The Associated Press
Russia has devised yet another way to spread disinformation about its invasion of Ukraine, using digital tricks that allow its war propaganda videos to evade restrictions imposed by governments and tech companies. Accounts linked to Russian state-controlled media have used the new method to spread dozens of videos in 18 different languages, all without leaving telltale signs that would give away the source, researchers at Nisos, a U.S.-based intelligence firm that tracks disinformation and other cyber threats, said in a report.
DefenseScoop
The world’s biggest consumer drone-maker Shenzhen-based DJI Technology and China’s top genetics firm BGI are among more than a dozen companies the Defense Department spotlighted on its latest list of entities that operate in the U.S. and are likely connected to the Chinese military—thereby posing a serious threat to national security, in the eyes of Pentagon officials.
Defense News
Understanding what information U.S. allies are willing to share and how they intend to distribute it will be critical to military success in the Indo-Pacific region, according to the general in charge of the Army’s network modernization efforts. “We’re dealing with a lot of countries in that theater,” Maj. Gen. Jeth Rey, who leads the Network Cross-Functional Team, told reporters during a roundtable at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., in late August. “And the sharing of information in order to get after our adversaries? It’s paramount.”
Military Times
The seasonal U.S. military mission that supports scientists and military personnel in Antarctica—Operation Deep Freeze—is well underway, the Air Force confirmed. In August, an Air Force C-17 Globemaster III, assigned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington, completed the first winter fly, or WinFly, mission of the 2022-23 operational season. The aircraft brought needed equipment and resources to the National Science Foundation’s United States Antarctic Program, which is located at McMurdo Station, the largest community in Antarctica.
The Diplomat
The U.S. Air Force will temporarily deploy eight MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Kanoya Air Base in Kagoshima Prefecture on Kyushu, or the southernmost of Japan’s main islands, from late October, the Ministry of Defense in Tokyo announced. The MOD hopes the Reapers will be beneficial to Japan’s security by strengthening maritime surveillance around the nation, given the increasingly active maritime activities by surrounding countries such as China and Russia.
Air Force release
The Air Force will transition from bullet-style writing to narrative-style performance statements for award nominations, effective Oct. 1, 2022. Performance statements consist of plain-language words and are efficient, increase clarity, and improve the ability to understand an Airman’s performance correctly and equitably.
Breaking Defense
Anduril Industries plans to unveil a pair of loitering munitions at the upcoming Association of the United States Army conference, in what a company executive told Breaking Defense is just the start of the tech firm’s foray into weapons programs. “For Anduril, this is the first weapon that we are talking about developing,” said Chris Brose, chief strategy officer at Anduril. “It is not the only weapon that we are developing, and it is definitely not the last weapon that we are going to develop.”
SpaceNews
The Space Development Agency awarded York Space Systems a contract worth up to $200 million to build and operate 12 satellites with experimental military communications payloads. SDA, an agency within the Space Force, is building the Defense Department’s first internet-in-space constellation in low Earth orbit.
Task & Purpose
The possibilities of collaborative combat aircraft are exciting for war planners, but there is a problem: How will human pilots manage the possible information overload of half a dozen or more wingmen? “I couldn’t even tell you how many years to get a trained fighter pilot up to the point where you want that person to be essentially an air battle manager,” said Britt ‘Mega’ Hurst, a former Air Force F-15C pilot who now works for the aerospace and defense manufacturer Collins Aerospace.
One More Thing
Dayton Daily News
The museum that would become The National Museum of the United States Air Force was founded in 1923 and has grown into one of the Dayton area’s biggest attractions. The museum’s first location was at McCook Field, where it was primarily an engine museum in the corner of a hangar before growing to display World War I planes and equipment. During the 1920s, Wright Field was established as a research center to replace the outgrown McCook Field. The museum moved to Wright Field from 1927 to 1935. A new facility was built in 1935 at Wright Field, and the collection grew to more than 3,000 items.
