Military.com
This is the first of a two-part series about the fatal accident of 1st Lt. David Schmitz, an F-16 pilot at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. Schmitz's tragic death underscores the inherent risks of fighter training. But it also casts a harsh light on the impacts of limited flight hours and insufficient training due to limited available aircraft and the demands of real-life missions. Despite the best efforts of the Air Force and Congress to understand what causes catastrophic aviation mishaps, it's clear that a lot of work remains.
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The New York Times
The Pentagon’s leadership is taking steps to promote inclusion in the military, prompting a political backlash.
DOD Release
The Department of Defense announces a new $150 million package for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) that includes training, equipment, and advisory efforts to help Ukraine’s forces preserve the country’s territorial integrity, secure its borders, and improve interoperability with NATO.
Military.com
The Defense Department and its partners will hold the next demonstration of the highly anticipated drone swarming concept this fall, said Air Force Lt. Gen. Brian S. Robinson, deputy commander of Air Mobility Command. The next test for the program, known as Gremlins, will occur in the October to November timeframe.
Space News
In the Biden administration’s 2022 budget proposal, the Pentagon is requesting $15.3 billion for investments in space technology, an increase of $1.8 billion over what Congress enacted in 2021. “National security space was a clear winner amongst major investment accounts,” consulting firm Avascent wrote in a new report.
Breaking Defense
Mark F. Cancian, senior adviser with the CSIS International Security Program and a retired Marine Corps colonel, has experience in helping build defense budgets. Now he details his top five surprises in the first Biden administration defense budget request.
Defense One
Marine Corps Lt. Col. Brandon Newell, the director of the Navy’s SoCal Tech Bridge, leads what he calls a 5G living lab. His experimentation, culminating in a demonstration later this month, looked at how 5G cellular connectivity across a base would unlock new uses for self-driving vehicles, greater energy efficiency on base, and even better teaming between drones and ground robots.
FedScoop
The Air Force unveiled new software that it has been developing that it says will optimize flight planning using its internal cloud provider, Cloud One. The software, dubbed Joint Open Mission Systems Core Mission Planning (JOMS CMP), is not billed for full deployment until 2027, but the development team at Hanscom Air Force, Mass., in the interim will work to update the legacy system currently in place.
Defense News
NATO’s top general in Europe says alliance members developing sixth-generation military aircraft should ensure their plans are in sync to avoid duplication. Member nations need to compare notes about the resources needed to see the respective plans through, explained U.S. Air Force Gen. Tod Wolters at a June 9 event hosted by the Atlantic Council.
One More Thing
Florida Today
A wildlife manager with the Space Force’s Space Launch Delta 45 was conducting sea turtle nesting surveys May 19 when she found small, tightly wrapped packages dotting the shore. After testing, it was determined all 24 packages, weighing nearly 65 pounds, had cocaine in them and were seized from the beach, the Space Force said. According to the local sheriff's office, the drugs have an estimated value of approximately $1.2 million.
