Latest news with #TheAirForce
Korea Herald
21-03-2025
- Korea Herald
2 Air Force pilots suspended from air duty for 1 yr after accidental bombing of civilian area
The Air Force on Friday suspended two pilots from air duty for one year after they mistakenly dropped multiple bombs on a civilian village earlier this month, injuring dozens of residents. On March 6, two KF-16 fighter jets dropped eight MK-82 bombs outside a training range in Pocheon, some 40 kilometers north of Seoul, during live-fire drills, injuring 52 people, including 38 civilians. The Air Force has booked the two pilots on charges of negligence resulting in injury, and conducted a qualification review of the two pilots. Under the disciplinary review process, a person responsible for misconduct can face penalties ranging from suspension to dismissal. The suspension was decided as the investigation into the incident is still under way and there will be another qualification review once the defense ministry completes its probe, an Air Force official said. In the interim probe released earlier this month, the Air Force determined that the pilot's mistake in entering wrong target coordinates was the direct cause of the accidental bombing. The Air Force has dismissed two unit commanders over their failure to give specific instructions to their subordinates. (Yonhap)
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Air Force budget cuts may open old wounds with Congress
The Air Force wants to accelerate its plans to retire old and outdated aircraft to meet Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's order for services to cut and reallocate a portion of their spending. But the service's previous efforts to cut planes like the A-10 Warthog and older F-22 Raptors have shown that making such plans is easy, while actually seeing them through is far trickier. That is because lawmakers who have the power to block cuts they disagree with, or which they fear may harm their constituents, have stymied multiple administrations' efforts to tame and reshape Pentagon budgets. If the Trump administration — with its focus on cutting perceived government waste — is able to break through the logjam on Capitol Hill and enact significant reductions to the Air Force's legacy fleet, it will have accomplished something that has eluded previous administrations. Hegseth last week ordered military leaders to draw up plans to free up 8% of the fiscal 2026 budget the Biden administration prepared before leaving office, to excise 'woke ... non-lethal programs' and use that money to fund 'peace through strength' priorities of the new administration. Numerically speaking, the reduction mandate could amount to more than $17 billion in cuts for the Department of the Air Force, $15 billion of which would come from the Air Force alone, with the rest drawn from the sister service, Space Force. 'It's not a cut,' Hegseth said in a video posted online. 'It's refocusing and reinvesting existing funds into building a force that protects you, the American people.' But whether they are called cuts or reinvestments, some defense experts worry it won't be as simple as Hegseth males it sound. Doug Birkey, the executive director for the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Power Studies, said the Air Force has already been stretched thin for years, and finding 8% of fat to cut will be difficult. 'For a service that has already cut to the bone over the past 30 years … they have already gone after the easy money,' Birkey said. 'That was gone years and years ago.' Besides eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs, a fixation for the Trump team, Hegseth also put climate science spending — or 'climate change BS,' as he calls it — on the chopping block for the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, headed by billionaire Elon Musk. Under previous administrations, the Pentagon has studied how climate change worsens natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods, which have severely damaged installations such as Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida and Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. Cutting DEI and climate efforts alone may not amount to much in finding 8% of the budget for reprogramming, said Heather Penney, a retired F-16 pilot and senior resident fellow at Mitchell. 'It's going to be nuanced,' Penney said of cuts on that magnitude. 'It's not just going to be DEI, because I'm not sure that there's $15 billion worth of DEI and climate change programs. I think the service is going to have to look at some of the long-term [research and development] they have.' But cutting research and development would be tricky, Penney warned, because those efforts are crucial investments to make sure the Air Force's capabilities are not outpaced by adversaries in the future. The Next Generation Air Dominance platform and its accompanying high-tech engines are examples of the kind of research the Air Force should not abandon, Birkey said. A sixth-generation fighter is necessary to get the most out of the service's collaborative combat aircraft vision, he said, and the Air Force has skimped on modernization so long that it can't miss another generation of fleet upgrades. Curtailing