The Office of Naval Research (ONR) observed its 75^th anniversary Sept. 30 with a virtual event that examined “the Future of Warfare.”

The event, called “ONR at 75: Reimagine Naval Power,” featured  the participation of senior naval and congressional leaders and brief remarks from Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael M. Gilday. The online event summarized some of ONR’s historical achievements and a video about its past, present and future. Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Lorin Selby moderated a panel with Reps. Seth Moulton (D-Massachusetts) and Mike Waltz (R-Florida) of the House Armed Services Committee and Vice Chief of Naval Research Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Benjamin Watson and Dr. Jason Stack, ONR’s director for Ocean, Atmosphere and Space Research.

During World War II, the U.S. government established very successful relationships with academia and industry to help ensure our nation’s scientific and technical dominance over the enemy forces.  After the war, Congress formally established ONR in 1946 to maintain that thriving partnership. Its stated mission was to “plan, foster and encourage scientific research for the sake of future naval power and the preservation of national security.” Today, 75 years later, ONR’s mission has not changed and continues to bring together a wide range of partners in government, the military, industry and academia in a collaborative environment.

For seven and a half decades, the Navy Marine Corps and nation have been profoundly affected by the countless innovations and discoveries nurtured by ONR, a pioneer in the fields as diverse as digital computing, directed energy, navigation, and the world’s understanding of the oceans.

A video prepared for the anniversary observance talked about how ONR has “reshaped the ocean sciences by advancing our understanding of ocean dynamics and the transmission of sound, as well as developing new technologies that help explore the deep, improve the mapping of the ocean floor, and autonomously gathered data for weather prediction. ONR supported expeditions that took humans to the deepest depths of the world ocean and to the highest balloon ascent in the early 1960s. ONR technology helped in the first detection of hydrothermal vents and a new form of life based on chemo-synthesis in the 1970s, as well as the discovery of the wreck of the RMS Titanic in the 1980s. The groundbreaking Project Whirlwind in the 1940s and 1950s created the first digital computer capable of real time computing, making it the direct ancestor of everything from the computers in our cars to the servers that monitor daily shipping traffic and air defense. Investments in directed energy resulted in the invention of the ‘maser,’ which stood for “microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation, an early form of directed energy in the 1950s. More than 60 years later, in 2014 ONR deployed the first operational laser weapon on a naval vessel.”

During the panel discussion, Moulton said the U.S. has a strong Navy in large part because the nation has always had a technological edge over its competitors.  But, he said, the U.S. does not have the luxury of a comfortable lead today when it comes to global competition with global peer competitors, citing the need for more basic government-led research and technology development in the private sector.

Waltz said in today warfighting environment, the first shot will be fired in space and the cyber domain by autonomous systems. “The next evolution is when we pair those systems with artificial intelligence.”

Stack talked about how ONR often takes a long-term view and invests in science and technologies for years and sometimes decades, and not just in things, but in people, partnerships and enablers.

Watson, who is not only Selby’s deputy but also the commander of the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, talked about reexamining long-held assumptions about maritime superiority, and about the changing nature of warfare, and the need to adapt to gray zone and hybrid threats.

“This virtual celebration presents a great opportunity to commemorate ONR’s legacy of innovation and forward-thinking, while looking ahead to whole new worlds of innovation for the Navy and Marine Corps,” Selby said. “Today, the Office of Naval Research is making possible a safe and secure future for our Navy, Marine Corps and nation.

“We know that the Navy and Marine Corps today look very different than it did back in 1946, when ONR was founded, and we also know that the fleet and force of tomorrow will look very different yet again than it does today,” Selby said.  “The one thing we know for sure, though, is that ONR will continue to lead the way.”

ARLINGTON, Va. — The secretary of the Navy and chief of naval operations announced on Sept. 29 several flag officer assignments based on the reorganization of some program executive offices. 

The program executive officer (PEO) for submarines (PEO Subs) has been renamed PEO Attack Submarines (PEO SSN). Rear Adm. David A. Goggins has been assigned as PEO SSN, essentially retaining the same position. 

Rear Adm. Scott W. Pappano will be assigned as program executive officer, Strategic Submarines (PEO SSBN), renamed from PEO Columbia. Pappano currently is PEO Columbia.  

