Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for March 3, 2020

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Edited by Amy McCullough with Brian W. Everstine, Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory and John A. Tirpak

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Meet Your Next Chief of Staff of the Air Force: Gen. Charles Q. Brown
By John A. Tirpak

President Trump nominated Gen. Charles Q. Brown, head of Pacific Air Forces, to
be the next Air Force Chief of Staff, succeeding Gen. David Goldfein, who
retires this summer. If confirmed, Brown would be the first African American to
serve as Chief of Staff of any of the U.S. Armed Forces. The only other African
American to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff was Army Gen. Colin Powell, who
was Chairman from 1989-1993. "I am truly honored and humbled by the nomination
to serve as the Air Force's 22nd Chief of Staff," Brown said in March 2
statement. "If confirmed, Sharene and I look forward to building upon the legacy
of Gen. Dave and Dawn Goldfein, and the many airpower giants before who have
served our Air Force and our nation with such dedication."

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Here’s What the Next Chief Was Saying Last Week
By Amy McCullough

Gen. Charles Q. Brown sat down with reporters at AFA’s Air
Warfare Symposium,
just days before officially being tapped as the next Chief of Staff of the Air
Force. The wide-ranging interview touched on Joint All-Domain Command and
Control, logistics while under attack, the challenges facing U.S. forces in the
vast Indo-Pacific region, and standing up the Space Force. Read what he had to
say on nine pressing topics he’ll have to deal with as Chief of Staff.

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Afghanistan Drawdown Gets Green Light Despite Recent Violence
By Brian W. Everstine

U.S. forces have the green light to begin withdrawing from Afghanistan under the
recently signed deal with the Taliban, even though some pockets of violence have
already returned. Defense Secretary Mark Esper urged Gen. Austin Miller, the
commander of Operation Resolute Support, to “get moving and show our full
faith and effort” with the deal. Under the agreement, US forces will initially
draw down from about 12,000 to 8,600, with a full withdrawal expected within 14
months. For now, the U.S. will “maintain whatever capability is necessary to
defend the United States against terrorists,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff Gen. Mark Milley said.

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Roper: The ARRW Hypersonic Missile Better Option for USAF
By John A. Tirpak

The Air Force picked the AGM-183 Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon hypersonic
missile over the Hypersonic Conventional Strike Weapon because it's more
advanced and is a better match to the Air Force's needs, and the HCSW just
didn't fit in an overcrowded budget, service acquisition chief Will Roper said.
“The reason we went with ARRW was not that HCSW was bad, but ARRW is smaller;
we can carry twice as many on the B-52, and it’s possible it could be on the
F-15 … It’s in the class to be able to fit on the centerline” station,
Roper told reporters at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Fla. Though he
didn’t elaborate on this point, the F-15 could accelerate the ARRW to Mach 3
before launch, potentially reducing the size of the booster needed to get the
weapon to hypersonic speed.

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Spark Tank Tie: Threat Emitter, Weapons-Loading Checklist Take Top Honors
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

In a first for Spark Tank, the Air Force’s Airman-powered innovation
competition, two teams were named co-champions. The winning ideas that bested
over 200 other submissions—six of which were live-pitched onstage at the Air
Force Association’s 2020 Air Warfare Symposium here on Feb. 28—look to
improve the quality of F-35 pilot training, and to add speed and efficiency to
the weapons-loading process. USAF acquisition chief Will Roper decided to award
a third team the 3D printer it requested, and AFWERX Marketing Manager Jordyn
Fetter told Air Force Magazine senior leadership has requested every Airman who
took part in the Feb. 28 event get "support to make their idea a reality. So, we
consider them all winners."

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Air Force Updates Song to be More Inclusive
By Brian W. Everstine

The Air Force has updated its official song to be more inclusive of the women
who wear the uniform, Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein announced. The third
verse of the song, which originally included the lines “to a friend we send a
message of his brother men who fly” and “a toast to the host of men we
boast, the U.S. Air Force” was clearly exclusive, Goldfein said. This wasn’t
intentional—the song dates back to the late 1930s and was officially adopted
in 1947—but it needed to be updated to better define the makeup of the
service.

