The Senate Armed Services Committee’s defense spending plan for 2021 would give the Air Force and Space Force largely what they want, with some notable tweaks. “What this bipartisan bill does is straightforward: care for our troops; preserve peace through strength; and defend this great nation,” Chairman Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) said. “Congress has passed [a National Defense Authorization Act] every year for the last 59 years in a row—always on a bipartisan basis. Now, I look forward to working with my colleagues to make it an even 60 years.” The full Senate is likely to approve the committee’s version of the fiscal 2021 defense policy bill in the coming weeks.

Some of the U.S. forces withdrawing from Germany will go to Poland with the new host country paying to bring in the troops. However, the overall American footprint in Europe will drop, President Donald Trump said June 24 during an appearance with Polish President Andrzej Duda. Earlier this month, Trump said he was ordering the Pentagon to withdraw almost 10,000 forces from Germany and cap the total that could be in the country at one time at 25,000. During the appearance in the Rose Garden, Trump said Germany is not meeting the NATO goal of spending 2 percent of its gross domestic product on defense, a mark Poland is meeting. “They asked us if we would send some additional troops,” Trump said. “They’re going to pay for that. They’ll be paying for the sending of additional troops and we’ll probably be moving them from Germany to Poland. We’re going to be reducing Germany very substantially.”

As Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. prepares to take the helm as the service’s top officer in early August, he already is thinking about how to best position the Air Force for a potential conflict with China. Brown, who has led Pacific Air Forces since July 2018, told reporters in a State Department-hosted teleconference he is considering following in the footsteps of the Marine Corps, which recently unveiled a plan to get rid of heavy equipment such as tanks and some artillery to instead focus on light mobility, unmanned systems, and anti-ship missiles as it looks to optimize its force to compete with China. Brown said he has talked to Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David H. Berger about his plan, and that when he takes over as the next Air Force Chief he is considering doing something “very similar” to push the Air Force forward as it thinks about the Pacific and China.

A problem with an inert gas system meant to protect F-35 fighters if they're struck by lightning has led to a safety order to avoid thunderstorms. Lockheed Martin advised the Air Force to route F-35s around potential lightning conditions until the issue is resolved, the company said June 24. Deliveries of the fighter were halted for almost three weeks while the problem was being analyzed, but it's apparently not a factory problem. It's not yet clear when the restriction might be lifted.

The Wild Weasels at Misawa Air Base, Japan, showed off their advanced armament in the base’s first joint, bilateral elephant walk on June 22. Twelve F-16CMs from the base lined up with 12 Japanese F-35As, two U.S. Navy E/A-18G Growlers, a Navy C-12, two U.S. Air Force MC-130Js, and a U.S. Navy P-8. The 35th Fighter Wing F-16s in the formation could be seen carrying training versions of AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles. Misawa’s elephant walk is the latest in a series of similar events across the globe, including ones at Andersen; Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska; and Aviano Air Base, Italy, among others.

Kadena Air Base officials have moved into the “recovery phase,” which includes a thorough investigation, after a fire at a hazardous materials storage facility at the Japan base on June 22 resulted in about 100 people being treated for symptoms of smoke and chlorine gas exposure.

Security forces Airmen from the District of Columbia Air National Guard’s 113th Wing are part of a new D.C. National Guard activation to help safeguard monuments in the nation’s capital amid persistent civil unrest stemming from George Floyd’s Memorial Day death in police custody, the wing confirmed to Air Force Magazine on June 24.

The U.S. Air Force Academy added a new mascot to its Falconry Team. The as-of-yet-unnamed female gyrfalcon hatched in Wyoming in May, Academy spokesperson Maureen Welch told Air Force Magazine via email. The USAFA Class of 1995 undertook a fundraising campaign to cover the costs of bringing her to Colorado Springs. Other classes also raised funds for the effort. The bird is living with the Academy's Master Falconer until she loses her down, her feathers fully develop, “and she's ready for training,” which is expected in late July, Welch said. Once that happens, and after the Academy's vets check her out, she'll be given a new home at USAFA.

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.