The Air Force is moving forward with a new, algorithm-driven system to help U.S. Northern Command better detect airborne threats. NORTHCOM and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, which are tasked with protecting the homeland from attack, depend on a slew of radars and other data systems to monitor U.S. airspace. But those systems largely cannot communicate with other software, creating roadblocks in a process that should be fluid and collaborative. The “Pathfinder” initiative is building a data ecosystem that lives in widely accessible digital cloud storage, and that pulls together many different streams of information into one operating picture.

The Air Force revamped its F-16 Basic Course following a 2017 incident where an inexperienced student pilot strafed the wrong target and killed a military contractor. Now, students must fly their first nighttime close air support sortie with an instructor pilot in the rear seat of a two-person F-16D. If a two-seat aircraft is not available, the student will practice their first solo strafe attack without ordnance “while observed from close proximity by the instructor,” Air Education and Training Command spokeswoman Capt. Lauren M. Woods told Air Force Magazine.

About 200 Airmen and four B-1s from Dyess Air Force Base's 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron began a Bomber Task Force deployment to Guam this week to back up multilateral training being hosted by Pacific Air Forces, according to a PACAF release. The Texas-based troops and aircraft arrived at Andersen Air Force Base on Oct. 20, the release stated.

Aviano Air Base's 555th Fighter Squadron this week concluded a nearly monthlong stint supporting NATO's enhanced Air Policing mission in Bulgaria, during which Russian military aircraft didn't cross into the European nation's sovereign airspace, U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa told Air Force Magazine on Oct. 23. “As we leave Bulgaria, we are thankful for the opportunity to support the eAP mission as guests, and look forward to more opportunities to work with the Bulgarian Air Force, especially as they grow their fleet of block 70 F-16's,” USAFE-AFAFRICA Commander Gen. Jeffrey L. Harrigian wrote in an emailed response to questions, adding that Bulgaria's recent purchase of the fighters will provide “a highly capable, advanced, and interoperable aircraft to defend the skies in the region.”

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.