Officials at Dyess AFB, Tex., recently awarded Balfour Beatty Communities of Newtown Square, Pa., a contract to privatize the base’s military housing, according to a Dyess release. Col. Glen VanHerck, Dyess’ 7th Bomb Wing commander, signed the base’s first privatized housing lease on Aug. 27, as part of the Air Force’s efforts to offer airmen a higher quality of life with more amenities and enhanced living quarters. Balfour Beatty will begin upgrading the housing units and working on multiple community enhancements on Oct. 1 after the current residents sign new lease agreements this month, states the Aug. 28 release. The community improvements include a barbeque picnic area, tennis and volleyball courts, and upgraded playground facilities. “By allowing the private sector to manage these homes, the Air Force is saving money on designing, constructing, operating, and maintaining base housing facilities,” said Dolores Green, chief housing manager for the 7th Civil Engineer Squadron. Dyess is one of the final Air Force installations to privatize it on-base housing, according to the release. (Dyess report by SrA. Peter Thompson) (See also Air Force Continues Privatizing Base Housing.)
The Air Force is moving forward with a new, algorithm-driven system to help U.S. Northern Command better detect airborne threats. NORTHCOM and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, which are tasked with protecting the homeland from attack, depend on a slew of radars and other data systems to monitor U.S.…