New Covers of Air & Space Forces Magazine

Air & Space Forces Magazine is the monthly journal of the Air & Space Forces Association and among the world’s foremost publications on defense, aerospace, and airpower. We cover Air and Space operations, programs, technology, as well as its people and history. Air & Space Forces​ Magazine is an authoritative source for insight and analysis about airpower, spacepower, and U.S. and allied defense strategy.

The new cover of Air & Space Forces Magazine.

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Inside the Air Force’s Newest SOF Career: 

Special Reconnaissance

By David Roza

Special Reconnaissance Airmen are trained to collect intelligence for airpower planners with a wide range of tools, from ghillie suits to small drones and cyber warfare.

Another New B-21 Photo Shows Mysterious Vertical Features

By John A. Tirpak

New images of the secretive B-21 bomber undergoing engine runs and taxi tests outside Northrop Grumman’s facilities in Palmdale, Calif., show vertical features that have industry experts scratching their heads regarding some prominent elements.

USAF’s New Chief: Allvin Confirmed as Air Force’s 23rd Chief of Staff

By Greg Hadley and Chris Gordon

The Senate confirmed Gen. David W. Allvin as the 23rd Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force on Nov. 2, elevating him from the acting role he has held since Oct. 1. Allvin has extensive operational and staff background and commanded at the squadron, wing, and operations center levels. "In today’s dynamic environment, our service faces both significant challenges and tremendous opportunities—the world’s greatest Air Force will meet them head-on just as innovative Airmen have done for generations," Allvin said in a statement.

Space Force Plans 21 National Security Launches in 2024

By Unshin Lee Harpley

The Space Force aims to boost its National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program from 12 launches in fiscal 2023 to 21 missions in 2024, with United Launch Alliance (ULA) responsible for 11 missions and SpaceX handling 10.

Radar Sweep

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Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief on the Breakthrough He Needs to Beat Russia

The Economist

Five months into its counteroffensive, Ukraine has managed to advance by just 17 kilometers. Sharing his first comprehensive assessment of the campaign with The Economist in an interview, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, says the battlefield reminds him of the great conflict of a century ago. 

“Just like in the First World War we have reached the level of technology that puts us into a stalemate,” he says.

Top Ukrainian General’s Gloomy View of Russia War Fuels Military Aid Debate

POLITICO

A top Ukrainian general’s assessment that the war with Russia is a stalemate is fueling partisan passions as a debate on whether to bolster Kyiv with more weapons roils Congress. 

The stunning admission by Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, is reverberating on Capitol Hill—where Republicans are arguing his comments are a reason to rethink America’s as-long-as-it-takes support for Kyiv.

Russia’s Wagner Group Plans to Send Air Defenses to Hezbollah, US Says

The Wall Street Journal

Wagner Group, the Russian paramilitary organization, plans to provide an air defense system to Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia, U.S. officials say, citing intelligence. 

• The Russian SA-22 system they plan to send uses antiaircraft missiles and air defense guns to intercept aircraft.

‘He Understood Me’: Death of China’s Former Premier Sparks Mourning—and a Way to Air Frustration With Xi Era

CNN

The sudden death of China’s former premier Li Keqiang has spurred an outpouring of grief and mourning across the country. But for many, it also appears to offer a rare opening to air pent-up discontent with top leader Xi Jinping and the direction he has taken the country.

Pentagon Debuts New Data and AI Strategy After Biden’s Executive Order

Defense News

The U.S. Department of Defense released a new strategy on its use of data analytics and artificial intelligence as it pushes for additional investment in AI, advanced pattern recognition, and autonomous technologies including drones.

House Approves Nearly $14.5 Billion in Military Aid for Israel. Biden Vows to Veto the GOP Approach

Associated Press

The House approved a nearly $14.5 billion military aid package Nov. 2 for Israel, a muscular U.S. response to the war with Hamas but also a partisan approach by new Speaker Mike Johnson that poses a direct challenge to Democrats and President Joe Biden. In a departure from norms, Johnson’s package required that the emergency aid be offset with cuts in government spending elsewhere.

Israel Uses F-35I to Shoot Down Cruise Missile, a First for Joint Strike Fighter

Breaking Defense

The Israel Defense Forces said that it used F-35I Adir fighter jets to shoot down a cruise missile this week, the first known cruise missile intercept by the American-made stealth fighter.