Rear Adm. (lower half) Edward L. Anderson will be assigned as program executive officer, Undersea Warfare Systems (PEO UWS), which is being converted from a code in the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA 07).  Anderson is currently serving as commander, Undersea Warfare (NAVSEA 07). 

A new PEO has been established to oversee the Navy’s Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Plan. Rear Adm. Troy M. McClelland will be assigned as program executive officer, Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization (PEO SIOP). McClelland is currently serving as deputy commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command. 

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The Navy’s Naval Aviation Training Systems and Ranges program office’s (PMA-205) Tactical Combat Training System Increment II (TCTS Inc. II) and Advanced Naval Technology Exercise (ANTX)-21 teams conducted their first live-virtual-constructive (LVC) demonstration in an operational environment last month, the Naval Air Systems Command said Sept. 27.  

As part of the Navy’s broader initiative to enhance capability, the event displayed early LVC capability for the TCTS Inc. II system and included many “firsts” in naval aviation training. 

The ANTX-21 fleet demonstration simultaneously connected both fleet and test F/A-18 and EA-18G aircraft, an F/A-18 simulator, an operational destroyer, a guided missile from the ship pier side, the Joint Semi-Automated Forces system, and the Next Generation Threat System all via the Navy Continuous Training Environment (NCTE). This exercise was naval aviation’s first demonstration of TCTS II in an operational environment, proving to be a simultaneous, multi-system, and multi-domain integrated warfighting training capability. The demonstration results will be used to further determine how TCTS Inc. II and LVC will be implemented effectively and efficiently in naval aviation training. 

“While watching ANTX-21 unfold across the globe from Navy Warfare Development Command in Norfolk, Va., I had an opportunity to see and hear the Navy’s excited reaction to TCTS Inc. II at the operation’s center,” said PMA-205 program manager, Capt. Lisa Sullivan.  “On the surface side, ships have been using a training LVC mode for a while, networking back and forth to exercise coordinators running complex scenarios. Now aviation is part of the mix through validation of TCTS Inc. II as the host system connecting live aircraft into a LVC environment.”  

The early LVC capability on the TCTS Inc. II system displayed during the event demonstrated successful integration of the system with the training environment, including simulated threats controlled by JSAF over NCTE, live aircraft air-to-air engagements, and integration with an F/A-18 simulator at the manned flight simulator facility. 

Chuck Kaylor, the PMA-205 TCTS Inc. II team lead, said the event included several firsts for naval aviation training. It was the first flight of TCTS Inc. II pod on an operational fleet aircraft, the first time TCTS Inc. II was used to create a LVC surface-to-air engagement, the first virtual F/A-18 engaged with a simulated/constructive aircraft, and the first pier side operational ship receiving and engaging with TCTS Inc. II information. 

“TCTS Inc. II is a critical enabler of Navy LVC, helping to close competition gaps in both operational security and training capabilities for the high-end fight, and this event comes with TCTS II already in production and approximately one year prior to initial operational capability” said Kaylor. 

The program office in coordination with U.S. Fleet Forces Command, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and U.S. Naval Forces Europe conducted this exercise, which was designed to refine how the U.S. Navy synchronizes maritime operations across multiple fleets, in support of the joint force. The training is based on a progression of scenarios that will assess and refine modern warfare concepts, including distributed maritime operations, expeditionary advanced base operations, and littoral operations in a contested environment. This is the first iteration of what will become a triennial exercise with plans for future iterations to include partners and allies from around the world. 

MAYPORT, Fla. — Task Group Greyhound was formally introduced by Rear Adm. Brendan McLane, commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic, Rear Adm. Brian Davies, commander, Submarine Group Two and deputy commander, 2nd Fleet, at an event held at Naval Station Mayport aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116), Sept. 27, said Lt. j.g. Caroline Leya, SURFLANT public affairs. 

Task Group Greyhound (TGG) is a force generation initiative within the Optimized Fleet Response Plan, the standard ship cycle construct that guides a roughly 36-month readiness roadmap. It is designed to provide the fleet with continuously ready, fully certified warships ready to accomplish a full range of on-demand missions at all times. TGG will assign and task Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers to be at-the-ready to support sustainment operations and to counter Russian undersea threats to the homeland. 
   
