Coronavirus and the Joint Chiefs | Bombers on Display

May 12, 2020

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

National Guard Bureau Chief Gen. Joseph Lengyel is shown during a visit to Texas National Guard personnel serving at the Tarrant Area Food Bank in Fort Worth, Texas, on April 29, 2020. Tarrant Area Food Bank courtesy photo by Ryan Iwaniak, via USAF.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 "Aerospace Nation" series, and the COVID-19 Military Support Initiative will host a virtual town hall entitled "Healthcare for Military Families During COVID-19" featuring representatives from the Defense Health Agency and National Military Family Association.

Radar Sweep

Snapshot: DOD and COVID-19

Air Force Magazine

Here's a look at how the Defense Department is being impacted by and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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

The GW Hatchet

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.

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

Military Times

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.

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

Task and Purpose

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.

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

Stars and Stripes (Subscription Required)

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.

National Security Space Conference to Propose Plan to Boost Industrial Base

Space News

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.

Rapid Acquisition & Sustainment

Air Force Magazine

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.

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

Space News

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.

Iran Says Missile Kills 19 Sailors in Training Accident

Associated Press

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.

One More Thing

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

The Drive

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.