Air Force Space Command is totally embracing its new cyber arm, the 24th Air Force, the command’s No. 2 official said May 1 on Capitol Hill. AFSPC is transferring its ICBM mission to the new Air Force Global Strike Command, while concentrating on totally integrating the emerging cyber mission of the new numbered air force with its space operations, Maj. Gen. Thomas Deppe, AFSPC vice commander, said in remarks at a National Defense University Foundation-hosted event (see above). That’s “our challenge in the months ahead,” Deppe said. Beyond just AFPSC, these efforts are meant to build synergies between processes, training, and skills across the service, he said. AFSPC expects to add about 7,000 airmen to the command with addition of 24th AF. However, the movement of the ICBM mission from AFSPC to AFGSC later this year comes with the transfer of about 10,000 airmen for a net loss of several thousand, AFSPC boss Gen. Robert Kehler said in March.
The U.K. and the U.S. will continue to enjoy access to the ports, airfield, and workshops at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean for at least another century, under a deal inked between the U.K. and Mauritius May 22.