One day after the Republican-controlled Senate cautioned against a “precipitous withdrawal” from Syria and Afghanistan, President Donald Trump in his second State of the Union address vowed to bring American troops home. “Great nations do not fight endless wars,” Trump said.
Read the full story by Amy McCullough.
Second Trump, Kim Summit to Take Place in Vietnam in Three Weeks
President Donald Trump confirmed Tuesday he will meet for the second time with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Feb. 27-28 in Vietnam, saying the summit is part of a “bold new diplomacy” effort to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula. He also opened the door to negotiating a follow on to the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with China and other countries, though he cautioned that if that does not succeed the US will “outspend and out-innovate all others by far.”
Read the full story by Amy McCullough.
Votel: New Defense Strategy May Prompt Materiel Shuffle, Reliance on Partners
US Central Command chief Gen. Joseph Votel told the Senate Armed Services Committee his region needs to improve how it shares military assets with commanders in other areas to meet the goals outlined in the 2018 National Defense Strategy. Though the Pentagon is mulling the best way to remove troops from the Middle East to comply with President Donald Trump’s wishes, Votel said fighters with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, the Taliban, and other terror organizations are expected to regroup unless local militaries continue pressure campaigns on the United States’ behalf. Votel, an Army four-star who has led CENTCOM since March 2016, will hand the reins to Marine Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie once the Joint Staff director is confirmed to his new post.
Read the full story by Rachel S. Cohen.
Schneider Takes Command of US Forces Japan, 5th Air Force
Lt. Gen. Kevin Schneider took command of US Forces Japan and 5th Air Force from Lt. Gen. Jerry Martinez on Tuesday at Yokota AB, Japan. This is Schneider’s fifth assignment in the region and his second in Japan, and he brings a deep understanding of the area, Gen. C.Q. Brown, Commander of Pacific Air Forces, said during the ceremony.
Read the full story by Jennifer Hlad.
Contract Red Air Comes to Eglin
The Air Force’s increasing push for contracted adversary air has spread to a main F-35 training base, with Draken International pilots recently flying as Red Air for student pilots at Eglin AFB, Fla., for the first time on Jan. 24. The instructor pilots and students from the 59th Fighter Squadron conducted air defense training with Draken L-159s, according to an Eglin release. The base is looking to increase its output of pilots after training 68 F-35 pilots and 13 instructors in 2018. “It is a requirement that we have adversaries to support our training,” 58th Fighter Squadron Commander Col. Jon Snyder said in the release. “If we have to support all our missions in-house, that means less student sorties we can fly.” The Air Force is
dramatically increasing its reliance on contracted adversary air, with a forthcoming contract worth up to $6 billion to have civilian aircraft make up a most of its red air. For more on that contract and the growing commercial adversary air industry, read
Red Air Rising from the January/February issue of Air Force Magazine. —Brian Everstine
USAF Changing Promotion Process for Senior NCOs
The Air Force will change how senior noncommissioned officers are promoted beginning this fall, removing the Weighted Airman Promotion System testing requirement and instead focusing more on performance. Under a Jan. 31 Air Force memo, Active Duty E-7 through E-9 promotions will no longer have the Promotion Fitness Exam and Specialty Knowledge Test in addition to the second phase of a central evaluation board. This board “will continue to give senior leaders and commanders the greatest level of confidence that the right individuals are being selected for promotion to the top enlisted ranks,” CMSAF Kaleth Wright said in a release. The promotion board process will now be similar to the one used for officers, scoring records using the current process as well as reviewing five years of evaluations, awards, and decorations. Additional guidance will be announced in an upcoming memorandum or revised Air Force Instruction, and the change will go into effect in September 2019, Wright said in an announcement on his Facebook page.
Charleston Reservists Deliver Aid to Three Countries
