WEBVTT

00:07.960 --> 00:09.960
Dr . Troy Mink was confirmed by the

00:09.960 --> 00:12.127
Senate as the twenty-seventh Secretary

00:12.127 --> 00:14.127
of the Air Force , the department's

00:14.127 --> 00:16.016
highest ranking civilian leader .

00:16.016 --> 00:18.182
During his confirmation hearing , Ming

00:18.182 --> 00:20.460
said , My priority will be to organize ,

00:20.460 --> 00:22.571
train and equip the Department of the

00:22.571 --> 00:24.682
Air Force . They had lethality needed

00:24.682 --> 00:26.904
to deter all potential aggressors and ,

00:26.904 --> 00:29.204
if necessary , when in . Mink has over

00:29.204 --> 00:31.215
36 years of service , including the

00:31.215 --> 00:33.437
positions of director , executive agent

00:33.437 --> 00:35.493
for space staff and director Signals

00:35.493 --> 00:37.437
Intelligence Systems acquisition ,

00:37.437 --> 00:39.659
National Reconnaissance Office . He has

00:39.659 --> 00:41.771
been awarded 3 patents and designed ,

00:41.771 --> 00:43.604
built , and flown 2 experimental

00:43.604 --> 00:45.826
aircraft , as well as authored articles

00:45.826 --> 00:48.048
in professional journals and conference

00:48.048 --> 00:50.104
publications . The Department of the

00:50.104 --> 00:52.326
Air Force has begun grounds testing for

00:52.326 --> 00:54.215
the collaborative Combat aircraft

00:54.215 --> 00:55.993
program at Bue Air Force Base ,

00:55.993 --> 00:57.882
California . Collaborative Combat

00:57.882 --> 01:00.104
Aircraft , or CCA , are uncrewed weapon

01:00.104 --> 01:02.215
systems designed to operate alongside

01:02.215 --> 01:04.104
crude aircraft . Assessments will

01:04.104 --> 01:06.159
validate the performance of . System

01:06.159 --> 01:08.104
inform future design decisions and

01:08.104 --> 01:10.215
prepare them for flight testing later

01:10.215 --> 01:12.437
this year . The program is vital to the

01:12.437 --> 01:12.120
Air Force's broader shift towards

01:12.120 --> 01:14.160
scalable force packages and human

01:14.160 --> 01:16.049
machine teaming , marking a major

01:16.049 --> 01:18.104
milestone in the effort to integrate

01:18.104 --> 01:20.049
autonomous systems into the future

01:20.049 --> 01:22.529
force . Air guard units and civilian

01:22.529 --> 01:24.418
flight crews wrapped up a week of

01:24.418 --> 01:26.529
modular airborne firefighting systems

01:26.529 --> 01:28.640
or MAFs , aerial wildfire suppression

01:28.640 --> 01:30.418
training at Channel Islands Air

01:30.418 --> 01:32.529
National Guard Station , California .

01:32.529 --> 01:34.473
The training re-certified military

01:34.473 --> 01:36.529
C-130 Hercules aircrews and civilian

01:36.529 --> 01:38.696
forces , ensuring wildfire suppression

01:38.696 --> 01:40.751
efforts continue when commercial air

01:40.751 --> 01:42.696
tankers . are not available . MAPS

01:42.696 --> 01:44.696
units are loaded into the back of a

01:44.696 --> 01:46.918
C-130 Hercules , equipping the aircraft

01:46.918 --> 01:48.918
with the ability to drop up to 3000

01:48.918 --> 01:50.973
gallons of fire retardant across the

01:50.973 --> 01:53.085
quarter mile in less than 5 seconds ,

01:53.085 --> 01:54.973
providing critical surge capacity

01:54.973 --> 01:57.140
during peak wildfire activity . That's

01:57.140 --> 01:59.196
your look around the Air Force . I'm

01:59.196 --> 01:58.849
Staff Sergeant Katherine Winchell .