Abraham Mahshie
Abraham Mahshie is the Pentagon Editor for Air Force Magazine. As a journalist with two decades of experience, he has covered national security and political affairs across the United States and Latin America for a variety of media. He has also served as a diplomat and defense contractor. Abraham grew up in Miami, Fla., and is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese. He earned his B.A. from Dartmouth College and his M.A. at the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
Recent stories by Abraham Mahshie
Pacific Refueling
AMC and PACAF say they have overcome fuel storage and aerial refueling concerns.
Romania Is a Model for Training Ukraine’s Pilots to Fly F-16s
The Ukrainian Air Force has withstood six months of war against a much larger and more sophisticated Russian force, but U.S. lawmakers worry Russia could gain air superiority as the war grinds on unless Ukrainian pilots are equipped and trained to fly modern Western aircraft, ...
DOD Denies Escalation With Iran-Backed Militants After Volley of Attacks
The Pentagon said Aug. 25 that a battle with Iran-affiliated militants in northeastern Syria was over and that U.S. Central Command had taken measures to avoid escalation. The exchange of attacks began when militants attempted one against U.S. facilities in Syria on Aug. 15 with ...
Biden Directs $2.98 Billion Ukraine Defense Package to Build Future Force
President Joe Biden is making a bet on Ukraine’s ability to withstand war and deter Russia for years to come, announcing on Ukraine Independence Day, Aug. 24, a $2.98 billion defense package that builds out a future force with high-end air defenses, radar, and counter-unmanned ...
Kendall: Australian Ghost Bat Drone Could Pair With NGAD
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall indicated that the Air Force could incorporate the Australian-made Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat drone into the Next Generation Air Dominance family of systems, according to media reports. Citing China’s technological superiority and aggressive acts in the region, Kendall also said ...
Air Force to Expand Synthetic Environment for Mission Rehearsal, Testing, and Training
Aircraft simulators must evolve to meet the adversary threat, leaders from the 53rd Wing told Air Force Magazine. Once mainly used for initial qualification training, the Air Force is moving toward a paradigm of simulator training known as the "common synthetic environment" that will create ...
Troubled Sri Lanka Seeks to Strengthen Relationship With PACAF and Quad
The tiny Indian Ocean island of Sri Lanka has an outsize geostrategic importance, and its military seeks deeper ties with Pacific Air Forces for maritime security and disaster relief while not roiling China, a senior Sri Lanka Air Force official told Air Force Magazine. Rocked ...
Brown Tours Pacific as U.S. and China Hold Dueling Exercises
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. had hardly left the Indo-Pacific theater before China flew a joint bomber and fighter mission with U.S. partner Thailand. In nearby Indonesia, the U.S. concluded exercise Garuda Shield alongside Australia, Japan, and Singapore. At each ...
644th Combat Comms Squadron Takes on an F-35 ACE Challenge
For 30 days in April and May, a group of expeditionary communications technicians got together at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, with one task: Find a way for the F-35 to transfer data on remote or contested Pacific islands.
Biden Signs PACT Act to Expand VA Coverage for Toxic Exposure, but Some Are Left Out
After years of wrangling in Congress and more than a dozen failed bills, President Joe Biden signed the largest expansion of Veterans Affairs health care in 30 years, adding more than 5 million eligible veterans but leaving some waiting up to 10 years for phase-in ...
Q&A: PACAF Readies for New Threats
Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach, Pacific Air Forces Commander, has delivered two decades of experience to lead the Air Force’s most geographically dispersed major command. Wilsbach sat down with Air Force Magazine at his office at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, in a building whose pockmarked ...
Biden Signs Ratification for Finland and Sweden to Join NATO
The mood was festive in the packed East Room of the White House as President Joe Biden signed the instruments of ratification for the entry of Finland and Sweden into NATO. The two High North nations had up until months ago remained unaligned and fiercely ...
Langley Takes Over US Africa Command With Few Resources and Growing Threats
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III swore in Marine Corps Gen. Michael E. Langley to lead U.S. Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany. Langley's swearing-in comes as governments such as China's and Russia's increase their influence in Africa and terrorist groups expand in Somalia and from ...
KC-46 Boom Operators Learn to Live With RVS Pending 2.0 Upgrade
The KC-46 boom operators stopped talking and leaned in as Maryland Air National Guard F-16s approached on a refueling mission over upstate New York. The fighters were visible on a 1,080-pixel, black-and-white screen. The cockpit went quiet, too, and the pilot flipped to a visual ...
PACAF Ponders Inter-Pacific Academy for NCOs as Partner Recruitment Lags
When top Air Force leaders graced the stage at a senior noncommissioned officers' summit to urge attendees from 65 nations to collaborate with the United States, one region was noticeably underrepresented: the Indo-Pacific. Of the 39 partner nations that Pacific Air Forces identifies in the ...