Daily Report

Nov. 8, 2012

Not to Scale

Reductions in space and cyber don’t “scale well” with reductions in other types of force structure, said Air Force Space Command boss Gen. William Shelton on Nov. 7. While it’s possible to shave down airplane squadrons or personnel, with space...

Cyber Summit

A top-level Air Force meeting on cyber next week, called by new Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh, likely won’t produce any substantial new policy decisions, said Air Force Space Command chief Gen. William Shelton. Speaking at an AFA-sponsored seminar...

Pentagon Leadership Under Second Obama Term

With the presidential election over, attention amongst inside-the-beltway defense wonks already has turned toward the Pentagon. Specifically, they are speculating on who will replace Defense Secretary Leon Panetta during President Obama’s second term. Both Obama and former Defense Secretary Robert...

Changes in the Works at BMT

Air Education and Training Command boss Gen. Edward Rice is expected to release a report within the next month outlining changes that the command will implement at Basic Military Training at JBSA-Lackland, Tex., according to AETC spokesman Nathan Simmons. These...

Sandy Short Tons

Air Force airlifters have flown more than 200 sorties, hauling some 3,000 tons of relief cargo and 700 responders to East Coast communities damaged by Superstorm Sandy, as of Nov. 6, announced Air Mobility Command officials. C-5s, C-17s, and C-130s...

Pave Hawk Makes Precautionary Landing

An HH-60G rescue helicopter assigned to the 56th Rescue Squadron at RAF Lakenheath, England, had to make a precautionary landing near the base after a windshield wiper motor failed and filled the cockpit with smoke, according to base officials. The...

Taking Safety to the Next Level

The Air Force is transforming its safety efforts with the aim of instilling a culture of risk-management in airmen during duty hours—and equally important—at off-duty times, said Maj. Gen. Margaret Woodward, Air Force safety chief. “Safety is about preserving combat...

First Black Academy Graduate Dies

Charles Vernon Bush, the Air Force Academy’s first African-American graduate, died on Nov. 5 at his home in Lolo, Mont., announced academy officials. He died at age 72 after battling colon cancer, reported Colorado’s Tri Lakes Tribune. “The United States...

Combat Clearance Comes Home

The Special Tactics Training Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Fla., combined combat dive training with community service by clearing detritus from Soundside Marina near the base. “It’s very important for the STTS airmen to gain the essential skills of a combat...

Assembly of First Australian F-35 Fuselage

Australia’s air force chief inspected the fuselage of the country’s first F-35 strike fighter currently undergoing assembly on Northrop Grumman’s production line in Palmdale Calif., announced the company. Technicians inserted the first machined center fuselage bulkhead for AU-1, the first...