The House voted 418-0 on May 24 to amend the Uniform Code of Military Justice to explicitly ban the “wrongful broadcast or distribution of intimate visual images.” Air Force veteran Rep. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) sponsored the legislation. McSally said in a statement that as “the first woman in the US to fly in combat and to lead a squadron, I have personally experienced, confronted, and overcome sexist behavior in the military.” She also said “this bill enables the military to hold perpetrators accountable.” The move comes in response to the March scandal in which Marines had posted nude photos of fellow service members on the internet without their consent. Soon after, the Air Force launched its own investigation into allegations that airmen had been involved in inappropriate social media activity. While the service has made no announcements regarding the investigation, Lt. Gen. Gina Grosso, deputy chief of staff for manpower, told Congress on May 17 the service has “launched a social media working group to holistically assess existing guidance, policies, training, and authorities.” She also said that “new guidance” from the Air Force on “standards of behavior related to social media” will be forthcoming “in the next 60 days,” and they “will be punitive.”
The KC-Z4, a blended wing body tanker concept being developed by startup JetZero, could fuel larger groups of aircraft at longer range to hold more targets at risk, company officials say.