Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for June 3, 2020

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

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Goldfein on Racial Unrest: ‘We Will Not Shy Away from This’
By Brian W. Everstine

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein and Chief Master Sergeant of the
Air Force Kaleth Wright will meet virtually with Airmen for two hours June 3 to
discuss how the service will move forward to address racial inequality, as civil
unrest continues to spread across the country. Goldfein, in a June 2 letter to
wing commanders, wrote that the Memorial Day death of George Floyd at the hands
of Minneapolis police “is a national tragedy.” He added, “Every American
should be outraged that the conduct exhibited by police in Minneapolis can still
happen in 2020. We all wish it were not possible for racism to occur in
America.”

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Lawmakers Uneasy Deploying Active Military to Quell Protests
By Rachel S. Cohen

Military troops on June 2 continued to respond to nationwide protests over
George Floyd’s death, as some lawmakers raised concerns about the prospect of
sending in Active-duty service members. The death of Floyd, a black man who died
in police custody May 25 after asphyxiation by a white officer, has sparked
widespread protests over police brutality and systemic racism in the United
States. President Donald Trump on June 1 indicated he could direct Active-duty
troops to cities roiled by the protests if states don’t fully deploy their
National Guard units to quell civil unrest. Some lawmakers appear split over how
to respond to the possibility of calling in Active-duty troops under the 1807
Insurrection Act. That federal law allows the Commander in Chief to deploy
military troops within the U.S. in certain circumstances, like uprisings.

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U.S. COVID-19 Response Threatens Allies’ Confidence in Its Leadership
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

The United States’ reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic is feeding partners’
and allies’ fears that the U.S. “is no longer willing to play a leadership
role” amid international crises and opening the door for enemies and
competitors, alike, to challenge its dedication, former Under Secretary of
Defense for Policy Michèle Flournoy said during the opening session of the
Center for Strategic and International Studies’ third-annual Future Strategy
Forum on June 2. Flournoy said the nation’s hesitance to “step up and step
in to orchestrate an international, collaborative response that included
everyone”—as it did during the Ebola crisis—has egged on these concerns.
"It sort of invites adversaries or competitors to test the limits of U.S.
resolve and commitment as we've seen Russia do repeatedly in the Middle East,
for example, or ... China in the South China Sea," she said. "So it's a really
dangerous situation where we've created a vacuum that is sort of strengthening
others with interests antithetical to our own."

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Lockheed to Retrofit F-35s for Suppression/Destruction of Enemy Air Defenses Role
By John A. Tirpak

The Navy on June 1 awarded a contract to Lockheed Martin to upgrade the F-35's
Suppression and Destruction of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD/DEAD) capabilities. The
contract provides $26.7 million to engineer changes to the F-35 for the "full
up" mission, presumably to add weapons and/or new sensors to the jet.

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Idaho Guard A-10s Deploy for Operations in Middle East, Africa
By Brian W. Everstine

A-10s and about 400 Airmen with the Idaho Air National Guard’s 124th Fighter
Wing recently deployed to the Middle East for ongoing operations there, and to
serve as a quick reaction force if needed in Africa. The deployment is the
wing’s second-largest movement ever, including pilots, security forces,
maintainers, medical personnel, special warfare tactical air control party, and
other support staff deployed to an undisclosed location for Operations Inherent
Resolve in Iraq and Syria, Freedom’s Sentinel in Afghanistan, and New
Normal—a U.S. Africa Command mission created after the 2012 attack on a U.S.
consulate in Benghazi, Libya, according to a June 1 wing release.

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Virtual Events: Mitchell Institute Rolls Out Policy Paper, and More
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Today at 10 a.m. EDT, AFA's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies will host a
webinar to unveil its newest policy paper, "Modernizing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Export Policy for Effective Coalition Forces." <a
href="[link removed]">Advanced
registration is required</a>, and a replay will tentatively be posted on the
think tank's <a
href="[link removed]">website</a>. And
at 1 p.m. EDT he Center for Strategic and International Studies will also host a
panel entitled "Covid-19 and Grand Strategy" as part of its "Future Strategy
Forum: Cooperation and Conflict in the Time of Covid-19." Viewers can post live
questions <a
href="[link removed]">here</a>,
and register for or watch a livestream of the event <a
href="[link removed]">here</a>.

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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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Pentagon Taps $688 Million in Coronavirus Aid for Defense Industry

The $688 million defense-industrial base fund is just one category within the
$10.5 billion the Department of Defense received from Congress’ $2.1 trillion
CARES Act package. The department submitted its 54-page spending plan to
Congress on May 29 amid pressure from lawmakers after DOD had spent only 23
percent of that money weeks after it was signed into law in late March.

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Putin Signs Russia’s Nuclear Deterrent Policy

President Vladimir Putin on June 2 endorsed Russia’s nuclear deterrent policy,
which allows him to use atomic weapons in response to a conventional strike
targeting the nation’s critical government and military infrastructure. By
including a non-nuclear attack as a possible trigger for Russian nuclear
retaliation, the document appears to send a warning signal to the U.S. The new
expanded wording reflects Russian concerns about the development of prospective
weapons that could give Washington the capability to knock out key military
assets and government facilities without resorting to atomic weapons.

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SOCOM Looking to Bake in AI Requirements on Every New Program

Special Operations Command is in a “war for influence” with adversaires from
non-state groups to state-funded information operations, the command’s top
general said recently, and is rushing to fund artificial intelligence and
machine learning programs to find an edge.

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Department of Defense Announces Tour Length Change for the Middle East

The Defense Department changed the current overseas tour length for DOD military
personnel under COCOM (Title 10) authority assigned to permanent duty locations
in the Arabian Peninsula and Iraq.

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800th RED HORSE Group Activated under Ninth Air Force

The 819th RED HORSE Squadron located at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont.; the
820th RED HORSE Squadron located at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.; and the 823rd
Red Horse Squadron located at Hurlburt Field, Fla. comprise the new group nested
under Ninth Air Force.

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Air Force Picks 27 Firms for $950M Joint All-Domain C2 Support IDIQ

The U.S. Air Force has awarded 27 companies spots on a potential five-year,
$950M contract to develop and operate systems across ground, air, maritime,
space, electromagnetic spectrum, and cyber domains in support of the Joint
All-Domain Command and Control program.

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Joint Chiefs Vision Changes Military Education Philosophy

The Joint Chiefs of Staff have released their vision and guidance for officer
professional military education, calling for a change in philosophy and tightly
tying performance to assignments.

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One More Thing...
DARPA Declares War on Jet Lag, Other Travel Woes

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has kicked off a hunt for new
technologies aimed at combating travel-associated problems faced by warfighters
and civilians on-the-go. The effort could facilitate treatments for a wide range
of health issues, according to the project leader.

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