Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for July 30, 2020

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Edited by Rachel S. Cohen and Brian W. Everstine

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U.S. to End Spangdahlem Air Base’s Mission, Remove 11,900 Personnel From Germany
By Brian W. Everstine

The Pentagon will begin to wind down the U.S. military presence at Germany's
Spangdahlem Air Base, pulling out Air Force F-16s and canceling plans to move
tankers and special-operations forces to the European hub, Defense Secretary
Mark T. Esper announced July 29. The decision marks a major force restructuring
aimed at shrinking the U.S. mission in Germany, a key strategic location for
American military operations across the globe. Germany hosts one of the largest
contingents of U.S. troops in the world. In a joint briefing with Vice Chairman
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. John E. Hyten, and U.S. European Command boss
Gen. Tod D. Wolters, Esper said that the Defense Department will move 11,900
people out of American military installations across Germany. Of those, 6,400
will return to the U.S., while the rest relocate elsewhere in Europe.

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Companies Big and Small Gear Up For ABMS Bid
By Rachel S. Cohen

About four dozen companies are gearing up for a technology competition unlike
most in the Pentagon as they vie for spots in the Air Force’s Advanced Battle
Management System. ABMS is the Air Force’s multibillion-dollar vision for a
massive network of data-processing software, cloud storage, communications
hardware, and other tools to connect the force more efficiently. After about two
years of planning in earnest, the service is now bringing in a broad collection
of defense contractors and commercial companies to fight for a place on that
team. Conversations with the competitors offer a clearer picture of how the
network might come together with artificial intelligence algorithms, data
visualization interfaces, far-reaching radios, and more.

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Boeing Reports Another $151 Million KC-46 Charge
By Brian W. Everstine

Boeing must pay another $151 million out of pocket for the KC-46 program, the
company announced in an earnings call July 29. This time, the company incurred
the extra cost because the coronavirus pandemic is slamming the aerospace
industry. Parts and work for the new tanker are turning out to be more expensive
than Boeing had budgeted for because commercial jet production has slowed during
the pandemic, in turn shrinking the bulk manufacturing that was expected, the
company announced in its second-quarter earnings report.

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Space Force Boss’s Office Staffs Up
By Rachel S. Cohen

Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper nominated multiple Airmen for promotions July 29
as they head to new leadership positions within the Space Force. Maj. Gen. Nina
M. Armagno, Maj. Gen. William J. Liquori, Maj. Gen. Bradley C. Saltzman, and
Maj. Gen. Stephen N. Whiting will rise to the rank of lieutenant general upon
confirmation by the Senate. The three officials will become part of the
inaugural leadership slate in the new Space Force’s top office as the service
builds its organization.

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Virtual Events: STRATCOM Commander on Mitchell’s Nuclear Deterrence Forum, and More
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Today, AFA's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies will host a Nuclear
Deterrence Forum featuring U.S. Strategic Command boss Navy Adm. Charles A.
"Chas" Richard (video of which will tentatively be posted to the think tank's <a
href="[link removed]">website</a>
and <a href="[link removed]">YouTube
page</a> afterwards), Day 3 of <a href="[link removed]">AFWERX
Fusion</a> will commence at 11 a.m. EDT, and Air Force Materiel Command will
host a <a
href="[link removed]">Digital
Campaign Virtual Industry Exchange Day</a> at 1 p.m. EDT.

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Correction

The article "Smart Investment Can Avoid Future Storm Devastation at USAF Bases,
Official Says" in yesterday's Daily Report misstated the location of Offutt Air
Force Base. It is an installation in Nebraska.

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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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Here’s All the Ridiculous Military Pork Baked into the Proposed COVID-19 Bill

The draft $1 trillion spending package includes money for F-35s, warships,
missile defense projects, and much more.

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VOX Space President Questions DOD’s Handling of Stimulus Funding for Small Launch Industry

The Pentagon earlier this month walked back on an earlier decision to award
Defense Production Act contracts to six small launch companies. The about-face
sends “mixed signals” to an industry that has been financially devastated by
the virus-induced economic crisis, Mandy Vaughn, president of VOX Space, said
July 28.

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Pentagon’s Longstanding Audit Failures Also Pose a Recruiting Challenge

As part of its efforts to get itself on a firmer financial management footing,
the Pentagon wants to infuse its accounting workforce with new blood. But
imagine trying to run a recruiting campaign when most of the candidates you’re
targeting suspect your organization is a hopeless cause. That’s about the size
of the challenge the Defense Department faces as it works to replace the growing
cadre of retirement-eligible senior civil servants in its financial management
workforce with new personnel who might be able to help the Pentagon finally earn
a clean opinion on its financial statement audit.

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OPINION: Three Urgent Questions for the Air Force’s New Chief of Staff

“The service has too long delayed the hard choices that would prepare it to
deter China,” write Mara E. Karlin, director of strategic studies and
associate professor at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced
International Studies and a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings
Institution, and Jim Mitre, chief strategy officer at Govini and an adjunct
research staff member with the Institute for Defense Analyses.

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Air Force IG on Racial Study: ‘No Preordained Outcome’

The Air Force’s inspector general said July 28 that his investigation into
racial disparities in the service will base its findings on hard data, not
anecdotal evidence from its survey, and that he hasn’t leapt to any
conclusions.

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SPONSORED CONTENT: DynCorp International Supports Executive Airlift Mission During COVID-19

DynCorp International has helped USAF's Executive Airlift fleet at Joint Base
Andrews, Md., continue its 24/7, no fail mission despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

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DroneShield Readies AI-Driven C-UAS Systems for USAF

DroneShield’s first contract win with the U.S. Air Force was driven by its use
of artificial intelligence in its counter-unmanned aircraft systems products,
with plans to further develop the technology across its range in the coming
years, the company has told Janes.

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Iran Launches Underground Ballistic Missiles During Exercise

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard launched underground ballistic
missiles on July 29 as part of an exercise involving a mock-up American aircraft
carrier in the Strait of Hormuz, highlighting its network of subterranean
missile sites.

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New Pentagon Training Refers to Protesters, Journalists as 'Adversaries'

A new mandatory Pentagon training course aimed at preventing leaks refers to
protesters and journalists as "adversaries" in a fictional scenario designed to
teach Defense Department personnel how to better protect sensitive information.

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One More Thing...
Are Squid Teeth the Secret to Building ‘Self-Healing’ Robots? The Army Thinks So

Scientists working with the Army are employing a natural self-healing process
using squid teeth in ways that could allow future engineers to manufacture
self-fixing parts in soldier clothing, prosthetic legs, personal protective
equipment, and even robot parts. The polymer they’ve been able to reproduce is
based on a natural protein in the ring teeth of a squid that repairs itself when
damaged.

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