Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for April 20, 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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USAFA Graduates First Space Force Lieutenants
By Rachel S. Cohen

Nearly 90 newly minted second lieutenants are heading to the Space Force as its
first company-grade officers, following their April 18 graduation from the U.S.
Air Force Academy. Chief of Space Operations Gen. Jay Raymond likened the first
young Space Force members to USAFA's inaugural class in 1959 and its first
graduating class that included women in 1980. “You are our future, and I need
you to be bold,” he said at the ceremony in Colorado Springs, Colo. Even as
the academy celebrated its first Space Force-bound graduates, the unusual
circumstances of this year’s abbreviated, empty commencement hung over the
event that came six weeks early. More than 960 seniors are earning their
bachelor’s degrees and commissioning into the Department of the Air Force as
second lieutenants.

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Air Force Ends Continuous Bomber Presence in Guam
By Brian W. Everstine

The Air Force announced April 17 it will no longer base strategic bombers
outside of the continental United States, marking an end to the service's
16-year continuous bomber presence at Anderson Air Force Base, Guam. But before
the last bomber left the island, USAF reminded the world of its combat power
with an impressive "elephant walk" that included five B-52 strategic bombers,
six KC-135 tankers, an MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter, an RQ-4 Global Hawk, and a
U.S. Navy MQ-4C Triton. “U.S. strategic bombers will continue to operate in
the Indo-Pacific, to include Guam, at the timing and tempo of our choosing,”
said Air Force Global Strike Command in a statement. “We will maximize all
opportunities to train alongside our allies and partners, to build
interoperability, and bolster our collective ability to be operationally
unpredictable.”

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communication needs. Read the full story.
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GAO Warns ABMS Could Fail Without Firmer Plans
By Rachel S. Cohen

The Air Force launched its Advanced Battle Management System project to connect
its vast array of weaponry with a pledge not to build a typical defense program.
That’s gotten the service into trouble with the Government Accountability
Office, which says ABMS needs to more formally document its costs and
capabilities. A GAO report published April 16 issued four recommendations for
the Air Force that it believes will clarify and strengthen the ABMS program. The
Defense Department agreed with all four.

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Goldfein: Medical Personnel, Families the ‘Big MVPs’ of Coronavirus Effort
By Brian W. Everstine

Air Force Pararescuemen live by the motto, "These things we do, that others may
live." Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein owes his life to that motto,
having been rescued by PJs in Serbia after his F-16 was shot down in 1999. Now
he's seeing that phrase in a new light. "We’re seeing that same kind of
service and commitment from across the medical community," Goldfein said in a
recent interview with Air Force Magazine. The Air Force mobilized medical
professionals and field hospitals to help in the response to the new coronavirus
outbreak, including about 200 USAF medical professionals in New York City, the
epicenter of the crisis in the United States. "I couldn’t be prouder of
them,” added Goldfein.


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A-10 Will Remain in Fleet Through 2040s Despite Planned Cuts
By John A. Tirpak

The Air Force's future close air support portfolio will include seven squadrons
of A-10s into the 2040s, along with light attack aircraft in partnership with
some countries, but these efforts will be distinct from Special Operations
Command's pursuit of an Armed Overwatch aircraft, USAF top planner Lt. Gen.
David Nahom said April 16. The A-10 will serve in permissive airspace, but the
F-35 will perform CAS in high-threat areas, he said.

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National Guard Looks Out for Members’ Benefits During Pandemic
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

President Donald Trump’s decision to greenlight 31-day orders for Guard
personnel combating the COVID-19 pandemic is crucial to getting them benefits on
par with their Active-duty counterparts, Maj. Gen. Dawne Deskins, director of
manpower and personnel for the National Guard Bureau Joint Staff, said April 16.
And while she acknowledged that off-duty Guard personnel whose drilling and pay
have been postponed by the pandemic are worried about implications for their
Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance and TRICARE Reserve Select health
insurance plans, Deskins said their SGLI will be safe, and that NGB has stepped
in to prevent them from losing TRS coverage due to COVID-19-related pay
interruptions.

