Brown Takes Ceremonial Oath | New Helo Training Plan | Confirmation Fight Ensares Undersecretary Nominee

Aug. 5, 2020

Edited by Brian W. Everstine with Rachel S. Cohen, Alyk Russell Kenlan, Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory and John A. Tirpak

Vice President Michael R. Pence, President Donald J. Trump, Sharene Brown, and Gen. C.Q. Brown, Jr., are shown a ceremonial swearing-in for the next Air Force Chief of Staff held in the Oval Office on Aug. 4, 2020. C-SPAN.org video screenshot.

Trump Swears in Brown as Air Force Boss in Oval Office Ceremony

By Brian W. Everstine

Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. took a ceremonial oath of office Aug. 4 in a surprise event at the White House, two days before he officially becomes the 22nd Chief of Staff of the Air Force. Accompanied by his family and senior Air Force and Defense Department leaders, Brown raised his right hand and took an oath administered by Vice President Michael R. Pence. President Donald J. Trump moved the short ceremony to the Oval Office at the last minute. The Senate unanimously confirmed Brown in a historic 98-0 vote in June. He will become the first African American officer to serve as chief of staff of one of the armed forces, after holding leadership positions in combat organizations around the globe.

Helicopter Pilot Training Experiment Skips Fixed-Wing Courses

By John A. Tirpak

The Air Force is trying an experiment that would take its rotary-wing pilots out of the standard Undergraduate Pilot Training program and send them through an all-helicopter course. The goal is to trim months from training, improve pilot quality and free up fixed-wing slots in UPT to increase pilot production, the head of 19th Air Force said in an interview.

Disagreement over Tata Could Stymie Air Force Leader’s Confirmation

By Rachel S. Cohen

Democratic senators on Aug. 4 indicated they could hold up the confirmation of Shon J. Manasco as Air Force undersecretary as recourse for the Trump administration’s decision to install a controversial official into a key Pentagon policy post without Senate approval. That standoff loomed over an Aug. 4 confirmation hearing that vetted Manasco to be the Air Force’s No. 2 civilian official.

Air National Guardsmen Help Save Lost Mariners in Micronesia

By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

A five-member KC-135 crew composed of Air National Guardsmen from Hawaii and Pennsylvania helped track down three mariners who got lost in the Federated States of Micronesia on Aug. 2, enabling their rescue a day later. Lt. Col. Jason Palmeira-Yen, Maj. Byron Kamikawa, and Tech. Sgt. Shane Williams from the Hawaii Air National Guard's 203rd Air Refueling Squadron, and Tech. Sgt. Rodney Joseph and Senior Airman Jeremy Williams from the Pennsylvania ANG's 171st Air Refueling Wing subsequently took off from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, in a Stratotanker and determined the lost mariners' location after about three hours in the air, according to a 36th Wing release.

Airmen on Navy Command Jet Test-Launch Three-Tipped, Unarmed Nuclear Missile

By Brian W. Everstine

A Navy E-6B Mercury nuclear command plane launched a three-tipped, unarmed Air Force nuclear missile from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., in an unusual but long-planned exercise Aug. 4. Sailors and Airmen from Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., aboard the E-6B worked with Airmen from Vandenberg who acted as the alert and operational crews on the ground for launch night. Air Force Global Strike Command does not often test missiles configured with multiple re-entry vehicles, which were phased out to comply with the New START treaty between the U.S. and Russia. The coronavirus pandemic also posed an opportunity to vet the E-6B.

USAF, DOD Need COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Donors to Help Fight Pandemic

By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

The Air Force is helping the Defense Department collect COVID-19 convalescent plasma from individuals who have recovered from the disease in hopes that it can help the military treat other patients, the service announced last month. While the military is now nearly halfway to its goal of collecting 10,000 units of convalescent plasma—or the liquid part of the blood donated by people whose bodies have beaten the disease—it's still seeking potential donors to help it reach that target by Sept. 30. “Currently, we have almost reached 50 percent of our goal and encourage those who are able to donate to do so to help fight this persistent enemy,” Air Force Deputy Surgeon General Maj. Gen. Sean L. Murphy said in an Aug. 4 statement to Air Force Magazine.

USAF, Israeli F-35s Train Together

By Alyk Russell Kenlan

American and Israeli F-35s trained together earlier this week, in the second bilateral exercise between the two countries focusing on Joint Strike Fighter operations. The exercise, called Enduring Lightning II, “illustrates the close relationship between the air forces and military echelons and enhances the cooperation of knowledge and capabilities of the F-35 and the IAF's operational abilities,” an Israeli Defense Force statement said.

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.

‘It’s Hard to Be in Limbo,’ as COVID-19 Plays Havoc with Military Moves

Foreign Policy

For many military families, the summer of 2020 will go down as the most stressful overseas move yet, thanks to increased health concerns, financial strain, and unpredictable schedules, according to nearly a dozen service members and their family members interviewed by Foreign Policy.

Raytheon and Rafael to Build Iron Dome in US

Defense News

American firm Raytheon Technologies and Israeli-based Rafael Advanced Defense Systems have formed a joint venture to build the Iron Dome missile defense system in the United States, the companies announced Aug. 3.

97th OG collaborates with AFWERX, Pilot Training Accelerates

USAF release

While continuing to train the nation's next generation of C-17 Globemaster III, KC-135 Stratotanker and KC-46 Pegasus pilots, the 97th Operations Group has begun to enhance their training in a unique, yet modern way. By using emerging technology combined with the new standards for pilot training, the group has created the Virtual/Enhanced Reality Training, Innovation, and Generation Office program for pilot training.

DARPA’s Stephen Forbes Named Blackjack Program Manager

SpaceNews

Stephen Forbes has been tapped to lead the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Blackjack program, the agency said Aug. 4. DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office launched the Blackjack program in 2018 to demonstrate the value of small satellites in low Earth orbit as an alternative to the Pentagon’s large geosynchronous satellites.

OPINION: A Sitting Target in Space for Russia's Anti-Satellite Weapons?

The Hill

"U.S. Space Command (USSPACECOM) has revealed evidence that Russia conducted a space-based anti-satellite (ASAT) weapon test on July 15,” writes retired Air Force Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, dean of the Air Force Association’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. "This is but the latest in a growing number of counter-space capability tests conducted by an ever-expanding number of countries, and flies in the face of our nation’s policy to not weaponize space. It is time to face reality."

General Atomics to Design Space Force Weather Satellite Prototype

SpaceNews

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems announced an agreement Aug. 4 to design a prototype for the U.S. Space Force Electro-Optical Infrared Weather System, known as EWS.

Air Force Modifies Funding for Credentialing Program

USAF release

Department of the Air Force officials recently announced changes to the Air Force Credentialing Opportunities Online, or AF COOL, program. Air and Space professionals will continue to receive funding for approved credentials, though funding for preparatory classes, boot camps, and coursework has been removed.

DBB to Discuss Small Business Mentoring Program This Week

Inside Defense

The Defense Business Board plans to meet online this week to talk about a mentor-protégé program it is assessing, according to a notice in the Aug. 4 Federal Register.

Air Force Squadron Commander Dies in Cycling Incident near Fairbanks

KTVA

An Air Force squadron commander at Eielson Air Force Base died in a cycling incident near Fairbanks, Alaska, on Aug. 1. He was 37.

Tyndall Master Sergeant Dies in Boating Accident

Air Force Times

A production superintendent in a maintenance squadron at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., died in a boating accident over the weekend, base officials said Aug. 3.

One More Thing

This Is The First Image Ever of a Stealthy Black Hawk Helicopter

The Drive

Almost a decade since we learned of the stealth Black Hawks used in the Bin Laden raid, we have seen no images of them or of their lineage, until now.