Daily Report

Nov. 25, 2013

Nuclear Perception and Reality

Responding to press reports on a new RAND survey showing lagging morale among airmen in the ICBM community, Air Force Acting Secretary Eric Fanning said the service has actually been making a great deal of progress in its nuclear operations...

Technology, Strategy, and Savings

While Air Force Materiel Command is home to the Air Force’s new technological innovations, the organization has also found new uses for old tools in order to save money and provide strategic benefits for the Air Force’s engagement in the...

Space Resiliency Going Forward

In a panel discussion at AFA’s Pacific Air & Space Symposium in Los Angeles led by Lt. Gen. Ellen Palikowski, Space and Missile System Center commander, participants from the aerospace industry discussed the need to build resilience into US space...

Security Cooperation and the Pacific Rebalance

There is a good reason why the top line of Pacific Air Forces’ strategy is set aside for theater security cooperation, one of five “lines of operation” that the command carries out every day, said Brig. Gen. Steven Basham, PACAF’s...

There’s Something Very Wrong in China

China has just passed an inflection point that could have dire global ramifications, warned Gordon Chang, author and China expert, at AFA’s Pacific Air & Space Symposium in Los Angeles. The nation’s economic growth is coming to an end, and...

When Stealth Matters, and Doesn’t

An attitude prevalent in Chinese military and political circles is that the United States lacks the will to come to the aid of its Pacific allies in the face of Chinese aggression, despite it possessing advanced military technology like stealth...

City of Cyber Angels

Although AFA’s CyberPatriot program now reaches all 50 states, its partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District is unlike anything else in the nation, said Bernie Skoch, CyberPatriot commissioner. Skoch moderated a panel highlighting this cooperation during AFA’s Pacific...

Going Nuclear

Hope of passing the Fiscal 2014 defense authorization bill before the Thanksgiving break essentially died last week as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) pushed through a controversial change in Senate procedures paving the way for quicker approval of Presidential...

Making a Difference in the Philippines

Pacific Air Forces assets continue to support relief operations in the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan, but they will soon be winding down their activities, said PACAF Commander Gen. Hawk Carlisle at AFA’s Pacific Air & Space Symposium in Los Angeles...

Helms Moving Forward with Retirement Plans

Air Force Space Command boss Gen. William Shelton released a statement praising Lt. Gen. Susan Helms, commander of 14th Air Force, for the contributions she has made to the Air Force and the nation throughout her more than three decades...

Senior Leadership Changes

Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh announced the following general officers assignments on Nov. 21. Maj. Gen. Timothy Ray, director of the Air Force’s operational planning, policy, and strategy at the Pentagon, will become the director of global power programs...

Air Force Receives 13th Super Galaxy

Maj. Gen. Kenneth Merchant, director of the Air Force’s Global Reach Programs, recently delivered the 13th C-5M Super Galaxy—tail number 85-0004—to the 436th Airlift Wing at Dover AFB, Del. “We are very excited to receive another C-M,” said Col. Rick...

Successful Test of Next Generation GPS Satellite

Recent testing of Lockheed Martin’s Global Positioning System III protype concluded the satellite can communicate with the existing GPS constellation already in orbit, announced company officials. The testing of the GPS III nonflight satellite testbed—a full-sized, functioning prototype—concluded Oct. 17...