U.S. News & World Report
The Pentagon on Jan. 10 announced it is formally ending its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for troops after President Biden signed into law a massive defense spending bill that required the measure’s termination, bringing a close to the contentious issue that drew considerable ire from Republicans. Notably, the memorandum dated Jan. 10 and signed by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated that standing policies regarding vaccines remain in effect. Those policies include the “ability of commanders to consider, as appropriate, the individual immunization status of personnel in making deployment, assignment, and other operational decisions, including when vaccination is required for travel to, or entry into, a foreign nation.”
Defense News
Sen. John McCain summoned the Air Force’s top leaders to appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee in early March 2016, a little more than four months after the service awarded Northrop Grumman a much-watched deal of undisclosed value to build the next stealth bomber. He was frustrated over the service’s acquisition strategy for the stealth bomber—particularly the way the Air Force had structured its contract—and the secrecy of the program’s classified budget. Following a dramatic unveiling of the B-21 bomber in California on Dec. 2, 2022, former Air Force leaders are holding a muted celebration. By moving from contract award to public rollout in seven years, they said in interviews with Defense News that they proved their acquisition strategy—despite McCain’s criticism—worked.
POLITICO
The House voted to establish a select committee to assess the myriad military, economic and technological challenges posed by China—kicking off an effort that was a major pillar of the Republican national security agenda. Lawmakers voted 365-65 to set up the panel, which will be chaired by Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher, a steadfast China hawk. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy hailed the establishment of the panel. The resolution creating the committee was the second measure the Republican-led House passed, and McCarthy promised the new panel will help “win this economic competition” with Beijing after winning the speaker’s gavel last week.
Defense One
The Air Force is considering using facial recognition technology at base entrances and plans to start with a pilot program at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. The base has an automated system for approving vehicle access, but officials want to increase the speed and security of that system by adding facial recognition in the mix. Under the current plan, drivers would approach the access control platform and have their photo taken, which then would be matched against a verified ID or a photo gallery of people approved for access that day.
Defense News
Russia’s new prototype Tu-160M bomber has completed its second test flight and will now undergo trials with the Defence Ministry. The December flight of the aircraft, developed by United Aircraft Corp. subsidiary Tupolev, came nearly a year after the first flight in January 2022. The tests involved maneuvers to check the stability of the bomber at altitudes of 600 and 2,000 meters; the serviceability of its systems; and the functionality of its engines, avionics, flap controls, and gear-down and landing systems, according to UAC. The test program also includes checking suits, helmets, breathing systems, and catapult functionality, the company noted.
Breaking Defense
Defense agencies in the United States and United Kingdom have been left frustrated by the loss of four small satellites after they failed to reach orbit during Monday’s Virgin Orbit’s Start Me Up mission from Cornwall Spaceport, England. The mission was closely watched and billed as a turning point for British space launch. But while the modified Boeing 747 commercial airliner known as Cosmic Girl—carrying a Launcher One rocket holding nine satellites—initially took off successfully and reached space, a second stage engine “anomaly” caused the mission to end prematurely, according to Virgin Orbit.
Military.com
Applications to join the Air Force Academy's class of 2027 skyrocketed last year, following a year when the school saw a dive in applications from young men and women during the coronavirus pandemic. More than 10,000 students had applied to be part of the class of 2027 as of the Dec. 31 deadline. That's a 21 percent increase from the more than 8,300 applicants who wanted to join the class of 2026 the year before, according to Air Force Academy spokesman Dean Miller. The school said last year's low application numbers were due, in part, to the pandemic limiting how many in-person events it could hold for high school students.
Colorado Springs Gazette
Air Force Academy cadets, staff, and faculty are in shock and mourning following the death of a cadet on Jan. 10, according to a news release from the Academy. Cadet 3rd Class Hunter Brown, 21, collapsed after leaving his dormitory on his way to class, officials said. Jan. 10 was the Academy's first day of class following winter break. Brown was a reserve offensive lineman for the Falcons' football team.
The War Zone
Turkish Aerospace Industries says that construction of the initial prototype of Turkey's TF-X next-generation fighter jet has been progressing steadily since the first images of the jet were released last year. This reportedly includes the installation of a more complete nose section that features faceted enclosures for what appears to be a dedicated infrared search and track sensor system, or IRST, right in front of the cockpit, and a multi-purpose electro-optical targeting system, or EOTS, underneath the forward fuselage. No other advanced combat jet design currently fielded or in development appears to have a similar configuration with completely separate internal IRST and EOTS systems.
SpaceNews
Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Steven Kwast is taking the helm of Skycorp Inc., a California company with plans to transform space logistics in Earth orbit, cislunar orbit, and on the lunar surface. Skycorp was founded in 1998 by Dennis Wingo, an aerospace and computer engineer with multiple patents including one for extending the life of spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit. Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems purchased the patent and the intellectual property underpins the company’s Mission Extension Vehicle.
DefenseScoop
Nearly five months after the Pentagon unveiled plans to procure counter-drone weapons from L3Harris Technologies for Ukraine, the contractor announced that it has been awarded a contract to provide the systems. The $40 million deal announced Jan. 9 by L3Harris includes 14 Vehicle Agnostic Modular Palletized ISR Rocket Equipment (VAMPIRE) packages that will be mounted on platforms provided by the U.S. government. The tech can be mounted on a variety of tactical vehicles and non-tactical vehicles, according to L3Harris.
One More Thing
Task & Purpose
In the 2003 movie “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,” a sailor aboard the Royal Navy ship H.M.S. Surprise says about the captain that “there is enough of his blood in the woodwork for the ship to almost be a relation.” U.S. Air Force Tech Sgt. Travis Krause no doubt feels the same way about tail number 58-0058, a 65-year-old KC-135 Stratotanker that he spent the past 12 years pouring his blood, sweat, and tears into so that the aged aircraft could keep flying.