the Air Force's F-35A buy or T-7 Red Hawk trainer program would also be a mistake, Penney argued, but the service could delay its efforts to develop a next-generation refueling tanker. The Air Force's budget proposal for 2025, released last year, called for the service to get $188 billion in funding, 40% of which — or $75.6 billion — would pay for operations and maintenance. Military personnel costs, including salaries and benefits, accounted for another $41.7, or 22%, and another $37.7 billion was earmarked for research, development, test and evaluation. Procurement accounted for $29 billion, or 16%, and the budget called for another $4 billion for military construction. The Space Force, a relatively fledgling service still working to stand itself up, also doesn't have nearly enough room to trim 8% of its spending, Penney said. That would cut nearly $2.4 billion from the $29.4 billion budget the Biden administration proposed for the Space Force in 2025. 'The Space Force has no fat to give,' Penney said. 'They have to grow, and they're as lean as they possibly can get.' Hegseth said nuclear modernization programs would be among 17 critical functions exempted from the cuts. The Air Force is now working on the LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile, the successor to its Minuteman III nuclear missile, and the B-21 Raider stealth bomber. The Air Force's collaborative combat aircraft program, which aims to create autonomous drone wingmen that fly alongside crewed fighters, is also exempt, Air and Space Forces Magazine reported. But while Hegseth turned his ire on a perceived excess of 'woke' Biden-era programs as ideal areas to cut, the Air Force is eyeing portions of its fleet the service feels is outdated. 'The Air Force is focused on retaining our desired warfighting capabilities while proposing the accelerated divestiture of legacy systems that are no longer relevant and consume limited funding and personnel,' an Air Force official told Defense News. 'The Air Force previously proposed divesting a number of weapon systems but has only recently received congressional authorization to retire the aging A-10 jets.' Air Force leaders have consistently said the service does not want to hold on to aircraft that aren't well suited for a future fight, and repeatedly asked lawmakers during budget processes to allow them to retire old planes. This is intended to free up money, airmen and other resources needed to bring on modernized aircraft like the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter. The Air Force's original budget plan for 2025 called for cutting 250 aircraft, which the service said would save about $2 billion. But in several cases, the Air Force and Congress have not seen eye-to-eye on where the service's fleet priorities should be. And even when the Air Force has been able to trim its fleet, Birkey said, it hasn't always leveraged those savings effectively. 'Congress has historically been very, very uncomfortable with the capacity reductions that the Air Force has pursued, and the Air Force has not succeeded in harnessing a divest-to-invest strategy to turn the corner on necessary modernization,' Birkey said. 'I have yet to find the old car I can sell that will free up enough cash to get the new one I want.' The Air Force isn't replacing retired aircraft with new planes on a one-to-one basis, Penney said, which is slowly eroding its ability to carry out certain missions. 'Once you give that [kind of combat capability] up, it's very hard to get back,' Penney said. 'Trying to grow your way out of a hole is something the Air Force has not been able to do.' Birkey predicted this time around, Congress would be reluctant to sign off on steep fleet cuts to meet Hegseth's goals. The battle over retiring the A-10 was perhaps the most rancorous recent dispute between Congress and the Air Force, although lawmakers in recent years have relented and allowed the Air Force to start retiring the Warthog. The rugged attack jet was frequently employed during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and against the Islamic State to provide close air support to friendly troops and destroy enemy targets. As those wars wound down, the Air Force sought to retire the A-10. Officials said the A-10′s low-and-slow style would make it vulnerable to attacks from an advanced foe such as China, and it would not be survivable in a future war. But the A-10 had influential backers in Congress — in particular, the late Sen. John McCain, whose state of Arizona was the home of a major A-10 base. The dispute over the A-10 reached a fever pitch during an infamous 2016 Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, in which McCain lambasted then-Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh over the department's retirement plans. Congress and the Air Force's dispute over the A-10 thawed in recent years, and lawmakers began allowing those planes to be retired in 2023. The Air Force intends to have all A-10s retired by the end of the decade. More recently, the Air Force has sought to retire 32 Block 20 F-22s that are not able to fly in combat, and would cost too much to get ready for battle. But Congress has repeatedly blocked those retirement efforts.