The day’s event comprised of a cake-cutting, a virtual media availability and an anti-submarine warfare scenario conducted for the official party in the combat information center aboard Thomas Hudner. 
 
McLane gave a Bravo Zulu to the first two TGG ships, Thomas Hudner and the guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75), and emphasized that maintaining an undersea warfare edge over Russian submarines off the East Coast is a growing priority. 
   
“Task Group Greyhound provides us a way  to increase continuity between training and operating against high-end competitors in a dynamic environment,” McLane said. “These destroyers are now designated under Task Group Greyhound in the western Atlantic on watch 24/7 ready to practice, integrate, and operate at a moment’s notice.” 
   
Facing the considerable threat from Russia requires focus, continuous monitoring and a team approach to undersea warfare. The TGG initiative will ensure that designated post-deployment East Coast destroyers remain in an extended sustainment phase on a rotating basis with other destroyers. This will be supported by incremental maintenance availabilities and sustained readiness certifications. 
   
The TGG model is a reference to the World War II destroyers, or “Greyhounds of the Fleet,” that patrolled the seas in the “Battle of the Atlantic.” The modern version is similar to how readiness is maintained aboard forward deployed naval forces in Spain. 
   
Cmdr. Bo Mancuso, Thomas Hudner commanding officer, acknowledged the importance of the initiative and of his command being selected to take the first watch. 
   
“Being chosen as one of the initial ships to serve in this capacity is humbling, and a big responsibility that we are more than ready to honor,” Mancuso said. “It was our pleasure to host Rear Adm. McLane today and show him what we’re capable of and that our crew is up to the task.” 

SILVERDALE, Wash. – Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Northwest awarded a $21 million contract Sept. 13 for seismic repairs and life safety improvements to building 431 at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF), Washington, the command announced Sept. 24.  

Building 431, used to repair and test ship parts, was built in 1934, with an addition built in 1943. 

“This award action is a continuing example of NAVFAC strengthening our shore installations through seismic resiliency and better positions our shipyard infrastructure for the advancement of naval lethality,” said NAVFAC Northwest Commanding Officer Capt. Ben Miller. “I am very pleased by the team effort to award the contract and look forward to working with our contractor partners to get this important project underway.”  

The work to be performed includes demolition, abatement, excavation, placement of micropiles, reinforcement of existing pile caps, placing grade beams and concrete slabs, reinforcing walls, among others, and salvage and reinstallation of existing government-owned equipment.  

“Our partnership with NAVFAC Northwest is vital to our mission success,” said PSNS & IMF Commanding Officer Capt. Jip Mosman. “This project is the continuation of several phased projects to repair building 431. Infrastructure upgrades are an important step in providing world-class facilities to the workforce and ensuring the shipyard’s ability to maintain, modernize and retire the Navy’s fleet for decades to come.”  

Work will be performed in Bremerton, Washington, and is expected to be completed by August 2023. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $20.8 million are obligated on this award. Jabez-Absher-1, a Joint Venture, of Orting, Washington, received the award.  

ARLINGTON, Va. — Boeing has delivered the first of 78 contracted Block III F/A-18 Super Hornets to the U.S. Navy, the company said in a Sept. 27 release. Block III gives the Navy the most networked and survivable F/A-18 built with a technology insertion plan that will outpace future threats. 

“The fleet needs capabilities to keep its edge,” said Capt. Jason “Stuf” Denney, U.S. Navy F/A-18 and EA-18G program manager. “Getting the first operational Block III in our hands is a great step forward in supporting our capability and readiness goals.” 

Capabilities of the Block III include the advanced cockpit system with a 10-inch-by-19-inch touch screen display, enhanced networking, open mission systems, reduced radar signature and a 10,000-hour airframe.  

Block III’s new adjunct processor translates to a fighter that will do more work and in far less time increasing a pilot’s situational awareness. The jet is ready to receive apps-based solutions that will allow upgrades to the aircraft throughout its life span.  

