More than 1,600 personnel, 60 companies, over a dozen aircraft, and dozens of radars and sensors came together for a massive Air Force-led event that utilized everything from boots on the ground to satellites in space to test how the service expects to fight a war in the future. The event culminated when a cruise missile was downed by a “smart” bullet. The Air Force’s second “ABMS onramp,” long delayed because of COVID-19, took place on Sept. 3, largely within four national training ranges and a part-operations center, part-fusion cell at Joint Base Andrews, Md., where the new cloud-based, artificial intelligence-fueled command center brought together new and legacy ways of fighting wars, which is the backbone of the service's push for joint all-domain command and control.

A Pentagon effort to shutter or downsize the scope of services offered at 50 military hospitals and/or clinics across the country—12 of which are located on Air Force bases—has been slowed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Defense Health Agency Director Army Lt. Gen. Ronald J. Place told Air Force Magazine in an exclusive interview. As a result, facility closures and changes are unlikely to take place before next summer, he said. But DHA can’t proceed with those changes until it reaches what Place called “a steady state” with respect to COVID-19—where the agency either is operating under the assumption of a prolonged pandemic, or working within a post-pandemic "new normal." Once DHA achieves that state, he said, it must reevaluate each impacted market, brainstorm a game plan with its collaborators in each location, and then present a plan to the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs.

The Department of the Air Force this month will survey Airmen about their experiences with interpersonal violence, seeking feedback that could shape future policies to keep service members safe. Starting the week of Sept. 7, the department plans to survey civilian and uniformed Air Force and Space Force members about sexual assault and abuse, domestic abuse, bullying, and stalking. “Survey data and the data gathered from reviewing past cases involving interpersonal violence will be used to identify any themes or areas for improvement,” the department said in a Sept. 3 release.

Lt. Gen. Shaun Q. Morris took over as head of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center in a Sept. 3 ceremony, the service said in a release. He replaces Lt. Gen. Robert D. McMurry, who retired this week, as the top officer overseeing the development and sustainment of Air Force aircraft, software, missiles, and more. AFLCMC encompasses a $304 billion portfolio and employs more than 28,000 people. Morris takes the helm at AFLCMC for what could be a significant shakeup of Air Force technologies over the next few years.

Airmen and Air Force civilians aren’t allowed to opt-out of a Social Security payroll tax deferral the government instituted as a form of COVID-19 relief, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass confirmed in a Sept. 7 Facebook post. While U.S. troops and DOD civilians can’t say no to the deferral, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service “will temporarily defer the 6.2 percent Social Security Tax withholding” for service members whose monthly basic pay is below $8,666.66, DFAS explained on a web page about the measure. This temporary deferral is “effective for the September mid-month pay,” it added.

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.