Back in the Cold War years, the Soviet nuclear threat compelled the Strategic Air Command to keep an EC-135 command-post plane airborne continuously — for 29 years. SAC called the plane “Looking Glass,” because its communications systems mirrored the ones on the ground at SAC’s Offutt Air Force Base headquarters. A general officer on board could launch nuclear weapons even if the… Read more »

The senior enlisted leaders for each military service, including the top noncommissioned officer in the military, will testify in front of Congress at the end of the month about quality-of-life issues for troops -- a raft of recently exposed problems including squalid living conditions, subpar dining facilities and access to health care. The leaders will appear before… Read more »

OMAHA — Local World War II hero Charles Jackson French will soon have his name on a naval vessel. The U.S. Navy announced last week that an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer will be named after French. Construction of the ship is set to begin in 2026, with delivery in 2031.  One of Charles Jackson French’s nephews, Roscoe Harris, speaks to a crowd of more than 50 who… Read more »

North Platte’s downtown Federal Building would be named for the late U.S. Rep. Virginia Smith of Chappell under bills introduced Thursday by Nebraska’s congressional delegation. Sen. Pete Ricketts of Omaha and current 3rd District Rep. Adrian Smith of Gering introduced bills in their respective houses of Congress to name the former 1964 post office building at 300 E. Third St. the… Read more »

Republicans in the House of Representatives and Senate railed over the Department of Defense not publicly disclosing Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin‘s hospital stay this week until Friday. The Pentagon announced late Friday that Austin had been at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for much of the week, beginning on Monday and finally… Read more »

Republicans are demanding answers from the Department of Defense after learning about Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's hospitalization that was kept hidden for days.  GOP lawmakers are calling on Austin to testify or even be ousted from his position over reports that the Pentagon waited several days to inform top officials that the Biden staffer was in the hospital.  Late… Read more »

Congress directed the Air Force and Space Force in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act to define their future force. The call to action aims to force the services to fully articulate their long-term vision and needs—perhaps justifying increased funding.   Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), a retired Air Force brigadier general and ISR pilot, introduced that 2050… Read more »

The 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed both chambers of Congress and is headed to President Biden’s desk for his signature. The $886 billion spending bill is a three percent increase over last year’s spending level. It authorizes $842 billion for the Department of Defense (DOD), $32 billion for the Department of Energy (DOE), with the rest scattered for national… Read more »

Lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee’s special military quality of life panel hope to have a slate of recommendations on new housing, daycare and support programs by the start of February. After that, it’ll be up to the rest of the committee to turn them into law. The quality of life panel — led by Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan,… Read more »

OMAHA, Neb. — Omaha is home to a nine-person U.S. Air Force and civilian team that spends most of its time planning for the enemies you can't see. They operate under C-STARS Omaha, which stands for Center for Sustainment of Trauma and Readiness Skills. "We are Air Force training platforms partnering with civilian medical centers to advance medical readiness training for medical… Read more »