News

The Pentagon is shipping new pieces to Guam’s air-defense puzzle
The Missile Defense Agency is preparing for a first test later this year of an initial capability designed to protect the strategic Pacific Island of Guam from air and missile threats, according to Air Force Lt. Gen. Heath Collins, the agency’s director.

Some Ukraine allies are failing to follow through on air-defense pledges
A number of Ukraine’s NATO allies are falling short on pledges to accelerate deliveries of air-defense systems and other military equipment to fend off Russia’s offensive, according to people familiar with the matter.

Moscow comes under one of the largest Ukrainian drone attacks but destroys them all
Moscow came under one of the largest attacks yet by Ukrainian drones since the start of fighting in 2022, Russian authorities reported Wednesday, saying they destroyed all of those headed toward the capital.

Army activates Arctic Aviation Command for extreme cold flying
Army helicopter crews assigned to fly and operate in arctic conditions will now answer to leadership based with them in Alaska rather than commanders in Hawaii or near Seattle. They’ll now report instead to the newly activated Arctic Aviation Command at Fort Wainwright, just outside of Fairbanks, Alaska.

 

Air Force

Air Force medics train for trauma in partnership at Las Vegas hospital
Anna Prendergast, a major in the U.S. Air Force who trains ICU nurses at University Medical Center in Las Vegas, doesn’t think anyone feels normal the first time they take care of a patient with a gunshot wound.

REFORPAC: Allvin details new Indo-Pacific exercise debuting in 2025
The Air Force will flood airmen and aircraft into the Indo-Pacific next summer for a major two-week exercise that will coincide with the multinational Talisman Sabre training event, Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin said last week.

US Air Force launches new avionics display for Super Hercules airlifter
The U.S. Air Force has introduced a new Special Mission Display Processor (SMDP) for the C-130J Super Hercules military transport aircraft at Robins AFB, Georgia.

Air Force families must be prepared for 9/11-like events amid shift to potential Pacific conflict, service chief says
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin told airmen in a newly released memo that officials are focusing on updating family and mental health resources for airmen as they continue to highlight the urgent preparation needed for a potential future conflict in the Pacific.

Do Air Task Force leaders need a language and culture expert?
As the Air Force prepares the first six versions of its Air Task Forces, the head of the Air Force Culture and Language Center is pitching an idea that he believes will help ATFs be ready to generate sorties as soon as they deploy: a dedicated expert to help each ATF learn how to work with its host nation long before they arrive there.

Air Force preparing to buy new long-endurance drones for Task Force 99 in Middle East
The unit performs intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance activities and experiments with cutting-edge technologies.

 

Defense

Lockheed, Istari partner to demonstrate digital aircraft certification
Istari Digital, a startup led by former Air Force acquisition chief Will Roper, is partnering with Lockheed Martin Skunk Works to demonstrate the ability to digitally certify an aircraft before it’s built, a process that could make it easier to develop and test military aircraft in the future.

Northrop finishes round of flight tests on new sensor that can do radar, comms, and EW
Northrop Grumman has completed “dozens” of flight tests in a “first flight campaign” with its new Electronically-Scanned Multifunction Reconfigurable Integrated Sensor, which it wants to field on multiple platforms to include Collaborative Combat Aircraft drones and potentially the Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter, the company said Aug. 20.

 

Veterans

Vets’ PACT Act claims continue to rise, two years after law’s passage
In his speech at the Democratic National Convention on Monday night, President Joe Biden touted the 2022 PACT Act as “one of the most significant laws ever helping veterans and their families” and a cornerstone of his administration’s achievements.

VA returns mistakenly buried ‘unclaimed veteran’ back to his family in Colorado
After Two-Year Search, Air Force Veteran’s Siblings Discovered through Google Search He Was Interred in New York

The VA withheld $84M from eligible disabled veterans. Now nonprofit legal clinics are stepping in.
A new report revealing more than $84 million in underpayments to qualified veterans is a sign the Department of Veterans Affairs needs to improve its training for employees. That’s the conclusion of a congressional committee looking into the massive error.

South Carolina charity leader, who vowed to help vets, pled guilty to money laundering
The founder of a Myrtle Beach, South Carolina-area nonprofit aimed at assisting homeless veterans pleaded guilty to federal charges related to money laundering.

State of decay: At Miami’s VA hospital, urgent repairs meet with chronic delays
After an air-conditioning failure at Miami’s veterans’ hospital left medical workers drenched in sweat and stewing in oppressive heat and humidity last August, hospital administrators convened a virtual staff meeting to assure the team that the breakdown hadn’t affected patient care. Several staff members who attended say the message contradicted what they’d seen on the front lines at the Bruce W. Carter Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center.

A golden ticket: Florida veterans awarded free homes
Two military veterans were awarded free homes in a new Orange County community Monday, arriving in a motorcade as hundreds of onlookers waving American flags cheered for them.