The story of Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell's rescue in the hills of Afghanistan is one of the most famous moments of the recent war. Luttrell's teammates died in a battle that started after they refused to kill three goat herders. Now, in addition to a book and a movie, there is a painting to commemorate the battle. Emily Kopp is at the Air Force Association's Air and Space Conference with the artist, Maj. Warren Neary and someone who knows the subject of this painting well, Lt. Col. Jeff "Spanky" Peterson.
Federal News Radio anchor Emily Kopp broadcasts live from the 2015 Air Force Association Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition on Monday morning, Sept. 14, 2015, at the National Harbor, Maryland. Among her guests are Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James.
A new excitement surrounding aerospace is one top outcome the Air Force Association wants from this year's 2015 Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition. Retired Maj. Gen. Mark Barrett is executive vice president of the Air Force Association. Barrett says the theme this year's conference is "reinventing the aerospace nation."
The Defense Department will test its new F-35 joint strike fighter against an aging A-10 Warthog starting in 2018. The Pentagon says it wants to see whether both jets can perform high-threat close air support. But Air Force Chief of Staff General Mark Welsh calls the testing a "silly exercise." Richard Aboulafia is vice president for analysis at the Teal Group Corporation. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose what the F-35 can do that the A-10 can't.
The Secretary of the Air Force and its Chief of Staff say a full year continuing resolution would have a significant impact on the service, particularly by slowing down or halting as many as 50 acquisition programs.
The Air Force says the continuing resolution that’s becoming increasingly likely for the 2016 budget cycle would halt progress on dozens of weapons programs, and probably force it to cancel plans to build its military workforce in key areas. More from Federal News Radio’s DoD reporter Jared Serbu.
For people in, or going into the military, the benefits programs — while excellent in some cases — are a mystery. Many people don't realize that members of the uniformed military services are eligible for the government's long term care insurance program.
Steven W. Zander leads the Air Force Community Partnership, which helps bases and local communities reach mutually beneficial agreements on services and facilities.
The Air Force is forming partnerships with the communities surrounding its bases to share support services and facilities. It's called the Air Force Community Partnership Program, and it's proving valuable for both the service and the local communities. Steve Zander is the program's director. For his work, he's been named one of the 33 finalists for this year's Service to America Medals. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to share more about the program.
Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford will be the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He'll begin his term October first when the current chairman — Army Gen. Martin Dempsey — retires. Retired Air Force Gen. Richard Myers was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2001 to 2005. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose about the challenges he walked into on his first day as chairman and how they might compare to what Dunford has on his plate.
The General Services Administration signed its third MOU with a large federal organization to use the professional services governmentwide acquisition contract known as OASIS. In return for its pledge to spend hundreds of millions of dollars a year, DHS receives a lower fee.
The DoD 5000.ac will detail a better, agile process for the military to buy services.
With or without sequestration, the Pentagon has concluded there is not enough money to go around, and if it’s going to continue to perform its most vital national security tasks, some missions will have to be on the chopping block beginning in 2017.
On May 26, the Air Force certified Space X\'s Falcon Nine Launch System to carry out national security space missions. Space X, which was founded by Elon Musk, is now set to compete with Lockheed Martin and Boeing\'s United Launch Alliance for military space industry contracts. Bloomberg government senior defense analyst Rob Levinson joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with more on how Space X is transitioning into the military launch market.