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2nd Weather Squadron ‘Listens’ to the Sun as It Approaches Peak of 11-Year Cycle

July 6, 2022

KAENA POINT SPACE FORCE STATION, Oahu, Hawaii—At the rocky edge of a cliff on Hawaii’s Oahu island are poised three antenna dishes that rotate with the sun. Together, they form part of a global network to warn warfighters of solar activity that can disrupt radio signals and potentially send false…

PACAF Watches Closely as Philippines Considers Military Ties With China

July 6, 2022

Newly elected Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has indicated he desires warmer relations with Beijing, saying he is even open to military ties with China, a move that would complicate Pacific Air Forces' efforts to protect U.S. interests with a forward presence in the South Pacific. “We have our relationship…

New “Atomic Veterans” Medal Honors Those Involved in Nuclear Weapon Tests, Operations

July 6, 2022

Veterans who performed the secret, often dangerous work of testing nuclear weapons deserve new recognition and may now call themselves “Atomic Veterans,” according to the Defense Department. The department announced the Atomic Veterans Commemorative Service Medal on July 5 to recognize that “the service and sacrifice of the Atomic Veterans directly…

New Generation of Rockets Queue Up to Launch From Florida Facilities in 2022

July 5, 2022

NASA, SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance are all preparing to launch their next-gen rockets from Florida’s Space Coast, two of them before the year is out. One is expected to liberate the U.S. launch enterprise from its reliance on Russian-made RD-180 engines, while all three rockets could eventually carry astronaut crews.

Valiant Shield Adds ACE Partners in the Pacific, Tests Dispersion, MQ-9 ‘Drop-In’

July 5, 2022

JOINT REGION MARIANAS, Guam—Laid out across a vast wooden table made in the woodshop of a Navy ship repair facility in Guam in 1967 was a map of the Pacific Ocean island chains of the Northern Marianas, Palau, and Micronesia. As large as the map was—spread out at the rounded head of…

Schmidt Succeeds Fick as New F-35 PEO; Two USAF Directors in a Row May Signal JPO Break-Up

July 5, 2022

Air Force Lt. Gen. Michael J. Schmidt took command of the F-35 Joint Program Office on July 5, succeeding Air Force Lt. Gen. Eric Fick, who is retiring. The succession of an Air Force PEO by another—breaking more than 25 years of back-and-forth joint leadership—may signal that the JPO is…

Air Force Awards JADC2 Contract, Worth up to $950 Million, to 27 Companies

July 1, 2022

The Air Force’s plans for its portion of joint all-domain command and control have taken a major step forward. The service awarded an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity, multiple-award contract worth up to $950 million to 27 companies. The IDIQ deal will give 27 contractors the opportunity to compete for work…

Pentagon Awards $80 Million for Work on F-35 Engines, Weapons Integration

July 1, 2022

The Pentagon handed out more than $80 million in contracts for work on the F-35’s engines and weapons integration as well as another $25 million to support the development of a joint simulation environment for the F-22. The largest of the deals handed out went to engine-maker Pratt & Whitney.…

DOD Announces $820 Million in Aid to Ukraine, Including Norwegian Air Defense System

July 1, 2022

The Pentagon announced an $820 million aid package to Ukraine that includes the same advanced Norwegian air defense system used to protect the White House. Coupling that with recently arrived multiple-launch rocket systems, the Defense Department said it expects rapid battlefield gains in the Donbas region. “This is something that…

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