Los Angeles Times
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Air Force to launch unarmed nuclear missile from Vandenberg overnight
The Air Force is set to launch an unarmed missile from Vandenberg Space Force Base overnight, demonstrating the readiness of America's formidable nuclear arsenal. Clear skies will make the spectacle easy to behold from Southern California. Residents in Oregon and Nevada as well as western parts of Utah, Arizona, and Mexico should also be able to spot the missile streaking across the sky. The Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile is set to launch from the Santa Barbara County base sometime between 11:01 p.m. Tuesday and 5:01 a.m. Wednesday. The goal is to 'demonstrate the readiness of U.S. nuclear forces and provide confidence in the lethality and effectiveness of the nation's nuclear deterrent,' according to the Air Force Global Strike Command. The Minuteman is a powerful weapon, capable of carrying three nuclear warheads that can reach independent targets more than 6,000 miles away, according to the Air Force. Its range from the Vandenberg base could span as far north as the North Pole, as far south as the closest point of Antarctica, as far west as the Philippines and as far east as Spain. At its peak speed, the Minuteman can travel 15,000 mph — about 25 times as fast as a typical passenger jet and almost 70 times faster than the fastest Ferrari ever built. It's 59.9 feet long and weighs about 80,000 pounds. America's ballistic missiles can reach targets around the globe about 30 minutes after launch. During the first three minutes, three solid fuel rocket motors power the missile's flight. Then, the missile follows a curve-shaped trajectory, releasing the warhead mid-course and sending it toward the target. Tuesday night's routine test of the missile was scheduled years in advance and will be used to verify the effectiveness, readiness and accuracy of the weapon system, according to the Air Force. Per its international agreements, the United States has notified Russia and the more than 140 nations that are members of the Hague Code of Conduct Against Ballistic Missile Proliferation of the planned launch. The last routine test took place on Nov. 5 when a Minuteman III was launched from the Vandenberg base and traveled 4,200 miles to the Marshall Islands. It landed at the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command's Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, where researchers used flight data to evaluate system performance. 'These tests are demonstrative of what Striker Airmen bring to the fight if called by the president,' said Gen. Thomas A. Bussiere, commander, Air Force Global Strike Command, in a statement on the November launch. 'An airborne launch validates the survivability of our ICBMs [intercontinental ballistic missiles], which serve as the strategic backstop of our nation's defense and defense of allies and partners.' The Air Force currently has 400 Minuteman III missiles in service at bases in Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota. These missiles have been a mainstay of America's nuclear arms force since the 1970s, and most of the system's fundamental infrastructure still uses the original equipment. Starting in 2029, the Air Force intends to begin gradually replacing the Minuteman III with a modernized arsenal of LG-35A Sentinel missiles. Until full capability of the Sentinel missiles is achieved in the mid-2030s, the Air Force says it is committed to ensuring Minuteman III remains a viable deterrent. America currently has the second-largest number of nuclear weapons in the world with about 5,040 warheads, according to data collected by the Federation of American Scientists. Russia has the largest stockpile with about 5,580 warheads. The two superpowers are followed by China with about 500 warheads, France with 290 and the United Kingdom with 225.
Russia Today
29-01-2025
- General
- Russia Today
US F-35 slams into runway & explodes (VIDEO)
An F-35 fighter jet crashed at Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks, Alaska, around 1 pm on Tuesday, with authorities reporting that the incident caused 'significant damage' to the aircraft. However, a video circulating online suggests the jet was completely destroyed as it dropped from the sky and slammed into the runway. The pilot was unharmed and was transported to Bassett Army Hospital for evaluation. The crash occurred within the base's perimeter, and emergency services, including ambulances and fire trucks, responded quickly. The affected area on the runway has been secured, and an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the incident. A dramatic video, apparently filmed by base personnel and leaked online, shows the jet plummeting from the sky while the pilot safely descends by parachute. BREAKING: 🇺🇲 F-35 fighter jet crashes at Alaska's Eielson Air Force Base — Megatron (@Megatron_ron) January 29, 2025 'Our people are our most important resource, and we are committed to ensuring their safety and security,' said Col. Paul Townsend, commander of the 354th Fighter Wing. READ MORE: US 'loses' F-35 stealth fighter The Air Force has launched a thorough investigation into the crash. 'It's still under investigation, so they're trying to confirm all the details,' Eielson spokesperson Staff Sgt. Kimberly Touchet told the Associated Press. Eielson Air Force Base, located approximately 25 miles south of Fairbanks, was selected in 2016 to host 54 F-35s, leading to a significant expansion of the facility. The base's strategic location allows fighter jets to reach anywhere in the northern hemisphere in a single sortie. This incident follows other F-35 incidents in recent years, including a crash in May 2024 during a flight from Texas to California, and an October 2023 incident where a pilot ejected unnecessarily, leaving the aircraft to fly unmanned before crashing in South Carolina.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The Latest: White House claims victory in a showdown with Colombia over taking deported migrants
