Category: Security

Source: United States Airforce

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —  

Qilin Wu, a Chinese national who returned to Whiteman Air Force Base after being warned not to photograph the installation, was sentenced to six months in federal custody following a case built on a 76-year-old executive order signed by President Harry Truman.

The conviction showed how a Cold War-era legal framework can be used against repeated, unauthorized photography around sensitive military installations, and how Special Agents will investigate similar cases before they develop into something more.

“For our Special Agents, this isn’t about a single case,” said Col. David Bethel, commander of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations Region 8. “It’s about recognizing that the operating environment has changed.”

Bethel was referring to a shift from clear-cut threats in overseas environments to more ambiguous activity around military installations inside the United States. In Wu’s case, investigators said the concern was not just his camera, but that he returned after being warned and photographed more than the aircraft.

That conduct ultimately led to an investigation, guilty plea and sentencing. After the hearing, held earlier last month, the court remanded Wu to the U.S. Marshals Service. He was later processed on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer and will be deported to China.

“When someone gathers information around a sensitive military installation, AFOSI has the tools to hold them accountable,” Bethel said.

The encounter began on Dec. 2, 2025, when members of the 509th Security Forces Squadron responded to a report of a suspicious minivan near Whiteman’s perimeter. Wu, who was driving a vehicle with Massachusetts license plates, said he had come to observe the B-2.

“What made this different was the pattern of behavior,” said a senior AFOSI official involved in the investigation. Wu’s return after the warning, along with his focus on the base’s perimeter and infrastructure, heightened concerns.

Wu later admitted to photographing aircraft and installations at other U.S. military bases, including locations in Florida and Virginia.

Section 795 of Title 18, together with Executive Order 10104, prohibits unauthorized photographs, sketches, maps and other visual representations of designated military installations, aircraft, weapons and equipment requiring protection from the general dissemination of information.

AFOSI officials said the law provides authorities with a means to address unauthorized photography involving protected military property. In Wu’s case, investigators focused on his repeated conduct, his return after being warned and the subjects captured in his photographs.

Officials said the case also demonstrates the importance of coordination between installation security forces and federal investigators when suspicious activity is reported near sensitive military facilities.

AFOSI will continue to identify, assess and investigate suspected unauthorized photography around protected installations and equipment, officials said, while evaluating each incident based on its specific facts and circumstances.

For Bethel, the case highlights the agency’s role in protecting the homeland.

“Det. 811’s work delivered strategic deterrence,” he said. “This case reflects AFOSI’s professionalism, integration and operational discipline required to defend our installations in an increasingly complex threat environment.”

Note: Some AFOSI personnel and mission partners are not identified by name in this article to protect operational security, personal privacy and ongoing mission readiness.

Source: United States Airforce

Orlando, Fla. (AFNS) —  

Under Secretary of the Air Force Matt Lohmeier implored Airmen to pursue continuous personal growth, authentic leadership and intentional intellectual development during a keynote address at the Air Force Sergeants Association Professional Airmen’s Conference.

Lohmeier turned directly to the leader he would later share the stage with for a question-and-answer session: Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David R. Wolfe. As he centered his remarks on the third edition of Wolfe’s “Why Series” essay on deliberate learning, integrating his own thoughts to illustrate why the Chief’s message resonated deeply with him.

Reading Wolfe’s words aloud to the crowded forum, Lohmeier highlighted a central premise that he believes defines modern military readiness.

“The most decisive advantage is no longer just physical or technological; it’s cognitive,” Lohmeier said, quoting Wolfe’s text. “For members of the United States Air Force, the mind isn’t simply a supporting asset; it’s a primary weapon system, and like any weapon system, it must be deliberately developed, maintained, and strengthened.”

While acknowledging the military’s ongoing efforts to train and adapt to artificial intelligence, Lohmeier put a finer, more human point on the cognitive domain.

“AI will soon do things that even some of our best minds cannot,” Lohmeier said. “But your minds, your values, and your psyche should be capable of doing things that AI will never accomplish. If we fail to do that, then we are failing as an Air Force, as an institution, and as human beings.”

Lohmeier’s insights are informed by his routine of breaking bread with frontline Airmen during installation visits. Meeting small groups of junior enlisted members for a lunch or breakfast session allows him to use those forums to gather feedback to carry back to the senior leadership team in the Pentagon.

