Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Jan. 30, 2020

View in your Web Browser: [link removed]
Edited by Amy McCullough with Rachel S. Cohen, Brian W. Everstine and John A. Tirpak

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[ Advertisement ]
[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DOD Identifies Airmen Killed in E-11 Crash
By Brian W. Everstine

The Pentagon on Jan. 29 identified the two airmen killed in the Jan. 27 crash of
an E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communications Node aircraft in eastern
Afghanistan. They were: Lt. Col. Paul K. Voss, 46, of Yigo, Guam, and Capt. Ryan
S. Phaneuf, 30, of Hudson, N.H. The E-11A went down in Ghazni Province and
officials have said there is no indications the incident was caused by enemy
fire. US forces recovered their remains from the crash site on Jan. 28, and
destroyed the aircraft.

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hyten Offers Peek Into Space Force Budget Deliberations
By Rachel S. Cohen

Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. John Hyten on Jan. 29 provided a
nugget of insight into how the Pentagon will structure its first budget request
for the Space Force since the new service was created in December, saying the
process will shed light on previously hidden parts of the military space
enterprise. Setting up a budget that adequately reflects the Defense
Department’s space investments will be one of the hardest challenges for the
military as it stands up the Space Force, Hyten said at an Air Force Association
breakfast on Capitol Hill.

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[ Advertisement ]
Empowering Disaster Response and Recovery From Space
When a natural disaster or emergency occur, an immediate and seamless response is necessary to
save lives. Operational and situational awareness becomes increasingly important to responders.
If critical infrastructure is down in the disaster zone, then the systems and networks required for
powering the relief efforts are compromised. Ground operations must look to space to solve their
communication needs. Read the full story.
[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Air Force Starts F-15EX Buying Process
By John A. Tirpak

With two pre-solicitations, the Air Force has begun the process of buying the
first eight F-15EX fighters, meant to complement the existing fleet of aging
F-15C/D fighters. The new jets will have General Electric F110-129 engines, and
USAF is also looking to "refresh" its F-15C/Ds as well.

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

March ARB to House US Evacuees from China for Coronavirus Quarantine
By Brian W. Everstine

March ARB, Calif., will help with the quarantine of Americans evacuated from
Wuhan, China, after the outbreak of the Coronavirus, the Pentagon announced Jan.
29. The base will house almost 200 US citizens—Department of State employees,
dependents, and other Americans—who left the country this week. The Department
of Health and Human Services will quarantine and evaluate personnel. Military
personnel will not be in direct contact with the evacuees, and they will not
have access to any base location other than assigned housing.

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[ Advertisement ]
[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DOD Updates Total Number of TBIs from Al-Asad Attack to 50
By Brian W. Everstine

The Pentagon now says 50 service members have been diagnosed with traumatic
brain injuries following the Jan. 7 ballistic missile attack on al-Asad AB,
Iraq. Of those, 31 were treated in Iraq and have returned to duty; 18 were
transported to Germany for treatment, and nine of those returned to the United
States for continued treatment. One was taken to Kuwait and has returned to
duty. The updated tally is a “snap shot in time” and could change, the
Pentagon said in a statement. The Defense Department initially said no one was
injured in the attack and later updated that number to 34.

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[ Advertisement ]
SimpliSafe
Save on SimpliSafe Home Security.
Exclusive AFA Member Holiday Savings
[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Radar Sweep

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

US Deploys New Low-Yield Nuclear Submarine Warhead

The US Navy has now deployed the new W76-2 low-yield Trident submarine warhead.
The first ballistic missile submarine scheduled to deploy with the new warhead
was the USS Tennessee (SSBN-734), which deployed from Kings Bay Submarine Base
in Georgia during the final weeks of 2019 for a deterrent patrol in the Atlantic
Ocean.

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Air Force Space Adviser Barnes Assumes Key Role in Standup of U.S. Space Force

Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett’s space adviser Shawn Barnes has emerged
as a main point man in the standup of the U.S. Space Force as a separate
military branch under the Department of the Air Force. Barnes has been
Barrett’s right hand on all things space since she took office in October and
worked with her during the confirmation process.

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pentagon Seeks a Way to Shoot Down Putin’s ‘Invincible’ Hypersonic Missiles

On Jan. 28, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency announced that it had
awarded $13 million to defense contractor Northrop Grumman for its Glide Breaker
program, an experimental effort to develop interceptors to take out highly
advanced and highly maneuverable hypersonic missiles.

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kenya Base ‘Surprisingly’ Undefended During Attack, US Officials Say

The Jan. 5. attack by al-Shabaab killed three Americans came as the Pentagon
considers a further drawdown of its African presence.

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[ Advertisement ]
[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Conduct Airstrike against Al-Shabab Terrorists

In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command
conducted an airstrike targeting an al-Shabab terrorist in the vicinity of
Jilib, Somalia, Jan. 27.

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

52nd Fighter Wing Arrives in Portugal for Flying Training Deployment

U.S. Air Force aircraft and Airmen assigned to the 480th Fighter Squadron, 52nd
Fighter Wing, Spangdahlem AB, Germany, are participating in a flying training
deployment to Monte Real AB, Portugal. The training will focus on maintaining
joint readiness while building interoperability capabilities with NATO and other
U.S. Air Force assets.

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Final DOD Cybersecurity Certification Model Due Soon

The Defense Department official leading the development of an ambitious plan to
independently certify military contractors’ cybersecurity practices will
review a final version of the plan on Jan. 31 and shared key details for its
implementation.

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AFRL and Blue Origin Partner on Test Site for BE-7 Lunar Lander Engine Development

The Air Force Research Laboratory and Blue Origin are developing a new test
facility for the Blue Origin BE-7 lunar lander engine at the AFRL rocket lab at
Edwards AFB, Calif. Capital improvements, funded by Blue Origin, will allow BE-7
testing in a simulated space-like environment. Planned work includes adding
liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellant capabilities, along with other
facility upgrades.

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Details Emerge about the Secretive RQ-170 Stealth Drone's First Trip to South Korea

More than a decade after the Air Force officially confirmed its existence,
details about the RQ-170 Sentinel stealth drone and its operational exploits
remain extremely limited. Now, newly released documents offer additional
insights into the deployment of some of these secretive flying-wing unmanned
aircraft to South Korea in 2009.

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[ Advertisement ]
[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- Daily Report: [link removed]
- Contact Us: [link removed]
- Advertise With Us: [link removed]
- Purchase/Reprint: [link removed]

- Air Force Association: [link removed]
- Join AFA: [link removed]

- AF Mag on Facebook: [link removed]
- AF Mag on Twitter: [link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Published by the Air Force Association

All airforcemag.com material is under copyright of
the Air Force Association. All rights reserved.

The Air Force Association
1501 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA
22209-1198

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To unsubscribe or change your preferences, please visit the link below:
[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------