Why Now?

Why Now?: The Air Force on Monday declined to provide any answers on its new RQ-170 Sentinel unmanned aerial vehicle beyond its initial bare-bones press release (see USAF Reveals New Stealth Drone), but Pentagon officials told Daily Report that USAF had officially acknowledged its existence to make it easier to integrate the vehicle into operations in Southwest Asia. Since the UAV will soon be operating openly from forward airfields, more photos are bound to emerge. (This same explanation was offered when the F-117 was brought out of the "black.") The service was getting a lot of questions not only from the press but also other nations about the aircraft. Word of the new drone first appeared in an April 2009 blog of the British magazine Unmanned Vehicles, but USAF refrained from comment until a French blog Secret Defense of Liberation newspaper published an actual—though grainy—photo on Dec. 1. Continue

12/8/2009

Verbatim

Appreciative Host
"I know you're here during a difficult time. You're here through Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. I promise you, we will find turkeys."
—Republic of Lithuania Chief of Defence Maj. Gen. Arvydas Pocius, expressing his thanks to airmen of the 493rd Fighter Squadron from RAF Lakenheath, Britain, who on Sept. 1, 2010, began a four-month stint with their F-15s in Lithuania to protect the airspace of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania under NATO's Baltic air policing mission.

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Family Momentum
"In many ways, this was what the Year of the Air Force Family was all about—connecting airmen and their families with the resources they need. I have confidence the Air Force will capitalize on this strong momentum in the years ahead by continuing to improve our family support programs and ensuring people know what resources are available."
—Suzie Schwartz, wife of USAF Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz, commenting on the accomplishments of the Year of the Air Force Family initiative that concluded in July, in a statement provided to the Daily Report, Aug. 22, 2010.