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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 Extends Travel Ban for All Troops to June 30

The Pentagon has extended its freeze on domestic and international movement of
troops through June 30 due to the coronavirus crisis, a top personnel official
announced April 18. The new order takes effect on April 20. The freeze was
originally set to expire on May 11.

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JEDI Cloud Lawsuit Paused as Judge Grants Pentagon Request to Revise Solicitation

Amazon's lawsuit against the Pentagon in the Court of Federal Claims is on hold
after a judge today granted the Defense Department's request to "remand" the
case so it can revise aspects of the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure
cloud and address potential errors being challenged by Amazon.

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DOD Issues New Rebuke of FCC’s Decision to Allow Ligado 5G Network

The Defense Department in a statement April 17 called on the Federal
Communications Commission to reverse its decision to allow Ligado Networks
access to electromagnetic spectrum adjacent to the spectrum used by the Global
Positioning System.

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WATCH: The Mitchell Institute's Strategic Deterrence Forum with Frank Miller

Frank Miller, principal at the Scowcroft Group, appeared in conversation with
retired USAF Lt. Gen. David Deptula, dean of the Air Force Association’s
Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, during a virtual installment of the
think tank's Strategic Deterrence Forum. Their discussion covered topics ranging
from how COVID-19 will affect nuclear modernization to the implications of the
U.S. withdrawal from the INF Treaty.

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AFSOC Uses ‘Dagger’ Teams as Its Pointy Tip of the Spear

In its recently released “Strategic Guidance” document, Air Force Special
Operations Command leadership articulates the principle that “AFSOC’s human
capital is our competitive advantage.” One set of tactical organizations where
that human capital stands in the spotlight are AFSOC’s deployed aircraft
ground response element, or DAGRE—small teams within the Air Force’s
security forces that receive specialized training to support the command’s
assets and personnel in austere locations around the globe.

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Orbital Insight to Receive U.S. Air Force Contract

Orbital Insight has been tentatively awarded a contract with the U.S. Air Force
to help detect anomalies around the world using artificial intelligence and
geospatial data. The contract, which an Orbital Insight representative said on
April 17 is still under final negotiations, is with USAF’s AFVentures
Strategic Financing.

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Air Force Promotes Nearly 400 Officers

The Air Force is promoting nearly 400 officers to the ranks of major, lieutenant
colonel and colonel, according to a promotion list released last week. Those
being promoted include 126 Judge Advocate General officers, 95 Medical Service
Corps officers, and 175 Nurse Corps officers, according to the Air Force
Personnel Center.

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35,000 Military Retirees Will Soon See a Tricare Refund

About 35,000 military retirees will soon receive cash refunds from Tricare,
thanks to a policy change made last year that affects how Tricare calculates
annual out-of-pocket maximum payments. The rebates impact retirees with Tricare
Prime who paid more than $2,400 out of pocket towards their annual maximum
payment in 2018 and 2019. They do not impact Tricare for Life or Tricare Retired
Reserve users.

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Trump Administration Says Recipients of VA Benefits Will Automatically Receive Coronavirus Checks

The announcement applies to veterans and their beneficiaries who receive
compensation and pension benefits from the Veterans Affairs Department and did
not file a tax return in 2018 or 2019. The Internal Revenue Service said that
the timing of the automatic payments has yet to be determined.

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One More Thing...
‘Want a Job Resembling Joe Exotic’—Recruiter Hopes ‘Tiger King’ Will Entice Prospects

An Air Force recruiting office in Ohio is hoping the scintillating popularity of
Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, better known as the bleach-blonde mullet
aficionado Joe Exotic, will yield results as recruiters struggle to keep up in
an evolving landscape beset by COVID-19. Air Force Recruiting Portsmouth, Ohio,
posted the solicitation April 15, referencing the wildly captivating Netflix
documentary, “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.”

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