McCain Accuses Air Force of Playing Shell Game

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said the Air Force’s 20-percent reduction in its headquarters staff is nothing more than a “shell game” that goes against a Defense Department directive meant to eliminate redundancy and save taxpayer...

Russian Drills Fanning Tensions in Europe

Last week’s massive snap military exercises by Russia are part of recent behavior that is fanning tensions in Europe and not helping transparency, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a press availability March 25 in Washington, D.C. Every nation...

The “Dark Reflection” of Hybrid War

NATO must continue to innovate to respond to the implications of so-called “hybrid warfare” tactics used by Russia in the Ukraine crisis, said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during the Alliance’s annual transformation seminar in Washington, D.C., March 25. Since...

NATO Leaders in DC for Transformation Summit

NATO must think creatively about how it’s going to develop the tools necessary to counter numerous challenges and threats, the head of the Alliance’s transformation command said Wednesday during the annual NATO Transformation Seminar in Washington, D.C. Outgoing ACT boss,...

Simultaneously Supporting Four COCOMs

Airmen assigned to US Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa simultaneously supported four large-scale defense exercises under four different combatant commands, according to a March 25 release. The exercises included US European Command’s Austere Challenge 2015, US Africa Command’s Judicious...

AFSOC Christens New Wing

The 352nd Special Operations Group at RAF Mildenhall, UK, was official elevated to wing status, becoming the 352nd Special Operations Wing in a ceremony on March 23. “We’re thickening up that particular overseas location,” Air Force Special Operations Command boss...

Rescue Ready in Djibouti

US and French rescue forces pre-positioned at Camp Lemonier, Djibouti, conducted a combined personnel recovery exercise in the Grand Bara Desert earlier this month. Alaska Air National Guard HC-130s established a forward refueling point to hot-pit refuel HH-60G Pave Hawks,...

Marietta’s Spring Fledglings

Lockheed Martin recently delivered two new-build Air Force C-130J variants in addition to a single HC-130J for the US Coast Guard, the company announced. An Air Force Special Operations Command crew ferried an MC-130J Commando II from the company’s Marietta,...