Take lessons learned from joint exercises and turn them into capabilities
The real advantage comes when legacy, new, next generation and cutting-edge systems can work together in the battlespace.
The US military is still at war but Washington is not. The resulting tensions are eroding the fundamental compact between America’s warrior and political classes. The recent op-ed by retired Adm. William McRaven, former head of Special Operations Command and the man who led the strike against Osama Bin Laden, might have caused a national furor…
By James Kitfield
PENTAGON: Restarting the F-22 line would probably be “cost-prohibitive,” says Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James. The idea for restarting the F-22 line was pushed hard by Rep. Randy Forbes, the outgoing chairman of the House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee. Forbes was defeated by Scott Taylor, a relatively unknown challenger, a Virginia state delegate who…
By Colin Clark
WASHINGTON: The Air Force wants to replace the aging but beloved A-10 “Warthog” with a robotic “flying coke machine” that loiters over the battlefield, dispensing firepower at the touch of a button, the outgoing Chief of Staff said this morning. (More on that concept below). Gen. Mark Welsh also wants a “sixth-generation fighter” that can…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.The Air Force’s new B-21 long range strike bomber acquisition program has encountered turbulence in recent weeks as Sen. John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, declared: “I will not authorize a program that has a cost-plus contract.” Justifying his position, the senator referenced his smart phone, explaining that: “Silicon Valley built the latest…
By David Deptula and Doug Birkey
WASHINGTON: What the Defense Secretary and his office taketh away, Congress can restore. So the Air Force is asking Congress to restore $691 million for the five F-35As cut from this year’s budget, along with $724 million for eight C-130Js and, perhaps most interestingly, $1.2 billion for base improvements that include cyber networking. As Air…
By Colin Clark
WASHINGTON: While it’s always a challenge to nail down just who will be nominated for top Pentagon jobs, Air Force Space Command leader Gen. John Hyten seems as close to a lock for Air Force Chief of Staff as you can get. Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James has made clear her commitment to diversity…
By Colin Clark
Harnessing data to power the future of space domain awareness
How cutting-edge technology from L3Harris is enabling rapid data processing—and faster, more informed decisions in space defense operations.
It should surprise no one, but the US Marine Corps, the US Air Force and the British will fly F-35s at both the Royal International Air Tattoo and the Farnborough Air Show this summer. “The U.S. Marine Corps is looking forward to demonstrating the capabilities of the F-35B Lightning II in the skies over the…
By Colin Clark
As former Air Force Chief of Staff “Buzz” Moseley once declared, “there is not a place on the face of the earth that the USAF will not fight their way into.” But this aspiration has been complicated by 15 years of fighting low-end opponents like the Taliban even as peer adversaries like China and Russia…
By Robbin Laird, Ed Timperlake and Murielle Delaporte
WASHINGTON: The F-35, protected fiercely by senior Pentagon, Air Force and program officials for the last few years, is no longer safe from possible budget cuts as the 2017 budget is finalized, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics said this morning. “It’s impossible in these budgets to entirely protect it,” Frank Kendall…
By Colin Clark
WASHINGTON: Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh made clear today that, while his service will make its arguments for modernization programs such as the JSTARS replacement, F-35 and Long Range Strike Bomber, the Defense Secretary and the combatant commanders will make the final decisions. The military’s latest and highest profile program, the Long Range Strike…
By Colin Clark
WASHINGTON: Sen. Kelly Ayotte, take note. The head of Air Combat Command told reporters this morning that the A-10 Warthog’s retirement will probably slide two to three years thanks to the increased threats faced by the Air Force. Gen. Hawk Carlisle, speaking at a Defense Writers Group breakfast, made it clear the decision hasn’t been…
By Colin Clark
PENTAGON: F-22s are finally on their way to Europe as an answer to the increasingly grumpy Russian bear, two months after Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James first announced at the Paris Air Show they might head there. If you telescope back a bit, it becomes clear this deployment may well have a wider strategic importance.…
By Colin Clark
WASHINGTON: A top House defense Democrat wants answers from Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James about costs for the Long Range Strike Bomber (LRSB), which is supposed to be built at a fixed price of $500 million a copy. “Given the importance of this issue and the magnitude of the discrepancy, the Air Force must…
By Colin Clark
Critics of US nuclear modernization claim the Long-Range Stand-Off (LRSO) weapon — an aircraft-launched nuclear cruise missile — can be eliminated without harming America’s security interests. But the LRSO provides America with a unique capability to deter adversaries from using nuclear force and projects credible power while keeping US forces safe. Updated standoff weapons ensure…
By Constance Baroudos and Peter Huessy