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First USAF-Level Key Spouse Conference Focuses on Quality of Life Issues
By Brian W. Everstine

The top couple in the Air Force on Feb. 27 hosted the first-ever Air Force-level
Key Spouse conference, bringing together 300 spouses from across the service to
discuss issues they all face and to find ways to improve the quality of life in
the service. “Our key spouses are probably our most important retention
tools,” said Dawn Goldfein, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein’s
spouse, who hosted the event. “If we don’t take care of our families,
who’s going to stay?”

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Radar Sweep

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U.S. Loses Drone Over Niger

The U.S. military says it lost an MQ-1 drone on Feb. 29 near Agadez, Niger,
according to U.S. Africa Command. “Our initial and current assessment is that
the RPA [remotely piloted aircraft] was lost due to mechanical failure. We do
not believe the RPA was lost as a result of any hostile action,” Navy Lt.
Christina M. Gibson, a spokeswoman with U.S. Africa Command, told Military Times
in an email March 2.

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Trump Administration Publishes Memo That Could End Defense Unions

More than three weeks after President Donald Trump signed a memo authorizing
Defense Secretary Mark Esper to effectively outlaw collective bargaining at the
Defense Department, the White House has posted the document to the Federal
Register.

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A Hacker Group Says It Has Major Defense Companies’ Data

A manufacturing subcontractor in the defense industry has become the latest
victim of hackers, Emsisoft told Fifth Domain. Lockheed Martin, General
Dynamics, Boeing, and SpaceX are among dozens of companies named as victims of
compromised data, accessed through the hacking of Visser Precision LLC, a
Colorado-based aerospace, automotive, and industrial parts manufacturer.
DoppelPaymer, a ransomware group, perpetrated the hack, according to Brett
Callow, a threat analyst with Emsisoft.

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L3Harris Wins $1.2 billion Contract to Maintain, Upgrade Space Surveillance Systems

L3Harris has been awarded a 10-year, $1.2 billion contract by the Space
Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center to maintain and modernize the
military’s network of space surveillance sensors. The award is for a new
program named MOSSAIC, short for Maintenance of Space Situational Awareness
Integrated Capabilities.

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Rapid Acquisition & Sustainment

All the news and insight on the Air Force’s moves to streamline acquisition
and accelerate the future. Check out our comprehensive landing page for USAF
acquisition coverage.

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OPINION: Sorry, Elon, Fighter Pilots Will Fly and Fight for a Long Time

“Despite impressive gains in autonomous technology, manned fighter aircraft
will continue to provide the underpinnings of the air superiority mission for
decades into the future,” writes Doug Birkey, executive director of the Air
Force Association’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.

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OPINION: No, Elon Musk: The Era Of The Manned Fighter Jet Won’t Be Over Anytime Soon

“His proclamations, while perhaps ‘fascinating,’ are actually fallacious
for a time when modernized manned fighter aircraft are needed to deter, and if
necessary, fight and win,” writes retired Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula,
dean of AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. “For the next
several decades, air superiority depends on fielding fifth- and next-generation
aircraft, namely the F-35 and the next-generation air dominance (NGAD) system.
There is no chance some auto-park technology can replace them.”

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Vice Chief’s Challenge Is Back—to Save Airmen Time

The Department of the Air Force is focused on working faster and smarter,
leveraging technology to give Airmen back their most important resource—their
time. That’s the intent of this year‘s Vice Chief’s Challenge, which will
allow Airmen to pitch ideas and solve problems related to automation or
elimination of menial tasks.

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Closures at U.S. Bases in Italy Continue as Coronavirus Spreads

U.S. bases in northern Italy entered a second week of school, day care, and gym
closures as the country’s cases of the new coronavirus doubled over the
weekend. The number of confirmed cases jumped to 1,694 in Italy, the country’s
Civil Protection Agency reported March 1. The death toll also rose to 34, up
from 29 the previous day.

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One More Thing...
If You’ve Ever Dreamed of Becoming an Astronaut, Apply to NASA Now

This is the first time in more than four years that the agency has invited
applications for its highly competitive astronaut training program. It is
seeking more astronauts for its Artemis program and its ongoing plans for a moon
to mars mission.

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