News

May 5, 2021
Scobee testifies before House Appropriations Committee

Reserve Component and Congressional members discussed specific Reserve missions, modernization, mental health, diversity and the fiscal 2022 budget. In addition, Scobee touted the many accomplishments of Reserve Citizen Airmen in a year marked by challenges.
May 5, 2021
Citizen Developer Team Revolutionizes Manual Process, Creates Cloud-Based App

Propelling forward the Air Force’s initiative to replace antiquated systems with new cloud-based solutions, a team from the Headquarters Air Force Reserve recently developed and implemented the first customer relationship management (CRM) application built for Air Force Manpower, Personnel, and
May 4, 2021
Space Security Challenge 2021: Hack-A-Sat 2 registration opens

The U.S. Air and Space Forces in collaboration with the security research community opened registration May 4 for the qualification round of the second annual Space Security Challenge: Hack-A-Sat satellite hacking challenge.
May 4, 2021
Application Window for FY21 LEAP Officer and Enlisted Selection Board Open 3 May – 16 July

The Air Force Culture and Language Center (AFCLC) is accepting applications to the Language Enabled Airman Program (LEAP). Regular Active Duty Officer and Enlisted members from the Air Force and Space Force may apply online 3 May through 16 July 2021.
May 3, 2021
Assessing Russian Cyber Effects

In the context of the National Security Strategy’s conception of “great power competition” (Trump 2017), perhaps no nation-state has been as aggressive within the cyberspace domain as the Russian Federation. Furthermore, following two Russian campaigns to seize portions of Ukraine and Georgia’s
May 1, 2021
The Power of Truth: How to Compete with Information Warfare

William Heitshusen, Major, USAFThe United States Air Force (USAF) must leverage truth to defuse adversarial claims to plausible deniability. A fictional scenario of an RC-135 shootdown by a Russian private military company (PMC) conveys the implications of failure with information warfare (IW).
May 1, 2021
Information Warfare

Joseph Watson, Lieutenant Colonel, USAFIn September 2020, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Chair of the Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC), General John Hyten articulated a significant problem for the warfighting into the future. He said, “I’m not sure exactly how
May 1, 2021
Russia's Strategic Messaging in Open-Source: How Propaganda, Censoring, and Dissidents Impacts their Current Message

Captain Joshua M. CarterRussia's current message is one of re-achieving world power status by leveraging information, mainly through social media platforms, to propagate disinformation and exploit weaknesses of the United States and our Western allies. Moreover, Russia's capacity to do so
April 30, 2021
The Catastrophic Success of the U.S. Air Force

The Air Force’s immense success resulting from the courage, skill, and technological superiority of American airmen has now perversely made the service much less ready to fight the next big war.
April 30, 2021
Air Force transitions from CVR Teams to more secure systems

Beginning June 15, Commercial Virtual Remote (CVR) Teams will no longer be an option within the Air Force, and all information stored in that system will go away. As the CVR environment goes away, the Air Force network version of Microsoft Teams – a separate application with slightly different
April 29, 2021
NSA releases Cybersecurity Advisory on Ensuring Security of Operational Technology

The National Security Agency (NSA) released the Cybersecurity Advisory, “Stop Malicious Cyber Activity Against Connected Operational Technology” today, for National Security System (NSS), Department of Defense (DoD), and Defense Industrial Base (DIB) operational technology (OT) owners and operators.
April 28, 2021
DAF kicks off 2021 Fall Prevention Focus

For the eighth year, the Department of the Air Force is partnering with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration during the National Safety Stand-Down to prevent falls being held May 3-7. The DAF theme for this year’s focus is “Make a Difference in Fall Prevention.” The theme incites every
April 28, 2021
Airmen train to ensure security of USAFE’s weapon systems

U.S. Air Force Europe-Air Forces Africa Directorate of Communications led a cyber-training exercise, Tacet Venari, at the USAFE Regional Training Center, April 12-23, 2021.
April 27, 2021
10th Air Force holds annual commanders and command chiefs conference

Senior leaders from around 10th Air Force converged on Fort Worth, Texas, to attend a conference specifically for commanders and command chiefs, April 20-23.
April 23, 2021
AFRC partners with Kessel Run on travel pay reform initiative

As part of the Air Force Reserve’s strategic priority, Reform the Organization, and aligned with the Air Force Chief of Staff’s vision to Accelerate Change or Lose, Air Force Reserve Command and Kessel Run recently kicked off a new software development program to simplify and update the user
April 22, 2021
Developing Self: Foundational competencies for all Airmen

The Air Force has identified 24 Airman’s foundational competencies for all Airmen, these competencies are universally applicable to all Airmen and are categorized into four groups: Developing Self, Developing Others, Developing Ideas and Developing Organizations. Developing Self includes the
April 21, 2021
AETC Chiefs’ Orientation Course helps newly selected chiefs develop Airmen we need

Air Education and Training Command’s newest Airmen selected for the rank of chief master sergeant will soon lead the Air Force of tomorrow, but, not before gaining more knowledge on how to develop the Airmen we need during AETC’s Chief’s Orientation Course.
April 21, 2021
US Cyber Command, DHS-CISA release Russian malware samples tied to SolarWinds compromise

U.S. Cyber Command and the Department of Homeland Security - Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency released eight files attributed to the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR)/APT 29 to enable public defense against further compromise.
April 20, 2021
Diverging Objectives: Maintaining Strategic Stability with Russia While Expanding Global Missile Defense

In this paper, the author argues that the tenuous relationship between the US and Russia regarding ballistic missile proliferation and defense systems is in jeopardy. As US ballistic missile defense expands, Russia’s nuclear deterrent weakens. This may result in Russia finding new capabilities
April 20, 2021
Clear and Present Safety: The World Has Never Been Better and Why That Matters to Americans

Authors: Michael A. Cohen and Micah ZenkoReviewer: Brig Gen Chad T. Manske, USAF, Retired

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