The Shuttle Era Ends

Sept. 1, 2011
Thirty years of US space shuttle operations came to an end

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DOD Eases Mask Rules to Follow New CDC Guidance

May 14, 2021
The Defense Department will no longer require fully vaccinated personnel to wear masks at DOD facilities. The guidance applies to all those who are two weeks beyond their final dose, both inside and outside, according to a May 13 memo from Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen H. Hicks. The memo…

DAF Will Devote Office to Digital Engineering as Advances Gain Steam

May 13, 2021
The Department of the Air Force will set up a permanent office dedicated to digital engineering within Air Force Materiel Command that the Air Force and Space Force will share. The department is “putting some resources and personnel in place to move from what has been a wonderful and fantastic…

New Force Design: NGAD Needed Soon, F-22 Sunset Begins in 2030

May 13, 2021
The Air Force is preparing to unveil a 30-year fighter force design that calls for two new fighters—one for high-end fights and one for less demanding missions—a new way of providing close air support, and the retirement of the F-22 starting in about 2030, a top USAF official explained. Until…

‘Skyrocketing’ Support Costs Threaten Air Force Modernization

May 13, 2021
Sharply rising support costs among aging fleets are devouring money the Air Force needs to spend on new technology and new hardware, service Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. David S. Nahom said. The Air Force has to figure out how to divest old hardware without losing readiness in the…

CSAF: F-22 Not in USAF’s Long-Term Plan

May 12, 2021
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. wants to neck down the Air Force's fighter inventory from seven fleets to four, and the F-22 is not on his short list. The extant seven-fleet mix of fighters will need to be reduced to “four, … plus one,” Brown…

Raymond: Expect the Space Force to Provide Tactical ISR

May 12, 2021
The U.S. Space Force will move more into the role of providing space-based tactical intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance—a role typically filled by the intelligence community—with a new ground moving target indicator capability possibly coming soon. USSF Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond said that since small satellites…

Rep. Brown Explains Support for Full F-35 Buy

May 12, 2021
The F-35 has problems, but its operational success and critical role in future conflicts outweigh them, said Rep. Anthony Brown during the McAleese FY2022 Defense Programs Conference on May 12. He urged that the services' 2022 F-35 request—as well as any congressional adds—be supported by House leaders.