Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Aug. 7, 2020

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

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Brown Takes Over as Air Force Chief of Staff
By John A. Tirpak

Recognizing the “trials and tribulations” of African American military
leaders who preceded him, Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. officially assumed the job
of Air Force Chief of Staff from Gen. David L. Goldfein on Aug. 6. The two were
lauded by Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen.
Mark A. Milley, and Air Force Secretary Barbara M. Barrett at a Joint Base
Andrews, Md., celebration. Brown pledged to make the tough choices necessary to
help the Air Force “compete, deter, and win.” He is the first African
American officer to lead one of the U.S. armed forces.

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RQ-170 Practices Evading Air Defenses with B-2, F-35
By Brian W. Everstine

Some of the Air Force’s most advanced, secretive aircraft flew together in a
large-scale event this week to vet the service's methods for destroying enemy
air defenses, and to see how well older planes work with more advanced
airframes. The 53rd Test and Evaluation Group's exercise ran from Aug. 4-6 at
Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., bringing together the F-35A, F-22, and F-15E
fighters, B-2 bomber, RQ-170 reconnaissance drone, a Navy E/A-18G electronic
attack plane, and command-and-control systems from various testing and
operations squadrons. Together, they represent some of the most important
capabilities the Air Force says it needs to have the upper hand against
adversaries with improved anti-aircraft missiles and weapons that block or
confuse electronic signals.

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USAF Weapons School Wants KC-46 Experts in Three Years
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

The Air Force Weapons School plans to start graduating its first KC-46 experts
in three years under a new weapons instructor course, the service said Aug. 5. A
syllabus should be approved by next June, and the school anticipates that its
first cohort of KC-46 weapons officers will graduate in June 2023, service
spokesman 2nd Lt. Richard R. Caesar told Air Force Magazine.

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International C-17s Fly Aid to Beirut Following Explosion
By Brian W. Everstine

Three U.S. Air Force C-17s, plus another from the multinational Strategic
Airlift Capability group, on Aug. 6 began carrying aid to Lebanon after a
massive explosion in Beirut’s port killed at least 135 people and injured
thousands more. The three Globemaster IIIs from Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, began
flying food, water, and medical supplies to Lebanon in response to the Aug. 4
explosion. U.S. Central Command boss Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. has expressed
his condolences to Lebanon Armed Forces Commander Gen. Joseph Aoun and shared
his “willingness to continue to work with the Lebanese Armed Forces to help
provide aid and assistance to meet the needs of the Lebanese people during this
terrible tragedy,” according to an Aug. 6 CENTCOM statement.

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Virtual Events: Day 1 of Hack-A-Sat Final, and More
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Today, Day 1 of the Department of the Air Force and the Defense Digital
Service's Space Security Challenge: Hack-A-Sat Final, during which global
security researchers will try and hack a government satellite, kicks off at 8
a.m. PDT. Learn more, view the livestream schedule, and tune into the event <a
href="[link removed]">here.</a>

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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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UK Facilities for American F-35 Jets Are Delayed and Over Budget

The U.S. Air Force is on track to begin permanently basing its F-35 jets abroad
next year, with RAF Lakenheath in England set to become the service’s first
international F-35 base. But construction on new hangars and facilities
necessary for supporting the high-tech stealth jet have gone over budget and
over schedule, and many buildings won’t be ready when the first planes arrive
in November 2021.

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Annual Government Spending Approaches Historic Territory

Driven heavily by the Defense Department, contract spending across government
will exceed $600 billion in fiscal 2020.

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Lawmakers Demand Explanation for Cutting Federal Funding to States for National Guard Deployments

Nearly three dozen House Democrats on Aug. 5 demanded the Pentagon and
Department of Homeland Security explain why the Trump administration will no
longer cover the full cost of National Guard deployments in 47 states and
territories but will continue paying all the costs for Texas and Florida.

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Air Force to Award Three Initial Contracts for New Hypersonic Cruise Missile Program

The Air Force has selected Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon to perform
early work on the Future Hypersonics Program that seeks to develop a
solid-rocket, air-breathing hypersonic cruise missile that can be launched from
fighter or bomber aircraft.

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OPINION: Is F-15EX a Good Example of USAF’s Digital Century Series?

“The F-15EX appears to be an excellent example of applying digital engineering
tools to revamp key aspects of a mature product,” Aviation Week Network
Defense Editor Steve Trimble writes. “But the F-15EX program is not designed
to be directly compatible with the U.S. Air Force’s ideal approach to the
Digital Century Series initiative, as it has been articulated by Will Roper,
assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and
logistics.”

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2 Offutt Air Force Base Residents Killed in Iowa Crash

The crash happened early on the morning of Aug. 2 east of the Bellevue toll
bridge in rural Iowa, the Iowa State Patrol said. According to investigators, a
car driven by Senior Airman Nicholas Johnson, 21, of Union, N.J., went off the
roadway and into a ditch before vaulting across the road and hitting a tree.

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Air Force Improves Assignment Process for Co-Parents, Considers Custody Agreements

The Department of the Air Force recently announced great news for parents—the
ability to defer an assignment or be stationed near their children with a
court-ordered child custody decree. Assignment authorities will now be able to
consider requests for an assignment or deferment to a location near their
children, even if the co-parents are not married.

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Veterans Suicide Prevention Plans Take a Big Step Forward, but Still Face Tough Political Hurdles

Senate lawmakers advanced a major veterans suicide prevention initiative on Aug.
5, creating a potential legislative path for the action on the issue by the end
of the year. But the measure also could turn into yet another election-year
partisan fight if party leaders can’t find quick compromises on lingering
policy differences.

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Meet the Only Man to Witness All 3 WWII Atomic Bomb Blasts

Lawrence Johnston was aboard B-29 Superfortress bombers tending to instruments
measuring the power of the world's first nuclear explosions in the "Trinity"
test in New Mexico, as well as for the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
which prompted Japan's surrender and brought the war to a close.

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One More Thing...
You Can Bid on a Cold War Missile Site

Are you looking to move someplace where you’ll feel protected from all kinds
of threats, including COVID-19 and long-range bombs? Then you might want to bid
on an historical site up for auction in North Dakota. Because there’s no
better place to social distance during a pandemic or a nuclear war than a former
Cold War bunker and missile silo site.

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