Daily Report

Oct. 15, 2013

Commander of ICBM Force Relieved of Duty

Air Force Global Strike Command boss Lt. Gen. James Kowalski relieved Maj. Gen. Michael Carey of duty as 20th Air Force commander “due to a loss of trust and confidence in his leadership and judgment,” announced the command. The numbered...

Enormous and Untold Damage

Budget uncertainty, in particular unresolved budget numbers for Fiscal 2014, is taking its toll on the ability of Defense Department cost estimators to help build the Pentagon’s long-term budget plans and get the most out of every taxpayer dollar, said...

Mercury Astronaut Scott Carpenter Dead at 88

Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter, the second American to orbit the Earth, died on Oct. 10 in Denver reportedly due to complications from a recent stroke. He was 88. Born on May 1, 1925, in Boulder, Colo., Carpenter became a naval...

MC-12W Reaches 300,000th Combat Flight Hour

The Air Force’s fleet of MC-12W information-gathering airplanes recently flew its 300,000th combat flying hour, according to officials at Beale AFB, Calif., the fleet’s stateside home. The milestone occurred during a sortie over Afghanistan, states Beale’s Oct. 8 release. The...

Excess Speed Caused C-130 Landing Mishap

p, .ExternalClass A C-130 making a second landing attempt at Forward Operating Base Shank in Logar province, Afghanistan, in May came in “too fast,” causing the airplane to go off of the runway, announced Air Mobility Command. The hard landing...

Development of Alternate F-35 Helmet Halted

p, .ExternalClass The F-35 program office has halted development of BAE Systems’ alternate helmet for the F-35 strike fighter, choosing to focus exclusively on the Rockwell Collins-Elbit Systems’ helmet currently used in training and testing, announced F-35 prime contractor Lockheed...

Lawmakers: Keep Net Assessment Office Open

A group of House lawmakers led by Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s seapower and projection forces panel, penned a letter to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel urging Hagel to resist any effort to close the...

Thousands Rally for Veterans on National Mall

Thousands of veterans and their families, friends, and supporters gathered at the National World War II Memorial on the National Mall to affirm the right of veterans to unhindered access to the memorial. The Oct. 13 rally came in response...

World War II Airman’s Remains Identified

Defense Department forensic scientists have identified the remains of 1st Lt. Robert G. Fenstermacher, 23, of Scranton, Pa., an airman who died in a crash in Belgium during World War II, announced the Pentagon. DOD officials are returning Fenstermacher’s remains...