Most Americans would discourage a young person close to them from enlisting in the military, but a wide majority would encourage them to join as an officer, according to a new Rand Corp. study published this week. The study found that 54.4 percent of respondents would dissuade a 17-year-old relative from joining the military as an enlisted service member, though nearly two-thirds of Americans would encourage them to go the officer route, either through a service academy or the Reserve Officer Training Corps, also known as ROTC.
The Air Force’s new physical training uniforms are slated to hit shelves in March, bringing Airmen a fresh set of workout gear nearly two years later than initially promised. Their debut will mark the first major update to the service’s athleticwear in almost two decades, aiming to make airmen more comfortable during their sweat sessions.
The Space Force is circulating a first take on how new satellites equipped with sensors to track terrestrial targets as they move would actually operate and get that data to users—whether they be military “shooters” or intelligence analysts, according to Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman.
Christopher Calio will be the next CEO of RTX, replacing long-time leader Greg Hayes when he steps down in May in what the company called “a planned leadership transition.” The move comes as the company works to increase production of key weapons given to the Ukrainian military and grapples with quality issues in its airliner engine manufacturing business.
China launched its experimental reusable spacecraft for the third time Dec. 14 while maintaining strict secrecy around the mission. A Long March 2F rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert Dec. 14, sending a “reusable test spacecraft” into low Earth orbit, Chinese language state media Xinhua reported.
In the four years since Congress established the U.S. Space Force, its budget has doubled. That growth needs to continue in order to meet the increasing demand for space capabilities, according to one of the service’s top officials. Gen. David Thompson, who retires this week from his post as the vice chief of space operations, said that as the Space Force takes on new responsibilities and missions, it needs the resources to match.
Congress’s failure to pass a fiscal 2024 budget is putting 89 new starts, or brand new programs, for the Department of the Air Force (DAF) at risk, a top service official said Dec. 14. Though lawmakers this week passed next year’s National Defense Authorization Act, there has been no movement on an accompanying budget or an over $100 billion supplemental package championed by the White House. The budget impasse that resulted in a continuing resolution (CR) beginning in October, “would stop 89 new starts” for the DAF—which encompasses the Air Force and Space Force—and specifically stymie 19 modernization initiatives meant to counter China should it continue too long, according to Kristyn Jones who is performing the duties of the undersecretary of the Air Force.
GE Aerospace says it successfully demonstrated an advanced jet propulsion concept that involves a dual-mode ramjet design utilizing rotating detonation combustion. This could offer a pathway to the development of new aircraft and missiles capable of flying efficiently at high supersonic and even hypersonic speeds across long distances.
Developing new technologies and architectures to enable the U.S. military’s ambitious vision for Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control may take a while. In the near term, the Department of Defense needs “bridging” solutions that might be discarded once better capabilities come online, according to a top official overseeing the initiative.
The Senate on Dec. 14 approved legislation to grant back pay to senior military officers whose promotions were delayed for months by Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s hold on nominations. The Alabama senator had blocked confirmation of general and flag officer promotions for 10 months in protest over the Pentagon’s policy of reimbursing troops who travel to seek abortions. He finally relented last week, allowing more than 400 military nominees to be confirmed.
Retired Air Force Chief Master Sgt Alan T. Yoshida, a combat controller who was awarded the Silver Star as one of the original special operations soldiers that routed the Taliban in 2001, died peacefully on Dec. 9 at the age of 51. … Yoshida served in the Air Force from February 1991 until August 2019 and in addition to the Silver Star, his other military awards include the Bronze Star with “V” device and Purple Heart, according to the Air Force.