Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Aug. 25, 2020

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Edited by Amy McCullough with Brian W. Everstine, Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory and John A. Tirpak

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Ahead of Double Storm, Keesler Moves Aircraft but Barksdale Stays Put
By John A. Tirpak

Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., moved C-130J transports and WC-130 hurricane
hunters to other bases ahead of a double tropical storm bearing down on the Gulf
Coast, but Barksdale Air Force Base, La., home of Global Strike Command and half
of USAF's B-52 bombers, plans to hunker down and keep its airplanes home.
Keesler leaders do not plan to evacuate personnel from the base in advance of
Tropical Storm Marco, expecting only heavy rains, a base spokeswoman said Aug.
24. They had not yet decided what to do about Tropical Storm Laura, which is
expected to become a hurricane by the time it makes landfall, but are
considering moving Basic Military Training recruits from Keesler’s
Hattiesburg, La., facility to the U.S. Army’s Camp Shelby, some 80 miles
north. If the storm continued to move west, the spokeswoman said, BMT trainees
are likely to sit out the storm in base dormitories.

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B-52s Deploy to Europe, Train in Norway
By Brian W. Everstine

Six B-52s trained alongside Royal Norwegian fighters in Northern Norway shortly
after they deployed to Europe on Aug. 22. The task forces of B-52s deployed to
RAF Fairford, England, from the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., for
a “long-planned training mission where the aircraft will conduct theater and
flight training across Europe and Africa,” U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air
Forces Africa said in a release. “I am happy that our American friends choose
to practice and train in our local areas,” Chief of Defense Eirik
Kristoffersen said in a translation of an Aug. 24 Norwegian release. “It is
important that they know Norwegian conditions and can operate with us if
necessary.”

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MacDill KC-135s Deploy to Middle East, as McConnell Stratotankers Return
By Brian W. Everstine

KC-135s and Airmen from MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., recently deployed to the
Middle East to take over the in-theater refueling mission from McConnell Air
Force Base, Kan., tankers that returned home. The entire 50th Air Refueling
Squadron deployed to al-Udeid Air Base, Qatar, on Aug. 18, as opposed to a
piecemeal deployment of individual tankers and Airmen from across Air Mobility
Command. This is the first “mass unit” deployment for the McConnell
squadron, which replaced the 349th Air Refueling Squadron that also deployed as
a whole unit in April. KC-135s began operating under the new deployment model,
which has since moved to C-130 units as well, in August 2019, according to AMC.

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8th Fighter Wing Inspects Kunsan Dorms after Mold Photos Circulate
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

The 8th Fighter Wing is performing health and welfare checks at Kunsan Air Base,
South Korea, to help it identify and remedy mold and other moisture-related
issues in its on-base housing, after a popular Facebook page published photos
and video of affected dorms, wing spokesperson Maj. Emily C. Grabowski told Air
Force Magazine in an Aug. 24 email. “After seeing the troubling images that
were circulating last week, wing leadership and our civil engineer squadron were
concerned that issues in the dorms were not identified during previous
inspections or were not being reported,” she wrote. “As such, our CE
squadron recommended the following list for review during welfare checks: room
temperature, humidity, dehumidifier status, mold or mildew build-up, and
heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment issues.”

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Senior Air Force Leaders Visit ‘Agility Prime’
By Brian W. Everstine

The Air Force's new senior leadership team, in its first trip together, visited
the service’s effort to create a “flying car” for both military and
civilian use. Air Force Secretary Barbara M. Barrett, Chief of Staff Gen.
Charles Q. Brown Jr., and Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass
on Aug. 20 visited the AFWERX “Agility Prime” program near Austin, Texas. As
part of the visit at Camp Mabry, the chief executive officer of LIFT flew in the
company’s “Hexa” electrical vertical takeoff and landing vehicle. The
futuristic machine looks like a massive consumer drone, with a small cockpit.
There are 15 companies partnering with Agility Prime, and “many of them” are
on contract to produce their version of a flying car, Col. Nathan Diller, AFWERX
director and Agility Prime lead, said in a release. AFWERX hopes to field a
vehicle in 2023.

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Virtual Events: Roper Hosts ABMS ‘Ask Me Anything’, and More
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Today, Air Force acquisition boss Will Roper will host an “Ask Me Anything”
event about the Advanced Battle Management System, which will be moderated by
Air Force Chief Architect Preston Dunlap. The <a
href="[link removed]">event</a>
will be livestreamed on YouTube, and you can learn more about it <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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Here’s What Might Not Survive COVID Budget Cuts

With global military spending expected to flatten or contract in the coming
years as countries try to repair coronavirus-decimated economies, defense
projects already on the books stand the best chance of survival, according to a
budget expert.

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DOD Narrows Timeframe for Coronavirus Relief Reimbursement

The Pentagon issued a new memo last week that shrinks the period of time during
which defense contractors can seek reimbursement through a provision in
coronavirus recovery legislation. The document, signed by Kim Herrington, the
acting principal director of defense pricing and contracting, says it revises an
April memo on reimbursement related to Section 3610 of the Coronavirus Aid,
Relief, and Economic Security Act, which was enacted in late March.

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US-Led Troops Withdraw from Iraq's Taji Base

United States-led international coalition troops withdrew from Iraq’s Taji
military base on Aug. 23 and handed it over to Iraqi security forces, Reuters
witnesses and the coalition said. The base, 20 km (12 miles) north of Baghdad,
had been the site of frequent rocket attacks by Iran-backed militias targeting
U.S.-led troops in recent months.

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Pentagon IG Taking Long Look at How Military Responds to 'Active Shooter' Incidents

The Pentagon's Inspector General has begun a comprehensive research project on
how the military branches' various law enforcement agencies have responded over
the years to active shooter incidents and violence in the workplace on
installations.

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Mishandling of Misconduct Reports, Retaliation a Pattern across the National Guard

Years of allegations, investigations, and evidence shared with Military Times by
survivors of assaults paint a picture of an organization struggling to hold its
people accountable.

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Space Command Hints at New Capabilities to Counter China, Russia

Chinese and Russian counter-space weapons have Pentagon officials worried, but
new capabilities are on the way to mitigate the threat, a top U.S. Space Command
official said Aug. 21.

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Lawmakers See No Reason to Merge Space Force, NRO

The question put forth during a panel discussion Aug. 20 at the Space
Warfighting Industry Forum was: should the National Reconnaissance Office be
folded into the Space Force? The answer from three lawmakers on the panel was a
resounding “no.”

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Northrop Grumman Weighing Exit Options for OmegA Rocket

Without a significant commercial business to fall back on, OmegA does not appear
to have a future. But Northrop Grumman says no final decisions will be made
until after the Air Force briefs the company on the reasons why the vehicle was
not selected.

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Former Army Special Forces Officer Charged in Russian Espionage Conspiracy

According to court documents, from December 1996 to January 2011, Peter Rafael
Dzibinski Debbins, 45, a former member of the U.S. Army, allegedly conspired
with agents of a Russian intelligence service. During that time, Debbins
periodically visited Russia and met with Russian intelligence agents. In 1997,
Debbins was assigned a code name by Russian intelligence agents and signed a
statement attesting that he wanted to serve Russia.

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One More Thing...
Check Out These F-35s Dropping Full Loads of Small Diameter Bombs during a Test Mission

It's one of the F-35's most versatile and critical weapons, and it's about to
get a whole lot more capable.

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