SrA. Michael J. Hinkle II, 24, of Corona, Calif., died last week due to a non-combat-related incident in Southwest Asia, according to the Defense Department. Hinkle died March 16; the cause of his death is under investigation, stated DOD in a release. Hinkle was assigned to Ellsworth AFB, S.D., as a cyber transport systems journeyman with the 28th Communications Squadron. He was deployed to an undisclosed air base in Southwest Asia as a member of the 386th Expeditionary Communications Squadron. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of our fellow airman,” said Col. Jeffrey Taliaferro, Ellsworth’s 28th Bomb Wing commander, in a release. He added, “Mike will be missed by all of us, and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends during this difficult time.” (See last week’s initial coverage.)
Air Force Using AI to Plan Storage for Munitions
Nov. 13, 2025
When lawmakers and outside experts turn their attention to how the U.S. military can use of artificial intelligence, they tend to focus on weapons systems—the most consequential and risk-laden use cases—and on generative AI. But behind the scenes, the Air Force is already using machine learning algorithms to help solve…