The White House is claiming victory in a showdown with Colombia over accepting flights of deported migrants from the U.S. on Sunday, hours after President Donald Trump threatened steep tariffs on imports and other sanctions on the longtime U.S. partner. Here's the latest: Trump is expected to sign a flurry of new executive orders focused on the military That includes reinstating troops booted for refusing COVID-19 vaccines, assessing transgender forces and further outlining new rollbacks in diversity programs. It comes as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth began his first day on the job Monday. The orders could further clarify initial directives Trump issued shortly after his inauguration last week, when he removed protections for transgender troops put in place by former President Joe Biden and banned diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at federal agencies. Air Force restores use of Tuskegee Airmen training videos as Hegseth starts his first day The Air Force restored the use of training material referring to the storied Tuskegee Airmen after a temporary delay to edit its courses to meet the Trump administration's rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, the service said, resolving an issue roiling as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth began his first day at the Pentagon. Hegseth said in a post on X on Sunday that any move to cut the training was 'immediately reversed.' But the swirl of confusion reflects an ongoing struggle as leaders across the Defense Department try to purge diversity mentions from their websites and training. Hegseth didn't mention the issue as he walked into the building Monday morning accompanied by Gen. CQ Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. But in other comments, Hegseth said 'military training will be focused on the readiness of what our troops in the field need to deter our enemies.' ▶ Read more about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's first day JD Vance is making his first trip as vice president He's flying to Damascus, Virginia, for a firsthand look at recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene. Vance, then still a senator from Ohio and a vice presidential candidate, visited the town near the Tennessee border in early October, shortly after Helene hit. Helene's destruction was most extensive in western North Carolina and President Donald Trump paid a visit there Friday. But the storm caused damage in several states, including Virginia, and recovery efforts are ongoing. Vaccine bills stack up in statehouses across the US Vaccination bills are popping up in more than 15 states as lawmakers aim to potentially resurrect or create new religious exemptions from immunization mandates, establish state-level vaccine injury databases or dictate what providers must tell patients about the shots. Many see a political opportunity to rewrite policies in their states after President Donald Trump's return to the White House and anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 's nomination as the next secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. The agency oversees virtually every aspect of vaccination efforts in the U.S., from funding their development to establishing recommendations for medical providers to distributing vaccines and covering them through federal programs. Childhood vaccination rates against dangerous infections like measles and polio continue to fall nationwide, and the number of parents claiming non-medical exemptions so their kids don't get required shots is rising. ▶ Read more about vaccination bills All Senate Democrats but Fetterman condemn Jan. 6 pardons in resolution All Democratic senators but one signed a resolution Monday condemning President Donald Trump's decision to pardon Jan. 6 rioters who were charged with assaulting U.S. Capitol police officers. The non-binding resolution is Democrats' latest effort to blast the president for his efforts to rewrite the violence that happened four years ago when Trump's supporters tried to block congressional certification of Joe Biden's 2020 election victory. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the lone Democrat to not sign the resolution. Democrats are expected to bring the measure to the floor this week but given Republican's majority, it will likely fail. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has arrived at the Pentagon and said his first official day will be busy Speaking Monday morning, he said that would include additional executive orders expected 'on removing DEI inside the Pentagon, reinstating troops who were pushed out because of COVID mandates, Iron Dome for America — this is happening quickly,' Hegseth said in response to questions from reporters. The Iron Dome is an advanced air defense system used by Israel. Hegseth was also asked if he intended to fire Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown Jr — and in response said 'I'm standing with him right now,' while patting Brown on his back. Brown did not say anything in response. Incarcerated transgender woman challenges Trump's order on gender A transgender woman has sued President Trump and the head of the federal prison system over a plan to move her to a men's prison. The lawsuit was filed Sunday in U.S. District Court in Boston and is among the first court challenges related to the executive order Trump signed on his first day in office stating that the federal government would recognize only two sexes: male and female. The order defines them as being based on the reproductive cells present at conception and says they can't change. The plaintiff says she was moved from the general population at a women's prison in Massachusetts to an isolated unit in Massachusetts