Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for April 1, 2020

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

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USAF Aircrews Practice ‘Isolation in Motion’ as COVID-19 Spreads Globally
By Brian W. Everstine and Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

As the new coronavirus spreads, USAF aircrews are practicing “isolation in
motion” to stay healthy while flying important airlift missions. While they
can’t practice social distancing in a cockpit, aircrews are isolated before
missions, and they go straight from their aircraft to their billets once
arriving at a base. Scott Air Force Base, Ill., is experimenting with so-called
"hard crews" to minimize an aircrew's exposure risk, flying with the same crew,
whenever possible, for the duration of the of the pandemic. U.S. Transportation
Command also is increasing its use of the civil reserve air fleet to bring
Americans affected by COVID-19 home.

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USAF Taps More Missions to Join Space Force
By Rachel S. Cohen

More than 1,800 Airmen in jobs that support space operations will transfer from
the Air Force to the Space Force over the next six months, the Air Force said
March 31. Twenty-three intelligence, acquisition, and other organizations will
become part of the Space Force, joining the thousands of employees like
satellite crews and launch experts who are already assigned to the new service.
The Air Force has not announced a formal timeline for moving over those space
operations Airmen known as 13S officers and their 1C6 enlisted counterparts.
“The missions and billets will simply be transferred to the Space Force and
remain in place to leverage the talent, infrastructure, and key capabilities at
their current location,” the Air Force said.

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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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Priority Test Programs Ramping Up After COVID-19
By John A. Tirpak

Flight testing of top-priority programs is ramping back up this week at Edwards
Air Force Base, Calif., and other locations around the Air Force, Air Force
Materiel Command chief Gen. Arnold Bunch Jr. said. New procedures are balancing
urgent operational needs with the safety of personnel and the need to keep the
test enterprise going for the long term. “We’re adjusting to a whole new
norm. It’s causing us to flex and look at things differently, and showing the
importance of good communications between the program executive officers and the
program managers, the contractors and the test community, to make sure we’ve
got the right people at the right place to get the testing done."

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C-17 Airlifts Infant Twins Almost 7,000 Miles for Care
By Brian W. Everstine

A C-17 and Airmen from three bases flew a 41-hour, 6,866 mile emergency airlift
mission across 12 time zones to bring one-month-old twins to Washington, D.C.,
for emergency neonatal care. The long-distance aeromedical evacuation mission
came on short notice, after the twins were born to U.S. Soldiers serving in
South Korea’s coronavirus epicenter. The neonatal care they needed is not
available in the region, so the base reached out to Pacific Air Forces for help.


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AFRICOM to Publicly Report Civilian Casualty Investigations
By Brian W. Everstine

As U.S. Africa Command has ramped up its airstrikes targeting extremist groups
throughout the continent, the command announced it will begin providing
quarterly public reports of its investigations into civilian casualties. The
step, slated to begin next month, is similar to U.S. Central Command's policy of
releasing monthly details on its investigations into civilian casualty claims.

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L3Harris, Raytheon Win SATCOM Modem Contracts
By Rachel S. Cohen

L3Harris and Raytheon will develop and build specialized modems that work with
the Protected Tactical Waveform, an anti-jamming technology for satellite
communications, according to the Space and Missile Systems Center. The companies
on March 27 each secured contracts worth up to $500 million that could last up
to 10 years, after beating out Viasat to move on in the Air Force and Army
Anti-Jam Modem (A3M) program. “The A3M directly supports Protected Tactical
SATCOM (PTS) and is a critical capability to increase anti-jam and
communications capacity for joint tactical warfighters in contested
environments,” an SMC spokeswoman said. “A3M will benefit all DOD SATCOM and
national security efforts and ultimately keep the nation and our allies
operating safely from anywhere at any time.”

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Radar Sweep

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Snapshot: DOD and COVID-19

Here's a look at how the Defense Department is being impacted by and responding
to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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With Coronavirus Already on 97 American Military Bases, the Armed Forces Struggle with Their Many Missions

The military is loath to admit that it is curtailing any war-related activities
in response to the global pandemic. But according to official statistics labeled
"sensitive" and not publicly released, coronavirus cases have been reported at
97 domestic military bases in 37 states, service members in uniform making up
over half of the total of just over 1,000 uniformed, civilian, contractor, and
family members who have tested positive.

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Coronavirus Is Rising around U.S. Military, Defense Infrastructure, Analysis Shows

The coronavirus will deal a major blow to U.S. military readiness in coming
weeks as it spreads to bases and manufacturing hubs in the southern and western
parts of the country, a new analysis by data and analytics firm Govini predicts.
Govini analysts say the forecast could help Pentagon leaders and local
commanders better prepare, and help military decision makers allocate some $10
billion in virus aid approved by Congress as part of a sweeping $2 trillion
stimulus package last week.

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Pentagon Watchdog Tapped to Lead Committee Overseeing $2 Trillion Coronavirus Package

The nation's top government watchdogs on March 30 appointed Glenn Fine, the
acting inspector general for the Pentagon, to lead the newly created committee
that oversees implementation of the $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill signed
by President Donald Trump last week.

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House Postpones Defense Authorization Bill Mark-Up

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) on March 30
postponed the planned April 30 mark-up of the fiscal year 2021 defense
authorization bill because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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U.S. Navy Evacuating Aircraft Carrier Infected by Coronavirus

A skeleton crew will man critical stations while the USS Theodore Roosevelt is
disinfected pierside in Guam, Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly said.

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VA Workers Sue for Hazardous Duty Pay During Pandemic

The union representing more than 260,000 civil service employees at the Veterans
Affairs Department filed a lawsuit March 30, claiming they are owed hazardous
duty pay of 25 percent above their typical salaries for working during the
coronavirus epidemic that has infected more than 770 veterans nationwide.

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MDA’s Future Debated as Space Force Rises

Senior Defense Department officials and top military leaders currently are
pondering how to organize future missile defense acquisition, including the
possible break up of the Missile Defense Agency by transferring its authorities
to the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Space Force, insiders say.

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Marine Corps May Not Have Enough Pilots for Its F-35 Fleet, Top General Warns

The U.S. Marine Corps may not have enough pilots to sustain future F-35 Joint
Strike Fighter units amid expected future budget shortfalls, its top general
warned in a new report.

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Tech Industry Voices Concerns about the Pentagon’s Cybersecurity Certification Plan

The Defense Department’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification initiative
could have the opposite of its desired effect and create security risks, major
companies said in a letter to top Pentagon officials on March 27 seeking
clarification on a number of issues.

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Workforce Cuts in April Could Hinder U.S.-South Korea Negotiations

Barring a last-minute diplomatic breakthrough, South Korean workers servicing
American bases on the peninsula will be furloughed April 1—a move that may
complicate further negotiations between the two nations over a defense funding
agreement.

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Rapid Acquisition & Sustainment

The Air Force and U.S. defense establishment are breaking down barriers and
injecting speed, innovation, and creativity into the procurement system. Check
out our new page to learn more about these efforts.

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One More Thing...
U.S. and Israeli Air Force Carry Out First Bilateral F-35 Exercise in Israel (with No Face-Face Activity Due to COVID-19)

“Enduring Lightning” saw the IAF F-35Is and USAF F-35As operate together in
the first bilateral US-Israeli fifth-generation exercise over the skies of
Israel.

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