A panel of command chiefs fielded questions from enlisted and officers alike yesterday at AFA’s Air & Space Conference in Washington. Asked what advice they would give to enlisted airmen contemplating applying for a college degree and seeking officer status, Air Mobility Command Chief Master Sergeant Joseph Barron Jr. said he would advise an airman to pursue a college degree, but he would say hold off on applying for an officer slot until the personnel changes associated with the force-shaping effort simmer down. He and other chiefs noted that they’ve faced the situation of having to cut second lieutenants with prior enlisted service to meet previous force-shaping requirements.
Australia’s military will help the Pentagon pursue so-called “air-breathing” hypersonic weapons and more under the U.S.-run Allied Prototyping Initiative, the U.S. Defense Department said Nov. 30. The Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment (SCIFiRE) initiative “will be essential to the future of hypersonic research and development, ensuring the U.S. and…