Shelley K. Mesch

Shelley K. Mesch joined Inside Defense as an Air Force reporter in 2022. She had previously reported on business, technology and innovation at The Salt Lake Tribune and the Wisconsin State Journal.

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Daily News | August 3, 2023

DAYTON, OH -- The Air Force is beginning to discuss specific requirements for the Department of the Air Force Battle Network with industry in classified meetings, Brig. Gen. Luke Cropsey said Tuesday.

Daily News | July 28, 2023

The Senate Appropriations Committee would have the Defense Department combine two of its command-and-control efforts under one program element to better sync capabilities, according to a report issued along with the committee's passage of its fiscal year 2024 defense spending bill Thursday.

Daily News | July 27, 2023

The Senate Appropriations Committee would add $200 million to the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile budget in fiscal year 2024 to boost the industrial base supporting the nuclear modernization program.

Daily News | July 27, 2023

The Senate Appropriations Committee is calling on the Air Force to change its acquisition strategies for the F-15EX fighter jet while also fully funding the purchase of 24 of the airframes in fiscal year 2024.

Daily News | July 27, 2023

Northrop Grumman won't bid as a prime contractor for the Air Force's Next Generation Air Dominance platform, CEO Kathy Warden said Thursday, though she left open the possibility of bidding on the Navy's version.

Daily News | July 26, 2023

Boeing is "wrestling through" its fixed-price defense and space contracts and expects to begin turning an operating profit in its defense business in 2025, CEO David Calhoun said Wednesday.

The Insider | July 26, 2023

The Biden administration has nominated Gen. David Allvin to be the next Air Force chief of staff, according to a Tuesday announcement.

Daily News | July 20, 2023

Though it reported generally positive results during its second quarter earnings call this week, Lockheed Martin executives said the company will see a loss upwards of $200 million this year from expected late deliveries of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets.

Daily News | July 19, 2023

Despite a recent report from the United Kingdom decrying its problems acquiring E-7 Wedgetail aircraft, Air Force acquisition chief Andrew Hunter doesn't foresee significant hurdles in procuring the U.S. version.

Daily News | July 18, 2023

Several provisions in the fiscal year 2024 defense policy and spending bills working their way through Congress won't be helpful to the transformation needed in the Air Force, Secretary Frank Kendall said Tuesday morning.

Daily News | July 17, 2023

The Air Force is focusing its Joint All Domain Command and Control efforts on building a digital architecture across the service and delivering capabilities that fill gaps operators currently experience, according to the Air Force’s top official for integrating the technology.

Daily News | July 14, 2023

The Pentagon plans to spend upwards of $756 billion on its nuclear enterprise over the next 10 years, according to a new Congressional Budget Office projection, which is 19% higher than the 10-year projection CBO made in 2021.

The Insider | July 12, 2023

The Senate won't likely let the Air Force retire its older F-22 Raptor jets, according to documents for the fiscal year 2024 defense policy bill released by the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday.

The Insider | July 6, 2023

The Air Force is preparing for the Next Generation Air Dominance platform by tasking one of its flight test squadrons with planning and running test campaigns for the future fighter jet, according to an Air Force news release.

Daily News | June 29, 2023

The Air Force signed a $5.7 billion contract to transform how it conducts information technology work across the service, which officials say will streamline management and improve warfighters' user experience.

The Insider | June 29, 2023

The Air Force is moving forward with developing a new radar station in Palau aimed at closing surveillance gaps in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command theater, according to a request for information posted this month.

Daily News | June 28, 2023

The Mitchell Institute is calling for more Air Force fighter jets in a report to be released Thursday morning while warning of the "downward spiral" of the fighter force.

Daily News | June 23, 2023

The Senate Armed Services Committee voted Thursday not to authorize funds for the Adaptive Engine Transition Program for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in its version of the fiscal year 2024 defense policy bill, breaking from the two defense committees on the House side.

Daily News | June 22, 2023

As Congress is working on its fiscal year 2024 defense spending and policy bills, a Lockheed Martin executive has announced he backs the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter re-engine option that the Pentagon nixed months ago.

Daily News | June 21, 2023

The House Armed Services Committee approved Wednesday an amendment to the fiscal year 2024 defense policy bill that would allow the Defense Department to award cost-plus incentive-fee contracts for construction projects for the Sentinel Intercontinental Ballistic Missile program's facilities.

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