The Air Force is calling on small businesses to pitch new technologies the service can help nurture into “war-winning” capabilities, service acquisition chief Will Roper said Oct. 26. These “Skyshots”—something short of “Moon Shots”—would be comparable to USAF's flying car initiative: requiring sustained investment that companies might not be able to find commercially, but could give USAF a big edge. Roper also said the service is shifting away from setting requirements to choosing from among arising technology “opportunities” as a quicker and less prescribed way to build future systems.

Top enlisted leaders defended the Air Force's decision to reduce tuition assistance by $750, saying it was the best option available as the manpower directorate scrambled to find money over the summer or risk canceling classes. In late September, the Air Force announced it was only going to pay $3,750 of college tuition for Airmen and space professionals each fiscal year—a reduction from the previous limit of $4,500. Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass and Chief Master Sgt. Roosevelt Jones, the senior enlisted leader for the deputy chief of manpower, personnel, and services, speaking during an Oct. 26 town hall said the department had about $163 million allocated for tuition assistance in 2020, but that funding ran out in July. “We wanted to make sure that we covered the majority of Airmen in the United States Air Force to be able to fund how much they normally utilize each year,” Jones said.

F-35As and Airmen from the 421st Fighter Squadron returned home to Hill Air Force Base, Utah, within the past week after a six-month deployment for combat operations in the Middle East. The 421st was the third Hill squadron in a row to be tasked with deploying to U.S. Central Command, where they flew close air support, offensive and defensive counter air operations, and flew in multiple exercises with partners in the region, according to a base release. The squadron is a combination of the Active duty 388th and Reserve 419th Fighter Wings at Hill, the service’s only operational F-35 base in the continental United States. Hill F-35s had flown combat missions in CENTCOM non-stop since April 2019, and it is not clear if the squadron returning home means that the region is now without a fifth-generation USAF fighter presence. Prior to the first F-35 deployments, Air Force F-22s had been steadily deployed to the theater.

The Air Force activated the military’s only large, fixed-wing pest control aircraft to help areas recovering from hurricanes and heavy rains. The C-130s from the 910th Airlift Wing at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio, deployed to Barksdale Air Force Base, La., on Oct. 20 for several days in support of Environmental Protection Agency-registered aerial spray to control mosquitos that thrive in post-storm conditions across the state. The C-130s are the military’s only aircraft equipped with the Modular Aerial Spray System. It is the first time the unit has been activated for storm response since Hurricane Harvey impacted 1.4 million acres in 2014.

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.