GAO says ‘Nyet’ to Cold War Bias Charge Against Air Force

Government Accountability Office auditors have dismissed one portion of US Aerospace’s legal protest against the Air Force in the KC-X tanker contest. In an interim ruling, GAO has found “there was insufficient support” for allegations that Air Force officials engaged...

Jones Picked to Head Air Staff’s Manpower Office

President Obama has nominated Maj. Gen. Darrell Jones for promotion to the rank of lieutenant general for his new assignment overseeing manpower and personnel issues on the Air Staff, the Defense Department announced Thursday. Jones will replace Lt. Gen Richard...

Base Utilities Vulnerable to Cyber Attack

Critical infrastructure such as water, electricity, and sewer on most Air Force bases is highly vulnerable to cyber attack, Maj. Gen. Richard Webber, USAF’s top uniformed cyber officer, told House lawmakers in testimony Thursday. “Right now, those systems are very...

Version 1.0

When US Cyber Command is fully functional next month, it will be “version 1.0” and continue to evolve over time, said Army Gen. Keith Alexander, CYBERCOM’s boss, Thursday. Testifying before House lawmakers, Alexander said the biggest question facing the command...

Deal Reached for F-35 Lot 4 Buy

After extensive negotiations, the Defense Department and Lockheed Martin have agreed to the contract terms for the fourth low-rate production lot of F-35 strike fighters, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday. The parties settled on “a fixed-price incentive fee contract”...

Cyber Threats

US Cyber Command is slated to reach full operational capability next month, Army Gen. Keith Alexander, who heads the new organization, told the House Armed Services Committee Thursday. Alexander said the infant command, which began initial operations in May, faces...

Over the Moon

The Center for a New American Security released a 44-page report Thursday outlining the challenges that the National Guard and reserve component face after nearly a decade of fighting in two wars. An Indispensable Force: Investing in America’s National Guard...

Equipping the Force

The Air National Guard, like the other reserve components, lacks at least 25 percent of its required equipment, as of October 2009, according to a new report from the Center for a New American Security. “When Guardsmen and reservists do...

Sioux Falls Unit Recognized as Air Guard’s Best

The South Dakota Air National Guard’s 114th Fighter Wing at Joe Foss Field in Sioux Falls is the 2010 recipient of the National Guard Bureau’s Winston P. Wilson Trophy, wing officials announced Thursday. The award recognizes the Air Guard’s most...

A Bridge Too Far Redux

Nineteen airmen from the 37th Airlift Squadron at Ramstein AB, Germany, joined more than 1,000 allied servicemen in commemorating 1944’s Operation Market Garden, the largest airborne assault in history. Three of the unit’s C-130J’s teamed with British, Dutch, and German...

Air Sorties from SWA 091510

Air Sorties in Southwest Asia, Sept. 15-17, 2010 Sortie Type OND OEF OND/OEF Total YTD ISR 68 218 286 19,012 CAS/Armed Recon 26 305 331 25,095 Airlift 458 458 45,007 Air refueling 160 160 12,444 Rescue 56 56 5,706 Total...