Free Republic

In June 2018, President Trump directed the Department of Defense to “begin the process necessary to establish a space force as the sixth branch of the armed forces.” The reason for a space force is simple: space is the strategic high ground from which all future wars will be fought. If we do not master space, our nation will become indefensible. Since that time, entrenched bureaucrats and military leaders across the Department of Defense, especially in the Air Force, have been resisting the President’s directive in every way they can. And this December, although Congress voted to approve a Space...

A mystery plane crashed Monday in Taliban-held territory in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province, south of the capital, Afghan officials said. It was not immediately clear how many people were on board the plane. Ariana Afghan Airlines denied reports that it was one of its passenger jets that had come down. Provincial government spokesman Arif Noori told CBS News’ Ahmad Mukhtar the plane appeared to have been a flight between the southern city of Kandahar and the capital Kabul, about 200 miles to the north. Ghazni province is between those two locations Noori said the body of two pilots was found at...

The huge display of sortie generation capability comes as the base's F-35 force reaches full capacity after transitioning to the F-35 years ago. The 388th and 419th Fighter Wings that call Hill Air Force Base in Utah home have just executed a massive readiness drill that included an 'elephant walk' of a whopping 52 F-35As. The exercise coincides with the wings reaching full strength following the transition to the F-35A, a process that began years ago. The elephant walk and the massive number of flights that usually go along with it are all about sortie generation and displaying a level...

Full Title: U.S. Air Force warns Iran with huge show of strength as 52 fully-armed F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters worth $4.2 BILLION take off in a single wave after 'elephant walk' along Utah base runway The U.S. Air Force has performed a huge show of strength by launching more than 50 fully-armed Lightning II stealth fighters in a single wave following an elephant walk down the runway. The 52 F-35A aircrafts, which are worth a whopping $4.2 billion, took off in quick succession from the Hill Air Force Base in Utah on Monday. The exercise carried out by the...

Khobar Towers June 23, 2006 The Wall Street Journal Louis J. Freeh Ten years ago this Sunday, acting under direct orders from senior Iranian government leaders, the Saudi Hezbollah detonated a 25,000-pound TNT bomb that killed 19 U.S. airmen in their dormitory at Khobar Towers in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. The blast wave destroyed Building 131 and grievously wounded hundreds of additional Air Force personnel. It also killed an unknown number of Saudi civilians in a nearby park. The 19 Americans murdered were members of the 4404th Wing, who were risking their lives to enforce the no-fly zone over southern Iraq....

The U.S. military carried out airstrikes in Iraq and Syria on Sunday — days after a U.S. defense contractor was killed at a military compound in a rocket attack. Military jet fighters conducted "precision defensive strikes" on five sites of Kataeb Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Iraqi militia, Jonathan Hoffman, a spokesperson for the Pentagon told Fox News. Two defense officials added that Air Force F-15 jet fighters carried out the strikes. U.S. officials have blamed the militia for a rocket barrage Friday that killed a U.S. defense contractor, wounded four U.S. troops and two members of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF)...

Today I received this email from John: Responding to requests and thanks to the Christmas magic of Holli and Doug Connell at Engine Studio in ROCKFORD please find ‘Miracles’ on the link. Hope it adds to the season.

ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, MARYLAND — Flanked by two fighter jets and in front of a giant American flag, President Trump on Friday signed the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act that officially created the Space Force, the sixth and first new military branch since 1947. “For the first time since Truman, we will create a brand new American military service,” Trump said. “You will witness the birth of the Space Force. That’s a big moment and we’re all here for it.”

Recently retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General Steven L. Kwast gave a lecture last month that seems to further signal that the next major battlefield will be outer space. While military leadership rattling the space sabers is nothing new, Kwast’s lecture included comments that heavily hint at the possibility that the United States military and its industry partners may have already developed next-generation technologies that have the potential to drastically change the aerospace field, and human civilization, forever. Is this mere posturing or could we actually be on the verge of making science fiction a reality? *snip* Kwast delivered a...

A bipartisan defense budget agreement will authorize the creation of the Space Force. The Space Force will be, like the Army or Air Force, a distinct military service under the Pentagon. The service will take over space functions from existing services, wielding them into a single independent branch overseen by a Chief of Space Operations. It’s really happening. A bipartisan budget agreement for 2020 will see the creation of a new branch of the military specifically oriented towards space. The United States Space Force will be the first new service branch in more than 60 years, tasked to ensure America’s...

