Radar Sweep
Snapshot: DOD and COVID-19
Here's a look at how the Defense Department is being impacted by and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
DOD Crowdsources Efforts to Promote Diversity, Inclusion
Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper asked for the process as part of his Board on Diversity and Inclusion. The board—chaired by Air Force Secretary Barbara M. Barrett—wants input from service members and DOD civilians, and crowdsourcing is one tool they will use.
Air Force Considers Allowing Ponytails, Other Hairstyles for Women
During a Q&A segment during the Air Force Sergeants' virtual symposium, Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. teased the possibility of allowing women to wear ponytails in uniform.
Air Force Looking to Buy 12 Commercial Spy Drones for Partner Nations
The Air Force is considering purchasing a dozen commercial-off-the-shelf, intelligence-gathering drones for unidentified international partners, according to a sources-sought notice released on Aug. 26.
Drone Maker General Atomics Lays off Hundreds
The company was dealt a blow earlier this year when the Air Force announced it would stop buying the MQ-9 Reaper in fiscal 2021, at least four years earlier than expected. And now the future of the program remains uncertain, with the Air Force looking at options to replace the MQ-9 Reaper.
REPORT—‘The Missile Threat: A Taxonomy for Moving Beyond Ballistic’
“Using old classifications, we risk mischaracterizing the threats missiles pose and pursuing incorrect and ineffective ways to mitigate them,” write Sam Wilson, a policy analyst with the Aerospace Corporation’s Center for Space Policy and Strategy, and Steven Dunham, senior project leader for international launch systems at the organization. “The new approach offers a more holistic, integrated, and adaptive way of understanding this rapidly and continuously evolving ecosystem.”
US Space Force Tests New Anti-Jamming Capability
The U.S. Space Force has tested a new anti-jamming capability that will make the military’s main satellite communications constellation more resilient than ever, the Space and Missile Systems Center announced Aug. 26.
OPINION: In a Robot War, Kill the Humans
Even if advances in robotics mean fewer humans on the battlefield, the fight will increasingly focus on those that remain, writes Zak Kallenborn, a national/homeland security consultant, specializing in unmanned systems, drone swarms, homeland security, weapons of mass destruction, and WMD terrorism.
Acquisition Chief to Host AFVentures-Focused 'Ask Me Anything'
Air Force acquisition chief Will Roper and AFWERX Director Col. Nate Diller will co-host the live, virtual event, which will give Airmen, space professionals, industry partners, the American public, and the press a chance to directly engage with them on all things AFVentures.
Sources: Sailor Under Investigation for Arson in USS Bonhomme Richard Ship Fire
Multiple sources with close ties to Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) told ABC 10News that investigators determined the July 12 fire may have been set intentionally. Investigators identified a sailor as an arson suspect in their probe, sources said.
VA Launches New Patient Scheduling Tool as Part of Records Modernization Project
The launch of the resource—deemed the Centralized Scheduling Solution, or CSS—is considered by those involved to be both a major milestone and crucial component of the agency’s weighty, ongoing electronic health record modernization effort to leverage a unified commercial system with the Pentagon.
The Mysterious Cold War Case of Unidentified Aircraft Descending On Loring Air Force Base
When it comes to cases involving unidentified flying objects, few are as well documented or involve as many people as what occurred at Loring in 1975.