Airmen assigned to US Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa simultaneously supported four large-scale defense exercises under four different combatant commands, according to a March 25 release. The exercises included US European Command’s Austere Challenge 2015, US Africa Command’s Judicious Response 2015, US Strategic Command’s Global Lightning 2015, and US Transportation Command’s Turbo Challenge 2015. “We live in a very dynamic and evolving world, where it seems there is always more than one emergency taking place,” said Lt. Gen. Darryl Roberson, commander of 3rd Air Force and the 17th Expeditionary Air Force. “We need to better understand how to best provide the most comprehensive support when our forces are pulled in different directions.” The computer-based command post simulations, which ranged from combat responses to humanitarian assistance, forced commanders to make calculated decisions with limited assets. Nearly 350 augmentees were brought in to support the two-week event, according to the release. “By combining our efforts across these commands, we have intentionally turned up the heat on ourselves to identify seams or cracks in our efforts to provide the best land, air, and sea defense capabilities our allies deserve,” added Roberson.
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design, the Air Force said.