Daily Report

Sept. 22, 2016

Bombers Conduct Another Show of Force in Korea

Two US bombers escorted by South Korean F-15K Slam Eagles on Wednesday conducted the second show of force in Korea since the North conducted its fifth nuclear test on Sept. 9, flying closer to the demilitarized zone than any other...

More on KC-Y and KC-Z

Although Air Mobility Command chief Gen. Carlton Everhart seems convinced that the tanker recapitalization program should be more KC-46s and a new, stealthy “KC-Z,” those are ideas that will have to be explored, Air Force acquisition chief Darlene Costello told...

JSTARS Ready to Go, Waiting on Hill

The final JSTARS Recap request for proposal is “ready to release,” but “we continue our engagement” with Capitol Hill to resolve the acquisition strategy before it can go out, Darlene Costello, Air Force acquisition chief, told reporters at ASC16. The...

The Forgotten Warfare

The US military hasn’t focused enough on electronic warfare in recent years, US Strategic Command nominee Gen. John Hyten said Tuesday. “I look at it in my own service, where the electronic warfare missions in the United States Air Force...

A Dangerous Space

Russia and China are building capabilities to cripple US operations in space, Gen. John Hyten, the nominee to lead US Strategic Command, told lawmakers Tuesday. “We have an amazing force structure in space, and both the Chinese and the Russians...

The North Korea Puzzle

Figuring out how to respond to a North Korea that is capable of striking the Unites States will be at the top of Gen. John Hyten’s to-do list if he is confirmed to command US Strategic Command. “It’s hard to...

Restoring the Asymmetry

Autonomy, artificial intelligence, and man-machine interfaces are among the key technologies of the “Third Offset” approach to restoring the asymmetry between the US and its peer competitors, Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work explained in his speech at ASC16. Work said...

New ICBM Support Helo RFP In November

A request for proposals for a replacement of Global Strike Command’s aged UH-1N nuclear support helicopter force will be out in November, Air Force acquisition chief Darlene Costello told reporters at ASC16. “We’re going to see how much we can...

Permissive CAS Plane Plan

Once the Air Force gets approval to proceed, it can start “in 120-150 days” to launch an evaluation of off-the-shelf light close air support aircraft, but only as a possible prelude to an acquisition program, USAF acquisition chief Darlene Costello...

Protecting Weapon Systems from Cyber Attack

The Air Force has come up with seven lines of attack for protecting its weapons systems from cyber threats, said Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski, commander of Air Force Materiel Command, at ASC16 on Wednesday. The first involves analyzing the mission threat...

Replacing Russian Reliability

The AR1 rocket engine, a potential replacement for the Russian-made RD-180, is on track to be certified in 2019, Aerojet Rocketdyne’s senior vice president for strategy and business development said Tuesday. During a media briefing at ASC16, Jim Simpson touted...

Reinvigorating Development Planning

Capability development is one of the “really important strategic initiatives at the Air Staff-level” that will have a long-lasting effect on how the service does acquisition in the future, said Jeff Stanley, USAF associate deputy assistant secretary for science, technology,...

CMSAF Cody: Focus on Education

From accredited degrees to basic training, CMSAF James Cody emphasized the importance of education among enlisted members during his speech at ASC16 Wednesday morning. Despite having the smallest Air Force in history, the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF)...

Cross-Train But Gotta Pay Your Dues

Though airmen in less critical specialties have the opportunity to cross-train to areas where the Air Force is feeling more of the squeeze, it is essential that they have some experience in their new area, said CMSAF James Cody at...

Fewer Additional Duties in the Future

The Air Force is committed to reviewing and reducing additional duties where they can, said CMSAF James Cody at ASC16. “A lot of effort is being focused right now” on two areas that impact every airman: ancillary training and computer-based...

Academy Core Curriculum Under Revision

The core curriculum of the Air Force Academy, Colo., is currently being revised by a panel of Academy faculty in order to reduce the overall number of courses and provide greater flexibility to cadets, said Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson, Academy...

RPA Pilot Training Doubles

The Air Force has doubled the number of RPA pilots it trains—from 192 to 384—in the past year, said Lt. Gen. Darryl Roberson Wednesday at ASC16. This increase has required a “monumental effort” from Air Education and Training Command, Roberson...

Airmen Ready to Fight Tonight, Across the Pacific

Pacific Air Forces has shifted into a warfighting command, with airmen across the region ready to fight at a moment’s notice due to the changing security landscape, the command’s leader said Wednesday. PACAF Commander Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy said that, historically,...