Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for July 31, 2020

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

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Spangdahlem: Loss of Fighter Mission Doesn’t Mean the End of the Base
By Brian W. Everstine

The end of the fighter mission at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, doesn’t mean
the end of the base, 52nd Fighter Wing officials said, as uncertainty over the
installation’s future lingers following the Pentagon’s proposed European
restructuring announcement. As part of an overall reduction of forces in
Germany, the 480th Fighter Squadron and other parts of the 52nd Fighter Wing at
Spangdahlem are expected to move to Italy, Defense Department and U.S. European
Command leaders announced July 29. The announcement took many at the German base
by surprise, with Airmen and other community members expressing confusion about
their future. “We know that many of you are concerned about yesterday’s
announcement, but please be reassured that these changes are not immediate, and
from the highest levels of our military, leaders are keeping families in mind
and working to ensure any decisions for moves are made in advance so members and
their families have time to prepare,” the base said in a statement.

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F-15EX Could Replace Strike Eagle Fleet, in Addition to Older C/D Models, USAF Says
By John A. Tirpak

A document justifying the Air Force's purchase of potentially $23 billion worth
of F-15EX fighters from Boeing indicates the Air Force could buy even more,
replacing not only the aging F-15C/D fleet but also its somewhat younger F-15E
ground attack stablemate. The heavily redacted document notes that the contract
for Boeing posits a “rough order of magnitude” purchase of 200 airplanes,
but the “most probable quantity” would be 144 fighters. However, it also
notes that while the program is “initially” intended to refresh the aging
F-15C/D, a decision to similarly replace the F-15E Strike Eagle fleet with the
EX “has not been made, but remains an option.”

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STRATCOM Boss: U.S. Must Rethink Deterrence Given Russian, Chinese Capabilities
By Amy McCullough

Given Russia’s vast improvements to its defense posture over the last two
decades and the fact that China is on a track to become a strategic peer to the
United States by the end of the decade, the Defense Department needs to rethink
its deterrence strategy, U.S. Strategic Command boss Adm. Charles A. “Chas”
Richard said. Speaking at a virtual Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
event, Richard said the U.S. potentially could face two very different
peer-capable nuclear competitors in the not-so-distant future, which would
require two different methods of deterrence. “We have never faced that
situation before. We’re working very hard at STRATCOM, along with the broader
Joint Force, to understand that,” he said.

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DARPA Plots Next Steps for Cutting-Edge Tech in 2022
By Rachel S. Cohen

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is eyeing new strides in
artificial intelligence and biological technology as it lays plans for fiscal
2022, its acting director said July 30. Former DARPA Director Steven H.
Walker’s departure to industry in January offers an “opportunity to rethink
some of the things that we’re doing, albeit in the context of a pandemic,”
Peter Highnam, the agency’s acting director, told reporters during a Defense
Writers Group event. “You’ll see increasing emphasis in AI, … 5G, space,
some more directed energy. We’re in quantum [computing],” Highnam said, plus
a greater push into operational biotechnology like sprayable, self-growing
helicopter landing pads.

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Slow Going for Space Force Acquisition Reform
By Rachel S. Cohen

More than seven months after Congress created a Space Force, House lawmakers
want assurances that the new service can improve how it develops and buys new
technology. They’re even willing to hand the military extra money to work on
it. The catch: The Trump administration hasn’t yet named anyone to hold that
key acquisition post, and the person doing the job right now isn’t sure how
he’d spend an extra $15 million.

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Air Force Clears Pregnant, Postpartum Airmen for PME
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Pregnant Airmen and those who have given birth within the past 12 months may now
attend professional military education without getting special permission or
passing a fitness test first, according to a recent Air Force policy change. The
decision about whether or not to attend PME is now up to these Airmen and their
medical teams, a July 29 USAF release said. The new policy also exempts these
Airmen from performing any physical tasks that might make them feel uneasy while
conducting PME.

