-by-thousands-of-dollars-in-2025/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dwarfed by China in Shipbuilding, US Looks to Build Its Defense Base to Fend Off War The U.S. severely lags behind China in shipbuilding capacity, lawmakers and experts have warned, as the Biden administration tries to build up the country’s ability to develop and produce weapons and other defense supplies to fend off war. https://apnews.com/article/china-shipbuilding-us-defense-base-2a24238bdbf255bac821145d7b299d8d -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ Advertisement ] https://www.afa.org/afa-warfare-symposium/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ‘Multi-Headed Monster’: Biden, Trump Officials Address China-Russia-Iran Coordination China, Russia, and Iran are working closely together across the globe, which presents new threats to U.S. and allied national security, defense officials from the outgoing and incoming administrations said Dec. 7. But even together, those countries are not stronger than the American military and its allies, they said. https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2024/12/multi-headed-monster-biden-trump-officials-address-threat-fromchina-russia-iran-coordination/401521/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NATO to Launch New Cyber Center by 2028: Official In order for the alliance to be better equipped at dealing with cyber threats, NATO is in the process of standing up a new cyber center—to go online by 2028—that will meld parts of its various cyber entities into one, a NATO official told Breaking Defense this week. https://breakingdefense.com/2024/12/nato-to-launch-new-cyber-center-by-2028-official/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Defense Tech Firms Establish AI-Focused Consortium Palantir and Anduril, two leading defense technology firms, announced today they’re creating an industry consortium to address what they see as hurdles impeding the Defense Department’s adoption of AI. https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2024/12/06/defense-tech-firms-establish-ai-focused-consortium/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Former Trump Acting SECDEF Talks About the Future of Big Ticket Defense Programs Former Trump Acting SECDEF Talks About the Future of Big Ticket Defense Programs https://www.twz.com/air/former-trump-acting-secdef-talks-about-the-future-of-big-ticket-defense-programs -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- USAF, Navy Should Jointly Develop New Fighter, Key Senator Says The U.S. Air Force and Navy should more closely collaborate on variants of their next-generation fighters instead of further splitting apart as development continues, an influential senator argues. https://aviationweek.com/defense/aircraft-propulsion/usaf-navy-should-jointly-develop-new-fighter-key-senator-says (Subscription Required) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- US Space Force Official Warns of Rising Chinese Threats The vice chief of space operations for the U.S. Space Force, Gen. Michael Guetlein, issued a stark warning this weekend about China’s accelerating advances in space technology and its growing capacity to challenge the United States’ dominance in orbit. Speaking Dec. 7 at the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, Calif., Guetlein described the evolving space environment as increasingly hostile, marked by the erosion of longstanding norms and the emergence of new threats to U.S. space assets. https://spacenews.com/u-s-space-force-official-warns-of-rising-chinese-threats/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- One More Thing... GALLERY: US Military Bases Celebrate the Season with Christmas Tree Lightings, Holiday Festivals U.S. military bases across the country and around the world are hosting Christmas tree lighting ceremonies and festive activities for service members and their families to celebrate the beginning of the holiday season. Military communities are gathering to witness the illumination of largely decorated Christmas trees and to enjoy holiday parades, markets, games and special appearances by Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus. https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2024-12-05/military-bases-christmas-tree-lighting-16070240.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ Advertisement ] https://shopafa.org/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Daily Report: https://www.airandspaceforces.com/daily-report/ - Contact Us: https://www.airandspaceforces.com/contact-us/ - Advertise With Us: https://www.airandspaceforces.com/advertise/ - Purchase/Reprint: https://www.airandspaceforces.com/reprint-permission/ - Air & Space Forces Assoc.: https://www.afa.org - Join AFA: https://www.afa.org/join/ - A&SF Mag on Facebook: https://facebook.com/ASForcesMag - A&SF Mag on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ASForcesMag -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Published by the Air & Space Forces Association All airandspaceforces.com material is under copyright of the Air & Space Forces Association. 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