Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for April 16, 2020

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

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Goldfein on How USAF Is Generating Airpower in the ‘New Abnormal’
By Brian W. Everstine

The impact of the new coronavirus outbreak has been mixed for USAF flying units,
with many close to the fight maintaining a high operations tempo, while training
at home takes a major hit that could have lasting impacts to readiness. However,
the service has faced similar cutbacks before and will be prepared to bounce
back, Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein said in an interview with Air Force
Magazine. The spread of COVID-19 forced a reset across the Air Force, beginning
with a report from all major commands to senior leadership on what tasks are
mission essential and others that can be curtailed. “We’ve adjusted
operations in the nuclear missile fields, we’ve adjusted operations in our
command and control headquarters, we’ve made adjustments in how we maintain
space operations. … We’re operating in what we call the new abnormal,
operating with the virus,” Goldfein said.

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Russia Flexes Space Muscle with Anti-Satellite Weapon Test
By Rachel S. Cohen

Russia again flexed its muscle in space by testing a direct-ascent
anti-satellite weapon on April 15, drawing criticism from U.S. Space Command.
“Russia’s DA-ASAT test provides yet another example that the threats to U.S.
and allied space systems are real, serious, and growing,” SPACECOM boss Gen.
Jay Raymond said in a release. The command, which manages daily offensive and
defensive military space operations, did not answer where the ASAT weapon was
aimed, but is not tracking any space debris as a result of the test, according
to spokeswoman Lt. Col. Christina Hoggatt. The DA-ASAT test comes the same day a
Russian Su-35 unsafely intercepted a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon flying in
international airspace over the Mediterranean Sea.

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VP Pence to Deliver In-Person Remarks at USAFA Graduation
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Vice President Mike Pence will deliver an in-person address at the U.S. Air
Force Academy’s April 18 graduation in Colorado Springs, Colo., amid the
COVID-19 pandemic, the White House announced April 14. "The Vice President looks
forward to honoring the Air Force Cadets for their remarkable achievement this
Saturday," Katie Miller, Pence's press secretary, told Air Force Magazine on
April 15. This year’s commencement ceremony will be closed to the public
because of the new coronavirus. However, USAFA will livestream the event—which
the graduating class was empowered to design—via Facebook and YouTube
beginning at 11 a.m. MDT (1 p.m. EDT).

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F-35A Officially Heading to Alabama, Wisconsin ANG Bases
By Rachel S. Cohen

Two Air National Guard bases in Alabama and Wisconsin will officially host the
F-35A Joint Strike Fighter starting in 2023, the Air Force announced April 15.
Truax Field’s 115th Fighter Wing in Wisconsin and Dannelly Field’s 187th
Fighter Wing in Alabama join Burlington Air National Guard Base in Vermont as
the three Air National Guard locations with the F-35 so far. Truax and Dannelly
were under consideration for the past three years but needed to pass their
environmental and mission requirements reviews to finalize the basing decision.
Truax will swap out 21 F-16s for 18 F-35s, according to the Wisconsin National
Guard. The F-35 will replace Dannelly’s F-16s as well.

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Virtual Events: Nahom on Aerospace Nation & More
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Today, Lt. Gen. David Nahom, the Air Force's deputy chief of staff for plans and
programs, will join retired USAF Lt. Gen. David Deptula, dean of AFA's Mitchell
Institute for Aerospace Studies, for a virtual discussion on the service's
investment strategies, procurement decisions, and fleet management priorities,
as part of the Aerospace Nation series. The video will be available online <a
href="[link removed]">here</a> at 5
p.m. EDT.

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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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White House Names Five Defense Executives to Group Focused on Reopening Country

The White House announced April 14 five defense executives will serve as part of
what it is calling "Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups." The names
were rolled out as President Donald Trump unveiled plans to consult with
business leaders on when to reopen the country, which has been shut down in most
areas to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

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Germany Arrests 4 Islamic State Group Suspects Planning Attack on U.S. Bases

German authorities say police have arrested four suspected members of the
Islamic State group alleged to be planning an attack on American military
facilities. Federal prosecutors said the suspects were arrested by tactical
police units early April 15 at various locations in the western state of North
Rhine-Westphalia.

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Reports of Civilian Killed in U.S. Airstrike Are Al-Shabaab Propaganda, DOD Says

Officials with U.S. Africa Command are disputing news reports that a civilian
was killed during a "precision airstrike" near Jamaame, Somalia, this month,
saying the reports are based on propaganda from a terrorist group. The strike
took place April 10 and killed one terrorist, according to a release from
AFRICOM: "an al-Shabaab member complicit in the murder of at least six innocent
Somalis."

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The F-15 Eagle’s Most Advanced Production Version Performs Its First Flight

Boeing announced that the F-15QA, the most advanced version of the F-15 Eagle,
performed successfully its first flight from the company’s plant at Lambert
International Airport in St. Louis. The flight, which lasted 90 minutes, was
conducted by the chief test pilot, Matt Giese, and implemented a precise mission
checklist to test the multirole aircraft’s capabilities and to check radar and
avionics.

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Lawmakers Urge Trump to Stop FCC from Approving Ligado Bandwidth Request

U.S. Sens. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.), chairman and ranking
member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Rep. Mac Thornberry
(R-Texas), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, on April 15
sent a letter to President Donald Trump asking him to intervene to prevent the
Federal Communications Commission from granting the license modification request
of Ligado Networks, which wants to use a part of the communications spectrum
that will interfere with Global Positioning System reception.

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NATO’s New Tool Shows the Impact of GPS Jammers

A new tool developed by NATO will help the alliance prepare for GPS jammers,
allowing operational commands to see what impact the devices will have on their
GPS receivers, the NATO Communications and Information Agency announced April 6.

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North Korea Has Hackers for Hire, Agencies Warn

Officials and analysts have long associated cyberattacks for financial gain with
North Korea—its economy struggles under the weight of international
sanctions—but a Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency advisory
warns the regime also conducts attacks on other entities’ behalf.

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One More Thing...
The Pentagon's Plan to Build a Secret Super Command Bunker 3,500 Feet Under Washington, D.C.

Unlike any fortification on Earth, the Deep Underground Command Center was
intended to withstand multiple direct hits from giant nukes on Doomsday.

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