“We invested in Block III technology and developed the capabilities in partnership with the U.S. Navy to meet its emerging requirements,” said Jen Tebo, Boeing vice president of F/A-18 and EA-18G programs. “The hardware upgrades are complete. Today we are maximizing the open hardware and software and developing the apps to keep Block III ahead of future threats. We are giving Navy pilots the tools to make the fastest and most informed decisions possible now and in the future.” 

Boeing will continue to deliver Block III capabilities to the Navy through the mid-2030s from three lines. One new build production, and two Service Life Modification lines extending the life and eventually upgrading Block II Super Hornets to Block III. The first aircraft delivered will complete the U.S. Navy flight test program before deploying to a squadron. 

BRAINTREE, Mass. — Ultra Electronics Ocean Systems (d.b.a Ultra Naval Systems & Sensors), has been awarded a $23.2 million fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost only modification to a previously awarded contract to exercise options for the production of Mk54 Mod 0 lightweight torpedo (LWT) array kits, associated production support material, spares and engineering and hardware support services, the company said in a Sept. 27 release.  

This contract combines purchases for the U.S. government, and the governments of the Netherlands, Belgium, New Zealand, Spain, and Brazil under the Foreign Military Sales program. This is option year three of the Mk54 Mod 0 LWT array kits program to supply array nose assembly kits. 

“As we continue to provide critical components of the MK54 lightweight torpedo, we understand the ongoing need to deliver reliable and effective undersea warfare capabilities to meet the anti-submarine warfare needs of U.S. and allied fleets,” said Martin Lewis, president of Naval Systems and Sensors. 

The Advanced Naval Technology Exercise – Coastal Trident 2021 Open House is taking place this week at the NavalX Fathomwerx Laboratory at the Port of Hueneme to examine innovative solutions for port and maritime security. Fathomwerx is a partner-run facility with the Naval Surface Warfare Center Port Hueneme Division (NSWC PHD), the Port of Hueneme, Economic Development Collaborative and Matter Labs.

According to NSWC PHD’s Brendan Applegate, the director for the exercise, Coastal Trident is an operational research program conducted to advance the state of the art in countering threats to port and maritime security and the global operations of naval forces. “ANTX-Coastal Trident is not just a Navy exercise, but rather a ‘whole of government’ effort to bring together involve non-DoD federal, state and local government partners, as well as academia and industry to respond to maritime security threats and incidents in port and coastal waters,” he said. “Coastal Trident combines scenario-based training, technical demonstration, field experimentation, and exercise activities, and involves the participation of more than 150 public and private sector organizations.”

Hybrid Event

Although teams will be conducting demonstrations throughout the week, the “kick-off” virtual event conducted via Zoom on Sept. 22 provided an overview of the Coastal Trident program and featured presentations by the operational stakeholders.

Participants representing stakeholders from Naval Surface Warfare Center, Naval Facilities Engineering and Research, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Department of Homeland Security and Naval Agility provided perspectives on the science and technology (S&T), research and development (R&D) and warfighter communities to communicate the “pull” from the warfighter, provide guidance and alignment for organizations, companies and academia seeking to develop and transition their technical solutions.

The Sept. 23 sessions in-person “open house” at the Fathomwerx facility focused on engagement between operational and technical stakeholders, with presentations on some of the project demonstrations conducted at the Port of Hueneme and at Fathomwerx. Solution providers also had an opportunity to follow up on the technical needs shared during the first day, and to propose solutions and discuss collaborations for future ANTX-Coastal Trident projects.

Applegate said many of the small companies participating in Coastal Trident do not have an adequate understanding of the Navy and its operational requirements or who would best benefit from their technologies.

“We have an environment where we can get a lot of organizations together to look at the technologies from a number of different perspectives, so there are more paths to success,” he said.” We can introduce our participants to all the different parties, the companies that are developing the technology, people who are going to use it, the program offices that are going to help acquire it, and the people that are going to be part of the logistics and sustainment pipeline. So, the goal is to bring all those people together in some form or another throughout the process.”