Full Title: The US Air Force (USAF) has started searching for a new airborne command, control and communications operations center to replace the Boeing E-4B, and the service is asking US defence manufacturers for input. The Survivable Airborne Operations Center Weapon System (SAOC WS) is to replace the legacy E-4B National Airborne Operations Center, a militarised version of the 1970s-era Boeing 747-200 commercial airliner, which is approaching the end of its service life, according to a USAF pre-solicitation notice posted online 4 December. The SAOC WS is a linchpin in the US Department of Defense’s National Military Command System. It...

At around 8:30am on November 26th, what appeared to be a potential violation of the tightly controlled airspace ringing Washington D.C. occurred, sparking off a course of events that drew national attention. The White House and the Capitol went into lockdown as a Coast Guard MH-65, callsign Blackjack, scrambled to intercept the possible intruder and F-16s were sent to runway alert at Andrews AFB, prepared to rocket into the sky if needed at a moment's notice. Confusion followed as to what exactly was detected and why. Now, according to officials with direct knowledge of the events, here is what actually...

ite House Thursday eveing to attend the dignified transfer of two U.S. Army soldiers who were killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. Chief Warrant Officer 2 David Knadle, 33, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kirk Fuchigami Jr., 25, were killed when their helicopter crashed while providing security for troops on the ground in the Logar Province on Wednesday, according to the Department of Defense. Their bodies were returned to the United States at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. First Lady Melania Trump, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, and actor Jon Voight accompanied the...

Airmen who have served for 12 years or more no longer have to re-enlist under a change made official Oct. 30. Previously, senior enlisted airmen were required to re-enlist every four years, a process described as lengthy and full of cumbersome paperwork that culminated in raising their right hand at a swearing-in ceremony. Now, under a new Noncommissioned Officer Career Status Program, that requirement is gone. Instead, an Oct. 30 Air Force release said, their separation dates will align with their high year of tenure date—when they must separate or retire. Effective Nov. 18, airmen with at least 12 years...

The Air Force’s X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle Mission 5 successfully landed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility Oct. 27, 2019 at 3:51 a.m. The spaceplane conducted on-orbit experiments for 780 days during its mission, recently breaking its own record by being in orbit for more than two years. As of today, the total number of days spent on-orbit for the entire test vehicle program is 2,865 days. “The X-37B continues to demonstrate the importance of a reusable spaceplane,” said Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett. “Each successive mission advances our nation’s space capabilities.” This is the Air...

Something is happening in this country, and it is going in the other direction. It is going in our direction. It is going in the direction of America's survival. Here is a man who is conducting world affairs. Here is a man who has the issue of Iran on his hands, North Korea, an election, fundraising, personal and family matters, and he has the dignity and respect for his supporters like the listeners of The Savage Nation, because it's about the audience; it's not about me. And I would say he extended his hand of friendship, and I will never...

President Donald Trump unveiled a plane model on Thursday demonstrating the new color scheme for Air Force One. The model was spotted on a table in the Oval Office during a meeting between President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “I would say the plane basically is an upgrade over that model. We actually are getting things that they didn’t get. We’re saving about $1.5 billion. So it’s going to be terrific,” Trump told reporters. the new Air Force One will go into service in 2024. Despite some critics lamenting the loss of the baby blue and gold...

As Commander in Chief, I am proud to join a grateful Nation in wishing the United States Air Force a happy 72nd birthday. Established after the conclusion of World War II and with the passing of the National Security Act of 1947, the United States Air Force is the world’s most dominant fighting force in air, space, and cyberspace. For more than seven decades, America’s airmen have been at the forefront of protecting our citizens and helping the United States promote global peace and prosperity. In their endeavor to always Aim High, these patriots use unrivaled technology and ingenuity to...

The United States Air Force has just disclosed its official name and designation for its new jet trainer—the T-7A "Red Hawk." The announcement came at the Air Force Association's symposium that opened today outside of Washington, D.C. Acting Air Force Secretary Matt Donovan disclosed the jet's official moniker while standing with one of the legendary Tuskegee Airmen, Colonel Charles McGee—a highly decorated veteran with a whopping 409 combat missions spread across WWII, Korea, and Vietnam—by his side. McGee and his Red Hawk squadronmates not only bombed and strafed the Nazis with amazing acumen, they also did the same to...

Plane spotters were left in awe at the world's most expensive and secretive plane - while it soared just 60 feet over their heads.