The House Armed Services Committee has “enormous concern” about the F-35 fighter’s sustainment, and suggested Congress may cut back on purchases of the jet to let the sustainment enterprise catch up, Readiness subcommittee chair Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.) said March 19. He also said he wants an integrated plan from USAF's sustainment enterprise about how it will care for old systems while waiting for new ones to come online.

Aircrew flight equipment Airmen face deep problems maintaining proficiency, largely stemming from inadequate training and high operations tempo, and the Air Force should respond by expanding the number of personnel and overhauling the career field’s progression, according to a new report. Air Combat Command tasked RAND Project Air Force to investigate the causes of deficiencies within the AFE career field because of continued problems that rose to the level of command leadership, the organization wrote in a 150-page report published March 17. RAND recommends the Air Force adds personnel, overhauls promotions, and creates new officer roles to advocate for the enlisted-only career field.

As the military’s newest service continues to grow its own ranks, it is expanding collaboration with allies through more exchanges, data sharing agreements, and increased participation in major wargames. Lt. Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, the U.S. Space Force’s deputy chief of space operations for operations, cyber, and nuclear, said during a March 19 Brookings Institution event that growing these efforts is a major initiative because space-based capabilities are important assets for both the U.S., and international allies. “We recognize that we are far more powerful, from protecting and defending and actually accomplishing space operations and space capabilities, if we do it as an allied, partnered force,” he said.

The Air Force Research Laboratory on March 16 broke ground on a 3,500-square-foot facility located on 72 acres at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., that will allow the Space Vehicles Directorate to test sensor systems before sending them to the field. The Skywave Technology Laboratory is slated to cost $3.5 million, and “will provide the work space our teams needs for space environment research, which involves developing and testing new instrumentation, preparing for field experiments around the globe, as well as collecting and processing data to support ionospheric and radio frequency research,” said Todd Parris, head of the Geospace Environment Impacts and Applications Branch, in a release.