An immediate repeal of the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy barring openly homosexual service members would present an undue risk to Air Force effectiveness in combat zones, according to Gen. Norton Schwartz, Air Force Chief of Staff. “My best military...

The decision whether to repeal the Pentagon's “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” policy must not be left to the courts, asserted Defense Secretary Robert Gates. In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee Dec. 2, Gates called on the Senate to pass a bill overturning the ban on declared homosexuals serving in the military before year's end. Gates said it is "only a matter of time" before federal courts again intervene over DADT, bringing the "very real possibility that this change would be imposed immediately by judicial fiat.” The Defense Secretary said that would be "by far the most disruptive and damaging scenario" imaginable for morale and combat readiness. Gates called potential repeal of the policy "a matter for the Congress to decide," stating that any change should be made by the representatives elected by the American people, and should allow adequate time for "a well prepared and well considered implementation." (Gates prepared remarks)

Asked if he is concerned by results that indicate nearly 264,600 military personnel would leave the military if the “Don't Ask Don't Tell” policy forbidding openly gay service members is repealed, Defense Secretary Robert Gates responded that he doesn’t "expect the numbers would be anything like what the survey suggests." In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee Dec. 2, he said, "if I believed that a quarter of a million people would leave the military immediately, if given the opportunity, I would certainly have second thoughts about this," adding, “I don't believe that." Gates noted that service members are bound by enlistment contracts, even if they want to leave, which may "mitigate" the effect though the actual experience of “serving with gays and lesbians." Despite similar survey results in Britain and Canada, Gates said the numbers leaving “were far smaller than the surveys had indicated." He did not question the survey's overall validity, rejecting only the retention findings. (Gates prepared remarks)

Closing the F-22 production line—at a time when Russia has debuted its new PAK FA stealth fighter—has exposed the United States and its allies to increased security risks, argue Mackenzie Eaglen and Lajos Szaszdi in a new Heritage Foundation background...

Officials with the Air Force Research Lab’s information directorate in Rome, N.Y., held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to welcome their newest addition: a supercomputer nicknamed the Condor Cluster. What makes this supercomputer different is its composition—a cluster of 1,760 Sony PlayStation...

The Missile Defense Agency intends to demonstrate General Atomics Aeronautical Systems’ MQ-9 Reaper, fitted with Raytheon’s Multi-spectral Targeting System, in a ballistic missile defense role, according to the agency’s director. This material solution is part of the agency’s work to...

Operational since the 1940s, the Air Force’s high-altitude balloon program still plays an important role in evaluating scientific experiments. “We’re able to fly payloads for several hours to a few days in the stratosphere to test them in an environment...

Airmen from the 352nd Special Operations Group at RAF Mildenhall, England, recently completed a type of self-defense training called krav maga. This style of close-quarters combat techniques is based on targeting attacks to the body’s most vulnerable points, neutralizing opponents...

SMSgt. Patrick McEneany, senior non-commissioned officer with the 18th Medical Group at Kadena AB, Japan, has received the Bronze Star medal for meritorious service during a deployment to Iraq earlier this year. As a member of a joint task force,...

Air Sorties in Southwest Asia, Nov. 26, 2010 Sortie Type OND OEF OND/OEF Total YTD ISR 16 72 88 25,461 CAS/Armed Recon 16 86 102 32,488 Airlift 176 176 57,305 Air refueling 48 48 16,041 Rescue 26 26 7,515 Total...