Air Force

  • The Air Force plans to slash its ranks to fewer than 328,000 by the end of the year. Lt. Gen. James Jackson, chief of the Air Force Reserves, says the cutbacks are actually a good opportunity to keep many of its active duty Airmen in blue. Here's an example of how it can work. Col. Russell Muncy is commander of the 452nd Air Mobility Wing at March Air Force Reserve Base in California. His unit has received the Air Force Association Reserve Unit award. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to explain why his unit has been recognized. View photos and listen to interviews from the event.

    September 17, 2014
  • You can't teach an old dog new tricks. But you can take an old plane and modernize its systems and software to make it efficient for duty. At Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma they're breathing new life into older equipment. Lt. Gen. Bruce Litchfield is commander of the Air Force Sustainment Center at Tinker. He spoke with Tom Temin at the Air Force Association's Air and Space Conference and gave the Federal Drive an update on the ongoing efforts to modernize the fleet and the software behind it all. View photos and listen to interviews from the event.

    September 17, 2014
  • The Air Force can't afford the programs it thinks it will need over the next decade. The service's top officer says it's time to reexamine priorities, with a realistic view of the funding it will get from Congress.

    September 17, 2014
  • Airmen of the Year represent the best of the Air Force. Maj. Johan Lee is a space operator and flight commander for the Air Force Reserve who watches for problems that could develop anywhere on earth. He's being recognized along with his employer Booz Allen. Lee joined Federal Drive host Tom Temin at this year's Air Force Association conference and expo at National Harbor.

    September 14, 2014
  • If you like things that fly fast and zoom through space, the annual Air Force Association conference and exposition is the place to be. It's also the place to catch the technology and policy trends for the Air Force. Retired Gen. Craig McKinley is president of the Air Force Association. He joined Federal Drive host Tom Temin talk about this year's conference.

    September 14, 2014
  • Behind many of today's soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines are spouses and children. That's also the case for the Air National Guard. The Air Force provides its guardsmen with a variety of programs to ensure the quality of family life. Maj. Kelly Barton, Chief of Airman and Family Services for the Air National Guard , joined Federal Drive host Tom Temin at the Air Force Association conference to discuss the program.

    September 14, 2014
  • If the last 13 years of foreign wars have shown anything, it's the importance of reserve forces. Brig. Gen. John Flournoy is commander of the 4th Air Force within the Air Force Reserve Command. He's based out of March Air Reserve Base, California. He joined Federal Drive host Tom Temin at the Air Force Association conference and expo at National Harbor.

    September 14, 2014
  • The Obama Administration wants to avoid a repeat of the technical glitches it experienced with the rollout of HealthCare.gov. One way is through a White House effort called the U.S. Digital Service. The Digital Service will consist of a small team of experts that will serve as consultants to agencies on IT projects. Ariel Rabkin is a visiting fellow with AEI's Center for Internet, Communications and Technology Policy. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to explain why many IT projects fail in the first place.

    September 14, 2014
  • Both the Army and Air National Guard say they are making inroads toward gaining a foothold for their state-based forces in the Defense Department's growing mission sets in cyberspace. Both services say they are training more personnel and building the guard's credibility within the Pentagon when it comes to cyber missions.

    September 03, 2014
  • Air Force's new community partnership program looks to cut the costs of running bases by sharing operating and maintenance costs with the local communities in their neighborhoods.

    August 29, 2014
  • Reserve officers face a continuing dilemma. They often want to stay current enough to return to active duty if needed. Yet, they also need to pursue their other professional lives. Now the Air Force is adopting a program pioneered by the Navy and Marine Corps to let them do just that. Col. Rob Romer, chief of the military force policy division, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to discuss the new program.

    August 28, 2014
  • Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says DoD's fleet of A-10 jet fighters can't survive long term budget cuts. But Congress says it doesn't want to write them out of next year's defense budget, so the Pentagon needs to find a different way to pay for the fleet. On In Depth with Francis Rose, Lt. Col. Dan Ward of Hanscom Air Force Base shared a way to save the A-10 using some simple math.

    August 20, 2014
  • Agencies are struggling to find a good way to ensure employees have access to only the information they are supposed to have access to. Now, one could be close to a solution. The Air Force is launching a pilot program to test role-based authentication. Federal News Radio's Executive Editor Jason Miller joined Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive with details. Read Jason's related article.

    August 15, 2014
  • The service will test out a role-based authentication technology on an application in the MilCloud run by DISA. Frank Konieczny, the Air Force's chief technology officer, said the pilot could move into full production in six months. DoD is considering adding the role-based capability to the JIE framework.

    August 15, 2014

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Each week, Defense Reporter Jared Serbu speaks with the managers of the federal government's largest department. Subscribe on PodcastOne or Apple Podcasts.