The Joint Chiefs of Staff condemned the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol by President Donald J. Trump's supporters, who were looking to interrupt the certification of electoral votes, calling the attack “a direct assault on the U.S. Congress, the Capitol building, and our Constitutional process.” Six people died as a result of injuries sustained in the riot, including two Capitol Police officers. “We witnessed actions inside the Capitol building that were inconsistent with the rule of law,” wrote the Joint Chiefs in the undated internal memo, a copy of which was obtained by Air Force Magazine on Jan. 12. “The rights of freedom of speech and assembly do not give anyone the right to resort to violence, sedition, and insurrection.”

Experts warned the Senate Armed Services Committee at a Jan. 12 hearing that approving a waiver for retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin to serve as Defense Secretary would damage the norm of civilian control of the military and cautioned against relying on veterans to lend credibility to American politics. Senators are now in the position of deciding whether to waive that seven-year requirement for only the third time in U.S. history and the second time since 2017. It’s not only a matter of whether he has the integrity or the respect to lead, they said, but what is at stake by allowing him to do so. The question of whether Austin is truly the best candidate for Defense Secretary hung over the hearing, one week ahead of when the secretary-designate is slated to appear before the committee. The House Armed Services Committee plans to vet Austin at a similar hearing on Jan. 21.

Northrop Grumman bested L3 Harris to win the right to develop a Next-Generation Electronic Warfare system for Air Force F-16s, potentially worth $2.5 billion in production, the company and Air Force officials reported. The development contract is worth $250 million, and if successful, installs could begin as early as 2024. Northrop also makes the AN/APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar radar, which is upgrading USAF's F-16 fleet.

The top three leaders in the Department of the Air Force have received their first coronavirus vaccinations, as the shot rolls out across U.S. military bases worldwide. Air Force Secretary Barbara M. Barrett and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. were both vaccinated Jan. 12, service spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said. Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond received the vaccine earlier in January. Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass is also vaccinated, according to a Jan. 12 Facebook post. “Didn’t even feel it,” she said.

Howard C. “Scrappy” Johnson, a Collier Trophy winner and founder of the Red River Valley Pilots Association—also known as the “River Rats”—died Dec. 9, 2020, at age 100. Johnson flew hundreds of combat missions in Korea and Vietnam. He also served in World War II.

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.