Pentagon Reverses Ban on Transgender Troops

By Brian W. Everstine
The Pentagon on Thursday reversed its policy barring transgender individuals from openly serving in the military, prohibiting service members from being involuntarily separated, discharged, or denied reenlistment because of their gender identity. The Defense Department will by Oct. 1 create...

Confusion at Andrews

By Will Skowronski
Confusion abounded Thursday morning after a report of a real-world active shooter at a medical facility at JB Andrews, Md., coincided with a scheduled active shooter exercise on the other side of the base. An “all clear,” with the exception...

The Importance of Data Sharing

By Otto Kreisher
With the increasing importance of fifth generation aircraft, such as the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II, two experienced? Raptor pilots have drafted a preliminary concept of employment to help US and allied warfighters make better use of the...

Fifth Gen Aircraft Need Better Training Systems

By Otto Kreisher
Taking full advantage of the capabilities that fifth generation aircraft such as the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II will bring to any future fight will require improvements in high-tech training systems and to combat training ranges, two former...

Command Failures Led to Iran’s Seizure of Navy Boats

By Otto Kreisher
A Navy investigation into Iran’s Jan. 12 seizure of two riverine patrol boats and 10 sailors found a cascading litany of command failures that resulted in a deterioration of training, material readiness, morale, and adherence to operational procedures while the...

NATO Hosts ISR-Processing Exercise

Seventeen nations came together to improve intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance data processing through a two-week NATO exercise in June. Exercise Unified Vision, which ran from June 14-29, included an Air Force RQ-4 Global Hawk and a Belgian B-Hunter remotely piloted...

Carlisle Invited to Order of the Sword

Air Combat Command boss Gen. Hawk Carlisle was invited to be inducted into the Order of the Sword—the highest honor awarded by the enlisted force—on June 28. Carlisle was presented with the invitation after concluding an enlisted all-call Tuesday morning,...