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July 17, 2020
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Edited by Amy McCullough with Brian W. Everstine and Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory
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 US Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. Jay Raymond displays the service’s uniform nametapes in the Pentagon on Jan. 17, 2020, in Arlington, Va. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Robert Barnett. |
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By Amy McCullough
The U.S. Space Force has selected 2,410 Airmen out of more than 8,500 Active-duty volunteers to transfer to the new service beginning Sept. 1. The accepted volunteers are all in the space operations (13S) and space system operations (1C6) Air Force Speciality Codes, and include a mix of officer and enlisted personnel. The service will convene a transfer board for officers in career fields common to both the Air Force and Space in July and for enlisted this fall to determine who among the 6,000 other volunteers will be accepted to join the new service. “This is an exciting and historic time for these space operators who will be some of the first members to join the Space Force,” Lt. Gen. David “DT” Thompson, U.S. Space Force vice commander, said in a release.
“Each one of them has an important responsibility to contribute bold ideas to shape the Space Force into a 21st Century service.”
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By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory
Air Force Safety Center data recently obtained by Air Force Magazine suggests that the rates of hypoxia-like events recorded in the service’s F-22A, F-16C/D, F-15C/D, A-10C, and F-35A fleets are decreasing in fiscal 2020. Notably, the physiological episode rates—or the number of hypoxia-like episodes recorded per 100,000 flight hours—in the F-22A and F-16C/D fleets were both zero for the first half of fiscal 2020. “Teams supporting aircraft fleets USAF-wide are focusing on this issue and making a positive impact resulting in decreased physiologic episodes,” Brig. Gen. Gregor J. Leist, Air Force Physiological Episodes Action Team boss, told Air Force Magazine.
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By Brian W. Everstine
Lt. Gen. Gregory M. Guillot received his third star and took over as commander of Air Forces Central Command during a July 16 ceremony at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. Guillot, previously the director of operations for U.S. Northern Command, took over for Lt. Gen. Joseph T. Guastella Jr., who has been tapped to be USAF's next deputy chief of staff for operations at the Pentagon. As AFCENT boss, Guillot will also serve as the commander of the Ninth Air Expeditionary Task Force and combined forces air component commander for U.S. Central Command, overseeing air operations in both Operation Inherent Resolve and Freedom’s Sentinel.
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By Brian W. Everstine
The Air Force’s newest tanker has tested one of its other key missions —aeromedical evacuation. On July 10, a KC-46 and Airmen from the 931st Air Refueling Squadron and the 22nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron flew six sorties during a 17-hour mission across four bases to test the new tanker's ability to carry patients. The test focused on the aircraft’s ability to power and sustain medical care for an extended period of time. Problems with the aircraft, such as a category one deficiency with its cargo locks used to carry passengers and equipment, had to be resolved to enable the test.
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By Brian W. Everstine
The Air Force’s first KC-10 Extender is heading to the boneyard after 33 years of service, totaling more than 33,000 flight hours and refueling more than 125,000 aircraft. The KC-10, tail number 86-0036, was sent off in a ceremony July 13 at its last operational home of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. The retired tanker is one of three KC-10s from the service’s back-up inventory cleared for cuts this year, bringing the current fleet size down to 58 Extenders. After the ceremony, complete with speeches recognizing “the aircraft for its contributions” and a water salute, the KC-10 flew to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group—known as the “Boneyard”—where it will be used for spare parts for the rest of the fleet, according to a
McGuire release.
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By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory
Today 1 p.m. EDT, Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, and Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Ramón "CZ" Colón-López will host an online town hall from the Pentagon that will tackle subjects including the new coronavirus pandemic, Defense Department diversity and inclusion, and more.
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Radar Sweep
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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.
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31 States, Territories Want National Guard to Stay Deployed on Coronavirus Missions into the Fall, Possibly Christmas
Stars and Stripes
Governors for 31 states and territories are seeking federal funds to keep National Guard troops deployed on coronavirus missions into the fall—possibly to Christmas, Pentagon officials said July 15. The Defense Department has not made a determination whether the Title 32 orders, which grant troops federal pay and benefits but keeps them under state control, will extend beyond Aug. 21, when the military’s federal coronavirus relief mission is set to end.
