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July 31, 2020 |
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 A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon, piloted by Col. Tad Clark, 52nd Fighter Wing vice commander, taxis toward a hardened aircraft shelter during Clark's fini-flight at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, on May 13, 2019. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Preston Cherry. |
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Spangdahlem: Loss of Fighter Mission Doesn’t Mean the End of the BaseThe 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 SaysA 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 CapabilitiesGiven 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 2022The 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 ReformMore 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 PMEPregnant 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 CriticismDefense 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 MoreOn 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 website and YouTube page after the event. |
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Published by the Air Force Association. |
