Within the Department of Defense as a whole, there has been a “loss of attention and focus” on the nuclear deterrence mission with “some of the same forces” at work that impacted the quality of the Air Force’s nuclear stewardship,...

Yesterday’s call by the Schlesinger task force for the creation of a new assistant secretary of defense to oversee nuclear matters (see above) isn’t the first time the need for better Office of the Secretary of Defense nuclear oversight has...

Mission proliferation and headquarters downsizing have taken a significant toll on the ability of US Strategic Command to maintain sufficient focus on nuclear deterrence, according to the DOD task force on nuclear weapons management. (See above) In fact, STRATCOM is...

The Schlesinger task force yesterday praised the Navy for maintaining its commitment to the nuclear mission since the end of the Cold War. In fact, task force chair James Schlesinger said the sea service’s Trident nuclear submarine arm has been...

Some 400 airmen and 20 F-15E Strike Eagles deployed from the 366th Fighter Wing Gunfighters at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, to Afghanistan since August 2008 will be returning soon. During their deployment, airmen of Mountain Home’s 391st Fighter Squadron, known...

President-elect Obama on Thursday named individuals to fill several top Defense Department posts, including tapping former Clinton Administration defense officials William Lynn to serve as Deputy Defense Secretary. In a statement outlining their qualifications, the President-elect said he also intends...

According to 2008 year-end statistics complied by the 11th Rescue Coordination Center in Alaska, airmen of the Alaska Air National Guard are directly credited with saving 167 persons and aiding the rescue of another 10. That total includes 72 saves...

More than 200 personnel and 12 F-22s from the active duty 27th Fighter Squadron and Virginia Air National Guard’s 192nd Fighter Wing departed Langley AFB, Va., earlier this week for Kadena AB, Japan. The Raptors are expected to spend about...

Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) said in a statement this week that Air Force Reserve Command’s 931st Air Refueling Group at McConnell AFB, Kan., would gain 40 full-time positions to offset a maintenance manning shortfall that has plagued the unit for...

Maj. Gen. David Gillett Jr. took command of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center at Tinker AFB, Okla., during a Jan. 7 ceremony at the base, presided over by new Air Force Materiel Command boss Gen. Donald Hoffman. Gillett replaces...

Maine Gov. John Baldacci said in a Jan. 7 statement that his state’s Air National Guard had received “verbal confirmation” that the Air Force would conduct a full environmental impact assessment on the Air Guard’s plan to expand the area...

Maintainers with the Washington Air National Guard’s 141st Air Refueling Wing at Fairchild AFB, Wash., have worked brake system swap-outs on 93 KC-135 tankers, as part of Air Mobility Command’s No. 1 KC-135 modification initiative. The wing lost its own...

According to an Abilene Reporter-News report, Goodfellow Air Force Base, near San Angelo, Tex., also is under consideration to train the Air Force’s cyber warriors. We reported Wednesday that a trio of Texas lawmakers sent a letter to Gen. Norton...

Jan. 6, 2009 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total YTD ISR 24 19 43 245 CAS/Armed Recon 43 68 111 574 Airlift 120 120 750 Air refueling 51 51 274 Total 325 1,843 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation Enduring Freedom ISR=Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance...