AFRL’s Realignment | Budget Reviews to Continue

Aug. 4, 2020

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

New Air Force Research Laboratory Commander Gen. Heather L. Pringle (center) and AFRL Executive Director Jack Blackhurst (left) answer a reporter's questions about their realignment of the laboratory to serve the new Space Force as well as traditional Air Force customers. Screenshot.

Air Force Research Laboratory Will Realign, Not Split

By Shaun Waterman

The new commander of the storied Air Force Research Laboratory will realign—not reorganize—the labs so it can ably support both the new U.S. Space Force and its traditional Air Force customers. "We’ll be one AFRL serving two services: The Air Force and the Space Force,” said Brig. Gen. Heather L. Pringle, commander of AFRL, in an interview with Air Force Magazine. A new deputy technical executive officer will be “responsible for integrating our space [science and technology] portfolio,” Pringle said, and will report directly to her. The new executive will be “the single focal point for the U.S. Space Force,” she added. Pringle, who took command in June, said the realignment is her No. 2 priority behind implementing the Air Force’s 2030 Science and Technology Strategy.

Air Force to Continue ‘Zero-Based’ Budget Reviews

By Rachel S. Cohen

Annual budget reviews instituted by former Air Force Secretary Heather A. Wilson should make it easier to settle the hard financial decisions that loom ahead, a top Air Force aide said Aug. 3. Anthony P. Reardon, administrative assistant to Air Force Secretary Barbara M. Barrett, indicated those reviews will continue under current service leadership. The discussions are similar to the Army's “night court” reviews that look at ways to reinvest money in higher service priorities.

US, Poland Finish Negotiations on Troop Increase, Drones

By Brian W. Everstine

The U.S. and Polish militaries have agreed on a long-negotiated plan to increase the American presence in Poland, including adding a cargo hub and drones flown by the U.S. Air Force. The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which the parties have not yet signed, follows last year’s pact between U.S. President Donald J. Trump and Polish President Andrzej Duda to add 1,000 American personnel in Poland. About 4,500 people, mostly Army personnel, are already assigned there.

Hokanson Takes Over as National Guard Bureau Chief

By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Army Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson received his fourth star and formally took charge of the National Guard Bureau during an Aug. 3 change of responsibility ceremony led by Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Va. Hokanson, who was confirmed by the Senate on July 20, most recently served as Army National Guard director. In his new role, he succeeds Air Force Gen. Joseph L. Lengyel, who is retiring after nearly four decades of service. Esper expressed trust in Lengyel’s successor, telling Hokanson he has his “full faith and confidence,” and that his “vision and acumen” will help him in his new role. “Today, Gen. Dan Hokanson takes charge during unprecedented and challenging times for our great nation, yet I know that he possesses the character, competence, and wealth of experience needed to excel in this role,” he said.

USAF Adds 8 New Companies to Combat Networking Contract

By Rachel S. Cohen

Eight more companies are getting the chance to join the Air Force’s Advanced Battle Management System, bringing the total number of participating firms to more than 50. The Air Force added ARES Security, AT&T, Centauri, Cogniac, NanoVMs, Pacific Defense, SRC, and Systematic to an open-ended contract under which companies could each receive up to $950 million. Each is pitching hardware and software that can crunch data and connect the Air Force’s computer systems, aircraft, and weapons faster and with fewer bureaucratic hurdles.

USAF, Navy Link Up for Black Sea Training

By Brian W. Everstine

U.S. Air Force jets and Navy ships on Aug. 2 held a joint training exercise in the Black Sea near Russia’s borders together for the second time in two weeks, aiming to fine-tune their collaboration in a potential conflict. Four F-16s from the 31st Fighter Wing at Aviano Air Base, Italy, refueled by KC-135s from the 100th Air Refueling Wing at RAF Mildenhall, England, flew with an MQ-9 Reaper from the 52nd Expeditionary Operations Group's Detachment 2 hosted at Miroslawiec Air Base, Poland. The aircraft linked up with the Navy's USS Porter guided-missile destroyer and a P-8 Poseidon from Patrol Squadron VP-47. Video of the exercise showed F-16s flying low over the USS Porter.

