US Space Command Takes Reins on Space Ops, But Questions Remain
Florida Bases Prepare for Hurricane Dorian
Pentagon Launches Maritime Security Effort Amid De-Escalation with Iran
Pentagon to Issue New Annual Report on Service Member, Family Suicides
B-2 Visits Iceland for the First Time
The Air Force’s 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2019 will be formally recognized at AFA’s Air, Space and Cyber Conference Sept. 16-18. Air Force Magazine is highlighting one each workday from now until the conference begins. Today, we honor SSgt. Gary G. Jeffrey III from Air Education and Training Command.
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RADAR SWEEP
Trump: Taliban Deal Close, US Troops to Drop to 8,600
President Donald Trump said Aug. 29 the US plans to withdraw more than 5,000 American troops from Afghanistan and then will determine further drawdowns in the longest war in American history. Trump’s comment comes as a US envoy is in his ninth round of talks with the Taliban to find a resolution to the nearly 18-year-old war. Associated Press
Esper Sets Demand That Might Let Turkey Rejoin F-35 Program
Pentagon Wants Ukraine Military Aid to Continue
The Pentagon has completed a review of military assistance to Ukraine ordered by the White House and concluded the aid should continue, a senior official said Aug. 29. Congress approved $250 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative in fiscal 2019. President Donald Trump had previously authorized the sale of lethal weapons, including Javelin anti-tank missiles, to help confront separatist forces backed by Russia. Politico
OTS Beta Courses Test Accelerated Commissioning Program for SNCOs
Air University is testing a new, accelerated program to help fast-track qualifying Air Force senior non-commissioned officers looking to commission as second lieutenants. Beta tests for the Officer Training School-Accelerated Commissioning Program, scheduled to run in August and November of this year, will each last 14 days, compared to the current program, which lasts 40 training days. USAF release
Defense Department Awards Its Other Multibillion Cloud Contract
While the Pentagon and Oracle continue to fight over the JEDI cloud, the Defense Department and General Services Administration announced the award of the department’s other multibillion-dollar cloud contract, the Defense Enterprise Office Solutions. The potential $7.6 billion contract to provide back-office tools like email, word processing, spreadsheets, and file-sharing was awarded to a team led by CSRA, a managed affiliate of General Dynamics Information Technology. Nextgov
OPINION: The US Must Prepare for a Cyber “Day After”
“The government needs a continuity plan to ensure that critical data and technology remains available after a devastating network attack,” writes Samantha Ravich, chair of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a commissioner on the Congressional Cyberspace Solarium Commission. Defense One
Libya’s Civil War Could Provide “Oxygen” to Terrorist Offshoots, Says US Africa Command
US Africa Command is concerned that Libya’s eight-year civil war could bolster terrorist groups harbored in the country and foster a breeding ground for violent extremist organizations. Preventing that chaos is a key issue for AFRICOM Commander Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, who traveled to Tunis, Tunisia, with US Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland to meet with Libya’s prime minister, Fayez al Sarraj, on Aug. 26. Military Times
The Man Who Couldn’t Take It Anymore
“I had no choice but to leave,” retired Marine Corps. Gen. James Mattis says of his decision to resign as President Donald Trump’s secretary of defense. The Atlantic
One More Thing
My Short Little Life
At only 27, former Air Force Capt. Cole Holloway, a fighter pilot who was assigned to Kadena AB, Japan, was at the top of his game. Then, an unexpected death sentence forced him to focus on what really matters. Kadena Air Base on Facebook