Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for May 20, 2020

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

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Breaking Down USAF’s 70-Percent Overall Mission Capable Rate
By Brian W. Everstine

The Air Force’s fleet in fiscal 2019 maintained an overall mission capable
rate of 70.27 percent, a slight increase from the previous year. Although some
key combat aircraft, such as the fifth-generation F-22 Raptor, which hovers just
over 50 percent, sustained low capability rates, service officials say the
numbers don't tell the whole story. USAF officials say the mission capable
rate—a snapshot of how much of a certain fleet is ready to go at a given
time—is an inaccurate portrayal of the service’s health. Air Force Chief of
Staff Gen. David Goldfein, in a September 2019 interview with Air Force
Magazine, said the Air Force instead wants to highlight how deployable a fleet
is within a short period of time. “How many force elements do we
have—fighters, bombers, tankers—across all of the Air Force, and how are we
doing relative to the time all of those forces need to be ready,” Goldfein
said.

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Here’s What the Space Force is Telling Airmen About the New Service
By Rachel S. Cohen

As the Space Force stands up, there’s one constituency it has to get on board
with its plans: Airmen. The Space Force squeezed in 10 “roadshows” to
explain its mission before the coronavirus pandemic made it unsafe to gather for
the presentations. Troops at Peterson, Schriever, and Buckley Air Force Bases
and the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado; Patrick Air Force Base and Hurlburt
Field, Fla.; Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.; Robins Air Force Base, Ga.;
Thule Air Base in Greenland; and the Pentagon were briefed between March 3-12,
according to service spokeswoman Lynn Kirby. The service has switched to
spreading the same message online through videos, webinars, and Facebook Live.

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Lockheed to Miss 2020 F-35 Production Goal Due to COVID-19
By John A. Tirpak

Parts delays and the need to keep workers appropriately separate will translate
to an 18-24 airplane shortfall in Lockheed Martin's planned 2020 F-35
production, the company said May 19. The figure is a worst-case estimate and
could be mitigated by an earlier acceleration of parts deliveries and milder
spread of the virus. It's not clear how many of those jets will be F-35As for
the U.S. Air Force. Lockheed beat its 2019 production target by three aircraft.

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Air Force Splits ICBM Directorate in Two as GBSD Development Continues
By Brian W. Everstine

The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center is splitting its management of
intercontinental ballistic missiles in two as the next-generation Ground-Based
Strategic Deterrent progresses. AFNWC’s former Intercontinental Ballistic
Missile Systems Directorate at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is now the Minuteman
III Systems Directorate and the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent Systems
Directorate. “This restructuring is a natural progression of the Air Force’s
increasing focus on the modernization of the ICBM, the third leg of our
strategic nuclear triad,” said Maj. Gen. Shaun Morris, AFNWC commander and Air
Force program executive officer for strategic systems, in an Air Force Materiel
Command release.

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Northrop Gets Billions to Develop Next-Gen OPIR Polar Satellites
By Rachel S. Cohen

Northrop Grumman on May 18 won a contract worth up to $2.4 billion to supply two
polar orbit satellites that are part of the next generation of missile warning
systems. Phase one development work will run through the end of 2025, and
another contract that will fund production, testing, and launch is due out in
fiscal 2022. The Space Force wants the first polar satellite in fiscal 2027 and
all five initial satellites ready for operations in 2029. “The primary mission
is to provide initial missile warning of a ballistic missile attack on the U.S.,
its deployed forces, and its allies,” according to Space Force budget
documents. “Next-Gen OPIR Space enhances detection and improves reporting of
intercontinental ballistic missile launches, submarine launched ballistic
missile launches, and tactical ballistic missile launches.”

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Virtual Events: Wilson on Mitchell Institute’s ‘Aerospace Nation,’ and More
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Today, Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Stephen Wilson will appear in
discussion with retired USAF Lt. Gen. David Deptula, dean of AFA's Mitchell
Institute for Aerospace Studies, during an installment of the think tank's "<a
href="[link removed]">Aerospace
Nation</a>" series. Video of the event will tentatively be posted on Mitchell's
<a href="[link removed]">website</a> and <a
href="[link removed]">YouTube page</a>
later in the day.

