Congress, Strategy, and Hard Choices

Although the recent passage of the Bipartisan Budget Act and its accompanying appropriations bill has provided some much needed fiscal certainty to military planners in the short term, House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) chided his...

COLA Cuts and Readiness

The House Armed Services Committee’s ranking member had sharp words for critics of the military pension cuts included in the two-year budget deal, saying without those savings military readiness will have to foot the bill. “I think it is a...

Long Shadow over Britain

An MC-130P Combat Shadow assigned to the 67th Special Operations Squadron flew the type’s final UK-based sortie in late January. The aircraft visited several former squadron haunts on its way out. “We were able to take the airplane to all...

Individual Ready Reservist Center Stands Up

The Air Force has created the Individual Reservist Readiness and Integration Organization, based at Buckley AFB, Colo., to smooth the transition from the Individual Ready Reserve into Active Duty units. The Air Reserve Personnel Center announced the standup of the...

First SABRs Rattle Down the Line

Northrop Grumman’s first few active electronically scanned array radars for the F-16 Radar Modernization Program have already entered production and completed several key design reviews, the company announced. “I am proud to say that we are producing [engineering and manufacturing...

Air Force Reservists on Humanitarian Mission

Air Force Reservists from the 315th Airlift Wing at JB Charleston, S.C., recently delivered more than 124,000 pounds of humanitarian aid to Haiti, Panama, and Honduras. During their two-day mission in early February, the Reservists unloaded rice, water, and medical...

CSAF Releases Reading List

Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh released his professional reading list on Feb. 6. It includes nine books chosen by Welsh and three selected by CMSAF James Cody, as well as seven films, seven TED talks, web-based resources, artwork, and...

British Stealth’s Sneaky Debut

Britain’s Taranis stealth remotely piloted aircraft demonstrator secretly flew for the first time “surpassing all expectations” last summer, BAE Systems announced on Wednesday. “The findings from the aircraft’s flight prove that the UK has developed a significant lead in understanding...