Daily Report

Dec. 9, 2013

Hagel Affirms Commitment to Middle East

Although the Defense Department is facing “serious budget constraints” at home, the US will continue to commit resources and personnel to the Middle East while making sure military capabilities evolve to meet new threats, said Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel in...

DOD Offers to Help Neutralize Syria’s Chemical Weapons

The Defense Department has offered the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons a technological solution to help neutralize Syria’s chemical weapon stockpile by the end of the year, a senior defense official announced last week. The hydrolysis system would...

Boeing, SAAB Team for T-X Bid

Boeing has announced it will partner with Sweden’s SAAB Group to bid on the proposed T-X—an all-new jet trainer and associated training aids to replace USAF’s legacy T-38 Talon fleet, the company announced. “Teaming with Saab will bring together our...

Bending History

Vice President Joe Biden reaffirmed the US’s commitment to Asia during a speech at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, Dec. 6. The speech followed a week-long tour of South Korea, Japan, and China, where Biden repeatedly addressed mounting tensions...

Dempsey Hosts First Facebook Town Hall

Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, led his first Facebook town hall last week, answering a range of questions from service members around the globe right from his E-ring office at the Pentagon. He noted...

Air Force Supports SpaceX Launch

Airmen from Patrick AFB, Fla., supported Space Explorations Technologies’ first successful commercial Falcon 9 rocket launch at nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station last week. The Dec. 3 launch of the SES-8 communications satellite is the second of three certification...

NATO Global Hawk Starts Production

Northrop Grumman started work on NATO’s first Global Hawk Alliance Ground Surveillance remotely piloted aircraft on its assembly line at Moss Point, Miss., the company announced. The Block 40 Global Hawk is the first of five jointly procured airframes aimed...

Academy Seniors Get Job Assignments

Of the 1,011 senior cadets at the US Air Force Academy to receive their Air Force specialty codes last week, 495 cadets, or 45 percent, will become pilots. Other top career fields include acquisition manager (99 cadets), intelligence (52 cadets),...