Daily Report

March 4, 2014

Airman Dies Supporting Operation Enduring Freedom

MSgt. David L. Poirier, 52, of North Smithfield, R.I., died on Feb. 28 in a non-combat-related incident while deployed supporting US military operations in Afghanistan, announced the Pentagon on Monday. The cause of his death is under investigation, states the...

Pentagon Halts Military Cooperation with Russia

The Defense Department has suspended all military cooperation with Russia as a result of Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine, reported the Associated Press. This includes exercises, bilateral meetings, port visits, and planning conferences, Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby told...

Manas’ Final Aerial Refueling Mission

The Air Force completed its final KC-135 aerial refueling mission from the Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan, according to a base release. The KC-135 sortie took place on Feb. 24; the tanker refueled A-10s and F-16s supporting operations in Afghanistan...

The Slow Convergence of Resources and Strategy

The Pentagon’s Fiscal 2015 budget request, set for unveiling this week, is the closest the Obama Administration has come yet to meeting mandated spending caps, but has some long-term problems that must be addressed, Todd Harrison, defense budget expert with...

The Strategic Opportunity

The soon-to-be-released Quadrennial Defense Review will be judged based on how much it clarifies and expands upon the 2012 Defense Strategic Guidance, and the extent to which it aligns strategic priorities with the resource choices now being rolled out, said...

Minot Bombers Heading to Guam

Some 300 airmen and a group of B-52s from the 69th Bomb Squadron are scheduled to depart Minot AFB, N.D., this week for Andersen AFB, Guam, reported KFYR TV of Bismarck. This expeditionary force will help provide stability and security...

Biscone, Trask Nominated for New Positions

President Obama tapped Lt. Gen. Gregory Biscone to serve as the Air Force’s next inspector general, announced the Defense Department. Biscone has been chief of the Office of the Defense Representative-Pakistan at the US embassy in Islamabad since January 2013....

Airman Saves Raptor from Flames

A1C Michael Underwood saved an F-22 from severe damage, or outright destruction, when he acted quickly to put out a brake fire after the airplane had just returned to JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, according to a base release. “When it happened,...

Andersen Civil Engineers Learn New Airfield Repair Technique

Members of the 36th Civil Engineer Squadron at Andersen AFB, Guam, were some of the first airmen to learn a new technique to quickly repair airfield damage in combat situations, according to a base release. “This is a significant step...

JASSM Production Facility Expands

Lockheed Martin broke ground on an expansion to its cruise missile production facility in Troy, Ala., announced the company. Increased demand for the company’s long-range strike weapons drove the need for the 62,000-square-foot annex, states the company’s Feb. 27 release....

The OCO Question

Defense Department leaders won’t know how much funds are needed for overseas contingency operations in Fiscal 2015 until President Barack Obama decides what the US policy is going to be in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of combat forces later this...