Coastal Trident takes advantage of the facilities and capabilities of NSWC PHD and Ventura TechBridge to support high-velocity learning and accelerate development, evaluation and identification of technology implementation to support naval forces with in-service engineering, maintenance and supportability; sensor data fusion, maritime communications and decision support; multi-spectral sensing, augmented (AR) and virtual reality (VR) and digital engineering; and unmanned systems (UxS) applications and countermeasures.

This year, the exercise is examining the operational and technical capabilities of port and maritime security organizations to counter asymmetric threats to the U.S. Marine Transportation Systems (MTS) and its associated personnel, operations, and critical infrastructure.

A number of teams have been working on their projects for many months, and may continue to leverage the knowledge and experience gained as a result of working together during ANTX.

“This event is the culmination of a lot of effort, but it’s just a part of the picture. We’ve been conducting experiments since May. We have 55 different projects, with about 850 people from 160 different organizations, that are part of the program this year,” Applegate said.

Team Entangles Target

In one scenario at the Port of Hueneme, for example, a team employed asmall unmanned vessel as a force multiplier to provide an initial response to a threat.

“The goal of our team is to detect and engage a high-speed leisure craft entering a security zone ‘on the plane’ without damage to the vessel or occupants,” said Matthew Searle, chief technology officer Marine Arresting Technologies (MAT) of Tarpon Springs, Florida. Our objective is to determine tactics, techniques and procedures for the use of unmanned platforms to deploy non-kinetic effectors, including launch and recovery procedures, the ability to maneuver and deploy payload, and to investigate if speed and stability of the platform is practical in a port environment.”

Working with MAT is SpotterRF of Provo, Utah, which is using its small radar to track targets and pass information to the command and control (C2) hub provided by Houston-based ION, which is demonstrating effective data fusion and tracking and intercepts of fast-moving targets.

In the actual demonstration at the entrance to the Port of Hueneme, the target — a Navy High-Speed Maneuvering Surface Target (HSMST) boat — was detected by the SpotterRF radar, queuing the ION C2 system, which directed the launch of the Theiss UAV and autonomously sent it to deploy the MAT drogue line ahead of the HSMST, which entangled the boat’s propulsion and slowed it, effectively allowing time for security personnel to respond, and preventing or disrupting the intrusion.

The demonstration took place during intermittent thick fog at the harbor entrance. The radar was not only able to track the boat, but also differentiate between the drone, sea birds, floating objects in the water and pedestrians on the shore, and track them all continuously.

For the demonstration, MAT fitted the UAV with a composite canister with a command-initiated life jacket air flask to inflate an airbag that discharges the arresting line in front of the vessel. The UAV can be recovered and the system reloaded for subsequent missions.

According to Ken Gardner, SpotterRF business development manager, the SpotterRF C550 perimeter surveillance radar has a range of about 1.5 kilometers, weighs 3.5 pounds and is about the size of a laptop computer (although the company has larger and smaller models), and multiple sensors can work together to cover larger areas. It can be set up or taken down in minutes, and is powered by regular 117-volt AC current or a small 24-hour battery.

Dave Gentle from ION said the input from the radar was fed into the C2 system which uses ION’s Marlin platform technology to plan and execute the missions for the UAV to autonomously deploy the arresting line and return.

SpotterRF CEO Frank Cristophersen said the ANTX provided a valuable opportunity to bring together a team to collaborate and demonstrate a creative technology solution, with the Navy providing targets, instrumentation and observers from the warfare centers and other organizations that otherwise would not be available to the individual companies.

LOCKPORT, La. — Bollinger Shipyards LLC announced on Sept. 24 that all 11 of its facilities are now open and operational following Hurricane Ida’s landfall last month near Port Fourchon, Louisiana, as a powerful Category 4 storm. Bollinger’s facilities in Port Fourchon, Larose, Lockport and Houma suffered significant damage as a result of the storm, which tied with last year’s Hurricane Laura and the Last Island Hurricane of 1856 as the strongest on record in Louisiana. 

