Nearly 60 Airmen from 37th Training Wing Detachment 5 graduated from Basic Military Training at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., on May 15, according to an 81st Training Wing release. The graduation marked the end of a six-week proof of concept that looked to show that bases other than Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, could host BMT if extenuating circumstances demanded it. “COVID-19 may be a defining moment, but it doesn’t define who you are as an Airman,” Air Education and Training Command boss Lt. Gen. Brad Webb said during the ceremony. “These last few weeks at Keesler Air Force Base have defined that.” All of the graduates will stay at Keesler to pursue technical training, the release stated. According to Air Education and Training Command spokesperson Jennifer Gonzalez, "officials are taking this week to evaluate BMT at Keesler and determine the way forward."

The Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation on May 18 said Royal Saudi Air Force 2nd Lt. Mohammed Alshamrani, who killed three U.S. Navy sailors and injured eight more Americans in a December 2019 attack at NAS Pensacola, Fla., had “significant ties” to al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula dating back to before he came to the U.S. for training. The FBI was able to access iPhones belonging to Alshamrani, which the shooter had tried to destroy during the attack before he was shot and killed. The phones had “information previously unknown to us that definitively establishes Alshamrani’s significant ties to al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula,” Attorney General William Barr said during a press conference.

U.S. Forces Korea is lowering its health protection condition effective May 20 for forces across the country, except for the greater Seoul area, as South Korea makes progress with its efforts to control the coronavirus outbreak. The command, in a May 18 release, said that based on the country’s “current COVID-19 conditions remaining favorable to their newly implemented social distancing and preventive measures,” the HPCON level will lower to “Bravo.” The direction includes both Osan and Kunsan air bases. This means troops will be allowed to sit in restaurants, go shopping, and conduct outdoor activities while maintaining social awareness and wearing a mask when needed. U.S. personnel are still restricted from visiting Seoul, which continues to see new cases.

The Hurricane Hunters got an early start to the 2020 Atlantic season, flying into Tropical Storm Arthur as it formed in the Atlantic on May 16. Arthur approached the Carolinas on May 18, making this the sixth consecutive year there has been a named storm in May, before the hurricane season officially starts on June 1. The Reserve 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron’s WC-130J flew into the storm as it approached the Bahamas, providing weather data to the National Hurricane Center to improve its forecast models, Lt. Col Anthony Wilmot, the squadron’s director of operations, said in a release.

On March 23, the Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies will host a virtual Nuclear Deterrence Series event featuring Scowcroft Group Principal Frank Miller. At a time when nuclear modernization programs are accelerating around the world, proposals to recapitalize the U.S. nuclear arsenal are at the forefront of debates over defense spending. Miller will share his insights into the prospects for U.S. nuclear modernization programs and the value of nuclear deterrence in today's competitive security environment. The think tank will post event video on its website and YouTube page after the live event.