Fourteen Afghan air force members of the Kabul Air Wing Quick Reaction Force Company graduated from Ground Combat Skills Course in a ceremony May 29 at Kabul International Airport here. The graduation marked the completion of fifty hours of advanced upgrade training for the most recent members of the QRF Company. The graduation and continued advancements made by the Afghan security forces members is significant to the force protection and security of Afghanistan because the coalition begins to attract down inside the country. “We have a saying,” said Lt. Col. Shir Mohammad, an air wing security forces commander. “‘The more... Read More »

By Air Force News Agency on Monday, June 3rd, 2013 Air Force officials announced May 29 they’re consolidating depot maintenance for the F-22 Raptor on the Ogden Air Logistics Complex at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. The depot maintenance work is currently split between the Ogden ALC and the Lockheed facility in Palmdale, Calif. “Palmdale has made a storied contribution to aviation and while this move is sensible, we’re certain this crucial workforce will continue strongly supporting the Air Force at Palmdale for decades to come back,” said Lt. Gen. C.D. Moore II, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center... Read More »

The Air Force announced today it expects to declare F-35A Lightning II initial operation capability in December 2016. The announcement was included in a joint report detailing service-specific IOC requirements and dates for every of the F-35 variants that was brought to Congress today. “The Air Force has spent the last six months watching our initial capability requirements and the predicted availability date. This announcement is exciting news for the Air Force,” said Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley. “It highlights to members of Congress, our international partners, and the yankee public that this system is heading in the... Read More »

By Lexington institute on Monday, June 3rd, 2013 Remember the long run Combat System (FCS)? This was a posh “system-of-systems” which involved manned and unmanned ground and aerial vehicles, advanced weapons systems and sensors, a few of them remotely operated and an all-encompassing command, control and communications network to hang all of it together. After nearly a decade of development and the expenditure of tens of billions of bucks with virtually nothing to teach for it, then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates cancelled this system. So how is it that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), operating on a good budget and... Read More »

Senior commanders recently called at the defense industry to produce technologies that give special operations forces more situational awareness, better networking and communications and more precise location and targeting capabilities. Officials from across U.S. Special Operations Command, including commanders of its service components and the theater special operations commands, laid out their wish lists earlier this month on the annual Special Operations Forces Industry Conference here. All noted the unprecedented capabilities the defense industry has brought to help special operations forces succeed prior to now 12 years of conflict. But seeking to the longer term — the drawdown in Afghanistan,... Read More »