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Pentagon to Tweak OPSEC Training Verbiage Following Criticism
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper has directed the Defense Department to tweak its
operational security training materials so it no longer refer to journalists as
“adversaries,” following public criticism of the language, Pentagon
spokesperson Jonathan Rath Hoffman told reporters July 30. “To avoid confusion
moving forward, and to address the concerns presented, the Secretary has
directed that we adjust the training materials to identify individuals or groups
trying to obtain information simply as ‘unauthorized recipients,’” Hoffman
said.

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

On Aug. 6, AFA's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies will present a Nuclear
Deterrence Forum with Ilan Berman, senior vice president of the American Foreign
Policy Council. Event video will tentatively be posted on Mitchell’s <a
href="[link removed]">website</a>
and <a href="[link removed]">YouTube
page</a> after 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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How a Secretive Pentagon Agency Seeded the Ground for a Rapid Coronavirus Cure

The scientists were working through the night over a weekend in February in
their Vancouver offices, running a blood sample from an early American covid-19
survivor through a credit card-sized device made up of 200,000 tiny chambers,
hoping to help save the world. Their mission was part of a program under the
Pentagon’s secretive technology research agency. The goal: to find a way to
produce antibodies for any virus in the world within 60 days of collecting a
blood sample from a survivor.

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Boeing’s Coronavirus Losses Now Bleeding Into Its Defense Accounts

Boeing losses from factory closures and production slowdowns caused by the
coronavirus pandemic are starting to bleed into the company’s defense
projects, according to executives and financial documents.

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Bipartisan Backlash Scuttles Senate Hearing for White House Favorite

The head of the Senate Armed Services Committee abruptly canceled a planned
nomination hearing for a controversial former general being considered for a top
Pentagon position on the morning of July 30, throwing the nomination into doubt.

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Russia and China Are Catching Up on Hypersonic Missiles Amid US Neglect, Expert Says

Russian President Vladimir Putin boasted July 26 of nearing deployment of
nuclear-tipped hypersonic missiles with his Navy, upping the ante in a three-way
arms race with the U.S. and China to develop super-fast missiles that can
penetrate any existing defensive system.

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Air Force B-1 Bomber Trains with Japanese Fighters

A B-1B Lancer bomber flew from Guam to the South China Sea on Monday to train
with Japanese fighter jets.

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Joint NNSA Strategic Nuclear Deterrence Forum with Charles P. Verdon

On July 29, the Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
and the Advanced Nuclear Weapons Alliance Deterrence Center welcomed Charles P.
Verdon, NNSA deputy administrator for defense programs, for a forum entitled
"Nuclear Weapons Complex Modernization, the Cornerstone of our Strategic Nuclear
Deterrent."

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Was the Pentagon’s Blacklist of Chinese Companies Justified?

When Defense Department officials released a list of companies it claimed were
linked to Chinese military activity back in June, they didn’t provide much
explanation or evidence. Naturally, some of the companies on the list protested,
claiming unfair treatment and no involvement with the Chinese government. So who
is right?

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Serbia Notes Interest in Boeing-Saab T-7A Red Hawk Jets

The Boeing-Saab T-7A Red Hawk is one of the options that Serbia is considering
as a replacement for its existing jet trainer and light attack fleets.

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Faster Acquisition

The Air Force is leveraging emerging technologies and new legislation to
accelerate acquisition decisions and streamline sustainment. Read more here.

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Original Stealth Aircraft, F-117 Nighthawk, Coming to Air Zoo Museum

The Air Zoo Aerospace and Science Museum will be a “proud recipient” of one
of the first Lockheed F-117 Nighthawks released for public display at a
non-military institution, the Air Zoo said in a July 28 Facebook post.

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One More Thing...
The Night a Mysterious Drone Swarm Descended on Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant

In a trove of documents and internal correspondences related to the event,
officials from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission described the incident as a
"drone-a-palooza" and said that it highlighted concerns about the potential for
a future "adversarial attack" involving small unmanned aircraft and the need for
defenses against them.

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