Virtual Events: AFWIC Experts on Mitchell’s ‘Aerospace Nation,’ and More

By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Today, the Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies will present "Aerospace Nation: a Conversation with AFWIC on the Global Futures Report," featuring a discussion with Lt. Col. Jake Sotiriadis—the Air Force Warfighting Integration Capability's chief of strategic foresight and futures—and other members of the Global Futures Report team about how the Air Force can shape an adaptive future strategy, and more. Event video will tentatively be posted to the think tank's website and YouTube channel.

Radar Sweep

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.

An Airman: First, Last, Always

Airman Magazine

As Gen. David L. Goldfein’s service as 21st Chief of Staff comes to a close, his bond to Airmen remains strong.

OPINION: Washington Isn’t Listening to the Air Force and Space Force

Defense News

“This is the fourth quarter of the budget season, so Congress should recognize and support both services now—before it’s too late,” writes retired Air Force Col. Keith Zuegel, the Air Force Association’s former senior director of government relations.

Divisive Trump Nominee Gets New Pentagon Post, Despite Snub by Congress

Reuters

After failing to secure a Senate confirmation hearing, U.S. President Donald Trump’s most divisive nominee for a Pentagon position so far has taken a different, less-senior policy role at the Defense Department, a spokeswoman said on Aug. 2.

US Weapon Sales Boss Talks China, Arms Exports, and His Agency’s Future

Defense News

After years of working various jobs related to security cooperation, Lt. Gen. Charles Hooper took over the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency in August 2017. It was an appointment that coincided with a major push by the Trump administration to increase weapon sales as an economic driver. Three years later, as he gets ready to retire, Hooper sat down with Defense News for an exclusive exit interview.

Military Leaders Are Confronting a New Form of Discrimination: Pregnancy Bias

Military.com

New initiatives in planning could require training to root out unconscious bias surrounding motherhood in the military and support postpartum mothers, including removing barriers that limit their careers.

ACC Commander Visits Flying Wings

USAF release

“We trust our Airmen,” said Air Combat Command boss Gen. James M. Holmes, “and we wanted to make sure they know everything we know about our recent accidents. Our recent mishaps involved multiple aircraft types and pilot experience levels. While it’s too early to conclusively identify common causes or themes between events, Lt. Gen. Brad Webb (the AETC [Air Education and Training Command] commander) and I thought it was important for AETC and ACC to engage our leaders and instructor force and hear their concerns.”

‘Be a Bro’: How a Commander’s Sexism Derailed This Pilot Training Class—and Brought Down AETC Leaders

Air Force Times

The investigation, obtained by Air Force Times through the Freedom of Information Act, provides more context to the misconduct and leadership failures that led to the abrupt firing of three commanders in October 2018, including the former wing commander of the 47th.

Budget Shows Flightworthy Sixth-Generation Fighter Engines Ready by 2025

Aviation Week Network

Details of the first of two mostly secret initiatives to support the U.S. Air Force’s five-year-old pursuit of a sixth-generation successor to the Lockheed Martin F-22 are now released and reveal that a critical technology for the Next-Generation Air Dominance program could become flightworthy by mid-2025.

Raytheon Designs Prototype for Space Force Weather Satellite

SpaceNews

Raytheon Intelligence & Space is designing a prototype weather satellite for the U.S. Space Force Space and Missile Systems Center that draws heavily on technology from the firm’s Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer.

TOPGUN Receives Its First F-35C Lightning II

The Drive

The Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center, the organization that includes the famous TOPGUN school, has received its first F-35C Lightning II. The aircraft touched down at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nev., on July 30, emblazoned with the iconic lightning bolt tail flash and TOPGUN badge, albeit in predictably toned-down form, as is standard for U.S. 5th generation fighters.

One More Thing

The Air Force’s Latest GPS Alternative: Earth’s Magnetic Fields

Defense One

Officials just launched a public challenge to help create the artificial intelligence needed to turn the planet’s magnetic fields into readable maps.