ANG Unit Makes Training “Real”: The Texas Air National Guard’s 149th Fighter Wing, which serves as an F-16 flying training unit for Air Education and Training Command, recently uprooted its students, instructor pilots, and ground support from Lackland AFB, Tex., transferring them to Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., where the training included the use of Joint Direct Attack Munition “smart” bombs. According to wing officials, using the 2,000-pound JDAMs provided a more realistic environment, since the fighter accelerates more slowly with the bomb load. The 149th FW has improved its nine-month Viper course every year since it became an FTU. For example, in 2001, it was the first unit to incorporate night vision goggles in the basic F-16 curriculum, and in 2003 it added the Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night targeting pods, saving money and months of follow-on training.
DNI: Cyber Is The Common Weapon Among Top Adversaries
April 17, 2021
The top four U.S. adversaries—China, Russia, Iran and North Korea—are improving their military capabilities but relying increasingly on cyber means to challenge the U.S. and blunt its influence around the world, the intelligence community's annual threat assessment says. The report comes amid military tensions with both China and Russia.