The Associated Press
China warned on April 12 that a deepening security alliance between the United States and the Philippines should not harm its security and territorial interests and interfere in long-simmering territorial disputes in the South China Sea. When asked to comment on the combat exercises between American and Filipino forces that started on Tuesday in the Philippines, the Chinese Embassy in Manila issued a statement by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin, who said that such drills “should not target any third party and should be conducive to regional peace and stability.”
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The Wall Street Journal
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Ukraine remains confident in its ability to launch its counteroffensive against Russia amid the fallout from apparently leaked U.S. intelligence documents.
DefenseScoop
The Air Force’s electronic warfare “sprint” will focus on identifying gaps and directing new systems to buy to close them, according to a senior service official. In September, the Air Force announced a sprint within its office of the deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and cyber effects operations, A2/6, to do analysis on gaps and requirements concerning the electromagnetic spectrum and electromagnetic spectrum operations, or EMSO.
Air & Space Forces Magazine
The way modern Airmen and Guardians prepare for the future fight is changing, with live, virtual, and constructive training offering new ways to practice essential skills. Learn more about how virtual and augmented reality, simulated environments, and other technologies are helping train warfighters everywhere from the cockpit to the maintenance depot.
Defense News
Former defense officials and industry executives are calling on the Pentagon to expand the influence of its commercial innovation hub to make it easier for the military to buy off-the-shelf technology. The recommendation comes from the Atlantic Council’s Commission on Defense Innovation Adoption—a panel of defense experts convened to consider how the U.S. Department of Defense can better integrate new technology into its arsenal.
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Stars and Stripes
The Air Force is moving a small expeditionary team from Europe to a vast logistics exercise this summer in the Western Pacific region, in a demonstration of flexibility that comes months after the service’s general in charge of mobility warned of potential conflict with China in the near future. This is the first time that Mobility Guardian, which will include thousands of U.S. service members and others from partner nations, will be held outside the United States since the biennial exercise’s inception in 2017.
Military.com
Hundreds of thousands of military couples were asked by the Defense Department this week to weigh in on the quality and challenges they face in their relationships—and what the military could be doing better to help. A randomized survey, which includes some difficult questions about abuse, was sent out to 300,000 troops and 100,000 military spouses asking them to spend about 25 minutes describing their relationships. The questions used in the confidential survey, conducted by the nonprofit Rand Corp., were not publicly released by the department. Results will be collected over the next month.
Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
Each of the keynotes and panels for the second annual Spacepower Security Forum hosted by the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies on April 5, 2023, featuring Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, Space Development Agency director Derek M. Tournear, and more.
Air Force Times
A new batch of Northrop Grumman-made electronic warfare upgrades for the F-16 fighter has passed simulation testing in a U.S. Air Force emulator, the company said April 11. The firm said the upgrades—dubbed AN/ALQ-257 Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite, or IVEWS—performed better than the benchmarks that were set in the simulation testing.
SpaceNews
Executives at Planet’s annual users conference April 12 spoke enthusiastically about the power of satellite imagery in addressing some of the world’s most pressing issues and responding to fast-moving global events. The capabilities of Earth imaging constellations like Planet’s can be of great use to the U.S. military, which requires constant eyes on the battlefield. However, the way in which commercial imagery is procured by the government does not necessarily support military commanders’ needs for timely intelligence, officials said.
One More Thing
Coffee or Die
During the Korean War, the U.S. Air Force recognized there was a need for a large multipurpose aircraft that could be modified to perform both combat and humanitarian missions in far-flung locales. Such a plane would need to be able to land on, and take off from, short runways, and also have enough cargo space to transport artillery pieces, tanks, and troops over long distances. Lockheed was contracted to develop the prototype. In 1954, the company unveiled the C-130 Hercules, a four-engine turboprop that was capable of transporting up to 92 combat troops, plus their gear, and had a maximum cargo load of 42,000 pounds. Since then, more than 70 variants of the C-130 have taken to the skies to carry out a range of missions.
