Radar Sweep
Sustaining and Modernizing Ballistic Missile Operations Forum
Tune in for the Air Force Association’s free professional development forum on sustaining and modernizing ballistic missile operations featuring guest speakers Gen. Timothy M. Ray, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command; Maj. Gen. Anthony W. Genatempo, commander of the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, and many more. The live virtual forum will be held from 10:00 a.m.-1:45 p.m. on June 14.
Two Plead Guilty to Fraud in Air Force Housing Contract, US Says
Two former employees of Balfour Beatty Communities, one of the U.S. military’s largest private landlords, have pleaded guilty to fraud for helping the company secure millions in bonuses while covering up poor housing conditions at several Air Force bases, the Department of Justice announced.
There Will Be 450 F-35s in Europe by 2030, NATO Commander Says
U.S. and other NATO allies could have 450 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters stationed in Europe by 2030, the general in charge of U.S. European Command said June 9. Air Force Gen. Tod Wolters, who is also NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe, said during an Atlantic Council discussion that the coalition is continuing to build its fifth-generation fighter capability.
Air Force Launches New Digital Transformation Office
Air Force Materiel Command, the force’s major command in charge of buying and sustaining airplanes and weapons, has opened a new office to work on digital transformation across the Air and Space Force acquisition enterprises.
Pentagon Budget 2022: US Space Force Expanding M-Code GPS Capability
The US Space Force is eyeing fiscal 2022 as the window for service officials to make large strides in the development and integration of Military Code (M-Code)-enabled global positioning system capabilities into fixed-wing and maritime surface warfare combatants. Space Force acquisition officials requested $434.1 million for Military GPS User Equipment (MGUE) development, testing, and fielding as part of the service's FY 2022 budget request. The request represented a $94 million increase over the service's FY 2021 spending proposal of $340.7 million for MGUE research and development, according to the FY 2022 budget justification documents.
VA Benefits Backlog Likely Won’t be Fixed Until Late 2022
The number of backlogged veterans disability claims has been cut by about 10 percent in recent weeks but likely won’t return to pre-pandemic levels until late 2022, Veterans Affairs officials acknowledged June 10. And they warned that number could grow again if Congress passes pending legislation granting new disability benefits to tens of thousands of veterans exposed to burn pits while serving overseas in the recent wars. As of this week, about 191,000 disability claims were considered backlogged, meaning they have been pending for four months or more.
Sen. King Urges ‘Reimagining Conflict’ on Eve of Cyber Nominees Hearing
The newly created national cyber director should immediately create a “declarative policy” clearly telling adversaries what they risk should they launch cyberattacks against the U.S., Sen. Angus King, who co-chaired the commission which recommended creation of the post, said today. “We have to reimagine conflict,” King said. “I can’t tell you how serious I think this problem is. If there are not consequences for people doing this, then they’ll keep doing it. It’s almost impossible to overstate this risk.”
DARPA’s Newest System Kills Drones with Stringy Streamers
After successful tests, the Pentagon’s emerging technology research arm finished work on an anti-drone system that can shoot strings of streamers into the propellers of threatening drones, causing them to fall from the sky. The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency is looking to transfer the technology to a program of record through various service acquisitions programs, the office announced June 7.
AFWERX Agility Prime Partners with Kitty Hawk in First Medevac Exercise with Electric Aircraft
In the program’s first exercise, a diverse group of industry and government operators, engineers, and test professionals assessed the ability to do medical evacuation, personnel recovery, and logistics with Kitty Hawk’s Heaviside electric vertical takeoff and landing, or eVTOL, aircraft. The Kitty Hawk team also demonstrated Heaviside’s remote flying capabilities. “The world is going to need new modes of transportation and Heaviside is one path to getting us there,” said Sebastian Thrun, Kitty Hawk CEO. “We are excited to be working with Agility Prime and look forward to our continued collaboration as we bring eVTOLs to more people.”