Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for June 18, 2020

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Edited by Amy McCullough and Brian W. Everstine

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New DOD Space Strategy Warns of Growing Threats from Russia, China
By Brian W. Everstine

The U.S. National Security Space enterprise is not built for the current
environment—specifically the rapidly increasing threats from Russia and
China—so as the Space Force stands up, the Pentagon released a new strategy
aimed at guiding years of policy to address shortfalls in the domain. The
Defense Department on June 17 published the National Space Strategy, following
in the steps of 2018’s National Defense Strategy, as a “roadmap to advance
our nation’s military space power by guiding the most significant
transformation in the history of the national security space program,” Stephen
Kitay, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for space policy, told
reporters.

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F-22s Intercept Two More Russian Bomber Formations Near Alaska
By Amy McCullough

For the second time in a week, F-22 Raptors, supported by KC-135 Stratotankers
and an E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System, intercepted two formations of
Russian aircraft off the coast of Alaska, North American Aerospace Defense
Command announced. The Russian aircraft—Tu-95 bombers, Su-35 fighters, and an
A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft—stayed in international
airspace during the June 16 flights, but came within 32 nautical miles of
Alaskan shores, said NORAD. “For the eighth time this year, Russian military
aircraft have penetrated our Canadian or Alaskan Air Defense Identification
Zones, and each and every time NORAD forces were ready to meet this
challenge,” NORAD Commander USAF Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy said in a
release.

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SMC Completes Critical Design Reviews Despite COVID-19 Restrictions
By Brian W. Everstine

The COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions moved much of the Space and
Missile Systems Center’s work online, but the Space Force still met major
milestones on new systems virtually. In recent weeks, the GPS III Follow-on
finished its critical design review campaign virtually and on schedule.
Additionally, the Weather System Follow-On Microwave program finished its CDR
process in April, receiving Milestone B approval in mid-May during the height of
the pandemic. “I think that’s remarkable, in that old hands like myself …
know the face-to-face interpersonal contact required to close out a critical
design review on a major weapon system, and to do that virtually is really
remarkable,” SMC boss Lt. Gen. J.T. Thompson said during a June 17 Mitchell
Institute for Aerospace Studies virtual event.

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Improved Body Armor for Female Airmen Coming This Fall
By Brian W. Everstine

The Air Force recently awarded a contract to begin production of body armor
specifically designed for women, as part of a service-wide push for inclusion
and gear better suited for female Airmen. The Air Force Life Cycle Management
Center Female Fitment Program Office awarded the contract to TSSi of
Harrisonburg, Va., after an evaluation of possible gear that included both
laboratory and field assessments, according to an Air Force Materiel Command
release. “Our female Airmen had gaps due to poor fitment issues,” said Maj.
Saily Rodriguez, the manager of the Female Fitment Program, in the release.
“The new gear fits properly, which improves protection and offers better
comfort for gear that has to be worn in difficult environments and conditions."

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NATO Looks to Counter Russia’s Growing Nuclear Capabilities
By Amy McCullough

NATO defense ministers on June 17 agreed on three measures aimed at countering
Russia’s “extensive and growing arsenal of nuclear-capable missiles during
the first of a two-day meeting held via secure teleconference due to the new
coronavirus pandemic, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said. The
“balanced package of political and military elements” includes efforts to
strengthen the Alliance’s integrated air and missile defense as well as its
advanced capabilities, and adapts NATO's intelligence and exercises, Stoltenberg
said.

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

Today, the Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies will
host a virtual rollout for its newest policy paper, "Long-Range Strike:
Resetting the Balance of Stand-in and Stand-off Forces." Lt. Gen. David Nahom,
the Air Force's deputy chief of staff for plans and programs; retired Lt. Gen.
David Deptula, dean of the Mitchell Institute; and retired Col. Mark Gunzinger,
Mitchell's director of future aerospace concepts and capabilities assessments,
will speak at the event. 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> afterwards.

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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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Misawa Orders Personnel to Shelter in Place after Visitors Test Positive for Coronavirus

All personnel at Misawa Air Base in northern Japan were told to shelter in place
for 24 hours early on June 17 after members of a visiting aircrew were confirmed
to have the coronavirus.

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Esper Gets Firsthand Look at Air Force Basic Training Amid Pandemic

Defense Secretary Mark Esper visited Air Force Basic Military Training cadre and
recruits, as well as members of the Air Force Recruiting Service, for a
firsthand look at how the service transforms citizens into Airmen.

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Northrop Grumman to Provide LAIRCM Systems for USAF

Northrop Grumman has won a $151.3 million order for large aircraft infrared
countermeasure (LAIRCM) systems and support.

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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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Acting Pentagon Comptroller to Resign

Acting Pentagon comptroller Elaine McCusker is resigning from the Defense
Department, according to a statement from Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
McCusker, who was confirmed as deputy comptroller in August 2017, was nominated
to serve as Pentagon comptroller last November, but President Donald Trump
withdrew her nomination in March following reports about internal emails in
which she opposed the White House decision to withhold aid from Ukraine, a
matter that was at the center of Trump's impeachment.

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U.S. Needs New Policies with Move to Cislunar: Aerospace Corp.

As America moves beyond Earth’s orbit and expands operations to the Moon,
space operators face the specter of the same crowding and pollution problems now
bedeviling current space operations in orbits that are even more fragile, a new
Aerospace Corporation study warns.

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Bipartisan Senate Bill Would Increase Pentagon’s Artificial Intelligence Capacity

The bill would require the Defense Secretary to “develop a training and
certification program to better enable” the Defense Department’s human
resources workforce to recruit artificial intelligence and cyber talent. In
addition, the Defense Secretary would be required to issue guidance on how the
Pentagon could make better use of existing direct hire authorities to onboard AI
talent.

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Tinder, Sailor, Hooker, Pimp: The U.S. Navy’s Sex Trafficking Scandal in Bahrain

Revelations contained in hundreds of pages of court records, video footage, and
investigative documents obtained by Military Times for the first time show the
extent of U.S. sailor sex crimes in Bahrain and the Navy’s high-level effort
to crack down on the problem and discipline those Sailors.

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Trump Plan to Stem Vet Suicides Focuses on Public Awareness

President Donald Trump released a long-awaited plan on June 17 to address the
persistently high number of suicides by veterans, with initiatives including
firearm safety, wellness programs at workplaces, and new barriers near railroads
and bridges.

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One More Thing...
Million Piece Mission Jigsaw Features National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

Air Force Recruiting Service joined the trend of virtual jigsaw puzzles with the
launch of an online challenge of piecing together a 1.03 gigapixel image from
the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. As users enter the mission on
AirForcepuzzle.com, they see the full image that shows a collection of aircraft
on display at the museum’s fourth building. This image was captured after the
building’s opening in 2016 by photographer John Opie. As a puzzle, the image
contains 3,000 tiles and a total of 1.2 million pieces.

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