Schwartz as CSAF

U.S. Africa Command will soon see if a small, autonomous aircraft can evacuate casualties from austere locations during a demonstration planned for December in Morocco. Merlin, an autonomous aviation firm, announced Nov. 11 it has received a $500,000 contract from AFRICOM for the demo mission.

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force David R. Wolfe recently pledged “a plus-up in manpower” for the maintainer ranks, as the service prepares to launch a major overhaul of its maintenance career field next year.

As Congress gets back to business after the midterm elections, uncertainty swirls over the state of government funding that runs out Dec. 11, especially for the Pentagon. New reports from leading defense think tank experts illustrate just how wide the range of outcomes could be.

Space Systems Command recently awarded Viasat a contract with a $450 million ceiling to design and field a mission operations center for the command’s burgeoning Space Data Network.

Following a historic win for Democrats in the midterm elections, Congress returned to Washington, D.C., Nov. 9. Between now and Jan. 3, 2027, when the midterm winners are sworn in, lawmakers are staring down major unfinished business, including defense legislation stalled for months leading up to the election.