Category: Defence Intelligence

Source: United States Air Force

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) —  

Source: United States Air Force

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) —  

Civilian employees in the grades of GS-07 through GS-15 (and equivalents) may apply for more than 40 civilian development (CD) opportunities including professional military education, academic programs, fellowships, experiential assignments and leadership seminars starting Jan. 10.  

CD programs support the DAF’s “Civilians We Need” dual-track career model, which distinguishes paths for both enterprise leaders and functional experts. Developing civilians throughout their careers also strengthens the force we need to meet today’s high-end challenges.  

The CD programs include both short and long-term training and experiential assignments. Opportunities range from two days to three years in length; some are offered through virtual delivery platforms and others are delivered in person.  

“The civilian workforce is a critical element to ensuring we prevail in great power competition and win any future fight.  Our diverse and expansive civilian development portfolio offers growth opportunities for all civilians throughout their career journey,” said Director of Force Development Crystal Moore.  “Whether a civilian aspires to enterprise leadership or functional expertise; serves as supervisor or non-supervisor; is mobile or is not mobile, there is something to help grow their skills and competencies.” 

The development and leadership programs offered through CD are mapped to the Department of the Air Force’s foundational competencies, which are key to ensuring civilian Airmen and Guardians can operate successfully in a rapidly changing environment. These competencies span all occupations, functions, and organizational levels and support the development of current and future DAF leaders.  

DAF civilians may apply for up to four programs by submitting their applications, resumes, and additional program-required documents through MyVector. Applicants must self-nominate no later than Feb. 16, although local organizations may establish deadlines as early as Feb. 9. The application must flow through the chain of command and be endorsed in MyVector by March 8.  

Visit the myFSS Civilian Force Development home page to learn more about specific opportunities and to view the AY25 webcast recordings. For additional information and notifications, join the Official AY25 CD Nomination Call Teams channel, using code “dc4689p.”

 

Source: United States Air Force

Wingmen,

We have seen major changes throughout our Air Force over the past few years – with more on the way. As we continue to follow through on adapting, innovating and re-designing our service, we must also continue to deliberately develop each other. We must grow and refine the skills that will allow us to re-optimize our Air Force for great power competition.

I’m excited to share three new books, one report and one podcast that will help develop the Airmen of today into the leaders of tomorrow.

Our people will always remain our most competitive advantage, and I couldn’t be more proud to serve alongside you.

Aim High –

JOANNE S. BASS
Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force

Brief: Make a Bigger Impact by Saying Less

The only way to survive in business today is to be a lean communicator. Busy executives expect you to respect and manage their time more effectively than ever. You need to do the groundwork to make your message tight and to the point. The average professional receives 304 emails per week and checks their smartphones 36 times an hour and 38 hours a week. This inattention has spread to every part of life. The average attention span has shrunk from 12 seconds in 2000 to eight in 2012.

We Don’t Want YOU, Uncle Sam: Examining the Military Recruiting Crisis with Generation Z

The all-volunteer force that has served our country well for more than 50 years is at a critical inflection point. Today, recruiters are struggling to bring enough Zoomers into the armed services. Mismatched fundamental ideals, divergent beliefs about the workplace, and other sociocultural influences have contributed to the United States military scrambling to get a grasp on how to appeal to Gen Z.

ColdFusion Presents: New Thinking: From Einstein to Artificial Intelligence, the Science and Technology that Transformed Our World

The creator of YouTube’s ColdFusion explores the development of technology from Industrial Revolution to Artificial Intelligence to figure out what’s next. As each new stage of technology builds on the last, advancements start to progress at an exponential rate. In order to know where we’re headed, it’s essential to know how we got here.

2023 Report on the Military & Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China

The report describes the PRC’s national strategy in the context of an evolving strategic environment and outlines the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) strategic objectives driving PRC defense policy and military strategy. It also covers key developments of the PLA’s military modernization and reform and provides insights into the PRC’s regional and global ambitions.

War on the Rocks

War on the Rocks is a military podcast based on discussions with security, defense, and foreign policy experts and insiders. Host Ryan Evans has a drink with Soldiers, spies, officials, and scholars, often recorded at bars in Washington and other capitals. War on the Rocks is available on Spotify.

