Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for April 24, 2020

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

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Space Force Details Application Process for Active Duty Airmen
By Rachel S. Cohen

The Space Force will soon start formally accepting Airmen’s applications but
isn’t taking volunteers from services outside the Air Force just yet,
officials clarified this week. During the month of May, Active-duty Air Force
officers and enlisted members in existing space careers and certain other jobs
can apply to join the Space Force. That includes the 16,000 or so military and
civilian employees who previously worked for Air Force Space Command and now
make up the bulk of the new service, but have not yet formally transferred in.
Airmen in the 13S and 1C6 fields will start transferring into the Space Force on
Sept. 1.

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Goldfein Says GAO Out of Date, Out of the Secrecy Loop on ABMS Report
By John A. Tirpak

Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein said the Government Accountability Office's
recent report blasting the service's centerpiece Advanced Battle Management
System was based on old information and lacked insight into the system's
secrets. He said he'd be happy to walk GAO's auditors through the classified
aspects of the program so they, Congress, and other opinion-shapers can
understand the importance of ABMS, which he said is moving at unprecedented
speed.

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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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B-1 Returns to Pacific in 30-Hour Training Flight to Japan
By Brian W. Everstine

A B-1B Lancer flew a 30-hour flight to train alongside USAF and Japanese
fighters on April 22, the first bomber sortie in the Pacific since the Air Force
ended the continuous bomber presence mission on April 17. The B-1, from
Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., linked up with six USAF F-16s, seven Japan Air
Self-Defense Force F-2s, and eight JASDF F-15s over the Draughon Range near
Misawa Air Base before returning home. The mission was a joint U.S. Indo-Pacific
Command and U.S. Strategic Command bomber task force mission, and marks the
first time a B-1 has been in the region since early 2018.

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Aviano’s Triple Nickel First Full Unit to Return from Deployment Amid COVID-19
By Brian W. Everstine

Airmen and F-16s from the “Triple Nickel” returned to Aviano Air Base,
Italy, from a six-month combat deployment to the Middle East—the first time a
full unit returned from a deployment since the Defense Department ordered a
restriction on movement because of COVID-19. The Airmen wore masks and had
their temperatures checked once arriving at their home base. Now, they will be
quarantined for about two weeks. The 555th Fighter Squadron deployed to
southwest Asia in October on short notice amid tensions with Iran, arriving in
theater 14 days after the order.

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Virtual Events Calendar: James and Guetlein on the Mitchell Institute’s Space Power Forum, and More
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Today, Army Brig. Gen. Thomas James, commander of Joint Task Force-Space
Defense, and Air Force Maj. Gen. Michael Guetlein, deputy director of the
National Reconnaissance Office, will discuss U.S. Space Command and NRO
operations during a virtual installment of the <a
href="[link removed]"> Space
Power Forum </a>, hosted by the Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute for
Aerospace Studies, and 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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Coronavirus Pandemic Leads to Spike in Disinformation Directed at U.S., NATO in Europe

Disinformation aimed at undermining the U.S. and NATO forces has surged in
Europe as adversaries seize on the coronavirus pandemic in their attempts to
create instability, Lithuania’s Defense Ministry said in a new report. There
have been 807 cases of false or misleading information about the virus, much of
it focused on Lithuania, since February, according to an analysis by the
Lithuanian military’s strategic communication department.

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26 U.S. Navy Ships Currently Have Coronavirus Cases

There are currently coronavirus cases on 26 U.S. Navy warships, and another 14
have been hit by the virus but the crew members impacted have recovered, a
senior Navy official told CNN April 22. The 26 ships with current cases are in
port or maintenance yards, the official added.

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IRGC Commander Threatens U.S. Navy after Trump Tweet

The leader of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned on April 23 that he has
ordered his forces to potentially target the U.S. Navy after President Donald
Trump’s tweet the previous day threatening to sink Iranian vessels. Iran also
summoned the Swiss ambassador, who looks out for America’s interests in the
country, to complain about Trump’s threat coming amid months of escalating
tensions between the two countries.

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NDIA Says Small Businesses Report Problems with Meeting Obligations and Access to Capital

About 770 small businesses in the defense sector participated in the survey,
which the National Defense Industrial Association managed at the request of the
Defense Department. The survey closed April 10.

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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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20 Empty Seats: Coronavirus May Slow Pentagon’s Push to Fill Vacancies

A third of the Pentagon’s jobs are missing a Senate-confirmed leader, and amid
the coronavirus pandemic, there are new questions about how many of those roles
can be filled before November’s presidential election. Of the Pentagon’s 60
positions that must be confirmed by the Senate, 20 jobs are empty, a spokesman
from the Defense Department confirmed.

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One More Thing...
Tweak the KC-135 Stratotanker's Windshield Wipers. Save Millions.

The Air Force has discovered a simple engineering change to the venerable KC-135
Stratotanker that could save up to $7 million a year. Using computer modeling,
the Air Force realized it could increase the aerodynamic efficiency of the
converted jetliner by one percent by changing the orientation of the windshield
wipers. The increased efficiency translates into greater fuel savings.

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