Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for June 8, 2020

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

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Presumptive Next Chief of Staff Talks About His Own Experiences With Racism
By Brian W. Everstine

Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., the Air Force's presumptive next Chief of Staff,
talked about what's on his mind as Congress considers his historic nomination to
be the first black leader of any military service while racial tensions flare
across the country following the Memorial Day death of a black man at the hands
of white police officers. In a powerful personal message posted June 5, Brown
recalled feeling ostracized and trying to fit in throughout his life. “I’m
thinking about a history of racial issues, and my own experiences that didn’t
always sing of liberty and equality. I’m thinking about living in two worlds,
each with their own perspectives and views," he said.

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Air Force JAG Details Racial Disparity in Military Justice, Calls for Action
By Brian W. Everstine

The Air Force needs to address the disparity in judicial punishments between
white and black Airmen, and use this discussion as a catalyst for a broader
conversation for how people are valued within the service, the Air Force’s top
lawyer argues in a recent letter. Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Rockwell, the Air Force’s
judge advocate general, details in a June 3 letter the extent to which different
races are punished differently within the service. “The statistics show that
black male Airmen under the age of 25 and with less than 5 years of service
receive NJP and courts-martial actions at a higher rate than similarly situated
white male Airmen,” Rockwell wrote in a letter to all Air Force JAG personnel.
The information supports Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein’s recent call for
the Air Force Inspector General to review the military justice system.

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Air Force Seeks MQ-9 Replacement By 2031
By John A. Tirpak

The Air Force is looking to acquire a new fleet of hunter-killer drones to
replace the MQ-9 Reaper circa 2031, according to a solicitation issued June 3.
The new aircraft needs to be stealthy and autonomous, the better to survive and
function in well-defended airspace, and USAF plans to compete the various pieces
and rely on small businesses as much as possible. It isn't clear yet how these
will partner with the low-cost attritable platform the Air Force is also working
on.

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Why ANG RC-26s Were Spotted Over D.C., Vegas During Civil Unrest
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

An Air National Guard RC-26 aircraft that was tracked over the nation’s
capital last week amid civil unrest following the Memorial Day killing of George
Floyd in police custody belonged to the West Virginia Air National Guard, ANG
spokesperson Lt. Col. Devin Robinson told Air Force Magazine on June 5. The
aircraft—the presence of which over the District of Columbia prompted Sen.
Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) to take to Twitter in search of answers—“is
responding to a District of Columbia National Guard request to provide airborne
situational awareness of key lines of communication and critical infrastructure
within the District," Robinson wrote in response to a query from the magazine. A
second RC-26 that was tracked over Las Vegas on June 2 also belongs to the Air
National Guard, but its mission was unrelated to civil disturbances in Nevada,
Robinson wrote.

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Pierce Tapped to Lead 1st Air Force

President Donald Trump nominated Maj. Gen. Kirk Pierce for a third star and
assignment as commander of 1st Air Force at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. If
confirmed, he will replace Lt. Gen. Marc Sasseville, who has been tapped to
serve as Vice Chief of the Air National Guard. Pierce currently serves as deputy
commander of the ANG.

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

On June 9, Will Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition,
technology, and logistics, will appear on the "Aerospace Nation" series hosted
by AFA's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. Event video will tentatively
be posted on Mitchell's <a
href="[link removed]">website</a> and
<a href="[link removed]">YouTube
page</a> following the event.

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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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Trump Orders Massive Cut to U.S. Troop Numbers in Germany: Report

The U.S. military will reduce its footprint in Germany by nearly one-third after
President Donald Trump ordered a dramatic drawdown in force levels from the key
NATO ally, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. The newspaper cited White
House officials who said the move was outlined in a memorandum signed by White
House National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien in recent days that has still not
been made public yet.

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Pentagon’s Coronavirus Plan Includes Millions for Missile Tubes and Body Armor

The Pentagon is moving too slowly to spend money it’s been allocated to battle
the coronavirus pandemic and is devoting millions of dollars to expenses that
are not virus related, according to critics and a copy of the spending plans
obtained by The Washington Post.

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CDC Study Praises Air Force for Limiting Coronavirus at San Antonio Base

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has acknowledged that the Air
Force’s efforts to limit the coronavirus in its basic military training were a
success. Just five cases were recorded as more than 10,000 recruits entered
Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in a seven week period, according to a study
compiled by researchers assigned to Lackland’s 59th Medical Wing and published
this week in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

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Military Members Arriving in Hawaii Exempt from State Quarantine Rules

Members of the U.S. military arriving in Hawaii will not be subjected to the
state’s quarantine rule resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, but service
members will follow a separate order restricting their movements.

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Errors in Military Health Overhaul Plan Could Result in Some Losing Care, GAO Finds

An ongoing, massive overhaul of the Defense Health System that will send some
non-military patients to civilian providers is built on incomplete or faulty
data that could leave beneficiaries without access to quality care, according to
a new report from the Government Accountability Office.

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‘Humbling’: Airman Earns Bronze Star After Providing Surgical Care for Over 600 Casualties in ISIS Fight

A special operations airman has been awarded a Bronze Star for his work on a
battlefield surgical team during the fight against the Islamic State group, as
the terrorists lost the last of their territory. Over the course of a six-month
deployment in early 2019, Staff Sgt. Johnathan Randall provided surgical care
for 644 combat casualties, assisted in 16 damage control surgeries, 46
resuscitations and 70 advanced procedures “at the most forward point of combat
operations,” according to the military.

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New Zealand Says to Buy Five New Super Hercules Aircraft

New Zealand said on June 5 that it will purchase five C-130J-30 Super Hercules
transport aircraft from Lockheed Martin to replace its existing fleet. The first
of the new Hercules will be delivered in 2024, with the full fleet operating
from 2025.

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Major Cyber Command Program will Cost More than First Thought

One of U.S. Cyber Command’s major programs, Unified Platform, is expected to
cost five times more than military officials originally estimated, according to
a report from Congress’ watchdog agency. Unified Platform will consolidate and
standardize the variety of big data tools used by Cyber Command and its
subordinate commands to allow forces to share information more easily, build
common tools and conduct mission planning and analysis.

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Paul Welch Named Leidos VP for Air Force, Defense Agencies Portfolio

Paul Welch, former vice president of U.S. business development for cyber and
nonkinetic effects at Raytheon, has joined Leidos (NYSE: LDOS) as vice president
and division manager for the Air Force and defense agencies portfolio.

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One More Thing...
D.C. Jet Painted with MLB’s Nats Logo at Iowa Paint Facility

On a good day, Nationals’ Park is a 30 minute drive from the Air Guard’s
113th Fighter Wing located at Andrews Air Force base, Md. As the crow flies, an
F-16 can get from Andrews to the stadium in about 1 second for a game day
flyover; or about the same amount of time it takes National’s closer Sean
Doolittle’s fast ball to make it to home plate.

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