Air Force Magazine
In This Issue
Check out the December 2021 issue of Air Force Magazine
Contesting the Space Domain
Russia’s ASAT test rattled the world. The Space Force was already working on solutions.
Revamping Homeland Defense
U.S. Northern Command was created 20 years ago in the wake of the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., and though the threats have evolved significantly since then, the command still largely relies on the same analog systems and processes to share threat data and intelligence. Solutions are mostly regionally focused and still involve human analysts entering data into spreadsheets, verbally providing updates across operations centers, and pulling together PowerPoint slides to brief leaders. That's about to change.
Can a Service Contract Save the F-35?
Chronically high operating costs might be tamed with a new deal. A new sustainment contract between the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) and Lockheed Martin, inked in September, will give the company a chance to bring down operating costs over the next three years.
Hacking the Supply Chain
The Defense Department’s cyber challenges are enormous. Systems increasingly rely on software code, much of it incorporating open-source components. Growing dependence on cloud-based systems to host databases and computer workloads also expanded the Pentagon’s attack surface. Conventional cyber defenses based on keeping hackers out of DOD networks have given way to new strategies built on protecting the data inside the network, because that’s what hackers are after.
Modernizing Satellite Communication
Information dominance in the future will depend on the speed and resilience of DOD SATCOM networks.
Editorial: Peril, Perspective, and Resolutions
Winding down to the end of 2021 and looking forward to the year ahead gives us an opportunity to count our blessings and take note of what ails us.