Additionally, let’s also take a moment to highlight some of these incredible books by veterans of our military:

Source: United States Air Force

Royal Australian Air Force and 92nd Expeditionary Wing personnel prepare to get multiple U.S. Air Force KC-46 Pegasus airborne for exercise Mobility Guardian 23 in Darwin, Australia, July 9, 2023. A multinational endeavor, MG23 featured seven participating countries – Australia, Canada, France, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States – operating nearly 70 mobility aircraft across multiple locations spanning a 3,000-mile area in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Haiden Morris)

Source: United States Air Force

FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. (AFNS)   —  

This week’s look around the Air Force highlights Gen. James Slife becoming the 41st Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Space Force and Space X launch the 7th mission of the X-37B, and two F-15EX Eagles arrive at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, for testing. (Hosted by Staff Sgt. Stephani Barge)

Watch on DVIDS | Watch on YouTube
For previous episodes, click here for the Air Force TV page.

Source: United States Air Force

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas (AFNS) —  

It’s been called “a laboratory of human endurance,” testing the physical, mental and spiritual grit of the officer and enlisted leaders who undertake it. It’s the Army Ranger School and the Department of the Air Force is looking for Airmen and Guardians who are ready for the challenge.

Through the Air Force Security Forces Center’s Ranger Assessment Course, DAF candidates are taught, coached, tested and evaluated for nomination to the grueling 62-day Ranger School experience.

“The Air Force RAC delivers dynamic leadership evaluation and training, mirroring what a candidate will face at Ranger School, which helps drive increased success rates at Army Ranger School. Attendance to both courses ties directly into the Air Force chief of staff’s priority of strengthening joint leaders and teams by directly placing them in joint leadership school and roles which have proven to build military leaders,” said Gabriel Rodriguez, readiness training and RAC program manager at the AFSFC.

The next RAC, about a third of the length of Ranger School, is set for early spring at Joint Base San Antonio-Camp Bullis. Anyone from any Air Force or Space Force career field can attend.

“While the majority of Ranger School attendees come from combat arms career fields, individuals from other Air Force specialty codes can also attend if they meet the necessary prerequisites and requirements,” Rodriguez said. “Ranger School can provide valuable leadership and tactical skills, regardless of the individual’s primary AFSC.”

One of the many misconceptions of the RAC and Ranger School is “that you must be 100% ready before you even attend the course – but that’s where most people are wrong,” said Master Sgt. Keegan Donnelly, RAC instructor with the AFSFC.

The RAC curriculum has undergone an intense review and rewrite to craft a leadership laboratory, he said, designed to teach and coach students before assessing their abilities.

Capt. Daniel Reynolds, assistant director of operations for the 4th Test and Evaluation Squadron, Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, is the only Space Force Ranger School graduate to date. In his position, he interacts with tactical joint force warfighters on a daily basis to develop more resilient satellite communications toolkits. That warfighter-centric focus in his day-to-day job is what led him to the RAC and ultimately Ranger School.

“Ranger School, as the world’s premiere combat leadership course, expertly teaches resilience, grit and perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds,” Reynolds said. “It teaches leaders how to break down complex problems and craft decisive solutions to dynamic combat scenarios. This is incredibly relevant to any career field in any branch of military service.”

According to its website, Ranger School is a small unit tactics and leadership course that develops functional skills directly related to missions that engage the enemy in close combat and direct fire battles. It’s held at various locations in Georgia and Florida and is open to U.S. military members from all branches, as well as selected students from U.S. allied nations.

With less than 40% of those who attempt Ranger School succeeding, the Air Force developed a form of RAC, or pre-Ranger training, in the mid-1980s to send more competitive candidates forward to increase the odds of success.

Ranger students train to exhaustion, pushing the limits of their minds and bodies during three phases – Darby, Mountain and Swamp – which follow the crawl, walk, run training methodology, Rodriguez said.

With the punishing nature of Ranger School, preparation and an understanding of what attendees will encounter before they get to both the RAC and Ranger School is extremely important, he said.

“Candidates can increase their success at both RAC and Ranger School by focusing pre-training on being successful during the weeklong Ranger Assessment Phase,” Rodriguez said. “At RAC, we hone in on tasks that could hinder a candidate from being successful at Ranger School. This includes strictly executing push-ups, sustaining the mental and physical toughness to meet the time standard on the 12-mile foot march, and honing the basic navigation skills required to pass the land navigation test on the first attempt.

“A proven method to increase success at Ranger School is to take advantage of local training and attending RAC, then followed by Ranger School,” he added.

