Sexual Assault Takes Center Stage at Hyten’s Confirmation Hearing
PACAF Chief Concerned By China-Russia Cooperation, Antarctic Competition
Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan Identified
AFCENT, NAVCENT Train Together in Persian Gulf
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RADAR SWEEP
Supreme Court Asked to Reverse Military Court Decision Limiting Rape Prosecutions
The US government is asking the Supreme Court to overturn a decision by the military’s highest court, one that the government is arguing was wrongly decided and prevents military authorities from prosecuting some rapists in its ranks. Stars and Stripes (paywall)
CENTCOM: Iran Never Warned RQ-4 Drone Before Shootdown
While more than a dozen US military aircraft flew in international airspace near Iran’s borders the day the country downed an RQ-4 Global Hawk drone over the Strait of Hormuz last month, officials with US Central Command say the US was never "warned" before Iran took out the drone, contrary to the regime’s statements. Military.com
CSAF Visits Greenland
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein visited airmen at Thule AB, Greenland, July 20. During his visit, Goldfein toured various work centers to learn about the unique mission sets of the 821st Air Base Group and the 12th Space Warning Squadron, and observe how Thule Air Base is currently supporting the safe, stable, sustainable, and secure space domain. USAF release
Wright-Patt Leader Says Active Shooter Scare Made Base “Better”
One year after an active shooter scare plunged Wright-Patterson Air Force Base into hours of chaos, the military installation’s leader is hoping more technology and better communication will prevent such a situation from repeating itself. Dayton Daily News
Congress Reviewing New Request to Reprogram Funds for Next-Generation OPIR Satellites
The Air Force is seeking congressional approval to transfer $160 million from other accounts to fund a new early warning constellation known as the next-generation Overhead Persistent Infrared system, or next-gen OPIR. Space News
Oracle vs. Pentagon: Why Judge Approved a Single Vendor for JEDI Cloud
Recently released court documents reveal that federal judge Eric Bruggink had some doubts about the official justification for awarding the $10 billion JEDI cloud computing contract to a single vendor. But ultimately, he ruled, those doubts didn’t outweigh the Pentagon’s sound reasons for rejecting Oracle’s bid. Breaking Defense
SAS Soldier Was Killed by Friendly Fire, Inquiry Finds
A British Special Air Service soldier who died fighting Islamic State in Syria was killed by friendly fire and not by an enemy roadside bomb, as previously claimed. Sgt. Matt Tonroe, 33, originally from Manchester, UK, died last year alongside US commando MSgt. Jonathan Dunbar while on a joint operation with American special forces. The Guardian
DOD Identifies Navy Casualty
Aviation Electronics Technician 2nd Class Slayton Saldana, 24, had been listed Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown following a July 17 non-combat, man overboard incident while underway onboard USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea. DOD release
VA Migrates 23.5 Million Veteran Patient Records to Cerner Data Center
All new patient data will go into the shared Veterans Affairs-Defense Department data center as the two agencies move forward with the massive electronic health records overhaul. Nextgov
One More Thing
Missile Launcher Confiscated from Luggage at BWI Airport
Transportation Security Administration officers at Baltimore Washington International Airport confiscated a missile launcher from a USAF airman’s checked luggage early July 29. The man from Jacksonville, Texas, told authorities he was traveling home from Kuwait and wanted to keep the spent missile launcher as a souvenir. WTOP