USAF activated the 513th Electronic Warfare Squadron at Eglin AFB, Fla., April 23, according to an April 29 release. The new unit, commanded by Lt. Col. Tim Welde, will provide EW support to Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps pilots for the new F-35 strike fighter. Once fully staffed, it will comprise some 130 personnel, in a 50 percent USAF and 50 percent Navy and Marine Corps mix. The unit also will test F-35 EW capability in the new US Reprogramming Lab, currently under construction with a projected completion date this summer, followed by hardware delivery in spring 2011. Meanwhile, said Welde, “Our engineers are currently developing threat models and 5th generation mission data; our technicians are undergoing maintenance training as well as prepping the lab.” Command of the unit, part of the 53rd Wing at Eglin, will rotate between USAF and Navy. (Eglin report by Ashley Wright)
The total number of reported sexual assaults in the Department of the Air Force ticked up about two percent in 2024 while still trailing the total from 2022, as Pentagon officials say a hiring freeze on federal government civilian employees limits their ability to fill critical sexual assault prevention and…