B-52 Cockpit

Image of New B-52 Cockpit Shows a Cleaner Layout

A new Boeing image shows what the B-52 cockpit will look like after upcoming radar, engine and other modifications have been performed. The image shows a far more streamlined and simpler presentation, dominated by new multifunction displays, although the old "steam gauges" have not been totally banished from the BUFF's front office.
defense innovation board

Roper, Former Joint Chiefs Chair Join Defense Innovation Board for First Meeting in Two Years

Former Air Force acquisition czar Will Roper, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen, and Silicon Valley billionaire Reid Hoffman were among the seven new members of the Defense Innovation Board introduced Oct. 17, as the influential civilian advisory board held its first meeting under new chair Michael R. Bloomberg. The Oct. 17 meeting, held mostly behind closed doors, marks the board’s first gathering in more than two years.
airman bronze star

Security Forces Airman Gets Bronze Star with Valor for Fighting Off Terrorist Attack in Kenya

An Air Force security forces squadron flight sergeant received the Bronze Star Medal with Valor in recognition of his heroism in defending against a terrorist ground attack in Kenya in 2020. Tech. Sgt. Jordan Locke, now a member of the 51st Security Forces Squadron at Osan Air Base in South Korea, engaged in a hours-long fight with the terrorists as they attacked Cooperative Security Location-Manda Bay, according to an Air Force press release.

Radar Sweep

Pentagon Eyes Locking in Starlink Funding for Ukraine

POLITICO

The Pentagon is considering paying for the Starlink satellite network—which has been a lifeline for Ukraine—from a fund that has been used to supply weapons and equipment over the long term, according to two U.S. officials who are involved in the deliberations. The Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative is designed to provide enduring support for the Ukrainian military by financing contracts with American firms for weapons and equipment that would be delivered in months or even years.

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US Pushes to Keep B-52 Bombers Going as Pressure From China Grows

The Wall Street Journal

The U.S. is pushing to upgrade its 60-year-old fleet of strategic bombers to keep them flying into the second half of the 21st century in an effort to deter potential adversaries such as China and Russia. Air Force officials and military experts have said the refresh of the B-52 bomber—a long-range jet built by Boeing that can carry large loads of conventional and nuclear weapons—is crucial to providing an effective deterrent. The B-52 revamp could cost $11.8 billion, according to Pentagon budget documents in the spring.

ANALYSIS: China’s Military Committee Leadership at Stake at Xi’s Peoples Congress

Breaking Defense

Few experts know the opaque Chinese military as well as Dean Cheng, recently retired analyst at the Heritage Foundation and other Washington institutions. In this analysis, Cheng lays out what to watch for as the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party gets underway, and what it means for the balance of power between the United States, China, and Taiwan.

US Air Force Tests Exoskeleton to Give Cargo-loading Porters a Boost

Defense News

The Air Force this month demonstrated an exoskeleton it hopes will allow aerial porters to load cargo onto aircraft with fewer injuries and less fatigue. The Forge System exoskeleton is designed to augment the leg strength of aerial porters, who are in charge of managing and loading passengers and cargo on and off mobility aircraft, with pneumatically-powered leg braces and a backpack.

Air Force Offers More Privacy for Sexual Harassment Victims with New Policy

Military.com

Sexual harassment victims serving in the Air Force and Space Force will now have more privacy and control over reporting incidents under a new policy the service introduced to protect service members. The policy, which went into place Sept. 30, allows Department of the Air Force service members to make an unrestricted sexual harassment report, which would trigger an investigation with the base's Equal Opportunity office, or a restricted report, which allows for confidential disclosure of an incident and doesn't notify the chain of command while still offering the victim advocacy services. Previously, those two options were limited to sexual assault cases.

Senate to Add $10 Billion in Taiwan Aid, Scale Back Arms Sale Reform

Defense News

The Senate’s annual defense authorization bill will now include $10 billion in military aid for Taiwan—more than double the initial amount proposed—even as it scales back language intended to help address the $14 billion backlog of arms sales the Asian nation already made from the U.S. Senate Armed Services Chairman Jack Reed, D-R.I., included a modified Taiwan defense package as part of a massive bipartisan amendment he filed last week to the fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act.

Amazon to Link Kuiper Satellites to DOD’s Mesh Network in Space

SpaceNews

Amazon’s Project Kuiper will install DOD-compliant laser communications terminals on its internet satellites so they can transfer data from remote-sensing satellites directly into the military’s mesh network in low Earth orbit. Derek Tournear, director of the U.S. Space Force’s Space Development Agency, said the plan is for some Kuiper satellites to serve as “translators” so they can support high-speed data transfer, for example, from commercial imaging satellites to military users on the ground.

US Air Force May Want Build of 75 New KC-135 Center Consoles Per Year

Defense Daily

The Air Force could enlist industry to build 75 new center consoles per year for the KC-135 tanker. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio said that it wants company feedback on “your installation approach, capabilities, and annual throughput to achieve maximum production per month/year (targeted at 75 aircraft per year).”

One More Thing

10 Battles That Changed History

Mental Floss

From some of the usual suspects (like battle that secured Americans a victory in the Revolutionary War) to battles with more unusual outcomes (like the World War II engagement that helped instigate a medical breakthrough, or the devastating attack that indirectly contributed to the Renaissance) these pivotal military engagements in this list—altered the course of history.