The Space Force has three weeks to come up with an initial organization plan that Congress wants by Feb. 1, a service official said Jan. 10. Maj. Gen. John Shaw, who serves as both US Space Command’s combined force space component commander as well as the Space Force’s Space Operations Command boss, said at an AFA Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies breakfast that they’re considering who the Space Force should recruit and how, what new groups should comprise the service, and how doctrine will shape the path forward.
An instructor pilot’s lack of spatial awareness and a failure to follow a stall recovery checklist caused the May 1 crash of a T-6 Texan II during a training flight at Sheppard AFB, Texas, the Air Force states in a recently released investigation. The pilots were able to eject and sustained minor injuries, and the T-6 was completely destroyed in the crash at a loss of about $5.7 million, according to the Air Education and Training Command accident investigation board report released last month.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper rallied the troops for the New Year in a letter telling Pentagon employees to work hard, spend money wisely, and prioritize their time well to maintain global military dominance. In a Jan. 2 memo to all Defense Department personnel, Esper urged the armed forces to accept that they will need to make sacrifices for the sake of the National Defense Strategy and the “aggressive reforms” it requires.
Aviation author Walter Boyne, who wrote more than 50 books, had a noteworthy Air Force career, and was a former director of the National Air & Space Museum, died Jan. 9, at the age of 90. Boyne flew mainly bombers in the Air Force and, as part of a special unit, was a “nuclear ace,” dropping five nuclear weapons for testing. Several of his books made the New York Times bestseller list, and he did foundational work creating the downtown Washington, D.C., National Air and Space Museum, as well as its annex at Dulles Airport in Virginia. He also worked in aviation-themed cable television, was chairman of the National Aeronautic Association, and received numerous awards, including induction into the National Aviation Hall of Fame.
MacDill AFB, Fla., resumed normal operations around 9:14 a.m. on Jan. 10 after reports of an active shooter on the base prompted a lockdown about two hours earlier. After a search of the base, no suspect was found, and base officials emphasized that no shots were fired and no employees were harmed in the situation, according to a Facebook post.
The 52nd Fighter Wing identified the two airmen whose bodies were discovered “unresponsive” Jan. 9 in a dorm at Spangdahlem AB, Germany. Pronounced dead soon after were A1C Xavier Leapheart and A1C Aziess Whitehurst, both 20. The two airmen were assigned to the wing’s 52nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, according to a Jan. 12 release. The causes of death were still under investigation as of Jan. 11, according to the wing.
