Barrett Confirmation Vote Slated For Mid-October
White House to Host Interagency Space Tabletop Exercise
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Air Force Brass Lead New SPACECOM Subcommand
Space Command head Gen. John Raymond will start the new component command designed to provide space capabilities to joint and allied forces in the field on Oct. 1. Although the Combined Force Space Component Command is a joint command, its top two leaders are Air Force brass: Maj. Gen. Stephen Whiting has been named commander; Brig. Gen. Matthew Davidson is his deputy. Breaking Defense
OPINION: An Old Idea Could Bring Antiaircraft Missiles of Unprecedented Capability
“Ramjet SAMs promise interceptions at altitudes and distances far beyond today’s defenses,” write Douglas Barrie and Joseph Dempsey, both of the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Defense One
Spy Agencies Must Work Through AI’s Ethical Issues, Former Leader Says
Spy agencies need to fully embrace artificial intelligence to maintain the country’s geopolitical strength in the years ahead, but in order for that to happen, officials must focus on building trust, according to the intelligence community’s former second-in-command. Nextgov
Air Force Awards Contract for Airborne Radio Prototype
The Air Force has awarded L3Harris Technologies a contract to develop a competitive prototype for a new aircraft-mounted radio to replace the service’s AN/ARC-190 airborne HF radio. The prototype, the L3Harris Falcon Wideband Airborne HF Radio, is a software-defined, digital multi-mode system that meets the ARC-190 communication requirements, Ryan McCarty, vice president of Defense Department business development at L3 Harris’ Communication Systems, said in an interview. National Defense Magazine
Maryland Senators Introduce Bill to Give Death Benefits to ROTC Members to Honor Bowie State Student Killed
Maryland Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin have introduced a bill to extend death benefits to ROTC members who die before they’re able to serve their first active-duty assignment for the military. The bill is in recognition of Lt. Richard W. Collins III, who was killed before he could serve his first assignment for the US Army. Baltimore Sun (subscription required)
An Air Force First—a Sikh in Beard and Turban Graduates at Lackland
Airman 1st Class Sunjit Singh Rathour stood out in the crowd as he graduated Sept. 26 from Security Forces training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. San Antonio Express-News (subscription required)
Bullet from M-4 Injured Person During 2018 Wright-Patterson Active Shooter Scare
A new Air Force investigative report paints a detailed picture of the chaos that erupted when emergency responders in August 2018 searched Wright-Patterson Medical Center for an active shooter that turned out to be nonexistent. The report—by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations—also reveals for the first time that a responder hurt in the 2018 active shooter scare at Wright-Patterson AFB was injured by a bullet from a service member firing an assault rifle to open a locked door. Dayton Daily News
200 Air and Missile Defense Soldiers Set to Deploy to Saudi Arabia
The Pentagon has settled on sending an Army Patriot missile defense battery and four Sentinel RADAR units to defend Saudi Arabia against attacks, following airstrikes on oil fields earlier this month. That would include 200 support personnel, according to a Sept. 26 statement from Defense Department spokesman Jonathan Hoffman. Military Times
One More Thing
Russia Launches Missile Warning Satellite
The Russian Defense Ministry said a Soyuz-2.1b rocket, topped with a Fregat upper stage, launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia at 0746 GMT (3:46 a.m. EDT) on Sept. 26 carrying a military payload. A statement from the Russian Defense Ministry did not identify the payload, but information about the mission’s trajectory released in warning notices to pilots and mariners suggested the satellite was likely the third EKS, or Tundra, missile warning satellites for the Russian military. Spaceflight Now