NK Launches Seven Missiles:

US Northern Command officials have confirmed that North Korea launched a total of seven missiles, including the Taepo Dong 2 long-range ballistic missile that exploded in less than a minute after launching at approximately 4 p.m. EDT on July 4....

JSF Due for its Handle:

The Joint Strike Fighter program may celebrate a very public milestone—being given its official name—this Friday when Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley plan to formally unveil the first production F-35 at...

Guam Buildup Plan due July 11:

Guam Gov. Felix P. Camacho tells Stars and Stripes that military officials on the island will submit a wide-ranging plan on the US military buildup on Guam to US Pacific Command on July 11. Camacho’s comment confirms an earlier report...

The Next Stealth Is Speed:

The US military has sewn up air supremacy “for decades to come” with its new stealth aircraft— the F-22A and the F-35—acknowledges defense analyst Daniel Goure of the Lexington Institute, but he believes DOD is behind the curve when it...

More Hearings on Tap Over Military Academies:

The Chairman of the House Government Reform subcommittee on national security, Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), has promised to hold additional hearings to hear from victims of sexual assault at the military academies after receiving testimony on June 27 from former...

Looking Beyond the 2003 Scandal:

The Air Force Academy commandant of cadets, Brig. Gen. Susan Desjardins, told lawmakers at the June 27 hearing (see above) on sexual assault issues within the military that the academy “has come a long way … since the events of...

SOF Help Wanted Sign Still Out:

All three contributors to US Special Forces command are facing shortages in their ranks, as the Pentagon is pressing to significantly expand all manner of special operations forces over the next few years, reports USA Today. According to Today, the...

Heading to an Era of Fixed-Price Contracts?:

The Senate has included a provision in its version of the 2007 defense authorization bill that would proscribe DOD to rewrite its acquisition regulations to include a “preference” on the use of fixed-price type contracts for system development and demonstration—in...

Frist Pushes for European Missile Shield:

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) sent a letter to President Bush June 30 urging him to establish a new missile defense interceptor facility in Europe to enhance defenses against the “long range missile threat posed by Iran.” Frist noted...

Graham Champions Tricare Amendment:

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) announced last week that the Senate has unanimously approved an amendment to the 2007 defense authorization bill that would revamp the military retirement system and improve access to Tricare for Guardsmen and Reservists. Among the health...

Pentagon Hack Risk Rising:

A National Security Agency program to safeguard Defense Department and Intelligence Community secrets is seven years behind schedule, reports the Baltimore Sun. According to documents obtained by the newspaper, concerns are rising that the delay is making data “increasingly vulnerable...

Yokota Drops Global Weather System:

According to Stars and Stripes, the Air Force Weather Agency has ended operation of a high-frequency radio system to collect weather data. The agency, which now considers the collection method too costly, has shuttered the last Global Weather Intercept Program...

EOD Airmen Send Robots to Scout IEDs:

A US Army infantry unit on patrol in an area southwest of Baghdad, Iraq, spots a presumed improvised explosive device and calls on USAF explosive ordnance disposal technicians to clear the area. The EOD airmen, part of the 447th Expeditionary...

Airmen Corral Computers for Philippine Youth:

Airmen with the 35th Fighter Squadron and Aircraft Maintenance Unit deployed with Operation Commando Sling to Singapore used their spare time to shepherd donation of computer equipment from Singapore citizens and then loaded the pieces with updated software before shipping...

Air Sorties in the Global War on Terrorism

July 1-2, 2006 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total ISR 27 14 41 CAS/Armed Recon 84 42 126 Airlift 320 320 Air refueling 79 79 Total 111 56 399 566 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation Enduring Freedom ISR=Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance