CNN
Since at least 2017, federal officials have investigated Chinese land purchases near critical infrastructure, shut down a high-profile regional consulate believed by the U.S. government to be a hotbed of Chinese spies, and stonewalled what they saw as clear efforts to plant listening devices near sensitive military and government facilities. Among the most alarming things the FBI uncovered pertains to Chinese-made Huawei equipment atop cell towers near military bases in the rural Midwest. According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, the FBI determined that the equipment was capable of capturing and disrupting highly restricted Defense Department communications, including those used by U.S. Strategic Command, which oversees the country’s nuclear weapons.
Military.com
Base exchange stores have mostly run out of hot weather uniforms for women due to a contract dispute that has halted production, according to the Defense Logistics Agency. The shortage comes as the Army and Air Force wrangle with Golden Manufacturing Co., which received a $22.6 million contract from the Defense Department in April 2021 to produce trousers for the services.
CPR.org
The United States Air Force Academy broke ground on a new, $40 million visitor center. It’s part of a much larger development in northern Colorado Springs that will also include a 375-room hotel and conference center.
Washington Times
Two Russian maritime patrol aircraft tested the U.S. and Canadian air defense zone in a show of force in the midst of Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine and nuclear saber-rattling, the commander of U.S. Northern Command said. Air Force Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, NORTHCOM chief and also head of the U.S.-Canadian North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), said the intrusion was less provocative than past incidents involving nuclear-capable Russian bombers.
Defense News
The Defense Department is looking at alternative locations for the largest military exercise in Africa amid Senate pressure to bump Morocco from its position as an annual host for the drills. Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has led the charge against having Morocco host the African Lion exercise to push back against its control of the disputed Western Sahara.
Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
In Episode 86 of the Aerospace Advantage podcast, “SoYou Want to be a Thunderbird? Insider Perspectives,” the Mitchell Institute’s John “Slick” Baum is joined by John “JV” Venable of the Heritage Foundation, former commander in the Thunderbirds, and Caroline “Blaze” Jensen, former right wing in the Thunderbirds, to all reflect on their years as members of the Air Force’s famed aerial demonstration unit. We all know the public facade—the incredible flying, polished personas, and famed liveries. However, not many people know what it’s like to execute at this intense pace day after day on a national stage.
National Defense Magazine
Bots have a bad name in no small part because of their role in Russian information warfare. However, the Defense Department is finding that when deployed for good, bots can liberate humans from repetitive tasks and allow people to perform higher-level work.
The Associated Press
Maverick’s next wingman could be a drone. In the movies, fighter pilots are depicted as highly trained military aviators with the skills and experience to defeat adversaries in thrilling aerial dogfights. New technologies, though, are set to redefine what it means to be a “Top Gun," as algorithms, data, and machines take on a bigger role in the cockpit—changes hinted at in “Top Gun: Maverick.”
Defense News
President Joe Biden and Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen H. Hicks met virtually with the chief executive of Lockheed Martin and other companies to advance a bill to boost semiconductor production in the United States. “Semiconductors, it’s not an overstatement to say, are the ground zero of our tech competition with China,” Hicks said, adding that they’re vital for technologies from artificial intelligence to hypersonic weapons to next-generation networking.
Fed Scoop
Lt. Gen. Kevin B. Kennedy, the new commander of the Air Force’s information warfare branch, wants to increase and bolster partnerships to beat back adversaries in the information space, a lesson learned in his previous role at U.S. Cyber Command. Cyber Command has worked with several partner nations to build their capacity in cyberspace and share threat information that benefits the broader cybersecurity community.
Washington Technology
The Space Force has begun development of a seven-year contract for cybersecurity services to protect the ground networks that manage its space assets. Space Force’s cyber operations division has dubbed the contract Digital Bloodhound, and it will be a multiple-award task order contract. The solicitation is expected before the end of 2022 with an award by the end of March 2023.
The Canadian Press
The Royal Canadian Air Force’s newest division is focused on extraterrestrial matters. A reorganization of the existing space-focused team will now be known as 3 Canadian Space Division, with Brig.-Gen. Mike Adamson in command. He said the new division is not Canada’s answer to the U.S. Space Force. “They stood up this entire new service, and they’ve got new uniforms and the whole nine yards, and a Netflix show. I’m not going to get my own Netflix show, I don’t think,” Adamson said with a laugh.
One More Thing
Task & Purpose
Move out of the way, Mr. Met and the Phillie Phanatic, there’s a new iconic baseball mascot in the mix. The Spokane Indians, the minor league team playing in the High-A Northwest League, unveiled their brand new mascot. Meet KC the Stratotanker.