“Overwhelmingly, I have received positive feedback from our youngest Airmen about the NCOs that they work with, our senior NCOs, and their chain of command,” Lohmeier shared. “One of the things I’ve learned in my time meeting with these Airmen is that they resonate with authentic leadership. They crave authenticity in the workplace. When they get it, they respond appropriately, and they’ll give you everything that they have to solve the tough challenges we’re facing.”

To illustrate what it means to lead authentically and from the front, Lohmeier—a former fighter pilot and Space Force officer—shared a lighthearted but pointed anecdote from a recent physical training session with student pilots at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma.

After a PT session, Lohmeier challenged the attendees to face him in a pull-up competition. Knowing he was facing a younger, more fit Airman, Lohmeier humorously admitted that he turned to “psychological warfare.” He insisted they both jump onto the bar at the same time, allowing Lohmeier to control the pacing.

In Lohmeier’s recounting of the challenge, he described inserting long, agonizing pauses in the hang position and asking his competitor mid-pull-up if he could perform behind-the-neck variations to break his opponent’s focus. His opponent dropped off the bar just one repetition shy of the Under Secretary.

“I share that to say that I think they’re inspired by your examples,” Lohmeier told the conference attendees. “Our Airmen do best when they’re led by NCOs and senior NCOs who are out leading in the front. You need to hold them accountable to the standards that we’ve set. It has to do with leaders and how they lead, serve, and set an example.”

Reading as an act of service

A self-described avid reader, Lohmeier joked that younger Airmen are “big video gamers, but they’re not big readers.” He challenged the audience to reframe reading from a passive, box-checking activity into a critical component of combat readiness and moral character.

He argued that intellectual discipline is directly tied to the Air Force’s first core value: Integrity First.

“Without this disciplined effort to read deeply, it’s not entirely possible to become the most authentic version of yourself,” Lohmeier explained. “If you’ve not accomplished the work that is necessary to fully develop yourself and fully discover and ground yourself in the values that define you, how can you ever truly have integrity? Rigorous study isn’t just about intellectual stimulation; it’s about values, about character development, and about pursuing the best version of yourself as you lean forward and serve others.”

Lohmeier emphasized that this intellectual preparation is the foundation of military resilience, providing the mental clarity required to withstand disinformation campaigns from adversaries who seek to exploit fear, anger, and historical ignorance.

“As leaders, our job is to foster a culture that values and makes room for continuous learning,” Lohmeier said. “Organizations that encourage Airmen to invest in their cognitive readiness create a force that is agile, innovative, and prepared—transforming learning from an individual effort into shared strength.”

Following his prepared remarks, Lohmeier was joined on stage by Wolfe for a fireside chat, during which, Wolfe tacked onto the theme of reading, officially announcing the release of his latest reading list, the CMSAF Leadership Library: August 2026.

Lohmeier closed his remarks by giving the conferencegoers a reminder of their influence on the future of the force.

“You are the beating heart of the Air Force,” Lohmeier said. “If I questioned it before this job—and I really didn’t, because I was a squadron commander once too, I truly do believe that you are the beating heart. Your leadership is important, and your personal development is absolutely important as we try and shape the minds and hearts of those that you lead and serve.”

Source: United States Airforce

JOINT BASE LINDSEY GRAHAM, S.C. (AFNS) —  

Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, became Joint Base Lindsey Graham during a ceremony Aug. 10 to rename the installation after the late senator, Air Force veteran and South Carolina native son.

 

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth joined South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and Sen. Darline Graham of South Carolina to dedicate the 32-square-mile installation, home to the 437th Airlift Wing, which provides global airlift capability to the joint force with the C-17A Globemaster III aircraft.

 

Lindsey Graham served as a U.S. senator from South Carolina from January 2003 until his passing July 11. He also served as a lawyer and commissioned officer in the Air Force’s Judge Advocate General Corps, first on active duty from 1982 until 1988, then as a member of the South Carolina Air National Guard until 1995 and finally, in the Air Force Reserve until 2015.

“Sen. Lindsey Graham dedicated his life to serving this state and serving the armed forces of the United States,” Hegseth said. “He served this nation both in uniform and in both houses of Congress. … But in both capacities, it was always the same mission. He knew the timeless truth that to ensure peace, we must be prepared for war. Protect your people, protect your state, protect your sovereignty, or you will lose it to someone else who is willing to take it from you.”

Hegseth said he first met Graham as a young first lieutenant in the Army. Hegseth had returned from Iraq and had aligned himself with a veterans group called “Vets for Freedom.”

