Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for April 15, 2020

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

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Esper: DOD Stop Movement Will Be Extended
By Brian W. Everstine

The Pentagon will extend its stop movement order, currently set to expire May
11, and limit the exemption process to further address the spread of the new
coronavirus, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said. Esper, who first ordered
military personnel across to globe to limit movement in mid-March, confirmed
April 14 that an extension is coming though the details are still being
finalized. The order will likely last into the summer, with a review process
every 15 days to allow for a curtailment or further extension. “The key thing
is to protect our people and make sure we’re ready to act,” Esper said.

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USAF Studying How to Safely Fly COVID-Positive Patients
By Brian W. Everstine

Air Force researchers and mobility crews recently evaluated six airframes over
the course of two weeks in an effort to better understand the airflow of
mobility aircraft in case there is a need to airlift a large number of COVID-19
positive passengers. Researchers placed systems around participating
aircraft—a KC-135, KC-10, C-17, C-130J, and C-15—that released an aerosol
simulant that is roughly the size of the new coronavirus. The miscroscopic
particles in each release carried an identification tag, such a phosphorescent
dye, to give it a signature. Experts would collect samples from different parts
of the plane following ground tests or short flights to understand how air
circulation might move a virus throughout the cabin.

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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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USAF to Launch Search for Flying Cars This Month
By Rachel S. Cohen

The Air Force will kick off its effort to encourage the development of flying
cars with a virtual launch event featuring product presentations and government
briefings from April 27 to May 1. Known as “Agility Prime,” the initiative
aims to support private companies that are pursuing the next great creation in
air transportation. The Air Force is offering funds and testing resources to
vendors with designs for “advanced air mobility vehicles” that can be used
for missions from medical evacuation to installation security to disaster
relief. The service hopes to mature that market to the point that flying cars
become cheap and accessible enough for the broader public, not just for military
use. “Now is the perfect time to make ‘Jetsons’ cars real,” Air Force
acquisition boss Will Roper said in an April 13 release.

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Air Force Medical Personnel Integrate into NYC Hospitals for Coronavirus Response
By Brian W. Everstine

USAF medical personnel are working long days in New York City hospitals,
augmenting civilian staff who are overwhelmed by the new coronavirus outbreak in
the American epicenter of COVID-19. As the scale of the outbreak grew, medical
personnel from the Air Force and other services volunteered to fly to New York
City to serve. Reservists activated within hours to leave civilian lives and
come to hospitals in need of assistance. Col. Jennifer Ratcliff, the commander
of the 927th Aerospace Medical Squadron at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., is one
of those volunteers and is now working as a doctor in hospitals in the city.
“Within 36 hours, we were in New York City,” Ratcliff said. “That says a
lot for the Air Force personnel that are willing to come here and take care of
fellow American citizens.”

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GAO, DOD Spar Over Cyber Hygiene Findings
By Rachel S. Cohen

The Pentagon has taken some positive steps to keep out cyberattacks, but it’s
unclear how consistently those measures are enforced across the vast department,
according to a new Government Accountability Office report. “As DOD has become
increasingly reliant on IT systems and networks to conduct military operations
and perform critical functions, risks to these systems and networks have also
increased, because IT systems are often riddled with cybersecurity
vulnerabilities—both known and unknown,” the April 13 report said. Pentagon
officials argue some of the recommendations are outdated based on more recent
priorities.

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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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Pentagon Awards $415M Contract for Machines to Disinfect N95 Masks

The Pentagon on April 13 announced a $415 million contract for 60 machines that
will stretch the use of dwindling N95 masks, allowing the scarce personal
protective equipment to be disinfected and reused up to 20 times.

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Coronavirus Pandemic Could Mitigate the Air Force's Pilot Shortage, General Says

While the novel coronavirus outbreak is "not helping" the U.S. Air Force's
troubling, years-long pilot shortage, the head of the service's training command
is hopeful some may have a change of heart and return during this difficult
time.

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North Korea Fires Barrage of Missiles from Ground and Air

A barrage of North Korean missiles fired from both the ground and fighter jets
splashed down on the waters off the country’s east coast on April 14, South
Korea’s military said, a show of force on the eve of a key state anniversary
in the North and parliamentary elections in the rival South.

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State Department OKs Potential $675M FMS of Follow-On Support, Services for South Korea’s F-35 Fleet

The State Department has approved a potential $675 million Foreign Military Sale
of follow-on support and services for the Republic of Korea Air Force’s
growing fleet of conventional take-off and landing F-35A Lightning II Joint
Strike Fighter aircraft, as well as related engines, weapons, and other
equipment.

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New Pentagon Advisory Group Will Focus on Space Innovation

The Defense Department is creating a new advisory group to provide impartial
advice and insights on space technology, innovation, and strategy, according to
an April 4 memo from Deputy Defense Secretary David Norquist. According to the
memo, a Space Advisory Committee will be created under the Defense Innovation
Board, a panel of business leaders, scholars, entrepreneurs, and technologists
led by Eric Schmidt, former executive chairman of Alphabet.

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Navy Targets Sub-Launched Hypersonic Test by Mid 2020s

The Navy plans to test its developmental hypersonic missile from a submarine by
the mid-2020s, and is pushing the burgeoning program through a series of static
tests this year to demonstrate technologies as it gears up to equipping its
Virginia-class submarines with the weapon.

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DOD IG Announces Two Audits of Navy Airborne Capabilities

The Defense Department Office of Inspector General on April 13 announced it
would begin auditing the Navy's airborne support for the "survivable nuclear
command and control system" as well as the service's maritime patrol aircraft
fleet.

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In the IRR? The Military May Want You Back If You Served in One of These Jobs

At least one of the military services says it's looking for members of the
Individual Ready Reserve to come back into the fold—and the call goes beyond
just those who served in medical specialties.

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One More Thing...
U.S. Air Force Conducts an “Elephant Walk” Show of Force in Guam as China Increases Presence in the Pacific

While the most spectacular “Elephant Walks” often feature dozens upon dozens
of aircraft, the giant bombers stationed at Guam’s Andersen Air Force Base was
a lesson in how less can sometimes be more.

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