Pentagon

50 service members PT on eve of 9/11 to honor victims

By Oriana Pawlyk on September 12, 2014 Pentagon, PT, Uncategorized, Veterans, Washington

Many observed President Obama pay homage at the Pentagon yesterday to the nearly 3,000 victims who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001. But by nightfall, another commemoration ceremony was gathering — 50 service members joined together to give each rep, each lunge, each workout move in honor of the victims who died 13 years ago. Army Staff Sgt. River Mitchell, a chef in the secretary of defense mess at the Pentagon, planned the workout of the day — or “9/11 Tribute WOD” — so that his fellow comrades could test their strength on behalf of the fallen in a unique way,…

This week in history

By Oriana Pawlyk on June 24, 2014 Air Force, History, Pentagon, Photos, Space

Reviewing history in the military, the Air Force and triumphs and misadventures in airpower. On June 24, 1997, the Air Force released “The Roswell Report, Case Closed,” stating there was no evidence that any kind of life form was found in the Roswell, New Mexico, area in connection with the reported UFO sightings that occurred decades prior. When Americans began to focus on the skies in the 1940s, Roswell became a hot topic in the UFO department. It started when rancher “Mac” Brazel found debris scattered over some of his land in July 1947. According to History.com, he “turned the material…

Cyber “execute order” authorized in military operation

By Oriana Pawlyk on March 13, 2014 Defense Department, Obama Administration, Pentagon

A classified cyber operation issued last June is referenced in a recently released Air Force Instruction. Judging from the Air Force Instruction 10-1701, titled “Command and Control (C2) for Cyberspace Operations,” the June 21 “execute order” extends to offensive cyberspace operations, according to Steven Aftergood, who writes the Federation of American Scientists’ Secrecy News blog. The President or Defense Secretary must have issued the order, which remains classified, given that an “‘Execution begins when the President decides to use a military option to resolve a crisis,’ according to Joint Publication 5-0 on Joint Operation Planning,” FAS said. “Only the President…

AF panel: Industry, DISA partnerships essential to deflect cyber threats

By Oriana Pawlyk on February 11, 2014 Air Force, Air Force Space Command, Defense Department, Pentagon

If industry is willing to pitch new IT system ideas, the Air Force is here to listen. “It’s clear to me that we’re going to have to do a little bit of a better job in the Air Force of building the kind of capabilities from some of the [industry companies] we have here today,” said Lt. Gen Charles Davis, military deputy for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, during a Feb. 11 luncheon hosted by the Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association Washington, D.C. Chapter. The panel — moderated by Lt. Gen. Michael Basla,…

More fighter pilots than expected stay in — this week's Air Force Times

By Jeff Schogol on November 25, 2013 Air Combat Command, Air Force, Airframes, budget cuts, Defense Department, Leadership, Pentagon, Promotions, UAV, Uncategorized

More fighter pilots took the $225,000 bonus to extend their contracts for nine years than senior Air Force officials have indicated. Air Force Times looks at how many fighter pilots took the bonus in fiscal 2013 and why Acting Air Force Secretary Eric Fanning said earlier this month that pilots were being lured away by the airlines. Also this week: Next month, the Air Force plans to roll out its new web portal that will support mobile devices, such as smart phones and tablets. Here is what you need to know. Meanwhile, budget cuts have limited the opportunities for enlisted…

More fighter pilots than expected stay in — this week’s Air Force Times

By Jeff Schogol on November 25, 2013 Air Combat Command, Air Force, Airframes, budget cuts, Defense Department, Leadership, Pentagon, Promotions, UAV, Uncategorized

Welsh visits China along with Carlisle and Cody

By Jeff Schogol on September 25, 2013 China, Leadership, Pentagon, Uncategorized

Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh has arrived in China along with Pacific Air Forces commander Gen. Herbert “Hawk” Carlisle and Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James Cody. Welsh’s visit marks the first time in 15 years that a chief of staff has visited China, according to an Air Force news release. He arrived in the country on Tuesday. On his first full day of his visit, Welsh met his Chinese counterpart: Gen. Ma Xiaotian, commander of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force, the news release says. He is expected to meet with Vice Chairman of the Central…

Computer glitch keeps public in the dark in courts-martial

By Kristin Davis on September 9, 2013 Air Force, Pentagon, UCMJ

If you want to check out the court-martial docket — and you’re not privy to a military network — well, good luck with that. As the so-called crime and slime reporter here at Air Force Times, I have long relied on the Judge Advocate General website to stay in the know about airmen accused of acting up. You don’t see too many Air Force press releases about an airman charged with a crime — often unless the alleged misdeed occurred off base and civilian authorities were involved. (Then it’s a matter of public record and will show up in police…

Advocacy group says lawmaker’s reforms don’t go far enough

By Kristin Davis on July 22, 2013 Air Force, Pentagon, sexual assaults, UCMJ, Washington, Women

Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., has candidly criticized the military’s handling of sexual assault in the ranks. She has called to task general officers on Capitol Hill and backed bipartisan reforms that would add protections for victims and hold offenders accountable. She also put a permanent hold on the nomination of an Air Force three-star who granted clemency to an officer convicted of sexual assault. Yet McCaskill has raised the ire of a prominent advocacy group for military victims of sex crimes — not once but twice in the last month. In late June, Protect Our Defenders accused the lawmaker of minimizing a…

“Here’s Why” of the week

By Oriana Pawlyk on June 18, 2013 Defense Department, Here's Why, History, Pentagon, Washington

Taking our “Here’s Why” from the paper to the blog. An explanation for why something is the way it is in the Air Force/military. The façade of the Supreme Court. The Taj Mahal. The Leaning Tower of Pisa. All iconic landmarks. All composed of marble. An iconic building to military personnel and the world’s largest office building — the Pentagon — could have been made out of marble, but building planners said, “No way.” Why? According to the Pentagon tours website, the Pentagon has no marble because “it was built during World War II, and Italy, the source of marble, was…

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