Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for May 27, 2020

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

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DOD to Loosen Movement Restrictions Despite Recent COVID-19 Deaths
By Brian W. Everstine

The Pentagon announced May 26 it will start rolling back restrictions on
movement, even though a third U.S. service member and two people affiliated with
the Air Force recently died from COVID-19. A Wisconsin Army Reservist died of
the disease caused by the new coronavirus over the Memorial Day weekend,
according to the Pentagon’s daily tally of COVID-19 cases. Additionally, an
Air Force civilian and a service contractor also died of the disease in recent
days, bringing the Air Force total to four—none of whom were uniformed Airmen.
In a May 22 memo, Defense Secretary Mark Esper wrote that while COVID-19 remains
a risk, “improving conditions warrant a transition in our approach to domestic
and overseas personnel travel to a conditions-based, phased approach to
personnel movement and travel.”

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AFRICOM: Russia Deploys Fighter Jets to Libya, Hides Military Insignia
By Brian W. Everstine

U.S. Africa Command says Russia deployed fighter jets to Libya to provide air
support for state-sponsored mercenaries on the ground, and surveillance
photographs show Moscow is intentionally hiding the origin of the aircraft.
Images show MiG-29 Fulcrum and Su-24 Fencer aircraft deployed to Al Jufra Air
Field in Libya. AFRICOM says its intelligence shows the aircraft deployed from a
home base in Russia, then transited through Syria, where they were repainted to
hide Russian military insignia. “Russia is clearly trying to tip the scales in
its favor in Libya,” AFRICOM boss Gen. Stephen Townsend said in a release.
“Just like I saw them doing in Syria, they are expanding their military
footprint in Africa using government-supported mercenary groups like Wagner.”

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USAF to Hold BMT at Keesler, Lackland Until COVID-19 Surge Operations End
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

The Air Force will host Basic Military Training at two locations—Joint Base
San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, and Keesler Air Force Base, Miss.—starting June 2
and lasting until COVID-19 surge operations wrap up, Air Education and Training
Command announced May 26. However, the service doesn't intend to host BMT
outside of Lackland once the new coronavirus pandemic ends, the command noted in
a release. The decision follows a six-week proof of concept held at the
Mississippi base that looked to show that the Air Force could host BMT outside
of Lackland in case of contingencies.

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USAF Tripling Data-Driven Maintenance Efforts in 2020
By Rachel S. Cohen

The Air Force’s fledgling Rapid Sustainment Office plans to triple the number
of aircraft using predictive maintenance algorithms in 2020, the service told
Air Force Magazine. The Conditions-Based Maintenance Plus (CBM+) program, which
started last year, and related initiatives use sensors and algorithms to collect
data on which weapon system parts need to be replaced before they fail. As of
May 14, the RSO was using predictive maintenance on the B-1, KC-135, C-5, C-130,
and F-15. By the end of September, it wants to expand that effort to include the
B-52, C-17, AC-130J, MC-130J, CV-22, HH-60, RC-135, MQ-9, F-16, RQ-4, A-10, and
Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile.

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

Today, Brig. Gen. S. Clinton Hinote, deputy director for Air Force Warfighting
Integration Capability, will appear on the latest installment of the <a
href="[link removed]">"Aerospace
Nation"</a> series presented by AFA's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
Event video will tentatively be posted on the think tank'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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More Than 1,300 Veterans Given Hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19

Roughly 1,300 patients at Veterans Affairs Department medical facilities have
received hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 since late March, according to VA
Secretary Robert Wilkie.

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Live Nuclear Testing Could Resume in ‘Months’ if Needed, Official Says

A live nuclear test could be arranged within “months” if requested by the
president, a top defense department nuclear official said Tuesday, following a
report that the Trump administration has discussed the first American nuclear
test in decades.

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The Air Force Thunderbirds Say They Are Done with America Strong Flyovers

The team says the recent flyover of Southern California was their last even
though it was thought more were originally in the works.

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China is Stepping Up Its Preparedness for Armed Combat, Will Spend $178 Billion on Its Military This Year

China's President Xi Jinping has stressed his desire to bolster the nation's
military, days after it was revealed the country is to spend $178 billion on its
forces this year. Xi is said to have "stressed achieving the targets and
missions of strengthening the national defense and armed forces for 2020, while
maintaining effective epidemic control on a regular basis," according to state
media.

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Can NASA and Elon Musk Lift Off?

May 27’s historic launch from Cape Canaveral would make Musk's SpaceX the
first private company to carry people into orbit—and open a new era for
America's space program. If it works.

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DOD Moves AI Development to Air Force’s Cloud One as JEDI Protest Drags on

Lt. Gen. Jack Shanahan, the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center director, said
his organization has decided to start using the Air Force’s Cloud One
environment for its AI work for the foreseeable future. Time is of the essence,
he said, since the U.S. military only has about five years before it’s decided
whether the United States or China will be the dominant force in AI.

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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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Air Force Seeks Industry Partner for Data Loss Prevention Program

The Air Force is looking for a contractor to develop and demonstrate a proof of
concept for an enterprise data loss prevention system at a military
installation. A solicitation notice posted May 20 stated that the service branch
wants a potential vendor to test the POC with at least 100 users and its ability
to protect data on-premises or in cloud computing environments.

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Army Eyes Kessel Run Model to Boost Software Capabilities

The Army is looking to bolster its in-house software capabilities by building
software factories like Kessel Run, the Air Force's agile software development
program. The Army's chief technology officer, William Robinson, said the
service is planning to emulate the Air Force's model as part of a larger effort
to better prepare soldiers to manipulate cloud-based applications, including
those that perform data analytics, in the field.

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One More Thing...
The Inside Story of Two Supersonic Flights that Changed How America Operates the F-35

The F-35 pilot who flew the two infamous supersonic missions that inflicted
damage to the jet’s stealth coating and tail wants to set the record straight.

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