Daily Report

Sept. 16, 2014

New Nuke Incentives Announced

Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James announced Monday a new program of incentive pay for officers and certain enlisted airmen in the nuclear enterprise. In her speech at AFA’s Air & Space Conference in National Harbor, Md., James said the...

Boots In The Air

Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James gave a four-point summary Monday of the service’s role in President Obama’s declared effort to degrade and destroy ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Giving the keynote address at AFA’s Air & Space Conference at...

The Fabric of the Air Force

Bold leadership will allow the Air Force to “fully integrate all components” of the Total Force, including Active Duty, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve, said service Secretary Deborah Lee James on Monday. “Determining the right mix of these...

USAF to Ramp up Space, Cyber Investment

The Air Force will focus more on building in, not bolting on, cyber solutions into USAF networks, said Secretary Deborah Lee James. Speaking during AFA’s Air & Space Conference in National Harbor, Md., on Monday, James called for greater investment...

Beyond Bolt-On Cyber Security

Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James, in her speech on Monday at AFA’s Air & Space Conference in National Harbor, Md., said the service needs to increase its focus and investment in cyber security. In particular, she said, the Air...

James: Airmen Remain Top Priority

Not knowing what the future holds for airmen is the No. 1 issue that Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said she hears about. “We will work through this uncertainty and [airmen] will continue to rise to the call with...

Welsh to Spouses: Challenge Leadership

Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh on Monday called on airmen’s spouses to challenge Air Force leaders. “While we think we have programs that help and we’re getting the job done, … we’re probably kidding ourselves to some extent. And...

Breedlove Outlines NATO’s Readiness Action Plan

Gen. Philip Breedlove, NATO’s supreme allied commander in Europe, on Monday outlined the three-point “readiness action plan” agreed to by alliance members at the Wales summit last week in response to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. The first step is to...

Russia’s Bloody Nose and Ambiguity in Ukraine

Ukraine has managed to give “Russia a bloody nose” since Russian forces invaded Crimea earlier this year, but it also has “lost almost an entire squadron of airplanes flying sorties in their own airspace,” said US Air Forces in Europe-...

Always On Mission

The 105,400 men and women of the Air National Guard are “always on mission” despite being part-time airmen, said Lt. Gen. Stanley Clarke, Air Guard director, at AFA’s Air & Space Conference outside Washington, D.C., on Monday. Regardless of where...

In a Good Place

The Air Force Reserve is “in a good place,” said Lt. Gen. James Jackson, AFR chief, on Monday in his speech at AFA’s Air & Space Conference in National Harbor, Md. “Seventy-five percent of our Air Force Reserve forces have...

Breed Trust Into the Process

Command chiefs from some of the major commands assured airmen on Monday that the new enlisted evaluation system that makes job performance the major criteria for promotion and retention should not be a threat to them. In a panel at...

Bogdan: F-35A Schedule Low Risk

Achieving operational capability with the Air Force’s version of the F-35 strike fighter in August 2016 is “low risk,” said Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, F-35 program executive officer, at AFA’s Air & Space Conference in National Harbor, Md., on Monday....

Fixing the F135

Engineers are “very, very close” to conclusively determining the root causes of why an F135 engine started a fire in an F-35 strike fighter in June, and a decision on various fixes will likely be final by the end of...

F-35 Incentives Plan

F-35 contractors have put up some $170 million to invest in cost-reducing projects on the strike fighter under a plan that gives them high incentive to make the projects succeed, and quickly, said Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, F-35 program executive...

It Was the Monster Mods

A looming issue for the F-35 program is the process of reconfiguring already constructed aircraft to the final configuration needed to achieve initial operating capability, said F-35 Program Executive Officer Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan. “The mod program is a monster...