Hyten Tapped to Lead STRATCOM

President Obama has tapped Gen. John Hyten to lead US Strategic Command, according to a Sept. 9 Pentagon announcement. If confirmed, Hyten will replace Adm. Cecil Haney, who has led the command since November 2014. Hyten currently serves as commander...

North Korea Claims Successful Nuclear Test

By Brian W. Everstine
North Korea on Sept. 9 said it successfully tested a nuclear warhead for the second time this year, violating UN sanctions and drawing strong rebukes from the US and several other nations. North Korea said it successfully detonated a nuclear...

Constant Phoenix to Sniff Out Nuke Claims

By Brian W. Everstine
The Air Force is sending a WC-135 Constant Phoenix to sniff out North Korea’s claim that it successfully conducted its fifth nuclear test on Sept. 9, the Pentagon said Friday. The aircraft will fly in the region and collect atmospheric...

US Unprepared for Space War

By Wilson Brissett
The key mission for the US space program is to fight war, but because much of US space infrastructure was developed in an era “when space was considered a benign environment, little thought was given to system protection or defense,”...

Freight Train to Space

By Wilson Brissett
In order to stay ahead in the increasingly “contested environment” of space, the Air Force “will move to a freight train to space model,” Brig. Gen. Stephen Whiting said Friday. Speaking at an AFA Mitchell Institute talk in Washington, DC,...

Spotlight: SMSgt. Mark Farmer

SMSgt. Mark Farmer, the operations superintendent with the 114th Space Control Squadron at Patrick AFB, Fla., is one of the Air Force’s 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2016. As the noncommissioned officer in charge of a command and...

Spotlight: SMSgt. Jeremiah Grisham

SMSgt. Jeremiah Grisham, explosive ordnance disposal flight superintendent with the 11th Civil Engineer Squadron at JB Andrew, Md., is one of the Air Force’s 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2016. Grisham led a flight of 22 airmen supporting...

F-16s Deploy to Poland for Exercise

Four F-16 Fighting Falcons and more than 100 airmen from the South Dakota Air National Guard’s 114th Fighter Wing deployed to Lask AB, Poland, on Sep. 3 in support of Aviation Detachment 16-4, a bilateral training exercise between the two...

DOD Upping Its Role in UN Peacekeeping

The Pentagon will increase its contribution to global UN peacekeeping efforts by upping its training role and providing more specialized expertise to areas in need of growth, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Sept. 8. The Defense Department will help train...