The Air Force will transition to a new email service in this fiscal year, announced Air Force Space Command. Approximately 150,000 network users will shift to the Secure Internet Protocol Router, Department of Defense Enterprise Email, or SIPR DEE, states an Oct. 7 command release. The Air National Guard will be the first to make the change, which is expected to reduce the Air Force’s operations and maintenance costs while modernizing infrastructure, according to the release. “The SIPR DEE migration will allow us to more efficiently use our cyber professionals, ensuring the cyber domain is secure as we continue to operationalize capabilities,” said Gen. William Shelton, head of Air Force Space Command. The transition is part of the new architecture-sharing and modernization agreement among the Air Force, the Army, and the Defense Information Systems Agency that will help to increase network bandwidth and security, while avoiding an estimated $1 billion in future costs, states the release. (Peterson report by Maj. Brooke Brander)
The Air Force overall reduced its size by 120 aircraft in fiscal year 2021, but kept about the same number of fighter, bomber and attack aircraft, according to data supplied by the service. The F-35 fleet saw the biggest increase while the B-1B bomber fleet saw the largest decline.