Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Feb. 19, 2020

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Edited by Rachel S. Cohen with Brian W. Everstine and Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

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USAF Fully Funded for Tyndall, Offutt Rebuilds
By Rachel S. Cohen

The Air Force says it has all the money it needs to rebuild bases struck by
natural disasters in the past two years, after lobbying Congress for billions of
dollars to backfill its coffers depleted by recovery efforts. Congress allocated
$5.3 billion for disaster relief through a patchwork of supplemental spending,
reprogramming decisions, and the regular budget process in fiscal 2019 and 2020.
It’s enough that the Air Force didn’t need to ask for more in fiscal 2021.
“They gave it to us earlier than I would have anticipated,” Maj. Gen. John
Pletcher, the Air Force’s deputy assistant budget secretary, told reporters
Feb. 10. “So that takes that requirement off of the table for FY '21 for the
Air Force."

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DOD to House Novel Coronavirus Evacuees Longer
By Brian W. Everstine

The Pentagon is extending the amount of time that four bases will house people
under quarantine for possible exposure to the novel coronavirus until mid-March,
as two Air Force bases opened their doors to more arrivals. The Defense
Department is making Travis Air Force Base, California; JBSA-Lackland, Texas;
Fort Carson, Colorado; and Marine Corps Air Station-Miramar, California,
available to house affected Americans through March 15. Travis and Lackland are
already housing hundreds of evacuees, and received additional people Feb. 16 and
17 who were removed from the cruise ship Diamond Princess in Japan.

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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.
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Airmen Receive New Survival Kit Rifles
By Brian W. Everstine

The Air Force recently finished delivering 2,700 new, lightweight rifles
designed to be carried in an Airman's ejection seat. The Air Force Gunsmith
Shop, part of the Armament Center at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center,
designed the 7-pound, 5.56 mm rifle, which is based on the M4 carbine. The new
rifle is stripped of its optics gear and built to disconnect at the upper
receiver so it can fit inside the ACES 2 ejection seat, according to an AFLCMC
release. An aircrew member can put the weapon together in about 30 seconds.

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U.S. Airstrike Targets Al-Shabab Compound in Somalia
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

A Feb. 17 U.S. airstrike took out an al-Shabab compound near Jilib, Somalia,
U.S. Africa Command said the same day. The command didn't report whether any
members of the terror organization were injured or killed in the attack. This
was the fifth American airstrike that targeted al-Shabab in Somalia so far in
February, and the second that placed a compound in its crosshairs.

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Radar Sweep

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In a Future War, the Air Force's Big Air Bases Could Be a Big Liability

USAF plans to disperse its airplanes to prevent huge losses in a future war, so
air units will need to become lighter and more agile.

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Graham Tells Defense Secretary Esper He Could 'Make Your Life Hell' in Spat Over Africa, Say Sources

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and a bipartisan group of lawmakers, uniting
against a Trump administration idea to withdraw U.S. troops from part of Africa,
pushed back during a fiery exchange with Defense Secretary Mark Esper in Munich
over the weekend, according to four people present at or familiar with the
meeting.

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U.S. Military Did Not Properly Store or Account for Nearly $715 Million in Weapons for Syrian Partners Fighting the Islamic State Group

A recent Defense Department Inspector General report said officials with Special
Operations Joint Task Force–Operation Inherent Resolve and 1st Theater
Sustainment Command did not maintain a central list of gear and equipment for
Syrian partner forces complicating efforts to track or inventory the weapons.
The report also detailed that nearly 4,100 weapons that include grenade
launchers and machine guns were improperly stored outside in metal shipping
containers exposing the gear to harsh environments and potentially rust.

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China Testing Hypersonic Weapon with Intercontinental Range, Says USNORTHCOM Commander

China is testing an intercontinental-range hypersonic glide vehicle, according
to written testimony submitted to the Senate Armed Services Committee on Feb. 13
by Air Force Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy, commander of U.S. Northern Command
and of North American Aerospace Defense Command.

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Esper to Allies: Picking Huawei Risks Intel and Security Ties with the U.S.

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Feb. 15 called out China as America’s
main adversary and warned allies that letting the Chinese firm Huawei build its
next-generation, or 5G, network risks their security-cooperation and
information-sharing arrangements with the U.S.

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Colorado Springs Chamber Launches National Campaign to Keep Space Command

The business group plans to spend $350,000 on a public relations campaign
managed by a Washington PR firm, a New York economic development consultant, and
a Washington political advisory firm. The goal: to convince President Donald
Trump and his advisers that Colorado is the ideal location for the permanent
home of the newly relaunched command.

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Noise Concerns Top List of More Than 6,400 Comments on F-35 Study; Air Force to Release Final Version This Month

U.S. military officials have received more than 6,400 public comments, most of
them focused on noise, in response to its draft study of the environmental
impacts of basing a squadron of F-35 fighter jets at Madison, Wis.,’s Truax
Field. The National Guard Bureau says it is incorporating “as appropriate”
all relevant comments into a final Environmental Impact Study that will guide
the Air Force’s decision on whether to select the Wisconsin Air National
Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing for the F-35 program.

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Economic Impact of Hill Air Force Base Valued at $3.7 Billion

The Beehive State’s biggest military installation and largest single-site
employer is responsible for generating $3.7 billion in annual economic impact,
according to the 2019 Economic Impact Statement. The report found the main base
operates using 27,650 total personnel, including 5,705 military, 5,292 military
dependents and 16,653 civilians, with an annual federal payroll of $1.43 billion
and yearly expenditures of $811 million.

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AFBA Names Larry O. Spencer as Its President

The Armed Forces Benefit Association (AFBA) board of directors has named retired
Air Force Gen. Larry Spencer as its new president (effective March 9) and member
of the board (effective Feb. 26). Also, AFBA’s affiliate 5Star Life Insurance
Company (5Star Life) board of directors has appointed Spencer as a member of its
board (effective Feb. 26).

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One More Thing...
WATCH: NASCAR Driver Bubba Wallace Skydived into the Daytona 500 with the Air Force

The U.S. Air Force has had a partnership with Richard Petty Motorsports for
several years now. As part of their partnership, they decided that they were
going to make a mark this past weekend in Daytona, Fla. One way was a little
skydiving. The other was one of the best paintjobs a racecar has ever had.

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