John Stillion
Recent stories by John Stillion
Brown Endorses Air Force Re-Optimization: ‘The Right Thing to Do’
Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. may have moved on from Air Force Chief of Staff to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, but he is keeping an eye on the Air Force’s effort to “re-optimize for great power competition”—and is pleased by what he sees. At a ...
Advancing in Space, China Poses Growing Threat, USSF Leaders Warn
The People’s Republic of China's rapid military advances in space mean the People's Liberation Army no longer merely threatens American assets in orbit, but now has the space-based sensing and targeting capabilities to better enable its joint forces to threat the U.S. on Earth, Space ...
New Report: U.S. Should Stand Up a 10,000-Man Cyber Force
A new report calls on Congress to create a stand-alone military Cyber Force to Lead the Pentagon’s cyber capabilities, and an influential lawmaker endorsed the idea this week. Report authors retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery and Dr. Erica Lonergan from Columbia University's School of International and ...
Air Force Generals Nominated to Lead US Forces in Japan and Alaska
U.S. forces in Japan and Alaska are slated to get new leaders, as the Pentagon announced March 25 that President Joe Biden has nominated two Air Force major generals for their third stars and new assignments. Maj. Gen. Stephen F. Jost has been tapped to take command ...
Bombers Around the World: B-1s Land in Spain, B-52s at Diego Garcia
U.S. Air Force bombers deployed across the globe this past weekend, as two B-52 Stratofortresses landed at Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean on March 22 and two B-1 Lancers landed at Morón Air Base, Spain, on March 24. The pair of ...
Congress to USAF: Not So Fast on Your Reorg Plans
The Department of the Air Force’s plans to “reoptimize for great power competition” have gotten a skeptical reception in Congress, as lawmakers are asking for more information before any changes go into effect and asking for an audit of the decision-making process.
Space Force Wants Operational Capability for Tactically Responsive Space in 2025
The Space Force is expanding the scope of its upcoming mission to launch a satellite on 24 hours’ notice—and hopes to declare initial operational capability for the effort, dubbed “Tactically Responsive Space,” in fiscal 2025.
VCSO: Commercial Space Strategy Coming ‘Within the Next Month’
The Space Force’s strategy for leveraging commercial space is coming “within the next month” and will include details on the service’s program for tapping into those capabilities during a conflict, Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. Michael A. Guetlein said March 20.
While USSF Budget Dips, Funds for New Nuclear Command and Control Satellites Jump
The Space Force is ramping up its plans to develop and deploy a new nuclear command, control, and communications satellite constellation, even as other parts of its budget take a hit. In the fiscal 2025 budget request released earlier this month, the service asked for nearly ...
SOCOM Cuts Armed Overwatch Buy from 75 to 62 Aircraft
Budget documents indicate U.S. Special Operations Command is cutting back on its plans for Armed Overwatch, the rugged, lightweight, fixed-wing aircraft to support counterterrorism efforts in permissive airspace. According to SOCOM’s 2025 budget request released earlier this month, the combatant command is trimming its planned ...
USAF Slashes Plans for MH-139 Helicopter Fleet Size, Locations
The Air Force is dramatically scaling back its plans for the MH-139 Grey Wolf helicopter, cutting its projected fleet from 80 to 42 aircraft and reducing the number of bases that will host the new chopper. For now, that means some units will continue to operate ...
Air Force Plans $400 Million Upgrade to Airfield on Tiny Pacific Island of Yap
As the Air Force embraces the concept of Agile Combat Employment, the service and the wider U.S. military have paid increasing attention to small islands throughout the Indo-Pacific—places like Tinian, Palau, and Saipan, all fewer than 200 square miles, have hosted troops and received millions ...
SDA Plans $25.5 Billion in Spending Over the Next Five Years
The Space Development Agency plans to spend roughly $25.5 billion from 2025 through the end of the decade building out its massive constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites, budget documents show.
KC-46’s New Remote Vision System Likely Delayed Until 2026
The KC-46's improved Remote Vision System, dubbed RVS 2.0, is “likely” to be delayed into 2026, the Air Force’s top acquisition executive said March 12. Air Force assistant secretary for acquisition, technology, and logistics Andrew P. Hunter also said the service is poised for progress ...
Space Force Rolls Out New PT Gear, While Airmen Have to Wait a Little Longer
The Space Force officially started rolling out its new physical training uniform on March 8, giving Guardians their first ever finalized service-specific uniform. Airmen, meanwhile, will have to wait one more month before the Air Force starts distributing its new PT gear.