The Air Force needs to re-evaluate its procedures for the RQ-4 Global Hawk to make sure the remotely piloted aircraft system is relevant beyond 2020, said Brig. Gen. Jake Polumbo, Air Combat Command’s director of plans and programs. Topping the list, he said, is figuring out a more efficient way to get Global Hawks from Beale AFB, Calif., to the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing in Southwest Asia, reported the Shephard Group. Polumbo said the Air Force is already using polar and northern routes to cut down the travel time it takes to get the Global Hawks to the combat theater. The service also needs to adopt a “beyond-line-of-sight launch mindset” for Global Hawk versus the line-of-sight capability it’s practiced over the last decade, said Polumbo, who spoke last week at an RPA industry symposium in Denver.
Pentagon Releases Cost of Living, BAH Rates for 2026
Dec. 30, 2025
The Pentagon will pay cost of living allowances to 127,000 service members in the continental U.S. in 2026, an increase of 66,000 members in 2025. Airmen and Guardians across the U.S. will also receive an average increase of 4.2 percent for their Basic Housing Allowance, compared to the 5.4 percent…
