John Stillion
Recent stories by John Stillion
A Small Uniform Tweak Reveals a Shift in Space Force Culture
In late June, Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman’s official portrait got a slight update: his space operations badge, given to Guardians in the space ops career field, vanished. That wasn’t an oversight, Lt. Gen. DeAnna M. Burt, the Space Force’s chief operations officer, ...
Staff Sergeant Promotions See Biggest Jump Since 2001
The Air Force saw a massive surge in staff sergeant promotions in 2025, with the biggest year-over-year increase in rates since 2001.
Space Force Zeroes in on Targeting from Orbit, but Timeline Unclear
The Space Force will finish an analysis of alternatives for how to do airborne moving target indication from orbit this fall and rely upon early lessons learned from its still new effort to target objects on the ground as it forges ahead, the service’s chief operations ...
F-15E Lands with Two Wheels at Kadena, Crew Safe
An F-15E had a tough landing at Kadena Air Base in Japan on Aug. 4 after leaving behind a key piece of equipment during takeoff: a wheel. The two Airmen on board were not hurt during the landing, according to a statement from the 18th ...
Senate Confirms Bratton for Space Vice Chief, Anderson to Lead AFRICOM
The Space Force has a new No. 2 officer, and U.S. Africa Command has its first ever leader from the Air Force. The Senate voted to confirm Lt. Gen. Shawn W. Bratton as Vice Chief of Space Operations and Air Force Lt. Gen. Dagvin Anderson as commander ...
Pentagon Awards $7.8 Billion in Contracts for Hundreds of New Missiles
In a pair of major contracts announced July 31, the Pentagon awarded a combined $7.8 billion for new missiles, including JASSM and AMRAAM.
Space Force Looks to Commercial Tech for New Tactical SATCOM Solution
Weeks after canceling one major satellite communications program, the Space Force took early steps in the development of another July 29, announcing contracts for five companies to showcase how their commercial designs can meet the military’s requirements
Space Force Component in Pacific Gets New Commander
The Space Force’s main arm in the Pacific got a new leader July 25, as Brig. Gen. Brian Denaro succeeded Maj. Gen. Anthony J. Mastalir as head of Space Forces Indo-Pacific.
MC-130J Tests Aerodynamic ‘Finlets’ to Reduce Drag, Fuel Costs
An MC-130J special operations aircraft took off from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., earlier this month with tiny aluminum fins mounted to its rear door and on either side of its tail fin—the latest step by the Air Force to squeeze fuel efficiency out of ...
X-37 Heading Back to Space to Test Laser Comms, GPS Alternative
The X-37B spaceplane is heading back into orbit for its eighth mission next month, the Space Force announced July 28. Its latest flight will experiment with technologies that may prove crucial to the service’s future.
PHOTOS: From F-22s to CV-22s, the Aircraft of REFORPAC
Thousands of Airmen and scores of aircraft have poured into the Indo-Pacific region over the past few weeks for Resolute Force Pacific 2025, the Air Force’s largest-ever contingency-response exercise in the region.
Air Force Creates New Deputy Chief Role for Cyber and Comms
The Air Force has split one of its top leadership roles to create a new deputy chief of staff job focused on command, control, communications, and cyber—a move meant to devote more attention to missions at the core of modern warfare.
Guetlein Talks Golden Dome Priorities, Says Missile Interceptors are Feasible
Freshly installed as the direct reporting program manager for the Golden Dome missile defense project, Gen. Michael A. Guetlein said July 22 that his first line of effort will be to create a command-and-control network—and argued that the space-based interceptors envisioned for the project are ...
Top Space Force General in Europe Working on ‘Common Ground’ with Allies, NATO
As NATO considers its approach to space, the top U.S. Space Force general in Europe says he’s waiting for the alliance to finalize its approach to the domain. In the meantime, the U.S. is working with its allies to help build up their space capabilities ...
Air Force to Buy More KC-46s, Skip Tanker Competition
The Air Force will buy up to 75 more KC-46 aerial refuelers to recapitalize its KC-135 fleet, deciding against a competition for the next phase of its tanker plans.
