Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for April 21, 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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Space Force Accepting Applications Starting May 1
By Rachel S. Cohen

Want to be one of the first military members to volunteer to join the Space
Force? Your 30-day window of opportunity starts May 1. “I know 30 days isn’t
a long time, which is why we’re trying to get out in front of it,” Chief
Master Sgt. Roger Towberman, the Space Force’s top enlisted officer, said
April 16. "It’s a life-changing decision, a life-impacting decision for you
and your family, so we want you to get it right.” Applications are open to
anyone in the Defense Department, not just Air Force personnel who already
control satellites and manage rocket launches. Those who sign up are locked in
for two years beginning in September, though Towberman said they could make
exceptions.

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Raytheon Prevails on LRSO, Lockheed Out
By John A. Tirpak

More than a year ahead of schedule, the Air Force has picked Raytheon
Technologies' version of the stealthy, nuclear Long-Range Standoff Missile to
continue in development, ending Lockheed Martin's involvement in the program.
While not a contract award, the move allows USAF to shift some funds into the
risk-reduction phase and possibly accelerate some work, including flight tests.
Raytheon said they had recently concluded a preliminary design review on its
version of LRSO, which will replace the nuclear AGM-86B Air-Launched Cruise
Missile beginning in about 2030.

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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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Virus Threatens Months-Long Delays for DOD’s Top Weapon Programs
By Rachel S. Cohen

The Pentagon’s top acquisition official anticipates the military will see a
three-month setback across its major defense acquisition programs as the
coronavirus pandemic throws contractors and program officials off their usual
rhythm. “We do anticipate about a three-month slowdown at slower rates in
terms of execution than we saw before, and we are just now looking at key
milestones that might be impacted,” DOD acquisition chief Ellen Lord said.
Hundreds of the Defense Department's prime contractors and vendors are closed
due to the pandemic, according to DOD. Lord said the Pentagon's wish list for
the next round of congressional stimulus legislation is heading to the Office of
Management and Budget for review.

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USAF Looks at Long-Term Impacts of Extended Stop Movement Order
By Brian W. Everstine

The Defense Department's newly extended travel ban provides additional leeway to
bring troops home from deployments, as Air Force officials try to figure out how
to meet the service's highest priority needs if the ban is extended yet again.
The policy change loosens guidelines for waivers aimed at operational
deployments and redeployments, recruiting and basic training activities,
temporary duty to travel or permanent change of station moves, and medical
treatment, Matt Donovan, under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness,
told reporters April 18. The policy will be reviewed every 15 days, with the end
date possibly shifting based on current conditions regarding the coronavirus
outbreak, he said.

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Saliva-Based COVID-19 Testing Coming to USAF
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

The Air Force on April 17 signed a $13 million research and development blanket
purchase agreement with healthcare startup Curative Inc., to employ and scale a
Food and Drug Administration-authorized, saliva-based COVID-19 test that can
yield results in about one day, USAF announced April 20. Testing is slated to
kick off within two weeks. The $13 million agreement will cover the cost of
building more than 40,000 test kits, training medical troops to perform the
tests, standing up a new lab in addition to Curative’s pre-established one,
and establishing testing locations at eight Defense Department installations,
the release stated. Testing may eventually expand to the civilian population.

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Lakenheath Eagles Take Home Raytheon Trophy, Again
By Brian W. Everstine

The 493rd Fighter Squadron is the 2020 recipient of the Raytheon Trophy for the
service’s top air superiority squadron, the fourth win in a row for the 48th
Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath, England. The squadron received the award based
in its performance in 2019, which included a short-notice rapid deployment for
combat operations in the Middle East and multiple high-profile training
exercises. “They should just call it the Liberty Trophy from here on out,”
48th Fighter Wing Commander Col. William Marshall said in announcing the win.
“Great work by the team last year—good to see it recognized.”

