President Joe Biden took a tumble at the U.S. Air Force Academy's commencement ceremony in Colorado on Thursday, but was helped to his feet by two Secret Service agents and an Air Force official. The incident was met with cheers from the crowd, and Biden is expected to make a full recovery with no further comment from the White House.
Posts tagged as “Air Force”
The Pentagon has blocked a U.S. Air Force base in Nevada from hosting a drag show in celebration of Pride Month, citing current Department of Defense policy. The decision has been met with criticism from LGBTQ activists and allies, who argue that the military should be more inclusive of its LGBTQ members. The Human Rights Campaign has released a statement saying the decision “sends a dangerous message that the military is not a welcoming place for LGBTQ service members and their families.”
President Joe Biden is expected to announce the nomination of Air Force Gen. Charles "C.Q." Brown Jr. to serve as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, making him the first African American to serve in both the Pentagon’s top military and civilian positions. Brown is a history-making fighter pilot with deep knowledge of China and is currently the commander of the Pacific Air Forces. If confirmed, he will take over from Gen. Mark Milley, who held the job during the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol and the deadly withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
Two former associates of Steve Bannon, Brian Kolfage and Andrew Badolato, have been sentenced to four years and three months in prison for their roles in the fraudulent We Build The Wall fundraising campaign. The two men were accused of using the money for personal expenses, including luxury vacations and home renovations, and had diverted more than $350,000 from the campaign for their own use. Bannon, who served as a top adviser to President Donald Trump, also faces fraud charges in connection with the campaign and is awaiting trial.
The Air Force has ordered the 102nd Intelligence Wing to stand down from its intelligence mission as the service's inspector general conducts an investigation into the alleged posting of secret Pentagon documents to social media by an airman. A memo from Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall and other military leaders has directed each unit to conduct a security-focused stand down in the next 30 days. A federal judge has delayed a pretrial detention hearing for the airman, and it is unclear when the investigation will be completed or when the 102nd Intelligence Wing will resume its mission.
US-Russia tensions have risen following the release of a US military video showing a Russian Su-27 fighter jet conducting an "unsafe/unprofessional intercept" of a US Air Force MQ-9 drone over the Black Sea. The footage shows the Russian jet making two passes by the drone and dumping fuel on it, and US Air Force Gen. James B. Hecker has accused the jet of nearly causing the two aircraft to crash. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has warned that the incident has damaged relations between the two countries.
On Tuesday, a Russian Su-27 fighter jet collided with an American MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea, marking the first direct contact between Russian and US military aircraft since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The US Air Force reported that the Russian jet intentionally flew in front of and dumped fuel in front of the unmanned drone, which was brought down in international waters. The White House called the intercept "reckless" and the US Air Force is currently investigating the incident. The collision is a reminder of the tensions between the two countries and the need for increased communication and cooperation.
Two Ukrainian pilots have arrived in the United States to have their skills evaluated by American military trainers, as part of a larger effort to strengthen US-Ukraine military ties. The pilots are currently at a military base in Tucson, Arizona, undergoing an assessment to determine how long it would take to train them to fly attack aircraft, including F-16 fighter jets. The familiarization event is essentially a discussion between the Air Force personnel and an observation of how the pilots operate the simulators, with more of their fellow pilots potentially joining them soon.