The Air Force leadership is kicking off Fiscal 2011 with a new service-wide theme entitled “a new culture: energy as an operations enabler.” Air Force Secretary Michael Donley and Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz introduced this to airmen in a letter that urges them to reduce energy demand, increase supply, and change the service’s energy culture. “In order to meet our strategic energy goals, we must continue to instill energy efficiency and conservation into our daily routines within our aviation and our installation communities,” reads the Sept. 30 missive. Achieving these goals will require “sustained effort, a systematic approach, determined leadership, and a firm commitment from all of us,” it states. Among the benefits, funding may be freed up for other USAF priorities through greater energy efficiency, it notes. The service’s previous theme, the Year of the Air Force Family, formally concluded in July.
The Air Force is moving forward with a new, algorithm-driven system to help U.S. Northern Command better detect airborne threats. NORTHCOM and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, which are tasked with protecting the homeland from attack, depend on a slew of radars and other data systems to monitor U.S.…