Air Force Officer Accused of Threatening to Shoot Airline Captain Fought Military's COVID Vaccine Mandate to Supreme Court

Military.com

A former Air Force officer who challenged the Pentagon's COVID-19 vaccine mandate all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court has been accused of threatening to shoot the captain of a Delta Air Lines flight while serving as the co-pilot.

ONE MORE THING

Network NFL Pregame Show to Broadcast Live from Air Force Academy on Veterans Day Weekend

Colorado Springs Gazette

Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Michael Strahan, Jimmie Johnson, and the rest of the Fox NFL Sunday crew are coming to the Air Force Academy for a live broadcast. The NFL pregame show will air live from the terrazzo in the cadet area at the academy on Nov. 12 as part of the show’s longtime tradition of traveling to military locations to honor Veterans Day.

POLITICO: The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics | By POLITICO STAFF 11/03/2023 05:00 AM EDT

CARTOON CAROUSEL

The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics

Every week political cartoonists throughout the country and across the political spectrum apply their ink-stained skills to capture the foibles, memes, hypocrisies and other head-slapping events in the world of politics. The fruits of these labors are hundreds of cartoons that entertain and enrage readers of all political stripes. Here's an offering of the best of this week's crop, picked fresh off the Toonosphere. Edited by Matt Wuerker.

By POLITICO STAFF

 

11/03/2023 05:00 AM EDT

Israel’s Hannibal Directive

 Where does it get its name?

The origins of the directive’s name are disputed, with some sources saying it is named after a Carthaginian general who chose to poison himself instead of falling captive to the Romans in 181 BC.

• Israeli military officials, however, have said that a computer randomly generated the name.

Features

What’s Israel’s Hannibal Directive? A former IDF soldier tells all

The controversial policy to avoid the capture of Israeli soldiers isn’t formally in place now. But echoes persist in the war in Gaza, say some analysts.

Al Jazeera

9 hours ago

What’s Israel’s Hannibal Directive? A former IDF soldier tells all

Watch

Uploaded: Nov 3, 2023

The controversial policy to avoid capture of Israeli soldiers isn’t formally in place now. But echoes persist in Gaza.

Israeli soldiers prepare for ground manoeuvres at an undisclosed location near the border with Gaza [Hannibal Hanschke/EPA-EFE]

By Urooba Jamal

Published On 3 Nov 20233 Nov 2023

Yehuda Shaul describes his three years of service with the Israeli military, from 2001 to 2004, as the “most violent period” of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict up to that point.
The second Intifada (2000-2005), or Palestinian uprising, was at its crescendo and then-18-year-old Shaul was an infantry combat soldier; later, he was promoted to commander. The Jerusalem born and bred paratrooper served in the occupied West Bank for two years, and for a third year was stationed at Israel’s border with Lebanon.

KEEP READING

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Israeli troops push into Gaza as war enters ‘second stage’

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Netanyahu apologises for blaming security chiefs for Hamas attack failures

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Joy and horror as communications come back on in the Gaza Strip

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Now 41, Shaul is a co-founder of the Israeli NGO Breaking the Silence, the first such organisation of Israeli military veterans calling for an end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.

• It was during his time stationed at the border with Lebanon that Shaul was first told about the Hannibal Directive, a former controversial Israeli military policy aimed at preventing the capture of Israeli soldiers by enemy forces – at any cost.
• Israel last invoked it in 2014 during the war on Gaza that year, according to leaked military audio recordings, though the army denied it had used the doctrine. 
• Dozens of Palestinians were killed in the Israeli bombardment that followed, sparking accusations of war crimes against the Israeli army.

But to Shaul, the Hannibal Directive made sense as a soldier of war.

So what exactly is it? And is the directive – which Israel is believed to have suspended in 2016 – relevant to Israel’s current bombardment of Gaza that has killed more than 9,000 people? 

• The bombing followed the October 7 attack by Hamas on southern Israel in which more than 1,400 people were killed and at least 200 Israelis – including soldiers and civilians – were taken captive.

Video Duration 47 minutes 30 seconds47:30

The Hannibal Directive - Featured Documentary

What is the Hannibal Directive?

The directive, also known as the Hannibal Procedure or Hannibal Protocol, is an Israeli military policy that stipulates the use of maximum force in the event of a soldier being kidnapped, said Shaul.

Read more >> Al Jazeera

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