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Coronavirus Grounds Thunderbirds Ahead of Wyoming Show
The Associated Press
The fighter jet demonstration team was scheduled to perform in Cheyenne, Wyo., on July 22 but canceled because “a few of our team members” tested positive for the virus, Nellis Air Force Base said in a statement.
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OPINION: The Pandemic Shut Down Other DOD Innovation Efforts, So We Took Ours Online
Defense One
Hackathons sponsored by the National Security Innovation Network are going virtual, starting with an urban-warfare challenge.
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Japan Highlights F-35 Acquisition, Military Ops Amid Pandemic in New Whitepaper
Defense News
In its latest whitepaper, Japan discussed its impending acquisition of F-35B fighter jets and highlighted efforts by regional militaries to expand their influence and activities despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The full document, released July 14 in Japanese, contains a section on the short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing variant of the Lockheed Martin aircraft, noting that with regional countries making “remarkable progress” in air power modernization, the country needed to respond in kind.
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OPINION: The US Must Respond Forcefully to Russia and the Taliban. Here’s How.
The Washington Post (Subscription Required)
“If U.S. intelligence agencies determine that Russia put bounties on American and coalition lives, we must respond forcefully, publicly, and in ways that will drive home to the Russians and the Taliban that there is a price to pay for these actions,” writes retired Army Gen. John W. “Mick” Nicholson Jr., who commanded U.S. and NATO-led international forces in Afghanistan from March 2016 to September 2018.
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Dozens of Lawmakers Are Opposed to Ligado’s Plan. Can They Undo the FCC’s Decision?
C4ISRNET
Three months after the Federal Communications Commission voted unanimously to approve Ligado’s long-stalled request, at least 32 senators and 50 representatives from multiple committees have either signed letters or stated that the FCC should reverse its decision. But it remains unclear if the group is cohesive, or powerful, enough to push through legislation to stop the company from moving forward.
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US & UK Ink Pact On Next-Gen Aircraft, Long-Range Missiles
Breaking Defense
The United Kingdom is eager to jump aboard a range of high-profile U.S. Army modernization efforts, signing an agreement to begin participating in the U.S. Army’s Future Vertical Lift aircraft and its Long Range Precision Fires artillery program. Army Secretary Ryan D. McCarthy confirmed the budding partnership July 15 while speaking to reporters from Poland, where he was visiting U.S. troops and trying to wrap up a new defense cooperation agreement with the Polish government.
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Pentagon Officials to Industry: Bring Us Tech That is Easy to Integrate
Nextgov
The defense industry needs to focus on developing technology that is easy to integrate and meets cybersecurity norms from the get-go, according to military officials speaking at the 2020 Army Signal Conference. At the conference, hosted by the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, officials urged industry partners to create products that build in standard security principles at the outset of development and allow for a wide range of use cases.
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Airbus Reorganizes US Operations to Fuel Growth in Space and Defense
SpaceNews
A new business unit, called Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, will focus on the military, intelligence, and NASA markets, said Christopher Emerson, CEO and chairman of the board of Airbus U.S. Space & Defense. He was previously the president of Airbus Helicopters.
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Attorney General: China May Supplant US If It Wins A.I. Race
Nextgov
In an hour-long speech on July 16, Attorney General P. William Barr alerted the public to economic and technological dangers posed by China, suggesting its plans for global domination could hinge on artificial intelligence. “Whichever nation emerges as the global leader in AI will be best positioned to unlock not only its considerable economic potential, but a range of military applications, such as the use of computer vision to gather intelligence,” Barr said.
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U.S. Air Force Cadets Study Idea of Space Force Bases on the Moon
Science Magazine
In an interview, U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet J. P. Byrne, who serves as president of USAFA’s Institute for Applied Space Policy and Strategy, discusses the institute’s work.
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One More Thing
Tom Cruise’s Original ‘Maverick’ Fighter Pilot Helmet from Top Gun Is Up for Auction
The Drive
The helmet is part of a major auction of famous movie props with the auction house estimating that it will fetch around $50,000.
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