Maryland
Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley highlighted cyberspace as an important Air Force priority and joint force enabler during remarks to Airmen, industry officials and Air Force Association members March 23 at the Air Force Association’s 2012 CyberFutures Conference and Technology Exposition in National Harbor.
Afghanistan
The massive golf-ball looking object perched on the tee-like tower at Kandahar Airfield isn’t just a useless landmark. Instead the information obtained from it helps provide higher headquarters and tactical commanders pertinent information about Afghanistan’s air space.
Ghana
Ghanaian, Benin, Togolese, Senegalese, Nigerian and U.S. air force members hit the flightline loading, guarding and marshaling aircraft March 21 in Accra during the African Partnership Flight 12-2 capstone event.
 South Korea
An Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed near Kunsan Air Base during a routine training mission March 21. The aircraft, assigned to the 36th Fighter Squadron was flying a mission as part of the 51st Fighter Wing’s ongoing exercise. The pilot safely ejected from the single seat F-16 before it crashed into a rice field.
SecDef: U.S. remains committed to F-35 program
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta yesterday reaffirmed the Defense Department’s commitment to the F-35 joint strike fighter program and to ensuring it remains within the defense strategy’s budget.
The secretary spoke at a news conference following a meeting with Mexican and Canadian defense leaders.
“As part of the defense strategy that the United States went through and has put in place, we have made very clear that we are 100 percent committed to the development of the F-35,” he said. “It’s a fifth-generation fighter, (and) we absolutely need it for the future.”
Acknowledging that the Defense Department has to be vigilant and provide as much oversight as possible as the aircraft continues to be developed, Panetta said Pentagon officials are confident that “this plane can do everything that it’s being asked to do in terms of performance.
“We’ve been testing it, and we continue to evaluate it as we proceed,” he continued. “And we’ve made very clear to the industries involved in its production that they have to keep it within the cross-confinements that we’ve provided with regards to this plane.”
Panetta noted the price of each aircraft varies from variant to variant, with three types involved in the program’s development. Canada signed on for the project’s production, sustainment and follow-on development phase on Dec. 11, 2006, along with Australia and the United Kingdom.
