Spot Checks Find Mold, Moisture in Dorms at Five USAF Bases
The Air Force recently found evidence of mold and moisture in dormitories at five bases during inspections of 17 domestic and overseas installations, following recent reports of a widespread mold problem at JB San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. Signs of mold were discovered at JB San Antonio and Sheppard AFB, Texas, Barksdale AFB, La., Al Udeid AB, Qatar, and Kadena AB, Japan, service spokeswoman Ann Stefanek told Air Force Magazine. The Air Force found mold in about 34 percent of all dorms that participated in the spot checks, which finished Aug. 9, she said. Read the full story by Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory.
Third Pilot Training Next Phase to Tackle Multi-Domain Ops
The Air Force’s third iteration of its Pilot Training Next initiative will focus on preparing pilots for multi-domain operations against advanced militaries, Air Education and Training Command said in an Aug. 29 release. PTN began in February 2018 to modernize training and speed up the process with technologies like virtual-reality headsets and gaming and new learning theories. The third phase begins in January. Read the full story by Brian Everstine.
New Commanders at 2nd, 25th Air Forces
Two numbered Air Forces got new two-star commanders in change-of-command ceremonies on Aug. 29. Maj. Gen. Andrea Tullos became the newest commander of 2nd Air Force in an Aug. 29 ceremony at Keesler AFB, Miss. Second AF oversees basic military training and technical training for most of the service. Maj. Gen. Timothy Haugh took command of 25th Air Force during an Aug. 29 ceremony at JB San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. The organization oversees the service’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and cryptology resources. Read the full story by Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory and Brian Everstine.
US Space Command Creates Subordinate Groups
US Space Command boss Air Force Gen. Jay Raymond used his first full day on the job to establish the two subordinate commands that will carry out the organization’s main responsibilities. One supports field commanders’ needs for space capabilities like GPS and communications, while the other protects US assets. Read the full story by Rachel S. Cohen.
MDA Conducts Successful THAAD Test
The Missile Defense Agency successfully tested the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system in the Pacific Ocean on Aug. 30, marking the 16th intercept in as many attempts and the first using a remote launcher. MDA, the Ballistic Missile Defense System Operational Test Agency, and the Army’s E-62 Battery, 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, conducted the test at the Reagan Test Site on Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Read the full story by Brian Everstine.
Outstanding Airmen of the Year Spotlight: SSgt. Christopher M. Stuebbe
The Air Force’s 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2019 will be formally recognized at AFA’s Air, Space, and Cyber Conference Sept. 16-18. Air Force Magazine is highlighting one each workday from now until the conference begins. Today, we honor SSgt. Christopher M. Stuebbe from Air Mobility Command.
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RADAR SWEEP
President Trump Tweets Sensitive Surveillance Image of Iran
President Donald Trump has tweeted what experts say is almost certainly an image from a classified satellite or drone, showing the aftermath of an accident at an Iranian space facility. National Public Radio
Air Force Veteran Convicted in Terror Case to Be Resentenced
A US Air Force veteran was properly convicted on terrorism charges for trying to join the Islamic State group and die a martyr, an appeals court said Aug. 29, but it ordered a judge to resentence him and better explain his reasons behind any penalty. Tairod Pugh, 51, of Neptune, N.J., is serving a 35-year prison sentence, the maximum possible penalty he faced after a Brooklyn jury convicted him in 2016 of trying to provide material support to a terrorist organization and obstruction of justice. Associated Press via ABC News
Hypersonics: Army Awards $699M to Build First Missiles for a Combat Unit
Dynetics will build the Common Glide Body for both the Army and Navy, which Lockheed Martin will integrate into full-up weapons for the first US Army battery by 2023. USAF release
The Pentagon Is Exploring New Ways to Isolate Its Networks
The Pentagon is investing millions of dollars in research to improve the department’s air-gapping methods, which would better protect the sensitive data flowing between military IT systems. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency on Aug. 28 awarded General Electric a $8.6 million contract to prototype hardware and software designs that would help keep highly sensitive data physically isolated from other parts of the Pentagon’s tech infrastructure. Nextgov
Military Per Diem Rates Are About to Go Up
The Defense Department has announced that per diem rates for military travel will increase for fiscal 2020, which runs from Oct. 1, 2019, to Sept. 30, 2020. The standard per diem will increase to $151, effective Oct. 1, 2019. Military.com
The Budget Control Act Is Dead. Now What
The demise of the Budget Control Act and the threat of sequestration does not necessarily portend the end of fiscal instability for the Pentagon, analysts say. National Defense Magazine
OPINION: War in Space Will Probably Be Really Boring
“Decades worth of movies and video games have shaped our idea of war among the stars, and it’s hard not to let our imaginations run a bit wild when the concept of zero-G warfighting is suddenly so real that our lawmakers are actually budgeting for it,” writes journalist and former marine Alex Hollings. “The thing is, our ideas of space warfare and the reality of conflict in space are pretty far off from one another… at least for now.” We Are The Mighty
One More Thing
This 747 Is Fighting Fires in the Amazon
Tens of thousands of wildland fires are burning in the Amazon rainforest right now. Firefighters and soldiers across the region are scrambling to control the blazes, but resources are thin and many of the fires are nearly unreachable, set by ranchers and farmers in remote locations. Fortunately, one of the toughest machines in the industry is on the job. Popular Mechanics