Boeing's F-15EX fighter made its first flight Feb. 2—a 90-minute hop around St. Louis, Mo., checking out flying qualities and general systems. No issues were reported publicly. The jet is one of two that will begin developmental and operational testing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., later this quarter, after either a rollout in St. Louis or an arrival ceremony at Eglin. Boeing is under contract for eight airplanes, but the Air Force plans to buy between 144 and 200 to relieve F-15Cs that are beyond their planned service lives.

The Air Force is revamping evaluations for Airmen in grades E-7 through E-9 and O-1 through O-6 and establishing Airman Leadership Qualities on which each will be graded, the service announced on Feb. 2. These ALQs make up the backbone of a new, as-of-now optional, form the service has published as a companion document to the Airman Comprehensive Assessment. “This is just the beginning stages of constructing a system that clearly defines the qualities we value and need in our Airmen,” CMSAF JoAnne S. Bass told Air Force Magazine in a statement.

The Air Force’s intelligence and cyber operations branch will soon roll out a diversity and inclusion strategy to strengthen that workforce and the quality of their analyses. “Diversity, equity, inclusion are critical to our success going forward. It's a national security imperative; it's in the [Director of National Intelligence's] principles for professional ethics,” Lt. Gen. Mary F. O'Brien, deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and cyber effects operations, said at a Feb. 2 event hosted by the Intelligence National Security Alliance. The strategy aims to address the barriers that Airmen in certain demographic groups, from racial minorities to mothers, face as they scale the career ladder.

U.S. B-1B bombers will deploy to Norway for the first time, in both a message to Russia and a sign of the growing importance of the Arctic. B-1Bs from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, will fly out of Orland Air Base on the coast of the Norwegian Sea. While bombers have repeatedly flown alongside Norwegian aircraft, this will be the first time Lancers will operate out of a base in the country, according to U.S. European Command.

The National Defense Industrial Association gave the defense industrial base another "C" grade in its second annual assessment, based on polling data from member companies. While business is good, companies are finding it hard to get qualified workers and navigate complex government business rules. With a few exceptions, the data was mostly collected before the COVID-19, but the few results that include impacts from the pandemic so far suggest a big hit on the industrial base is coming.

Kathleen H. Hicks, who will oversee decisions related to nuclear modernization if confirmed to be the No. 2 official at the Pentagon, assured lawmakers during her confirmation hearing on Feb. 2 that she is committed to all three legs of the nuclear triad. Since Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III, who previously served on Raytheon Technologies’ board, has committed to recusing himself from all decisions relating to the company during his tenure, Hicks said that if she is confirmed as the deputy defense secretary, she will step in for programmatic discussions on the Air Force’s Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent, the Long-Range Stand Off Weapon, and “other timely missile defense issues.”

In commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of Operation Desert Storm, Air Force Magazine is posting daily recollections from the six-week war, which expelled Iraq from occupied Kuwait.

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.