Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett redesignated 14th Air Force as Space Operations Command following the Dec. 20 establishment of US Space Force as the sixth military service. Airmen that were assigned to the numbered Air Force, which was previously responsible for the organization, training, equipping, command and control, and employment of USAF space forces, are now assigned to SPOC. The new command, whose redesignation also went into effect on Dec. 20, “directly supports the US Space Force’s mission to protect the interests of the United States in space; deter aggression in, from, and to space; and conduct space operations,” according to a Dec. 30 USAF release.
Maintainers from Hill AFB, Utah, recently traveled to Japan for an F-35 maintenance symposium designed to increase interoperability at every level. Eight airmen from the 388th Maintenance Group worked with a Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-35 maintenance squadron, first discussing lessons learned and then working hands-on in the Japanese facilities on specific maintenance tasks. The JASDF requested the subject matter expert exchange, and since the F-35 program is still in its early stages, it seemed like the “perfect opportunity to come in on the ground level and grow our interoperability together,” explained CMSgt. Brian Kruzelnick, command chief master sergeant for Fifth Air Force. However, Fifth Air Force doesn’t have any Joint Strike Fighters. So they reached out to the 388th Fighter Wing—the only USAF combat unit with F-35s.
The Air Force has kicked off its exercise and development of joint, all domain command and control and is expecting the initiative to start in earnest with $185 million in funding. The service recently trained for the first time with its new Advanced Battle Management System at Eglin AFB, Fla.
An Air Force F-16 recently shot down a targeting drone with an AGR-20A Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System rocket queued by the Viper’s targeting pod for the first time in a demonstration of future cruise missile defense.
With an average snowfall of 150 inches per year over the last seven years, civil engineers at Misawa AB, Japan, stay busy with 24-hour operations during the snow season, priding themselves on keeping the airfield open regardless of weather conditions. “We have the largest snow fleet in the entire Air Force here,” said Col. Kristopher Struve, commander of the 35th Fighter Wing. “We can get a foot of snow and we’ll be up and flying by 8 or 9 in the morning. It’s pretty amazing.”
The Air Force is investigating to see what caused a fire to break out in an unoccupied hangar typically used for overflow snow removal equipment and transient alert equipment at Minot AFB, N.D., days after Christmas. The fire, which started around 5:15 p.m. local time on Dec. 28, burned for nearly 24 hours before it was successfully extinguished at 2:57 p.m. on Dec. 29.
