WORLD: Combat Air Forces

April 4, 2025
The F-47: Next Generation Air Dominance  Boeing Wins Contest to Build the Next Manned Fighter. By Chris Gordon and John A. Tirpak  When President Donald Trump announced March 21 that Boeing would build the Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter, he unleashed a...

WORLD: Personnel

Feb. 7, 2025
Patches, Nail Polish, Shaving: Dress and Grooming Standards  By Chris Gordon and David Roza Airmen were subject to new uniform, grooming, and appearance standards starting Feb. 1, senior Air Force leaders announced Jan. 29. Among the changes: Duty Identifier Patches...
News coming out of the White House since President Donald J. Trump’s inauguration Jan. 20 is striking in its velocity. The subjects of his Executive Orders and policy memos were unsurprising, fulfilling oft-repeated campaign promises, but  the speed, volume, and details—or lack of them—caught everyone ...
Mr. Tactical Airpower. William Momyer, known as “Spike,” was an outstanding tactician who was instrumental in developing and implementing air doctrine throughout his career. After graduating from the University of Washington in 1937, he became an aviation cadet and won...
Frank Kendall, the most consequential Air Force Secretary in years, departed the Pentagon in January at the end of an eventful three-and-a-half-year tenure as the 26th Secretary of the Air Force. His most important contribution, he thinks: Raising “a sense...

WORLD: Air

Feb. 7, 2025
Iranian Threats in the Middle East By Chris Gordon When Lt. Col. Dustin Johnson was ordered to deploy to the Middle East last year, he and his fellow F-22 Raptor pilots prepared for an unusual challenge.  As America’s premier air...

WORLD: Space

Feb. 7, 2025
Space Force Testing AI Automation By Greg Hadley ORLANDO, Fla. T he Space Force is flying new command and control software on experimental satellites that automates some functions for ops crews, said Kelly D. Hammett,  head of the Space Rapid...
Discussion of future tankers comes as the Air Force continues downsizing two of its three aerial refueling fleets and bringing on the troubled KC-46 Pegasus, the U.S. military’s first 21st-century tanker program.
The goal is a system in which Guardians can switch easily between full-time and part-time (and back again), enabling Guardians to take a break from service to pursue advanced degrees, gain civilian work experience in commercial space or cyber, or take time off to care ...