The Record
Chris Inglis was sworn into office on July 12 as the country’s first ever National Cyber Director, according to a White House spokesperson. Inglis, a former NSA deputy director, was unanimously confirmed by the Senate last month. He will advise President Joe Biden on digital issues, as well as play a key role in coordinating the federal government’s response to hacks and other digital threats.
Roll Call
The Space Force, created by Congress in 2019, is off to a rocky start in its first full budgeting cycle as its own branch of the military. In the report accompanying the fiscal 2022 defense appropriations bill, members of the House Appropriations Committee expressed concern and frustration over the lack of a coordinated strategy in the Pentagon’s budget request. The panel seems particularly concerned about how the Space Force, which is now a separate service within the Air Force —akin to how the Marine Corps operates within the Navy — goes about buying equipment.
Breaking Defense
Should the US and Iran reach a new nuclear agreement, Israel will request new military compensation from Washington — including technologies that have not previously been exported to Israel, sources say. Israel is weighing a request for “advanced systems” that would enable a preemptive strike on Iran should intelligence show Tehran has crossed the nuclear enrichment threshold needed to create a bomb, sources tell Breaking Defense.
Air Force Times
House appropriators hope to slash funding for the U.S. Air Force’s leading hypersonic missile effort in fiscal 2022, citing increased risk as the program moves from flight testing into production. The Air Force is seeking about $161 million in FY22 to produce the first 12 AGM-183A Air Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) missiles, which would become the first hypersonic weapons fielded by the U.S. military for operational use. However, the House Appropriation Committee’s version of the spending bill would shave $44 million from that total, allowing the Air Force to purchase only eight missiles that year.
Defense One
Rear Adm. Mike Studeman has an urgent message from the middle of the Pacific Ocean: The threat from China is more pressing than leaders in America’s capital seem to realize. “I'm wondering in Washington how many folks are truly persuaded by the warning which the intelligence community has already provided, regarding the dangers that exist within this decade, soon, now, with regard to the nature of the Chinese threat, and how it manifests, and what to do about it,” said Studeman, the U.S. military’s top intelligence officer for the Asia-Pacific region. “We would say the danger is clear and present already.”
Defense News
The German military has announced the creation of a separate command dedicated to space, becoming the latest of a handful of nations prioritizing more resources and missions among the stars. The Ministry of Defence introduced the new space command in a July 13 ceremony at the German Space Situational Awareness Centre in Uedem, located in the country’s North Rhine-Westphalia region.
Military.com
Space Force guardians must wait a little longer for physical training standards unique to their service as it figures out what requirements best match its needs. The service won't debut PT policy guidelines until late this year at the earliest, spokeswoman Lynn Kirby told Military.com on July 12, adding that they might not come until next year.
Defense One
The Russian government sees itself as increasingly vulnerable to foreign and domestic subversion, according to a July 3 update to the Kremlin’s 2015 national security strategy, and is moving to shield Russian citizens from outside voices and improve its influence-warfare capabilities.
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Bloomberg
The Pentagon is close to deciding on a new schedule for completing crucial simulated combat testing of the $398 billion F-35 jet against advanced Russian and Chinese air defenses, according to a spokesperson. The long-delayed 64-sortie exercise in a “Joint Simulation Environment” run by the Navy was last supposed to have been completed in December, though it was originally planned for 2017.
Military.com
A bipartisan group of lawmakers is seeking to increase the number of U.S. service members who exercise their right to vote -- especially those stationed in combat zones or deployed overseas. Sens. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, introduced a bill July 13 that would establish a secure electronic voting system for those assigned to hazardous duty stations or on a rotational deployment.
One More Thing
KITV
A chaplain for the Hawaii Air National Guard's 154th Wing is spreading her wings and message to service members across the country. Col. Leah Botona Boling was selected to be the next director of the Air National Guard Chaplain Corps—the first woman and first person of color to hold the title. The Filipina immigrant joined the guard in 2002, worked her way up through the ranks and will now provide counseling and support for more than 108,100 air guardsmen.
