Documents leaked online showing the Air Force’s revamped plans for taking body measurements are “pre-decisional and subject to change,” the Office of the Air Force Surgeon General told Air Force Magazine. On Feb. 16, the unofficial Air Force amn/nco/snco Facebook page posted images of an email and charts detailing a new waist-to-height ratio measurement that would take the place of the oft-criticized tape test, which was separated from the annual fitness test in December 2020.

Reports of sexual assaults of service academy cadets and midshipmen have trended upward since 2014. Defense Department officials said Feb. 17 that record numbers reported in the most recent academic year could be due to a higher proportion of victims making official reports—something the academies have encouraged. But the officials won’t know if that’s what happened in 2020-2021—the year with the most reports ever totaling 131 at all three academies—until 2023. Meanwhile, the most recent available data, from 2018, showed the estimated prevalence of sexual assaults, reported or not, also going up, said Nathan W. Galbreath, acting director of the DOD’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office.

AIR BASE 101, NIAMEY, Niger—Domed tents pumped full of cool air are lined in neat rows that resemble a neighborhood at Air Base 101 in the sub-Saharan country of Niger, a base for MQ-9 operations against a panoply of terrorist groups operating in the region. Between the tents, quick-footed Airmen grab water bottles from shaded pallets as they crunch over gravel. Heavy, armored vehicles meant to protect convoys from attack by militants enter and exit the compound through cement barricades, passing security checkpoints lined with concertina wire. To execute the mission, Airmen at the small operating location rely on a deep sense of purpose and a family atmosphere. Growth opportunities for young Airmen also help them overcome the challenging work environment and off-base restrictions.

Long neglect of electronic warfare and electromagnetic spectrum operations won’t be reversed quickly, especially without funding priority—and creative approaches are needed to get back in the game, experts said. However, there is top-down urgency to find solutions. Fixing EMS operations will require boosting the number of people working in the field, said Maj. Gen. Daniel L. Simpson, Air Force assistant deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.