The Trump Administration released a new national technology strategy on Oct. 15, which assigns investment priority to 20 technologies while calling for an all-of-government approach to develop and protect them. The Pentagon is already applying a number of the actions the new strategy lays out, such as blocking foreign adversaries trying to extract intellectual property from companies they buy a stake in. Broad initiatives in the policy call for greater investment in research and development and building a world-beating science and technology workforce.

Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper on Oct. 15 said he is keeping a close eye on the modernity and readiness of the Air Force’s tanker fleet. During an on-stage discussion with Thomas Spoehr, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Center for National Defense, Esper also cited a need for “487 tankers,” and spoke to the urgency of both lengthening the current fleet's life and ensuring that future tankers come online in fighting shape in a timely manner.

F-35As from the U.S. Air Force’s 421st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron and F-35I “Adir” fighters from the Israeli Air Force’s 116th Squadron teamed up for Enduring Lightning III, a joint offensive counter air training exercise over Israel, on Oct. 12, according to an Air Forces Central Command release. The 908th and 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadrons provided refueling backup via KC-10 and KC-135 tankers, the release noted, while F-16I fighters from the IAF’s 115th Squadron acted as a simulated adversary force and its 122nd Squadron handled air traffic control.

Airmen and F-16s from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., recently deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, the 20th Fighter Wing announced. While in the Middle East, the 77th Fighter Squadron and 77th Fighter Generation Squadron personnel will be tasked with generating combat air power to help make the region more stable and secure, according to the release.

The Defense Department “collected nearly 11,000 units” of COVID-19 convalescent plasma by the end of fiscal 2020—almost 3,000 units more than its original goal—Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper announced during an Oct. 15 Heritage Foundation event. Donations of blood plasma containing antibodies for the new coronavirus may boost the ability of eligible recipients’ immune systems to fight the pathogen, the Air Force wrote in July.

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.