Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz didn’t mince words Wednesday after giving a speech at an industry conference on special operations and low-intensity conflict in Washington, D.C. Asked by an audience member for his advice to companies looking...

The power of integration has never been more evident than through the refinement of the air-to-ground interface, says Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz. New communications technologies that give individual airmen, soldiers, marines, and Navy SEALS the ability to interact...

A sound acquisition strategy for the Air Force's new bomber would focus on creating a flexible, open architecture and feature a disciplined block upgrade approach, Paul Kaminski, head of the Defense Science Board, told reporters in Washington, D.C., Wednesday. "You want to be careful not to overreach with the first block," but rather "look at what is mature enough to be included, and . . . leave room for some enhancements in the future," he explained. Beyond that, "very aggressive red and blue teaming," is a desirable part of the strategy, said Kaminski. He said he'd consider attributes like hardpoints on the bomber for external carriage of weapons, electronic warfare devices, or surveillance systems. "When you decide to do that, there will be some compromises in the [stealth] signature, but also it gives you some operational flexibility to be used later," he explained. Kaminski's comments were based on the findings of the DSB's new report Enhancing Adaptability of US Military Forces. Emphasis on block upgrades for DOD weapons acquisition was one of the report’s findings. (DSB report; caution, large-sized file)

The Defense Department isn't doing enough to prepare for scenarios in which it won’t have full access to critical systems like its networks, information-gathering assets, navigation aids, and electronic warfare functions, said Paul Kaminski, Defense Science Board chairman, Wednesday. "We think we are falling way short in what we need to be doing to look at degraded operations," he told reporters during a meeting in Washington, D.C. He added, "We are not doing nearly enough." This warning is one of the principal findings of the DSB's newly released study Enhancing Adaptability of US Military Forces. Kaminski said the Marine Corps does a good job of training individual marines how to operate under degraded conditions. Special operations forces also receive "some pretty good training" at the individual and tactical levels in this regard, he said. However, "As you move up that chain to the operational and strategic level [across DOD], the farther up the chain you go, the worse it gets in terms of the amount of time or training that we do," he asserted. (DSB report; caution, large-sized file)

Air Force Secretary Michael Donley is scheduled to go before the House Armed Services Committee on Feb. 17 to present the service’s Fiscal 2012 budget request, the committee has announced. Donley’s appearance will come the day after Defense Secretary Robert...

Capt. Nicholas Helms, a 26-year-old former F-16 pilot, is the nation’s first drone test pilot trainee. He is currently enrolled at the US Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB, Calif. The Los Angeles Times reports that instructors are...

Air Force Space Command’s Standard Space Trainer Integrated Training Center, or SST, is up and running at Schriever AFB, Colo. The new center, with equipment like large, high-definition wall monitors and multiple computer workstations, is a dedicated facility for training...

Chinese missile technology may force the hardening of Air Force bases and the greater dispersal of USAF aircraft in the Pacific. “I expect a degree of diffusion and hardening, a degree of mobility, that we haven’t seen before,” asserted Abraham...

Though China’s rollout of the ostensibly stealthy J-20 fighter was a notable achievement, key gaps in China’s aviation industry hinder the country’s ability to effectively field a fifth generation aircraft, says Andrew Erickson, associate professor for strategic research at the...