“The bar to gain acceptance to Ranger School is high, and rightfully so,” Reynolds said. “RAC allows prospective students to understand what will be expected of them if they accept the challenge to attend Ranger School. It also provides them with the tactical skillset necessary to be successful there, both in the assessment phase and in the course’s three patrolling phases.

“Developing Ranger-qualified leaders within the Space Force is critical to our continued defense of the contested warfighting regime of space,” Reynolds said.

“Every career field has a need for decisive, brave, tough and purpose-driven leaders of character. To put it simply, learning how to lead is something that Ranger School does on a world-class level. This is an invaluable resource to have for any service member in any career field,” Reynolds said.

“The RAC and Ranger School were the catalysts for some of my life’s greatest transformations,” the captain said. “The experience transformed me into a much more confident, capable and purpose-driven human being and that has affected every aspect of my leadership development for the better.”

Airmen and Guardians who qualify to attend RAC, and ultimately the Army’s Ranger Course, should be prepared for the monumental experience, Reynolds added, with “feeling drawn to attend” being the most important component to possess in preparation for it.

“A significant proportion of people who fail the course do so because they arrived without deciding that the experience was something that their life needed,” the captain said. “Take the time to decide for yourself what your reasons for Ranger School are, and how important joining the community is to you. When you’re more cold, wet, tired and hungry than you’ve ever been in your life, those reasons will be what you will lean on to carry you through.”

“Regardless of their recommendation to move onto Ranger School or not, [RAC attendees] are still returning to their units better trained, more lethal and adaptable leaders in the joint arena,” Donnelly said.

To apply for RAC attendance or more information on the program, go to the Air Force Portal under Air Force Forces Generation Connect or email AFSFC.S3T.AFSFC_RAC_Program@us.af.mil.

Source: United States Air Force

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) —  

The Department of the Air Force has established documentation requirements for Airmen and Guardians planning to request reimbursement pet travel expenses due to permanent change of station moves.

The Defense Travel Management Office announced a new policy to cover pet travel expenses, including pet transportation and quarantine fees, in June 2023.

Starting Jan. 1, 2024, service members can be reimbursed up to $550 in the continental U.S. for one household pet, either cat or dog, and up to $2,000 for moves to or from a location outside the continental U.S. to cover costs related to the transportation of a pet which is defined by the Joint Travel Regulations as a cat or dog.

Members can request reimbursement along with their PCS travel voucher, but they must meet eligibility requirements and include all required documentation. Documentation requirements include:

• Service members must be on PCS orders, and all travel and expenses must take place on or after Jan. 1, 2024.

• Members must provide receipts for all costs.

• Receipts must be itemized, indicate they are for one pet and include the name of the pet if possible (especially for specialized care the pet receives, such as vaccinations).

• If the pet is flying cargo because it exceeds the weight limit to travel via government or government-procured transportation, the receipt must include the weight of the pet.

• If a member self-procures a ticket at a location serviced by the Patriot Express, they must have a non-availability letter and appropriate remarks on their orders. Otherwise, the transportation portion of the reimbursement will be limited to the cost of shipping the pet via the Patriot Express. All documentation used to obtain a non-availability letter must be included when the member files their PCS travel voucher.

Costs eligible for reimbursement include mandatory microchipping, boarding fees, hotel service charges, licensing fees at the new primary duty station (PDS), and pet shipping fees if the member flies rather than drives or if the pet is shipped separately from the member.

For PCS to or between OCONUS moves, additional costs eligible for reimbursement include quarantine fees and testing titer level (antibodies) for entry.

For more information, visit the DTMO FAQs webpage. In addition, please contact your local finance office if you need assistance with requesting reimbursement.

Source: United States Air Force

DAYTON, Ohio (AFNS) —  

The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force has completed installation of a new exhibit highlighting the Department of the Air Force’s enlisted personnel.

The Enlisted Force Exhibit is the museum’s newest permanent exhibit. Itand  honors the highly skilled, trained, and talented enlisted force that has been the backbone of daily operations of the U.S. Department of the Air Force throughout its 76-year history.

To mark the exhibit opening, the museum hosted a private ceremony to honor exhibit contributors, museum staff and volunteers, and other special guests including Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass, Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John F. Bentivegna, and former Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force and Air Force Museum Foundation Vice Chair Gerald R. Murray.

