Courtney Albon
Courtney Albon is the Space Editor at Air & Space Forces Magazine. She has been covering the U.S. military since 2012, with a focus on the Air Force and Space Force. During that time, she has reported on some of the Defense Department’s most significant acquisition, budget and policy challenges, including the F-35 fighter jet, hypersonic capability development and the creation of the Space Force.
Recent stories by Courtney Albon
Space Command Creates ‘Task Force Voyager’ to Coordinate Alabama HQ Move
U.S. Space Command has established an internal planning team, dubbed Tasked Force Voyager, to spearhead logistics for the combatant command's relocation from Colorado to Alabama.
Purdy: Space Force Needs More Acquisition Experts to Implement Reforms
Space Force leaders say that while they’re eager to implement the Pentagon’s newly announced acquisition transformation strategy, civilian personnel cuts and a prolonged government shutdown have depleted the acquisition and contracting workforce, adding to pressures on the cadre that could make it difficult to hit ...
Space Force Still Planning Futures-Like Command, Perhaps With a New Name
The Space Force is moving ahead with plans to create a fourth field command focused on wringing out future capabilities, although details around timing—and the new organization's name—are still in flux.
Saltzman’s ‘Vector’ Charts Space Force’s Progress and Next Steps
As the Space Force prepares to mark its sixth birthday—and Gen. Chance Saltzman embarks on his last year as Chief of Space Operations—the service has released a new document meant to sum up its current status and all of Saltzman’s efforts to solidify the Space ...
What Experts Will Watch as the Pentagon Implements Acquisition Reform
When Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth rolled out an expansive acquisition reform agenda earlier this month, he promised aggressive implementation and reorganization aimed at transforming the way the Pentagon develops and fields weapons and platforms. The plan appears to have been well-received by past administration officials and ...
Pentagon Eyes New Manufacturing Tech to Bolster Strained Space Supply Chain
Amid growing concern about supply chain issues, the Pentagon’s commercial innovation hub is seeking companies with advanced manufacturing expertise to help bolster the space industrial base.
New Glenn Rocket Aces Launch and Landing, Setting Up Space Force for More Options
The successful second flight of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket on Nov. 13 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., also included a first for the company—the launcher’s booster stuck its landing on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean.
Solar Storms Delay Launch Space Force Needs to Certify New Rocket
The second launch of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, which could clear a path to military certification, is delayed due to severe solar storms.
Senate Passes Bill to End Shutdown, Keep Air Force Working on E-7
The Senate voted Nov. 10 to approve a stopgap funding bill that would reopen the federal government and keep it funded through January, a significant step toward ending the longest shutdown in U.S. history.
The Pentagon Wants to Buy Weapons Faster. What Will It Cost?
The emphasis on speed in the Pentagon’s newly unveiled slate of acquisition reforms may come with increased near-term cost increases, analysts say. But according to U.S. defense officials, the new weapons-buying construct provides the military with enough flexibility to prevent runaway budget overruns in major ...
Hegseth: Pentagon ‘Fundamentally Reshaping’ Weapons Buying Process
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth vowed to undertake far-reaching reforms on the way the U.S. military buys weapons, promising a sweeping overhaul of the way the Defense Department defines requirements, manages acquisition, and tests new systems. The fundamental goal, which Hegseth underscored in a one-hour ...
Space Force Rebrands Operations Command as Combat Forces Command
The Space Force officially renamed Space Operations Command to Combat Forces Command on Nov. 3, a change it says better reflects the service’s warfighting focus.
Report: Pentagon Can’t Forget About PNT for Golden Dome
The Pentagon should establish a dedicated budget to support Golden Dome’s positioning, navigation, and timing needs and assign a PNT lead to coordinate needed improvements to ground and space-based navigation systems, according to a new report from the National Security Space Association.
New Report: Space Force Must Take ‘Decisive’ Steps Toward Dynamic Operations
The Space Force should take bold, decisive steps—and soon—to develop the capabilities and architecture needed to support more flexible, dynamic operations in orbit and counter Chinese aggression and technological progress, according to a new report from AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
Draft Memo Offers First Look at Pentagon Acquisition Reforms
The Pentagon is readying a slew of reforms to its acquisition practices designed to speed up the military’s process for buying weapons and systems and structure its program offices to prioritize competition and commercial capabilities, according to a draft memo.