the day after Trump signed the order, and that she was told she would be moved to a men's facility. By Saturday, she says, the federal Bureau of Prisons changed her gender marker on publicly available prison records from female to male. The plaintiff says she's been on hormones since she was a teenager and has never been in a men's prison. She says she would be at high risk there of harassment, abuse, violence and sexual assault. She also says she could be harmed if officials stop providing her with hormone treatment. She says she's being deprived of due process to challenge the changes. The Bureau of Prisons has not responded to questions from The Associated Press since last week about whether it is moving all transgender women inmates to men's facilities. As of last week, there were nearly 2,300 transgender inmates in federal prisons — about 1.5% of the total population. Trump's celebration of American greatness puts a spotlight on a little-known panel of experts Within hours of taking office, President Donald Trump outlined in one of his many executive orders a mission to celebrate American greatness and to recognize those who have made contributions throughout history. He jumpstarted the effort by ordering the name of North America's tallest peak to be changed from Denali back to Mount McKinley in honor of the nation's 25th president, William McKinley. He also called on the U.S. Interior Department to work with Alaska Natives and others to adopt names for other landmarks that would honor their history and culture. The U.S. Board on Geographic Names will play a role. The little known panel made up of officials from several federal agencies has been in existence since 1890. ▶ Read more about the U.S. Board on Geographic Names Trump could test intelligence sharing ties between the US and its allies As Russia moved closer to invading Ukraine nearly three years ago, the United States and its allies took the extraordinary step of declassifying and sharing intelligence to expose Moscow's plans. Information flew across the Atlantic from U.S. spy agencies to NATO and Western partners showing Russia was poised to launch the biggest attack on a European country since World War II. It was designed to muster support for Kyiv, and on the strength of the U.S. warning, some nations sent weapons to Ukraine, which moved some equipment out of the range of Russian strikes. Now, officials are bracing for a potentially changed security landscape under President Donald Trump. He's criticized America's allies and lambasted its intelligence agencies. He's been accused of disregarding secrecy rules and hoarding classified documents. Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's pick for director of national intelligence, has parroted Russian propaganda while his nominee to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, has promised changes that could significantly curtail the flow of intelligence to America's friends. Both are expected to face sharp questioning from lawmakers during confirmation hearings Thursday. ▶ Read more about how Trump could affect intelligence sharing Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s famous name and controversial views collide in his bid for top health job Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said vaccines aren't safe. His support for abortion access has made conservatives uncomfortable. And farmers across the Midwest are nervous over his talk of banning corn syrup and pesticides from America's food supply. The 71-year-old, whose famous name and family tragedies have put him in the national spotlight since he was a child, has spent years airing his populist — and sometimes extreme — views in podcasts, TV interviews and speeches building his own quixotic brand. A son of a Democratic political dynasty, Kennedy is seeking to become the nation's top health official under President Donald Trump. To get there, he's softening those long-held beliefs, hoping to win approval from the Republican Party. At stake is Kennedy's control of the nation's sprawling $1.7 trillion U.S. Health and Human Services agency, which oversees food and hospital inspections, health insurance for roughly half of the country and vaccine recommendations. The job would finally give him the kind of political power Kennedys have wielded for decades. ▶ Read more about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Some key moments from over the weekend The Trump administration's first weekend in office is already offering signals about how his next four years in the White House may unfold. Here are some of the key moments: Where things stand with Colombia The White House claimed victory in a showdown with Colombia over accepting flights of deported migrants from the U.S. on Sunday, hours after President Donald Trump threatened steep tariffs on imports and other sanctions on the longtime U.S. partner. Long close partners in anti-narcotics efforts, the U.S. and Colombia clashed Sunday over the deportation of migrants and imposed tariffs on each other's goods in a show of what other countries could face if they intervene in the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration. The White House held up the episode as a warning to other nations who might seek to impede his plans. Earlier, the U.S. president had ordered visa restrictions, 25% tariffs on all Colombian incoming goods, which would be raised to 50% in one week, and other retaliatory measures sparked by President Gustavo Petro's decision to reject two Colombia-bound U.S. military aircraft carrying migrants after Petro accused Trump of not treating immigrants with dignity during deportation. Petro also announced a retaliatory 25% increase in Colombian tariffs on U.S. goods. Trump said the measures were necessary because Petro's decision 'jeopardized' national security in the U.S. by blocking the deportation flights. ▶ Read more about the U.S.-Colombia tariff showdown
