Radar Sweep
Biden has been Presented with Options for Massive Cyberattacks Against Russia
President Joe Biden has been presented with a menu of options for the U.S. to carry out massive cyberattacks designed to disrupt Russia’s ability to sustain its military operations in Ukraine, four people familiar with the deliberations tell NBC News. Two U.S. intelligence officials, one Western intelligence official and another person briefed on the matter say no final decisions have been made, but they say U.S. intelligence and military cyber warriors are proposing the use of American cyberweapons on a scale never before contemplated.
US Space Officials Expect Russia, Ukraine Conflict to Extend into Space
Top U.S. space officials this week said it’s likely Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will extend to space, predicting continued GPS jamming and spoofing and urging military and commercial space operators to be prepared for possible cyber attacks. “Ensure that your systems are secure and that you’re watching them very closely because we know that the Russians are effective cyber actors,” National Reconnaissance Office Director Chris Scolese said Feb. 23 during a National Security Space Association conference in Chantilly, Va. “It’s hard to say how far their reach is going to go in order to achieve their objectives, but it’s better to be prepared than surprised.”
Biden: Sanctions will “Degrade” Russian Space Program
Russia’s space program won’t be shielded from sanctions the United States is imposing in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, U.S. President Joe Biden said Thursday afternoon. “We estimate that we will cut off more than half of Russia’s high-tech imports, and it will strike a blow to their ability to continue to modernize their military. It will degrade their aerospace industry, including their space program,” Biden said in a White House address outlining new sanctions.
Missile Warning & Defense
Defending against missile threats launched in, at, or through space has never been more challenging – or important. Learn more on Air Force Magazine’s Missile Warning & Defense page.
Transportation Command Migrating Applications to Air Force’s Cloud One
Senior IT acquisition officials told participants during a virtual industry day Wednesday they have met with the Cloud One team to kick-off the partnership, focused for now on a handful of pilots to migrate USTRANSCOM’s transportation modeling and simulation tool and both classified and unclassified versions of its Global Transportation Planning systems to the cloud. Based on the progress made through the remainder of fiscal 2022 with those first pilots, the command will look to move more of its programs of record to Cloud One’s services in fiscal 2023.
Air Force to Phase Out 13O Career Field, Strengthen all Airmen Joint Capabilities
The Multi-Domain Warfare Officer (13O) career field will be phased out while emphasizing that multi-domain capabilities will become fundamental across the Air Force. This phase out impacts 136 currently-assigned Total Force Airmen in the active component, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. “We must be prepared to face future conflicts with our joint and combined partners, and the knowledge Multi-Domain Warfare Officers bring to the fight is too critical to confine to a single career field,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. “To continue outpacing near-peer adversaries, we must reinforce all Air Force members’ multi-domain expertise.”
Air Force Medics Continue Deployments to Civilian Hospitals and Care Facilities
While the nation is seeing a decline in COVID-19 cases, hospitals and other facilities across the country are still reeling. At the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, nearly 1,000 U.S. Air Force active duty, Reserve, and Air National Guard medics are serving in civilian hospitals, care facilities, and other public institutions. The Air Force Medical Service has continued to step up as part of the federal COVID-19 response, working alongside other military departments and federal agencies.
Supreme Court to Decide if Vets Missing Disability Benefits Deadlines Will Get Back Pay
The Supreme Court will decide whether veterans who missed filing deadlines for disability benefits because of injury or incapacitation should be able to ask for back pay dating to their separation from the military. The decision could potentially give some veterans hundreds of thousands of dollars in retroactive disability payments, a life-changing windfall for individuals struggling with a host of medical issues.
France Dumps Aussies from ‘Strategic Partnership’ Citing AUKUS Sub Deal
France's new Indo-Pacific strategy takes another shot at Australia, as resentment over a failed submarine deal continues to linger.
4 Aviation and Space Achievements to Compete for the 2021 Robert J. Collier Trophy
The finalists competing for the 2021 Collier Trophy are: The DARPA, U.S. Air Force, Raytheon Missiles & Defense, and Northrop Grumman Hypersonic Air Breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) Program; The Dynetics and DARPA X-61A Gremlins Air Vehicle (GAV) Program; The NASA/JPL Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Team; The SpaceLogistics and Intelsat Mission Extension Vehicle 2 (MEV-2) Team. “For well over a century, the Collier Trophy has recognized aviation’s greatest achievements,” said National Aeronautic Association President Greg Principato. “Robert Collier hoped this recognition would provide inspiration for even greater progress. The results show the success of his vision. This year’s nominees are all in the great tradition of this most prestigious award for aviation achievement and I congratulate all the finalists.”