USAF IDs F-15C Crash Fatality | JAG Talks Racial Bias Study

June 17, 2020

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

1st Lt. Kenneth "Kage" Allen is shown in a photo that the U.S. Air Force Academy—his alma mater—published on Twitter. Photo via USAFA on Twitter.

48th Fighter Wing Identifies Pilot Killed in F-15C Crash

By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

1st Lt. Kenneth Allen, the 493rd Fighter Squadron’s assistant chief of weapons and tactics, was killed in a June 15 F-15C crash over the North Sea, the 48th Fighter Wing announced June 16. Allen, a U.S. Air Force Academy alumnus who arrived at RAF Lakenheath, U.K., in February, is survived by his wife and parents. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of Lt. Allen, and mourn with his family and his fellow Reapers in the 493rd Fighter Squadron,” said 48th Fighter Wing Commander Col. Will Marshall in a wing release.

USAF Racial Bias Study to Look at Discipline, Differences in Mentorship

By Brian W. Everstine

The Air Force needs to study and understand the racial disparity in the way Airmen are disciplined before courts martial, including identifying differences in how minority Airmen are mentored early on in their careers compared to white Airmen, to better create a more inclusive service, the Air Force’s top lawyer told lawmakers. The Air Force’s Judge Advocate General Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Rockwell told lawmakers on June 16 the service has data on courts martial and non-judicial punishment showing that black Airmen with less than five years of service receive non-judicial-punishments and courts martial at a higher rate. However, there is not an understanding of the differences experienced before an Airmen faces this discipline. “Are we mentoring everybody the same? We all feel we probably aren’t, based on biases, but we don’t have specific data to show that,” Rockwell said. A review of USAF judicial punishments and career advancements, which was initiated thanks to ongoing public attention on racism, should be complete by the end of the calendar year.

Poll of Space Suppliers Shows Cash Flow, Workforce Issues

By Rachel S. Cohen

The Space Force has gathered more data on the hit industry has taken as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, a top policy official said at a June 16 Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies event. About half of respondents indicated their cash flow was at least moderately impacted or worse, according to Shawn Barnes, acting assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration. “It’s not a surprise that those things happened, but it’s certainly important for us to be able to understand,” Barnes said. He did not say how many responses the survey garnered.

Kadena Dental Lab 3D-Prints COVID-19 Testing Swabs

By Jennifer Hlad

The Regional Dental Laboratory at Kadena Air Base, Japan, usually uses its 3D printer to make dental prostheses. But when the new coronavirus pandemic caused Defense Department medical facilities to stop non-emergency procedures, the Airmen of the 18th Dental Squadron decided to start printing nasopharyngeal swabs. The swabs, which resemble large Q-tips, are a critical component of COVID-19 testing.

Air Force Recruiting Service Launches ‘Aim High’ App

By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

A new Air Force Recruiting Service app looks to make it easier for prospective recruits to learn more about USAF and the Space Force, help connect them with recruiters, prepare them for Basic Military Training or Officer Training School, centralize Total Force recruiting information in one place, and more. The “Aim High” app launched June 15, and is available in the iOS and Google Play app stores.

Virtual Events: Thompson on Mitchell’s Space Power Forum, and More

By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Today, Space and Missile Systems Center Commander Lt. Gen. John Thompson will speak at a Space Power Forum presented by AFA's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. Event video will tentatively be posted on Mitchell's website and YouTube page following the event.

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.

In 'Terrific Explosion,' North Korea Blows Up Liaison Office

National Public Radio

North Korea blew up its joint liaison office with South Korea on June 16, in a dramatic and carefully planned display of rancor toward its southern neighbor. The act follows threats from Pyongyang, and signals what experts believe will be more provocations to come.

NATO Chief Plays Down Concern over U.S. Troop Plans in Germany

The Associated Press

President Donald Trump has said he is ordering a major reduction in U.S. troop strength in Germany, from around 34,500 personnel down to 25,000. Members of his own party have criticized the move as a gift to Russia and a threat to U.S. national security. Germany is a hub for U.S. operations in the Middle East and home to its European command headquarters.

Latest Pentagon Official Overseeing Special Operations Leaving as Musical Chairs Continue

Task and Purpose

The Pentagon’s current top civilian leader in charge of special operations forces is leaving before his permanent replacement is confirmed by the Senate, the Defense Department has announced.

Alaska Officials Request Anchorage Be Considered for U.S Space Command Headquarters

KTUU.com

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy and Anchorage, Alaska, Mayor Ethan Berkowitz have both signed on to a letter requesting Anchorage be considered for the headquarters of the United States Space Command. In the letter, the governor says he believes Anchorage meets the “minimum eligibility requirements and would earn a competitive score when assessed against evaluation criteria.”

OPINION: The Space Development Agency Must Be a Constructive Disruptor

Space News

“As a disruptor, SDA must be allowed to operate outside of legacy acquisition systems until it has had time to innovate, flourish, and deliver,” write SDA Director Derek Tournear, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, DOD Chief Technology Officer Mike Griffin, and Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Lisa Porter. “SDA will be the pilot program to show how we can incorporate new systems into our national security space enterprise through rapid and frequent delivery of updates and upgrades.”

Critical Update: COVID-19 Challenges Test Veterans Affairs' Customer Experience Office

Nextgov

The Veteran Experience Office has been instrumental in ensuring veterans’ voices are heard and acknowledged, even amid a global pandemic.

Air Force Plans New Cleanup at Wurtsmith Base, but Questions Remain

MLive.com

The U.S. Air Force says it plans to increase the amount of fluorochemical contamination that’s being removed from the groundwater at its former base in Oscoda after Michigan congressional delegates pushed for accelerated stopgap cleanup measures.

With the Future of the U.S. Navy’s Carrier Air Wing Murky, Congress Demands a Plan

Defense News

A provision in the Senate Armed Services Committee’s mark of the National Defense Authorization Act told the Navy to come up with a concrete plan for fielding next generation fighter aircraft, a move that comes months after congressional appropriators gutted 2020 funding for the Navy’s next-generation air dominance program, taking the requested $20.7 million and slashing it to $7.1 million.

One More Thing

A Missile Full of Swords Was Likely Behind the Death of 2 al-Qaida Commanders in Syria

Task and Purpose

A drone strike that killed two senior commanders of an al-Qaida-linked terror group in northwestern Syria likely employed a unique variant of the beloved Hellfire missile, according to video from the scene of the strike. The absence of an explosion and the pattern of damage to the roof and sides of the vehicle suggest that the drone didn't employ a conventional precision-guided munition but the R9X variant of the AGM-114 Hellfire missile, a non-explosive weapon that can best be described as a 100-pound flying switchblade or an anvil covered in swords.