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Guard Members, Spouses: Sound Off on How You’re Coping with COVID-19
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

The COVID-19 Military Support Initiative—a joint program of the military
nonprofits Blue Star Families and Association of Defense Communities—recently
launched a poll to determine the biggest challenges the new coronavirus pandemic
is posing to U.S. troops, veterans, their families, and their communities. But
the head of Blue Star Families said CMSI needs National Guard members and their
families to sound off on their experiences, since they’re underrepresented in
the survey so far.

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Virtual Events Calendar: F.E. Warren Town Hall, Astronaut Chat & More
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

On April 21, F.E. Warren Air Force Base will hold a virtual town hall, and on
April 24, the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum will host its inaugural Virtual
Astronomy Live event.

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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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Most National Guard Troops Deployed in Fight Against the Coronavirus Now on Federal Orders

For weeks, National Guard members have stood on the front lines of the
coronavirus fight and now the majority of the 36,750 troops deployed in every
state and U.S. territory are working under a federal status that offers more
benefits and military health coverage.

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Millions of Cloth Masks Ordered for Military Personnel Won't Arrive Until Summer

The Defense Department has ordered three million cloth face masks for uniformed
and civilian personnel, but the vast majority won't arrive until this summer,
the Pentagon's top acquisition official said April 20.

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OPINION: How an FCC Ruling Could Harm Military and Civilian Communications

"Ligado Networks, a commercial communications company, seeks to harness spectrum
in a way that may interfere with these crucial systems—systems upon which
America’s military and its economy both rely,” writes retired Air Force Gen.
Paul Selva, former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "As a former vice
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, I can confidently say that the FCC needs
to pause this process, which began in 2011, and seek a path that unequivocally
ensures the wide-ranging interests of the nation are not compromised for a
limited business opportunity.”

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Deputy Defense CIO to Retire; Intelligence Community CIO to Step In

Essye Miller, who served temporarily as acting Defense CIO, plans to retire
after 35 years supporting military technology.

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Russia Disputes U.S. Account of 'Unsafe' Incident Involving Aircraft

Russia on April 20 disputed the U.S. Navy’s account of an “unsafe and
unprofessional” incident April 19 in which a fighter jet from Moscow
intercepted an American spy plane over the Mediterranean Sea.

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DOD, Norway Partner on Ramjets for Navy Hypersonic Missiles

The partnership will “drive fielding of the critical technologies needed to
ensure U.S. and Allied military superiority in hypersonic systems,” Under
Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Mike Griffin says.

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DARPA Awards Nine New Contracts to Foster Drone Swarm Technology

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has issued nine new contracts to
companies developing drone swarm technologies, the agency announced April 13.
Through the agency’s Offensive Swarm-Enabled Tactics program, or OFFSET, it
hopes to foster technology developments that will enable 250 small unmanned air
or ground robots to work together in support of the war fighter.

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Faster Acquisition

The Air Force is leveraging emerging technologies and new legislation to
accelerate acquisition decisions and streamline sustainment. Read more here.

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Palantir to Provide Data and Software Services to U.S. Space Force

Data analytics company Palantir won a contract to provide software and data
services to U.S. Space Force units that track objects in orbit and monitor space
traffic. The contract is for a project called Kobayashi Maru, an effort started
last year by the U.S. Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center to
replace decades-old space command-and-control software with modern apps.

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Airman and Marine Will Head to Space in First U.S. Manned Launch Since 2011

NASA is relying on the skills and experience of an Active-duty Air Force colonel
and a retired Marine Corps colonel to put the U.S. back in the business of
manned space launches after a nine-year hiatus.

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One More Thing...
VA to Distribute Thousands of Facebook Portals to Vets and Caregivers in Isolation

Facebook recently donated 7,488 Portal video-calling devices to the Veterans
Affairs Department, which the agency will soon distribute to qualifying veterans
and caregivers—free of charge—who might be lonely due to recent
COVID-19-driven social distancing measures. “We believe this technology will
help veterans who might otherwise be unreachable,” Veterans Affairs Secretary
Robert Wilkie said in the agency’s announcement of the new partnership.

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