And Now, Modernization
The Air Force has struggled to protect modernization during the hard times of sequester, but is now finding itself reaching into that pot, as well, to cover the bills. Lt. Gen. Burton Field, deputy chief of staff for operations, plans,...
Not a Good Situation
A total of 31 squadrons across the Air Force have stopped flying as a result of budget sequestration, said Lt. Gen. Burton Field, deputy chief of staff for operations, plans, and requirements. That includes, 13 fighter and bomber squadrons, two...
What Else We’re Not Doing
About the only flying operations not stalled or shut down at Nellis AFB, Nev., is F-35 developmental testing, according to Lt. Gen. Burton Field, deputy chief of staff for operations, plans, and requirements. Talking with reporters after an AFA-sponsored speech...
Obama Defends RPA Strikes
President Obama on Thursday defended his Administration’s use of remotely piloted aircraft to target terrorists, saying this counterterror method has saved American lives, and is proportional and legal. In remarks at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., Obama said...
Yes, I Admit, It’s Getting Better, a Little Better
The Defense Department’s newest selected acquisition report, issued on Thursday, includes “zero Nunn-McCurdy breaches,” said Frank Kendall, Pentagon acquisition executive. The report demonstrates “there is some evidence that things are getting better” in the acquisition process, said Kendall during a...
Use Kelly’s Model
Pentagon acquisition czar Frank Kendall believes that there’s a lot of merit in pursuing the “Skunkworks model”—pioneered by Lockheed aerospace legend Kelly Johnson—in getting some projects done in a quick fashion. Speaking on May 23 at the Center for Strategic...
Global Trends
Narcotics trafficking, specifically cocaine, is a growing “global problem,” said Rear Adm. Charles Michel, Joint Interagency Task Force South director. While the Colombian military and law enforcement have grown stronger in combating the narcotics trade over the past decade, the...
U-2 Pilot Hits Milestone on Final Combat Mission
Maj. Patrick Hudson, a U-2 pilot serving with the 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron in Southwest Asia, became the 31st U-2 pilot to reach 2,000 flight hours in the aircraft’s 58-year history, according to a release from his host wing. Hudson...
Restored F-100 on Display at Smithsonian
A newly restored Vietnam War-era F-100D Super Sabre is now on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. This particular airframe “participated throughout the Vietnam War and is currently in the markings it...
AFA and AFSA Host Memorial Day Ceremony at Air Force Memorial
The Air Force Association and the Air Force Sergeants Association invite the public—military members, veterans, and civilians—to join their commemorative Memorial Day wreath laying ceremony at 9 a.m., May 27, 2013, at the Air Force Memorial in Arlington, Va. This...