“The men and women of our enlisted corps are not merely participants in the chronicles of our nation’s defense, but they are architects of history,” Bass said. “Our heritage is rooted in the ideals of integrity, service and excellence—a tapestry woven with the threads of sacrifice and valor.”

Today, enlisted airmen and guardians represent approximately 80% of the Department of the Air Force and provide a solid foundation for operations in air, space and cyberspace.

The Enlisted Force Exhibit took more than three years to develop and contains more than 40 elements that are thoughtfully placed throughout the museum at locations near the era or artifacts that correlate to their specialty.

Elements of the exhibit include:

-A display in the WWII Gallery featuring the story of Staff Sgt. James Meredith, one of the first Black airmen to serve in an all-white squadron

-An introduction to Enlisted Maintainers who work in all conditions at all hours to troubleshoot urgent repairs, overhaul complex systems and closely inspect parts to prevent future problems in any number of areas including aerospace propulsion, electrical systems, weapons systems and more

-Insight into Musical Ambassadors who serve as musicians, arrangers and audio engineers in the U.S. Air Force bands, providing inspirational performances to honor veterans and connect the public to the Department of the Air Force through music

-The uniform worn by Sgt. Benjamin Fillinger, one of 15 airmen from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base who transferred into the U.S. Space Force in 2020. Space Force guardians are top performers in the fields of information technology, cyber security, communication systems and space systems operations

“Today’s Space Force is small. It’s just like the museum when it started as an engineering study collection—very small,” Bentivegna said. “But Guardians are creating our Space Force history each and every day. And one hundred years from now, the Enlisted Exhibit in the National Museum of the U.S. Air and Space Force will be overflowing with that history that we’re making today.”

The Enlisted Force Exhibit is open to visitors daily from 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

This new exhibit was made possible by generous contributions from the Air Force Museum Foundation (Federal endorsement not implied).

The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, is the world’s largest military aviation museum. With free admission and parking, the museum features more than 350 aerospace vehicles and missiles, and thousands of artifacts amid more than 19 acres of indoor exhibit space. Each year thousands of visitors from around the world visit the museum. Visit www.nationalmuseum.af.mil for more information.                                                          

Source: United States Air Force

JOINT BASE ANACOSTIA-BOLLING, D.C. (AFNS) —  

Air Force Gen. Jim Slife formally received his fourth star during a ceremony celebrating his promotion and new position as the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Dec. 29 at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, D.C.

In an event attended by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., Department of the Air Force leaders, Slife’s wife Gwendoyln, and their four children, Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David Allvin praised Slife as someone who has “seen all parts of the business and has done it with excellence.”

“The idea of leaving things better than when you found it, that is one of his hallmarks,” he said. “I could not be happier to be able to have this ceremony, put these stars on and get to work with Jim.”

In his remarks, Slife thanked numerous family members, friends, mentors, and colleagues to whom he attributes his success.

“I have such a sense of gratitude, and I wish every Airman had someone in their life who believed in them unconditionally,” he said.

Commissioned through the ROTC program at Auburn University, Slife has spent most of his Air Force career in special operations aviation assignments, including Hurlburt Field, Fla., RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom, and Cannon Air Force Base, N.M.

Slife is a command pilot with more than 3,100 flight hours in the MH-53 and MQ-1 among others. He most recently served as the Air Force’s deputy chief of staff for operations, leading the development and implementation of policy directly supporting global operations, force management, training, and readiness.

He has commanded Air Force Special Operations Command and held numerous joint leadership positions including vice commander of U.S. Southern Command, chief of staff for U.S. Special Operations Command, and chief of staff for United Nations Command and U.S. Forces Korea.”

As the Vice Chief, Slife will guide the Air Staff and assist Allvin with organizing, training and equipping 689,000 active duty, Guard, Reserve, and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas. Like Allvin, he steps into his new role with an understanding of the challenges facing the force and a sense of urgency to address them.

“We stand at the precipice of a different strategic environment,” Slife said. “Gen Brown called on us to accelerate change. Secretary Kendall has empowered us to actually think about… what we need to have to be competitive for the next several decades.”

Allvin emphasized the value Slife will bring to that problem set.

“[It’s] the hardest thing we’ve done in a long time and maybe the hardest thing we do together,” he said. “So having someone on the team who knows that and has done that… couldn’t be better now for our force.”