Space Force

PATRICK SPACE FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) --  Col. Nick Hague and his crewmates from the NASA SpaceX Crew-9 mission met with Airmen and Guardians at the Sands Space History Center outside of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, July 23. The Crew-9 mission is scheduled to launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to the International Space Station later this year.Hague and the rest of the crew, Cmdr. Zena Cardman, Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson and Roscomos cosmonaut Mission Specialist Aleksandr Gorbunov, attended an event at the history center to speak with and give thanks to representatives of military units who make manned spaceflight missions possible.While Crew-9 is a NASA mission, Hague recognized that it would not be possible without the support of...

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) --  Department of the Air Force leaders reinforced the importance of allies and partners during their recent trip to the United Kingdom July 17-23.Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman, and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin reemphasized the importance of interoperability in the air and space domains during engagements at the Global Air and Space Chiefs' Conference, Royal International Air Tattoo and Farnborough International Air Show.Throughout the trip, Kendall, Saltzman and Allvin participated in more than a dozen bilateral and multilateral engagements to deepen and expand relationships with allies and partners from Europe, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific.“Integrat...

WASHINGTON (AFNS) --  The launch of an artificial intelligence-powered platform for uncovering and matching talent across the joint force is an important step in tackling what Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., has described as the current “war for talent.”Combining the eagle from the Defense Department's iconic heraldry with the term for a short-term work opportunity, the GigEagle platform is one of the Defense Innovation Unit's transformational projects. It works to match members of the Reserve and National Guard with gigs based on their full set of skills, including in-demand talents gained from civilian careers. The gigs range from four hours to 90 days across DoD.Air Force Brig. Gen. Michael T. McGinley, GigEagle's...

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) --  In an effort to codify the success and significant gains made in line with the Operational Imperatives, Department of the Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall stood up the Integrated Capabilities Office July 19.Driven by the need to rapidly modernize the DAF to meet emerging challenges in an era of Great Power Competition, the ICO seeks to institutionalize the speed, agility and rapid innovation that the Operational Imperatives have brought to the force.“The Integrated Capabilities Office will directly support the Department of the Air Force senior leadership team as we develop our integrated modernization plans for the Air Force and Space Force,” Kendall said. “China, our pacing challenge, is modernizing its military with the in...

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) --  The Space Force released its Fiscal Year 2024 Selective Retention Bonus list, effective July 22.The FY24 SRB program consists of seven Space Force specialty codes. None were removed from last year.The SRB program serves as a retention tool, targeting experienced enlisted personnel in critical career fields, particularly those with lower manning or retention rates. Additionally, specialties involving extensive initial skills training and stringent qualification requirements are considered. An update to policy now enables the maximum bonus allowable per zone to be up to $180,000, an increase of $80,000 over previous years, with a career cap set at $360,000.If a Guardian’s SFSC is included in the FY24 list, they are eligible for ...