“Despite the devastation and loss suffered throughout South Louisiana, the community has rallied and today we’re proud to welcome our workforce back to our yards across the state. This would not have been possible without the help of our employees, vendors, municipalities and our utility providers Entergy and SLECA,” said Bollinger President and CEO Ben Bordelon. “Each year brings a new storm season and, with it, its own unique set of challenges — this year has been no different. But to know our workers is to understand the strength and resiliency of the Cajun people. I’m incredibly proud of our workforce for their dedication to getting all of our facilities back up and running safely so that we can continue delivering for our customers. In spite of record storms or the ongoing COVID‐19 global pandemic, America’s maritime defense industrial base is unmovable.” 

In advance of the storm, Bollinger took steps to mitigate potential damages to its facilities and any resulting delays to its production schedules. Despite damages sustained to Bollinger’s Lockport facility, the 650‐man production line for the U.S. Coast Guard Fast Response Cutter program has resumed operations and Bollinger is on track to deliver the next vessel ahead of schedule. 

Following the storm, the first priority for Bollinger leadership was to ensure the safety of company employees and their families, which are all safe and accounted for. A number of employees lost their homes and personal property. Many remain without access to electricity and running water. To ensure that all employees would be taken care of, Bollinger established the Bollinger Employee Relief Fund to help cover qualified essential and emergency needs of employees throughout the recovery process. The fund is administered by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, a leader in providing disaster relief. 

“In the immediate aftermath of the storm, I was overwhelmed by both the stories of devastation and loss from our community, as well as the offers of support from friends, vendors, customers and others all across the country,” Bordelon said. “When my grandfather founded this company 75 years ago, he knew that taking care of employees and treating them like family was critical to ultimately delivering quality products to our customers. That’s why creating the Employee Relief Fund was a no‐brainer. It was the right thing to do and we’ll continue to put our employees first — it’s in our company’s DNA.” 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The chief of Space Operations announced the transfer of Army and Navy satellite communications billets, funding and mission responsibility to the U.S. Space Force, according to a Defense Department release. 

Space Force Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond made the announcement at the Air Force Association meeting in Washington, yesterday. The transfers are scheduled to be effective Oct. 1, 2021, if the DoD budget is passed and signed. 

“We’re one team with our sister services, and over the last year and a half we have worked with the Army and the Navy and the Air Force to determine which capabilities come over to the Space Force,” Raymond said. “The intent was to consolidate [and] increase our operational capability, increase our readiness and do so in a more efficient manner.” 

The changes are “a first tranche,” he said. 

This is the latest step in building the new service. The idea behind the U.S. Space Force was “to create a unity of effort around our space enterprise,” said Space Force Lt. Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, the service’s deputy chief of space operations for operations, cyber and nuclear. Simply forming the service made the idea of looking for efficiencies possible.  

“We need to create this unity of effort around our space missions, to ensure we’re up to those challenges that we face, because the space domain has rapidly become far more congested, and far more contested than … when I was a lieutenant or a captain operating space capabilities,” Saltzman said.  

The performance of satellite communications will be enhanced by this sort of unity of effort. 

On the Navy side, the Navy’s narrow band satellite constellation will transfer 76 manpower authorizations to the Space Force, as well as 13 satellites — a mix of the new multi-user objective system and the ultra-high-frequency follow-on satellite constellation. 

The U.S. Army will transfer roughly $78 million of operations, maintenance and manpower authorizations. This will include five wideband SATCOM operations centers and four regional SATCOM support centers. This will affect about 500 manpower authorizations. 

All told, 15 global units with 319 military and 259 civilian billets from the Army and Navy combined will transfer to the Space Force.  

These are crucial defense capabilities. The units can’t stop just because the function is transferring to the Space Force. The capabilities are needed 24/7 and they will be, Saltzman said. 

The move puts basically all of the DoD’s narrowband, wideband and protected SATCOM under control of U.S. Space Force. “Now all of that — training, operations, acquisition and sustainment and follow-on activities, user allocations — all of that, will be consolidated under the Space Force to create that unity of effort, and hopefully gain the ability to be more resilient, more dynamic and ultimately more efficient with that mission set,” Saltzman said. 

The Soldiers, Sailors and Army and Navy civilians are not obligated to move to Space Force. There is a process and those involved must volunteer to move. For civilians, the process is relatively easy — simply moving from an Army or Navy system to becoming Department of the Air Force employees. For Soldiers and Sailors, this requires release by their respective services and acceptance by the Space Force.