delayed PCS Moves Air Force

Air Force Stops New Bonuses and Delays Some PCS Moves

The Air Force will stop awarding new bonuses and delay some permanent change-of-station orders to offset rising personnel costs. USAF is reviewing all pending PCS orders for Airmen whose projected departure dates are Aug. 1 or later. While some will be approved on a “priority basis,” others will be delayed. Those who have already received orders will be allowed to move. While Airmen who have already signed a contract or been approved for certain bonuses will continue to receive them, the Air Force is no longer accepting new Airmen into three bonus programs.

Air Force ABMS Czar: There Will Be Stumbles, But ‘We’re Headed in the Right Direction’

Coordination across the services is at a historic high when it comes to the Pentagon’s plans to connect sensors and shooters from every domain around the globe—but there will still be setbacks in the ambitious effort, Brig. Gen. Luke C.G. Cropsey, the Department of the Air Force’s Integrating Program Executive Officer for Command, Control, Communications, and Battle Management, said July 10. The key for the Air Force and the other services, Cropsey said, will be to not let those setbacks discourage them from pushing forward with their vision of a future networked battlefield.
austin senate

Austin Urges Senate to Approve Nominations on Eve of Confirmation for Brown to be CJCS

On the eve of Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr.’s nomination hearing to become Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III upped his pressure on lawmakers to break the monthslong delay in confirming senior military leaders July 10. Speaking at the relinquishment of office ceremony for Commandant of the Marine Corps, Austin used the occasion to note the historic effects of the hold-up—with Gen. David H. Berger retiring, the Marines will not have a confirmed Commandant for the first time since Archibald Henderson died in 1859. 

Radar Sweep

‘Woefully Unacceptable’: Senators Seek Answers on Pentagon’s Housing Reforms Progress

Military.com

The U.S. senators from Virginia are pressing the military to finish overdue reforms meant to improve conditions in privatized housing on military bases following a watchdog report that the changes have been slow to help military families facing health and safety issues. In letters to the Pentagon, Air Force, Army, and Navy, Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, both Democrats of Virginia, pushed for answers on how officials plan to respond to shortcomings identified in an April report from the Government Accountability Office on the military's oversight of its privatized housing.

Go Deeper on Operational Imperatives

Air & Space Forces Magazine

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall has defined seven Operational Imperatives for the Department of the Air Force to work on, warning that “if we don't get them right, we will have unacceptable operational risk.” From a resilient space order of battle to the development of next-generation tactical air dominance and global strike platforms, these imperatives will define the Air Force for decades to come—Dive deeper into each one with our new “Operational Imperatives” pages highlighting all the latest news and developments on these critical efforts.

‘A Pathway to the Future:’ Digital Transformation Work Continues at Wright-Patterson, AFMC

Dayton Daily News

When it comes to Air Force digital transformation efforts, the future needs to happen as soon as possible. The Digital Transformation Office was created two years ago at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base by Air Force Material Command (AFMC) to bring weapons and innovations to life faster across the Air and Space forces. “We’re building a pathway to the future,” Robert Fookes, director of engineering and technical management at AFMC, told members of the Dayton Defense trade group July 10.

White House Wants Ukraine Inspector General Out of Defense Bill

Defense News

The White House on July 10 told lawmakers it opposes a provision in the House’s annual defense policy bill that would create a special inspector general for Ukraine aid, modelled after the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. The Ukraine inspector general was one of several provisions in the fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act that the White House, in an Office of Management and Budget statement on the bill, told Congress it wants removed.

North Korea Warns It May Shoot Down US Spy Planes Violating Its Airspace

Reuters

North Korea accused the United States on July 10 of violating its airspace by conducting surveillance flights and warned that, while Pyongyang was exercising restraint, such flights may be shot down. Provocative military actions by the United States were bringing the Korean peninsula closer to a nuclear conflict, an unnamed spokesperson of North Korea's Ministry of National Defence said in a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency.

Australian E-7 Radar Jet Will Watch Over Ukraine Aid Shipments

The War Zone

The Royal Australian Air Force is set to deploy one of its E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft to Germany later this year. This appears to be the first operational deployment of an Australian Wedgetail to Europe and the country's authorities say that aircraft will be used to help keep watch over military and humanitarian supplies entering Ukraine.

Sweden Moves Closer to NATO Membership After a deal with the Turkish President

The Associated Press

Sweden’s membership of NATO took a big step forward on July 10 after Turkey agreed to remove one of the last major roadblocks in return for help in reviving Turkey’s own chances of joining the European Union. At talks in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, where U.S. President Joe Biden and his NATO counterparts are meeting for a two-day summit starting July 11, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan committed to put the Nordic country’s accession protocol before Parliament “as soon as possible,” the head of NATO said.

COMMENTARY: Space Force Juggles Roles as Warrior and Protector of Space Environment

SpaceNews

In an era of great power competition and increasing global reliance on space-based assets, the U.S. military is trying to harmonize seemingly competing demands for security and sustainability. As a branch of the U.S. military, the Space Force is tasked with preparing for potential conflicts. But its leaders frequently remind audiences that a shooting war in space must be avoided in order to ensure the sustainability of the domain.

For C2 Modernization, Air Force Moving Away from ‘Big Bang Acquisition’

DefenseScoop

The Department of the Air Force needs to take a more agile and intermittent approach to acquiring and integrating capabilities for the department’s command, control, communications and battle management (C3BM) enterprise, according to Brig. Gen. Luke Cropsey, the integrating program executive officer in charge of the effort. “I think what we’re trying to do is find ways of actually promoting more competition—not less competition—as we’re moving forward,” Cropsey said July 10 during an event hosted by the Air and Space Forces Association.

One More Thing

Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi Is Named After This WWI Hero. Do You Know His Story?

The Sun Herald

As one of the most important training grounds for the United States Air Force, Keesler Air Force Base possesses quite a history. Yet, few are familiar with the man behind its namesake, 2Lt. Samuel Reeves Keesler Jr. Keesler was born on April 11, 1896, in Greenwood, Miss., to an affluent family. His father was a cotton broker and owned a mansion nearby nicknamed "Cottonlandia."