Defense News
Pentagon leaders convened a key advisory group to discuss China's and Russia’s advances in space and the U.S. military’s efforts to protect and retain access to its on-orbit assets. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Colin H. Kahl said the classified meetings were also focused on China’s increasing dependence on space for intelligence, data relay, and communications.
Breaking Defense
Although U.S. Cyber Command is encouraged by how information sharing between the public and private sector is evolving, more work needs to be done, specifically when it comes to preparing for offensive and defensive operations, CYBERCOM’s highest ranking civilian said.
Defense One
Declassifying intelligence to defuse Russian narratives has “played a very effective role” in the months-long war in Ukraine, according to the head of the Central Intelligence Agency, particularly when it’s part of a broader strategy. But its usefulness has limits when it comes to cyber threat intelligence.
Breaking Defense
Boeing has successfully demonstrated for the first time the ability for the P-8A maritime patrol aircraft to take control of an MQ-25 Stingray drone mid-flight, as part of a virtual demonstration hosted for dozens of Navy, Air Force, Pentagon, and foreign military officials. The event was a follow-up demonstration to one that showed how the Stingray, the Navy’s new carrier-based, unmanned aerial tanker, could be controlled by an F/A-18 Super Hornet or E-2D Advanced Hawkeye pilot.
SpaceNews
Blue Canyon Technologies delivered the first of 10 satellite buses the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency ordered in 2020 for its Blackjack experiment in low Earth orbit. SEAKR Engineering also announced it has delivered the first two so-called Pit Boss mission data processing payloads that will fly on Blackjack satellites. The Pit Boss artificial-intelligence technology would allow the Blackjack constellation to operate autonomously.
Defense News
“Six months after pre-dawn airstrikes first launched Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the skies over Ukraine remain contested. Ukraine’s success in denying air superiority to a larger and more technologically sophisticated Russian Air Force continues to puzzle military pundits. But in focusing mainly on Russian deficiencies, Western analysts have often missed the point: The air war in Ukraine, where neither side controls the skies, offers an alternative model of air control—mutual air denial,” write Air Force Col. Maximillian K. Bremer, director of the Special Programs Division at Air Mobility Command, and Kelly A. Grieco, senior fellow with the Reimagining U.S. Grand Strategy Program at the Stimson Center.
Military.com
Kunsan Air Base in South Korea has created a task force and plans to hire more engineers to quickly fix dorms that have been plagued with mold and inconsistent air conditioning for weeks this summer. Capt. Kaylin Paige Hankerson, a spokesperson for Kunsan's 8th Fighter Wing, said in an emailed statement that the task force will physically inspect all parts of the base's facilities following the reports of poor living conditions.
CBS News
The Air Force is celebrating its 75th year this month. Throughout its history, the Air Force has distinguished itself with innovation and cutting-edge technology. As the world continues to change and technology continues to develop, the Air Force is facing new challenges. But it is the escalating tensions between China and the U.S. that has Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall concerned.
Air Force Times
The Air Force is fixing a bureaucratic blunder that has given enlisted drone pilots whiplash as they say goodbye to the RQ-4 Global Hawk. Five years after the service started allowing enlisted Airmen to fly an aircraft for the first time since World War II, those crews are preparing for new assignments as their reconnaissance drones retire.
One More Thing
Task & Purpose
After 70 years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth II died Sept. 8 at the age of 96. The Queen died while at her Scottish estate, Balmoral Castle. Her son Charles, 73, inherited the throne upon her death after spending decades as her heir. While much has happened during the 70 years of her reign, one of her accomplishments happened before she ever wore the crown: Elizabeth was the first woman in the Royal Family to serve as an Active-duty member of the British Armed Forces, according to the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, La.