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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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Leaked Pentagon Memo Warns of 'Real Possibility' of COVID-19 Resurgence, Vaccine Not Coming Until Summer 2021

The Defense Department should prepare to operate in a "globally-persistent"
novel coronavirus (COVID-19) environment without an effective vaccine until "at
least the summer of 2021," according to a draft Pentagon memo obtained by Task &
Purpose. "We have a long path ahead, with the real possibility of a resurgence
of COVID-19," reads the memo, authored for Defense Secretary Mark Esper but not
yet bearing his signature.

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‘Hard Stop’: States Could Lose National Guard Virus Workers

The Trump administration’s order ends deployments on June 24, just one day
before thousands would qualify for education and retirement benefits.

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Progressive Dems Urge Defense Spending Cut

Nearly 30 progressive House Democrats have sent a letter to the House Armed
Services Committee seeking a cut in defense spending in favor of devoting more
elsewhere to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. "We encourage you to constrain
defense spending during this pandemic so that we can defeat the greatest threat
to our nation—the coronavirus," the lawmakers wrote. "America needs a
coronavirus cure, not more war. We need more testing, not more bombs."

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OPINION: Funding Two Military Services—with the Resources for One—Risks Both

“America relies on space every day, and the benefits of our nation’s
space-based capabilities are clear,” writes retired USAF Col. Keith Zuegel,
the Air Force Association’s senior director for government relations. “The
U.S. Space Force needs support now, and sustained investment over the next
several years, to maintain our critical war-fighting advantages in space.”

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Mitchell Institute Releases New Forum Paper: ‘The Future of RAF-USAF Co-operation and Integration’

Air Chief Marshal Mike Wigston, Royal Air Force Chief of the Air Staff, writes
“it is one of my key goals to reinforce and expand our cooperation and
integration over the next three years, building on the solid foundations we have
constructed together in peace and war over the past century.”

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Senate Committee Advances Nomination of U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe for Director of National Intelligence

The Senate Intelligence Committee moved in a party-line vote May 19 to advance
the nomination of Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) for director of national
intelligence. The move sends the nomination to the full Senate, which is
expected to confirm Ratcliffe in the coming weeks. This is the second time
President Donald Trump has tapped Ratcliffe for the cabinet-level position,
which oversees 17 intelligence agencies.

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OPINION: Winning The Spectrum: Pentagon Unveils New Strategy

The U.S. largely abandoned electronic warfare after the Cold War ended. Then the
Russians made it very clear in their war against Ukraine just how effective EW
could be and senior folks in the U.S. military grew uneasy. They and Congress
realized how much we had made ourselves vulnerable and the Hill ordered the
creation of a group to devise a strategy to restore American EW eminence. Bryan
Clark and Tim Walton of the Hudson Institute preview the new strategy.

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How AI Will Soon Change Special Operations

A new U.S. Special Operations Command office is pursuing tools to understand and
influence populations, clear rooms with robots, and spot new forms of jamming.

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Pentagon’s AI Center Awards $800M Contract Through GSA Center of Excellence Program

Through its partnership with the General Services Administration’s Centers of
Excellence, the Defense Department’s central artificial intelligence program
signed an $800 million contract with Booz Allen Hamilton for AI-powered
warfighter support tools.

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A Lucky Flight in the Fight: Aircrew Receives Combat Medal

For their actions during the mission, the aircrew was awarded the Air Force
Combat Action Medal. This medal is awarded to U.S. military personnel who
actively participated in either air or ground combat while operating in an
unsecured space.

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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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One More Thing...
Air Force Photo Contest Launches July 1

The theme for this year’s contest, which runs July 1-31, is “We Are
Family.” The contest highlights and celebrates photography created by Airmen
and families and is open to anybody ages 6 and older, at the time of submission,
in five categories. When the contest closes on July 31, expert photographers
will evaluate each entry based on impact, creativity, and technical excellence.
Winners will be announced a few months later with the top three photographers in
each category winning Amazon gift cards of $500 for first place, $400 for second
place, and $200 for third place.

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