Air Force release
Reemphasizing a critical joint partnership in all-domain warfare, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. met with his fellow service chiefs from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Space Force to share advancements and discuss the way forward as the services work together to continue cultivating common ground on joint all-domain command and control.
The Drive
The need to challenge advanced fourth- and fifth-generation fighter aircraft with large, complex, and realistic opposing forces is growing fast. As fighters expand in capability, they require more effective, affordable opposition that better represents modern-day threats. While simulators can generate endless formations of enemy jets, live, virtual, constructive (LVC) technology is a key enabler to blending live flying with the computer world.
Defense One
States cannot evade lawsuits filed by state employees who are called to Active duty by the Reserve or National Guard and subsequently lose their state jobs, the Supreme Court ruled in one of the final cases of the current term. In a 5-4 split, the court ruled that Texas cannot claim sovereign immunity from a lawsuit by a former Texas state trooper who was called up to serve in Iraq in 2007, came home sick, and was subsequently fired.
Breaking Defense
As Jordan’s leader publicly raised the idea of a Middle East NATO-like alliance, his Air Force has marked a significant upgrade with the signing of a Letter of Offer and Acceptance for eight F-16 Block 70 aircraft from Lockheed Martin. “We anticipate the production contract for this LOA will be complete in the next year,” a Lockheed Martin spokesperson said, with deliveries expected to start in 2027.
BAE Systems
BAE Systems Inc. has formed a unique relationship with the U.S. Air Force over the service’s 75-year history. As one of the world’s largest aerospace and defense technology companies, BAE Systems is trusted by the Air Force with highly classified work, particularly in the field of electronic warfare. BAE Systems’ EW partnership with the U.S. Air Force dates to the 1950s, when it was known by its legacy company name, Sanders. Today, the company delivers superior situational awareness, even in the most complex battlespaces, with fifth-generation electronic support, electronic protection, and electronic attack capabilities.
Breaking Defense
When Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz announced the existence of a new regional joint air defense network, known as the Middle East Air Defense Alliance (MEAD), few details were available, including which countries would take part and the depth of the agreement. Now it appears that there are ongoing discussions with a number of countries that are willing to place Israeli-made sensors on their territory to facilitate combating the threat of Iranian-made missiles and drones.
SpaceNews
The Space Force launch procurement command in Los Angeles later this year will send to the Pentagon a proposed strategy for selecting national security launch services providers for the next round of contracts expected to be awarded in 2024. “The NSSL team is off working the strategy for Phase 3, but nothing has been agreed to yet,” said Frank Calvelli, the Space Force’s senior acquisition executive.
Military Times
The military commissary system is suffering from an identity crisis, according to government auditors. Are military stores a benefit or a business? The two primary objectives of the Defense Commissary Agency are competing against each other—providing a benefit to service members through savings on groceries, yet operating like a business and marking up prices to reduce the amount of taxpayer dollars it requires, according to a Government Accountability Office report.
Military.com
The Space Force recruits sat on their bus at 3 a.m. May 3, the warm engine idling in the cool, predawn Texas air as it parked outside their aged, concrete dormitory. For a moment, it was quiet ... then Tech. Sgt. Michelle Holt erupted. “Get off the bus! ... Get lined up! ... Put your bags away!” the Space Force drill instructor shouted at the passengers. They scrambled off the bus with nothing but a backpack, a combination of shock and awe washing over them.
Politico
The Biden administration just put itself on a collision course with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee over an F-16 modernization sale to Turkey—a deal the top two panel members oppose. Speaking to reporters about America’s enhanced force posture in Europe, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Affairs Celeste Wallander said the Pentagon “fully supports Turkey’s modernization plans for its F-16 fleet,” which would amount to a $6 billion purchase of 40 Block 70 F-16 warplanes and about 80 Lockheed Martin modernization kits.
One More Thing
St. Olaf College
Anna Rehder Scott came to St. Olaf College, Minn., with two specific goals: play for the women’s soccer team and prepare for a career as an attorney. Nearly two decades later, Scott has turned both of those college goals into successful careers. She is a member of the U.S. Virgin Islands National Soccer Team and serves as a prosecuting attorney for the U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General’s Office and the United States Air Force.
