Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for May 12, 2020

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

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COVID-19 Fears Hit the Joint Chiefs
By Brian W. Everstine and Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Concerns about COVID-19 infection have reached the highest levels of the
military, with one member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff going into
self-quarantine and another testing positive on May 9 and then testing negative
twice. Gen. Joseph Lengyel, chief of the National Guard Bureau, was tested for
the third time on May 11 at Walter Reed Military Medical Center in Bethesda,
Md., and received a negative result. Lengyel tested positive before a White
House meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff on May 9, and subsequently tested
negative the same day. Lengyel’s tests come as Chief of Naval Operations Adm.
Michael Gilday is in quarantine at home after coming in contact with a family
member who tested positive. Gilday tested negative for the virus on May 8, but
is still in quarantine and did not attend the May 9 White House meeting.

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USAF Puts its Bombers on Display in EUCOM, INDOPACOM Theaters
By Brian W. Everstine

Within just four days, the Air Force sent nuclear-capable bombers on
long-distance training flights to Europe and the Pacific, while B-1s flew their
own long-range missions in both regions. On May 11, B-1s from Ellsworth Air
Force Base, S.D., flew from their home base to Eastern Europe, integrating with
Danish F-16s and Polish F-16s and MiG-29s. On May 7, two B-2s from Whiteman Air
Force Base, Mo.; two B-52s from Minot Air Force Base, N.D.; and two B-52s from
Barksdale Air Force Base, La., launched for training missions in the U.S.
European Command and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command areas of responsibility. The next
day, two B-1Bs from the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron deployed to Andersen Air
Force Base, Guam, flew to the South China Sea for a mission “in support of
Pacific Air Forces’ training efforts and strategic deterrence missions to
reinforce the rules-based international order,” the command said in a
statement.

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If critical infrastructure is down in the disaster zone, then the systems and networks required for
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communication needs. Read the full story.
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USAF Search for ‘Skyborg’ Drones Starting Soon
By Rachel S. Cohen

The Air Force will shortly launch its effort to buy Skyborg drone prototypes,
according to the official running the unmanned wingman program. The service will
begin soliciting aircraft this month and plans to award contracts to the winning
designs by the end of the summer, Advanced Aircraft Program Executive Officer
Col. Dale White told Air Force Magazine. Chosen drones will then head into
experiments to show off what they can do. White did not say how many airframes
the service plans to buy. Officials envision Skyborg as an unmanned aircraft
that would take direction from fighter jets and its own artificial intelligence
in combat.

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New Commanders Nominated for AFCENT, Air National Guard
By Brian W. Everstine

Air Forces Central Command and the Air National Guard will get new commanders,
as part of several new general officer nominations announced May 11. President
Donald Trump tapped current AFCENT boss Lt. Gen. Joseph Guastella Jr. to be the
next deputy chief of staff for operations at the Pentagon, pending Senate
confirmation. Maj. Gen. Gregory Guillot, currently the director of operations
for U.S. Northern Command, will receive his third star, if confirmed, and take
over for Guastella at AFCENT, where he will also serve as commander of the Ninth
Air Expeditionary Task Force and combined forces air component commander for
U.S. Central Command. Trump also nominated Maj. Gen. Michael Loh, Colorado's
adjutant general, to be the next director of the Air National Guard.

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Three Companies Vie to Rescue Troubled Radar Program
By Rachel S. Cohen

Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Australia-based CEA Technologies are in
the running to build a new ground-based radar as the Air Force overhauls its
Three-Dimensional Expeditionary Long-Range Radar effort. The Air Force announced
May 11 that each company received $500,000 to demonstrate their ready-made
radars by the end of September under an initiative known as “SpeedDealer.”
The demos aim to fast-track the 3DELRR program, after the Air Force recently
canceled its chronically challenged and delayed development contract with
Raytheon. “Following the demonstration, a system that successfully completes
the event may be selected for integration, and potentially production, contracts
by the end of this calendar year,” the service said.

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Virtual Events: Space Force Vice Commander on Mitchell Institute’s ‘Aerospace Nation,’ & More
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Today, U.S. Space Force Vice Commander Lt. Gen. David Thompson will appear in
conversation with retired USAF Lt. Gen. David Deptula, dean of AFA's Mitchell
Institute for Aerospace Studies, on the latest installment of its <a
href="[link removed]">"Aerospace
Nation"</a> series, and the COVID-19 Military Support Initiative will host a
virtual town hall entitled <a
href="[link removed]">"Healthcare
for Military Families During COVID-19"</a> featuring representatives from the
Defense Health Agency and National Military Family Association.

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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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GW Partners with Air Force to Conduct COVID-19 Testing for Defense Department

George Washington University’s partnership with a startup company and the U.S.
Air Force will be able to process tens of thousands of coronavirus tests to the
Defense Department, officials said. University President Thomas LeBlanc said he
expects that the team will be able to administer between 30,000 and 50,000 tests
a day for DOD through a scaling test methodology.

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VA’s Active Coronavirus Cases Drop as Leadership Talks of Reopening Facilities

The number of active coronavirus cases among Veterans Affairs patients dropped
nearly 10 percent in recent days as department officials outlined plans to
reopen some hospitals for non-urgent needs and visitors in coming weeks. But
some employees voiced concerns that those moves could be rushing facilities into
normal operations before the virus threat has truly subsided, potentially
risking the health of both patients and staff.

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‘That Place Is a Dumpster Fire’—Inside the Air Force’s Dilapidated Reaper School, Which Won't Be Fixed Anytime Soon

Here’s what happens when you combine a sinkhole, a border wall, and a
deep-seated cultural conflict over the future of the Air Force.

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German Lawmakers Investigate Whether Double Taxation of U.S. Troops, Civilians Violates SOFA

Regional lawmakers in Germany are investigating why a finance office near
Ramstein Air Base has stepped up efforts to collect income tax from American
troops and military civilians, possibly breaching an international treaty that
governs U.S. forces in the country.

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National Security Space Conference to Propose Plan to Boost Industrial Base

A virtual conference held last week with more than 150 government and industry
officials will issue a report next month recommending actions to shore up the
U.S. space industrial base. The four-day “State of the Space Industrial Base
2020” program was led by the Defense Innovation Unit, the Air Force Research
Laboratory, and the U.S. Space Force. The nonprofit advocacy group NewSpace New
Mexico organized the conference.

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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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Space Force to Get Deeper Insight into Inner Workings of SpaceX Commercial Launches

SpaceX on May 6 was awarded an $8.9 million contract modification that gives the
U.S. Space Force direct insight into the inner workings of the company’s
commercial and civil space missions. The contract for “non-National Security
Space fleet surveillance” gives the Space Force access to SpaceX missions
until November.

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Iran Says Missile Kills 19 Sailors in Training Accident

A missile fired during an Iranian training exercise mistakenly struck a naval
vessel instead of its intended target in waters near the strategic Strait of
Hormuz, killing 19 sailors and wounding 15 others, Iranian authorities said May
11. The bungled training exercises took place on May 10 and raised new questions
about the readiness of the Islamic Republic’s armed forces amid heightened
tensions with the U.S., just months after they accidentally shot down a
Ukrainian jetliner near Tehran, killing 176 passengers.

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One More Thing...
We've Got a Close Up Look at Syria's MiG-29s and It Isn't Pretty

Syria has released a number of video clips showing some of its MiG-29 Fulcrum
jets. The unusually high-resolution footage offers a close look at how these
jets are faring after years of conflict and sanctions and it’s safe to say
that they look pretty beat up.

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