The number of troops deployed to Afghanistan could increase in the coming months to enable the full withdrawal of U.S. and coalition forces, a DOD spokesman said, and it is too early to tell what the remaining contractor presence will be to continue support for Afghan forces. President Joe Biden announced April 14 that it is “time to end the forever war” in Afghanistan, with troops beginning to leave May 1 and a full withdrawal by Sept. 11, 2021. The announcement is an extension from the prior deadline of early May, which was agreed upon as part of the 2020 U.S. agreement with the Taliban. Still, it is “not out of the realm of the possible” that more troops will deploy in the coming months to Afghanistan to meet the needs that arise as part of the retrograde, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said in an April 16 briefing. For example, additional engineering, logistics, and force protection forces could be needed to allow for a “safe, orderly, and deliberately planned” drawdown.
The top four U.S. adversaries—China, Russia, Iran and North Korea—are improving their military capabilities but relying increasingly on cyber means to challenge the U.S. and blunt its influence around the world, the intelligence community's annual threat assessment says. The report comes amid military tensions with both China and Russia.
The Defense Department's Space Development Agency wants to blanket Earth with a constellation of low-cost, open-architecture data-relay and missile-tracking satellites whose sheer numbers, along with their 1,000-kilometer-high orbits, would theoretically thwart some modes of interference—but not all. With all going according to plan so far, SDA expects to launch five technology-demonstration satellites this year to test the feasibility of the National Defense Space Architecture plan. SDA Director Derek Tournear updated the Washington Space Business Roundtable on the SDA’s flagship program April 14.
The World War I Centennial Commission officially raised the flag at the new National World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C., with a unique salute to the early days of air power. During the April 16 ceremony, two F-22s from the 94th Fighter Squadron at Joint Base Langley, Va., performed a flyover of the memorial site. The 94th Fighter Squadron dates back to the famed “Hat-in-the-Ring” 94th Aero Squadron, which was designated as an independent unit under the VIII French Army and deployed to France in 1918 as part of the allied war effort.
Active-duty Airmen interested in becoming rated officers can apply to train with the Civil Air Patrol and start their paths to becoming pilots. The Air Force has opened the application window for the Fall 2021 Rated Preparatory Program, the fourth iteration of the approach started in 2019 to help address the service’s pilot shortage. “The Rated Preparatory Program is a unique opportunity for officers and enlisted,” said Col. John O’Dell, Aircrew Task Force deputy director, in a release. “For anyone who is considering pursuing a career as a rated officer, and wants to gain basic aviation skills to become more competitive, RPP can make a significant difference.”
