Tag Archives: air force

Air Force to Cancel Blue Devil Airship

The Air Force has issued a “stop work” on the airship known as the Blue Devil, which was to be an “optionally manned surveillance” dirigible.  This is interpreted as the lead-in to the demise of the program.

The Blue Devil 2 was considered to be a herald of next-generation persistent intelligence collection with a potential endurance of more than nine days. Depending on the duration of the mission, the airship would have been able to carry 2,500 pounds of surveillance equipment for five days, or 7,500 pounds if the sortie was shortened to three days.

The CEO of Mav6, Blue Devils’ creator, is David Deptula — formerly LtGen Deptula, deputy chief of staff for ISR and an unusually fervent advocate for UAVs.  It seems he found his civilian calling. The Navy was also researching similar airships.  In an interesting bit of timing, their program just got extended.

The cancellation may render moot Michael Weinstein’s likely offense at the religious reference in the aircraft’s name…

Gen Richardson on Attacks on Faith, Chapel Ministries

US Air Force Chief of Chaplain (MajGen) Cecil Richardson recently spoke to the Fairchild AFB National Prayer Luncheon on prayer, where he also noted the “relentless attacks on people of faith and traditional values” that have recently characterized the public discourse:

“It’s to pray for ourselves, our community, units, friends, families and leaders,” said the Air Force’s ranking chaplain.

“It’s also a time to pause and remind ourselves despite the relentless attacks on people of faith and traditional values, Read more

Spiritual Life Center Opens at Camp Buehring

“Being spiritually fit to fight is an essential element to being ready to accomplish your mission,” is Air Force Chaplain Lt. Col. Harp’s opinion on the mission of spiritual fitness.

Camp Buehring, Kuwait, recently opened its “Spiritual Life Center,” giving American troops at the remote base a place to “nurture the spiritual health of the warriors.”

Spiritual strength is one of the pillars of resiliency the military has attempted to support in its troops as they both fight in combat and reintegrate at home.

Air Force Lawyers on Religion and Blogging

As noted previously, the US Air Force’s “The Military Commander and the Law” broke some unique ground in 2010.  For example, it appeared to specifically address the coercion tactics of Michael Weinstein when it advised commanders on responding to activists cold-calling them and demanding they accede to their interpretation of religion in the military.

In another newly addressed area, the JAGs broached the “emerging area” of blogs.  Like the response to activists, this was only addressed in the “religious issues” section of the manual.  This was probably because, like the response to activists, “recent events” had only brought up the issue of blogs and the Air Force as they related to religion, and Michael Weinstein was probably responsible for that, as well.  The most relevant portion of the text:

– Military people have a right to use these sites for religious Read more

Christian Fighter Pilot, Astronaut Addresses Eglin Prayer Breakfast

US Air Force Col James Dutton, a NASA astronaut, addressed the Eglin National Prayer breakfast and reminded his listeners of the sense of awe — and the presence of God — that people often miss in their daily lives:

“The world around us is really amazing,” he said. “Our sense of wonder we had as a kid is often lost when we become adults…”

“Being in orbit was like being a two-year old and being a fighter pilot is like being a six-year-old again,” he joked.

MajGen Kenneth Merchant told Col Dutton he “gave us a feel for what it is like to touch the heavens.”  Dutton reiterated that it is “tremendously evident” there is a God Read more

Air Force Offers Free Flights, Space Camp to Teens

The US Air Force recently announced opportunities for three Air Force teen summer camps in 2012.  The camps are intended to inspire future careers in space and aviation and are open only to dependents of active duty, National Guard, Reserves, retirees, and Air Force civilians.  More information can be seen at the Air Force Services website:  www.afyouthprograms.com.

These events are free — including flight time in a Cessna, rope courses, and space center tours.  The only cost is the travel necessary to get to the camps, presenting a very affordable opportunity to have some unique experiences.

The camps are as follows:  Read more

Afghan Air Force Investigated for Drug-Running

The Afghan Air Force, which has been essentially been built and funded from scratch by the US military, is now being investigated for drug-running.

The U.S. is investigating allegations that some officials in the Afghan Air Force, which was established largely with American funds, have been using aircraft to ferry narcotics and illegal weapons around the country…

In an interesting connection, the military is also reportedly investigating a link between the drug-running scheme and the April 2011 massacre of 8 US airmen by a member of the Afghan military.

In a report released by the U.S. Air Force in January about the killings, Read more

1 … 89 90 91 92 93 … 117