Nine Missions Will Soon Return to Tyndall, Future of Base’s F-22s Uncertain

Nine missions will return to Tyndall AFB, Fla., in the near future as the base begins to return to a sense of normalcy following the catastrophic damage of Hurricane Michael. These missions include the 601st Air Operations Center and non-flying portions of F-22 training, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson announced Friday. All but 500 airmen from Tyndall will return to the Florida Panhandle within about three months, though the 95th Fighter Squadron—the only operational F-22 squadron assigned to the base—will be dispersed to other F-22 bases. Read the full story by Brian Everstine.

For Many, Rebuilding Tyndall is Personal

The airmen tasked with rebuilding Tyndall AFB, Fla., are pulling from the training they received at that base to help their own community. The 823rd RED HORSE Squadron, from Hurlburt Field, Fla., was one of the first to respond after Hurricane Michael destroyed about 95 percent of the base. The 60-mile drive from Hurlburt to Tyndall on Oct. 11 took about five hours. “The base was wrecked, honestly,” said CMSgt. Michael Huckaby, the chief of airfields for the 823rd RED HORSE Squadron. The base was covered with sheet metal, insulation, furniture, and shattered trees. At first the job seemed too big, but the squadron immediately got to work clearing routes and assessing the damage. Read the full story by Brian Everstine, who recently returned from Tyndall.

CyberPatriot’s National Youth Cyber Defense Competition Sees Registration Boost

CyberPatriot’s National Youth Cyber Defense Competition kicked off its 11th season on Friday. Over the weekend, more than 6,000 teams—an increase of nearly 1,000 from the 2017-2018 competition year—will compete online to secure virtual operating systems and simulated Cisco networks with the hopes of qualifying for the National Finals Competition in April 2019. “We are excited to see another strong growth in teams registered for CyberPatriot XI,” said Rachel Zimmerman, CyberPatriot’s Direct of Business Operations. “We’re excited to see that we’re inspiring more youth to pursue cyber education and careers in STEM as it is critical to our nation’s future.” The 6,387 teams registered represent all 50 US states, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands; U.S. Department of Defense schools in Europe and the Pacific; Egypt, United Kingdom, Nigeria, Estonia, and Japan; Canada, Australia, Singapore, Hungary, Spain, Guam, and the United Arab Emirates. CyberPatriot saw particularly remarkable growth in registration in its Open division, which includes public and private high school teams and homeschool organizations, while the All Service division includes JROTC programs, Civil Air Patrol, and US Naval Sea Cadets. Additionally, the Middle School division also saw strong growth in registration this year.

RADAR SWEEP

CENTCOM Apologizes for Training Manual with Phrase ‘Negro Blood’

US Central Command issued an apology Thursday after it was discovered that offensive language including the phrase “Negro blood” had found its way into a welcome guide for military personnel deployed to Saudi Arabia. Military.com

AirShow China 2018: J-20 Stealth Fighter Could Performed Flight Demo

Multiple J-20 stealth fighter jets were spotted in the skies above Zhuhai, South China’s Guangdong Province, on Oct. 30, in preparation for Airshow China 2018, which will take place in Zhuhai from Nov. 6-11, a military expert said. Two J-20 formations, each consisting of two fighter jets, made a low pass through the airport, after which one of them put on a solo aerobatics performance. Army Recognition

Images Confirm Thrust-Vectoring Variant of Chinese WS-10 Engine

A Chengdu Aircraft Industries Company J-10B multirole fighter aircraft powered by a Chinese-made thrust-vectoring WS-10 engine has been photographed in Zhuhai ahead of the AirShow China 2018 exhibition, which is set to take place in that southern Chinese city from 6–11 November. Jane’s

Fewer Veterans Were Homeless in 2018, After a Worrisome Rise Last Year

The number of homeless veterans decreased by about 5 percent this year according to new estimates from federal researchers, an encouraging turnaround after disappointing results the year before. Miltary Times

DOD Hasn’t Followed CENTCOM Deployment Requirements For Advisors Heading to Afghanistan, Report Says

The Department of Defense has not been following through on adviser training for some of its service members before deploying them to Afghanistan, going against US Central Command requirements, a government watchdog reported Wednesday. Military Times

Unexpected Rescue Mission Saves Four Lives

SMSgt. Angel Correa, who is an airborne sensor operator and linguist with the Host Nation Rider programme—a component of the larger National Guard Counterdrug programme—played an instrumental role in the recent rescue of four people from a capsized boat. Air Med and Rescue

The SpaceX Big Texas Spaceport Is Coming. But Will It Have Anything To Launch

Elon Musk captured the world’s attention by launching rockets from Cape Canaveral and California air bases. But all along, his company has been trying to realize its own home base by the Mexican border. Popular Mechanics

US Air Force Exploring Changes to Contract Structures

Military contract structures are changing; They need to to keep up with the pace of technology. Both government and industry are trying to figure out what the future of those contracts needs to look like as everyone tries to match the “speed of relevance” goal set by Defense Secretary James Mattis. Aviation Today

Tsongas’ legacy heralded at MITRE

With only a few months to go until her retirement officially begins, U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas was honored by many of the local military and industrial institutions she served during her decade-plus in office. The event, hosted Wednesday at the Bedford headquarters of The MITRE Corporation by the company and the Air Force Association, brought together leaders from several facets of the state’s defense industry, including the MIT Lincoln Laboratory and Hanscom Air Force Base. Lowell Sun.

Air Force Agile Pilot Program Meets Contracting Needs in the Wake of Hurricane Michael

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Business and Enterprise Systems Directorate’s Agile Pilot Program is consolidating four legacy contract writing systems into a single contract management system known as Contracting Information Technology, or CON-IT. It is currently rolling out Air Force wide. Air Force News

‘Better Call Saul’ Actor Admits to Lying about Military Service, Says He Cut His Own Arm Off During ‘Psychotic Episode’

A New Mexico-based actor who built his career by telling casting directors that he lost his arm during combat in Afghanistan just admitted that he made it all up. N.Y. Daily News