Air Force Magazine
Here's a look at how the Defense Department is being impacted by and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Associated Press
The two senior commanders on a coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier didn’t “do enough, soon enough,” to stem the outbreak, the top U.S. Navy officer said Friday, a stunning reversal that upheld the firing of the ship’s captain who had pleaded for faster action to protect the crew.
Military.com
Six former Air Force Secretaries and six former Chiefs of Staff penned an op-ed urging the Defense Department to prioritize efforts to modernize the nuclear triad.
Military.com
Two U.S. senators have introduced legislation that would let TRICARE waive prescription drug copayments for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic or other national emergency. Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) proposed the TRICARE Prescriptions Relief Act bill on June 17 to provide financial help for Active-duty and retiree families experiencing unexpected increases in prescription drug costs during the pandemic.
USNI News
The Navy now understands what has been causing physiological events in aviators—which spiked so sharply in 2017 that flight instructors refused to get into their jets to train new student pilots—with a recently completed root cause analysis pointing to a complex relationship between aircrew, their flight gear, and their aircraft.
Space News
The director of the Space Development Agency Derek Tournear again made the case that the agency needs at least two years to prove its business model before it is merged with the U.S. Space Force. “I would contend that we need enough runway to be able to demonstrate that military utility,” Tournear said June 18 during an online chat with Chuck Beames, chairman of the industry group SmallSat Alliance.
The Associated Press
Iran test fired cruise missiles in a naval exercise in the Gulf of Oman and northern Indian Ocean, state media reported June 18. The report by the official IRNA news agency said the missiles destroyed targets at a distance of 170 miles. It said the tests took place during a naval drill by Iran’s navy in the Gulf of Oman and Indian Ocean.
The Sydney Morning Herald
A wave of sophisticated cyber attacks against the NSW government and other critical Australian infrastructure spurred Prime Minister Scott Morrison's warning for the nation to be on guard against more attempted hacks. Australian security agencies believe China is behind the cyber raids on all levels of government, industry and critical infrastructure including hospitals, local councils and state-owned utilities.
Breaking Defense
As the Defense Department deliberates future missile warning plans, senior officials say the second iteration of the Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared constellation could include multiple satellites in low Earth orbit, a revolution in the traditional U.S. approach to early warning.
Space News
Aevum, Astra, X-Bow, Rocket Lab, Space Vector, and VOX Space each will receive contracts to launch two rideshare missions.
USAF release
Airmen can participate in the challenge by submitting their ideas via the Airmen Powered by Innovation platform to solve problems related to automation or elimination of menial tasks. Additionally, peers can provide live input and vote for their favorite proposals.
USAF release
The Texas Guard team, whose entry focused on development of 3D printer technology, beat out 110 submissions nationwide. Competitors pitched their ideas in rounds at the unit, state, and regional levels. The winners advanced to the final round, held June 12.
Military.com
A female National Guard Soldier has successfully completed the final stage of the Army's Special Forces Qualification Course (Q Course), but she's not a Green Beret yet. The soldier finished the grueling three-week evaluation known as Robin Sage this week, but she is still in the final counseling phase, in which she and other students receive evaluations from course staff.
The Drive
The Turkish military reportedly plans to buy more than 500 quad-copter-type Kargu series loitering munitions, or suicide drones, in the near term. The Kargus, at present, can operate in semi-autonomous or manually controlled modes, but work is underway to give up to 20 of them the ability to carry out mass attacks as a swarm, which could give Turkey's troops a potentially game-changing new capability.
Military.com
Several hundred "Dreamers" in the military received a conditional guarantee from the Supreme Court on June 18 that they could continue serving without fear of deportation by the Trump administration. In the second surprising ruling this week with major implications for the military, the Supreme Court barred the administration from ending protections for about 700,000 immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children.
One More Thing
Backpacker
More than 28 years after Chris McCandless took up residence there, an Army National Guard helicopter airlifted the abandoned vehicle out of the backcountry.
