The 121st Air Refueling Wing and 155th ARW of the Ohio and Nebraska Air National Guards, respectively, received passing marks on their recent nuclear operational readiness inspections concluded last week by an Air Mobility Command inspector general team. The two Air Guard KC-135 wings are among the mobility units also charged under AMC’s Prime Nuclear Airlift Force mission engaged in transporting nuclear weapons. The Air Force’s reinvigorated nuclear inspections, as other units have found, are much more stringent than in recent years. The active duty 62nd Air Mobility Wing at McChord AFB, Wash., passed a nuclear surety inspection (NSI) in January, but other Air Force units fared less well on their first go-round, mainly suffering from minor deficiencies, and face repeat inspections. (The 341st Missile Wing just successfully finished a retest.) Of the effort by the two Air Guard wings, the newly installed ANG Director, Lt. Gen. Bud Wyatt, said: “I am extremely pleased with the results of these inspections. The skill and dedication displayed by our airmen at the 121st and 155th Air Refueling Wings reflect the professionalism our entire Air National Guard team demonstrates every day. … These inspections validate the capability of the Air Guard to execute our nation’s most critical missions.”
The Pentagon’s head of research and engineering is prioritizing technologies that can penetrate and operate inside highly contested enemy territory. Top among them are artificial intelligence and autonomy. Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Heidi Shyu said other priorities on the list include creating the technology and standards for…