Defense One
The U.S. is sending more rocket artillery, thousands of howitzer rounds, and patrol boats to help Ukraine defend key cities in the Donbas region. The $450 million security assistance package includes four High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS—truck-mounted weapons that can hit targets out to 40 miles.
Defense News
Spain is set to receive 20 Eurofighter jets to replace a batch of F-18s the country’s air force operates from the Canary Islands, according to Airbus Defence and Space, the largest company of the industry consortium making the aircraft. The signing of a $2.1 billion deal at the Berlin Air Show is part of a wider Spanish plan to replace its aging fleet of some 70 Boeing-made F-18s.
Military.com
Amid a growing trend of state laws that target members of the LGBTQ community, the Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force all say they have existing policies and procedures in place to help service members transfer to new duty stations if they feel unsafe or discriminated against. The Air Force did not reply to a request for comment on how many Airmen have used the option.
Breaking Defense
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led the rest of Europe into a “war-time economy,” shocking many countries into making spectacular increases in their defense spending. And with increased spending come increased opportunities, as the European defense industry scrambles to try to find ways to meet the potential demand. French President Emmanuel Macron laid down a clear marker when he opened the 15th biennial Eurosatory land armaments exhibition, becoming the first head of state ever to do so.
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Stars & Stripes
The Space Force’s 71 newest Guardians marched in two flights across a heat-scorched parade field, bringing yet another first to the youngest branch of the military—the first boot camp graduates to train under a unique, Space Force-centric curriculum. The Guardians stood among more than 700 new Airmen. While they all wore the same dress blue uniforms, the Guardians were distinguished by the Space Force patches on their sleeves and the new flags that designated their training flights.
Air Force Magazine
The Air Force is transitioning to more virtual training to give pilots an edge, saying some higher-end maneuvers cannot be replicated in real-time training. Learn more on Air Force Magazine’s Live, Virtual & Constructive Training page.
Military Times
House appropriators backed the White House's plan for a Department of Veterans Affairs budget of more than $300 billion in fiscal 2023 but with more transparency as to how medical costs are driving up that total annually. Members of the House Appropriations Committee approved the spending plan by a party-line vote of 32-26. The measure also includes $15.1 billion for military construction projects, $2.9 billion above President Joe Biden’s budget request.
Gulfstream
Gulfstream has been a critical Department of Defense partner throughout its history. While Gulfstream first delivered its modified Gulfstream GII aircraft to the U.S. Navy in 1967, the company has been directly supporting the U.S. Air Force since 1983. “Almost 40 years ago, we delivered the first C-20B Gulfstream GIII aircraft at the 89th Airlift Wing at Joint Base Andrews to support critical transportation for executive airlift command and control mission,” said Troy Miller, regional vice president for military and special mission sales at Gulfstream. “We’ve been providing Gulfstreams around the world ever since.”
SpaceNews
U.S. troops at Thule Air Base, Greenland, a remote military outpost well outside the footprint of a typical geostationary satellite, are getting high-speed internet from OneWeb’s polar-orbiting constellation. Hughes Network Systems and OneWeb announced that they have successfully deployed a prototype low Earth orbit network at Thule, fast enough to enable video conferencing, streaming video, and interactive games.
One More Thing
Task & Purpose
Even members of different branches, jobs, or units sometimes have trouble understanding each other through all the different acronyms, initials, and buzzwords for everything from a tank to a toilet. That’s why Task & Purpose published a guide to Air Force lingo for the rest of us—but unfortunately left a few useful terms out that deserved a mention. In the purple spirit of joint operations, here is Part 2 on how to speak ‘Air Force’ for dummies.
