Trump Declares Victory Over ISIS in Syria, Presses for Full Withdrawal of US Forces
President Trump on Twitter claimed victory over ISIS in Syria, beginning the process of withdrawing all US military and diplomatic personnel from the country reportedly against Pentagon advice. The military has about 2,000 personnel in the country, including USAF airmen working at austere airfields, and military leaders have claimed there is still work to do to combat ISIS.
Read the full story by Brian Everstine.
Tyndall’s Evacuated F-22s Begin Arriving in Alaska
The first F-22s and airmen reassigned from Tyndall AFB, Fla., touched down in Alaska on Dec. 17 following the damage by Hurricane Michael to their home base in October. The airmen, originally assigned to the 325th Fighter Wing, have been reassigned to either the 3rd Wing at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, or the 154th and 15th Wings at JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, with more airmen and Raptors slated to arrive through early 2019. Approximately 300 airmen and an undisclosed number of aircraft are making the move, according to a Pacific Air Forces
release. “Our Air Force has acknowledged the strength of Tyndall comes from its airmen and families. We are honored to welcome them to our team and committed to ensuring a smooth transition to the Indo-Pacific,” PACAF boss Gen. CQ Brown said in the release. F-22s from Tyndall also have been reassigned to JB Langley-Eustis, Va. The Air Force announced earlier this month that it will
permanently move the Raptors to other bases, and is asking for supplemental funding to rebuild Tyndall so it can receive F-35s. —Brian Everstine
Light Attack Request for Proposals Delayed
The Air Force will not release its final request for proposals for its new light attack fleet this month as planned, and it does not have a timeline for when the program will proceed. Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein said
earlier this year the expected December release would occur after a dialog with industry following a series of draft requests. “The Air Force does not anticipate release of the final Light Attack Request for Proposal by the end of the calendar year as we complete additional analysis,” Air Force spokeswoman Capt. Hope Cronin said in a statement. The light attack experiment began last year to see if the Air Force could quickly field an off-the-shelf aircraft to fly close air support missions in permissive environments. Two finalists, the A-29 Super Tucano and the AT-6 Wolverine, remain in the competition. The delay was first reported by
Defense News. See also:
How the OA-X Might Change Air Force Acquisition from the January 2018 issue of Air Force Magazine. —Brian Everstine
Air Force Receives First LRASM
The Air Force recently received its first Long Range Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile for B-1B bombers, and achieved early operational capability, Lockheed Martin announced. The LRASM, a joint program between the Air Force, Navy, and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, is based off the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile—Extended Range. LRASM is designed to destroy specific targets within groups of ships and to fly on both the B-1 and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The Air Force has placed a
series of contracts for the missile over the past several years, and originally expected to field the missile next year. —Brian Everstine
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RADAR SWEEP
Air Base Worker Charged With Making Threats; Many Guns Found
Police have seized more than 70 firearms from the home of a man who is accused of threatening to shoot co-workers at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in suburban Detroit. Associated Press
Improvements Needed in Suicide Prevention Media Outreach Campaign Oversight and Evaluation
The Government Accountability Office found that VHA’s suicide prevention media outreach activities declined in recent years due to leadership turnover and reorganization. Of the $6.2 million obligated for suicide prevention paid media in fiscal 2018, VHA said it had spent just $57,000 as of September.
GAO Report
Air Force Expands Base Preference Program to All Career Fields
The U.S. Air Force has expanded a program that makes it easier for enlisted airmen to transfer to a stateside base.
Miltary.com
Special Operations Commander Plans Ethics, Professionalism Review After Crimes
Amid a series of high profile misdeeds involving the US military’s elite Special Operations Forces, the head of Special Operations Command has warned all personnel of the dangers of unethical behavior and laid out steps to address the situation, according to an email obtained by CNN.
They Tested Positive for HIV. Then the Military Kicked Them Out.
Testing positive for HIV was difficult enough. Getting forced out of the military by the Air Force because of the diagnosis proved even harder. So say two U.S. airmen who filed suit on Wednesday against Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, arguing that the Pentagon’s decision last month to discharge them from the military owing to their HIV status violates the constitution’s equal protection clause and federal law. Washington Post
One more thing …
USAF Band and Honor Guard Stage Holiday Flash Mob Performances. Here Are Some of Our Favorites From Years Past
Steven F. Udvar Hazy Center
National Air and Space Museum
Union Station, Washington, D.C.