“[We] believed in the surge in Iraq and advocating for the troops on the ground,” he said. “We were a young, scrappy veterans’ organization with no money and no access and connections.”

 

Only one senator, Graham, was willing to meet with Hegseth and other representatives of the group.

 

“He welcomed us into his conference room, sat us down as a bunch of lieutenants and [noncommissioned officers] and others around the table — fresh back from Iraq — who wanted the right strategy,” Hegseth said. “He said, ‘Gentlemen, welcome to a place where you can still say the word victory.’ He believed in mission success; he believed in the troops; he believed in giving the troops everything they needed.”

In later years, Hegseth said he recalled mentioning to Graham that he was now serving as an instructor at a counterinsurgency school in Kabul, Afghanistan.

“I had mentioned that we … could give him an update on what the Taliban was up to,” he said. “Sure enough, during his reserve duty, there he was — jet-lagged as all hell — because that man had a schedule like nobody else. But he was there to hear from us because he wanted his ear to the ground from the troops on what was actually happening in the war in Afghanistan.”

Just weeks before the senator’s passing, Hegseth said he met with Graham to discuss the War Department budget — the current request, $1.5 trillion, is the largest in U.S. history. The senator showed his commitment to troops there, too.

“[He asked], ‘Mr. Secretary, what do you need for reconciliation?'” Hegseth said.

Hegseth said he discussed with Graham that he thought the department needed $1.15 trillion in the base budget and $350 billion in reconciliation to get to the needed $1.5 trillion total budget.

 

“He looked at me and said, ‘How’s $355 billion sound to you?'” Hegseth said. “He wanted to give even more than $350 [billion]. He wanted to ensure our military was as equipped as humanly possible, because he was thinking of places like this one right here.”

Graham, Hegseth said, knew what was needed to keep America safe.

“I saw firsthand as a young first lieutenant, as a captain in a combat zone and as a secretary, the unwavering commitment of Lindsey Graham,” Hegseth said. “He knew that if you’re going to seek peace, you have to be prepared for war. You have to have a prepared military. He talked the talk, and he walked the walk.”

Darline Graham took on his role as senator following her brother’s passing. She said he was proud of his service in the Air Force.

“What an honor for my brother, and what a tribute to his 33 years of service,” Graham said. “Lindsey loved the Air Force. He loved its mission. He loved wearing the uniform of his country. His interest in foreign affairs and national security started with his service in the Air Force.”

 

 

Lindsey Graham initially served in state government as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives. Later, from 1995 to 2003, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing South Carolina’s 2nd District. And finally, he served as a U.S. senator from South Carolina, beginning in 2003.

 

“It was sometimes hard to tell if Lindsey was a senator who happened to serve in the Air Force or an Air Force lawyer who happened to serve in the Senate,” his sister said. “Such was his love for both. That’s the man this base is named after — a man who loved his country, loved his state and loved the United States Air Force. I could not be more honored or humbled for him to be recognized in such a fashion for his lifetime of service.”

Following the renaming of the installation, Hegseth met with Airmen assigned to the 437th Airlift Wing as well as other troops on the installation who had been involved with Operation Epic Fury, the mission to destroy Iranian offensive missiles and missile production, as well as the Iranian navy and other security infrastructure.

While meeting with airmen, the secretary discussed the importance of logistics. He commended them on their improvements to logistics capabilities and how their unit is contributing to the modernization of the U.S. military.

“Look at what the 437th is doing as the premier maneuver force for the C-17A modernization: leading operational testing for things like palletized munitions, drastically increasing our airborne munitions capacity in future conflicts,” he said. “I’ve been watching. I read the reports of how you iterate, do things faster in congested logistics. It’s incredible, the backbone of what you have enabled in the theater.”

Logistics, Hegseth said, is how wars are won, adding that it’s airmen at Joint Base Lindsey Graham who are making that happen.

“The secret sauce of any successful mission — whether it’s Epic Fury, Southern Spear, Midnight Hammer, Absolute Resolve, Hawkeye Strike, you name it — are the logistics behind it,” he said. “That’s the genius of the United States military.”

The secretary said it’s the strategic lift, the U.S. Transportation Command, logistics, how the U.S. moves things, people, munitions and capabilities that make a difference.

 

“No one else can touch it, not even close,” Hegseth said, adding that, “All of it is enabled by all of you, incredible Americans at the top of your game, at the prime of your life. … I consider all of you the real 1%, the real elite who give absolutely everything.”