Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Aug. 26, 2020

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

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Roper: ABMS Experiment to Highlight Complexity of Future Warfare
By John A. Tirpak

The upcoming Advanced Battle Management System experiment will have so much
activity in so many places the heads of U.S. Space Command and U.S. Northern
Command will be hard-pressed to make sense of it all. And, that's the point,
USAF acquisition executive Will Roper said Aug. 25. In a 90-minute “Ask Me
Anything” session on YouTube, Roper said he's driving home the point that
situational awareness will from now on depend on automated systems, which are
designed to collect and interpret combat information and share the results with
anyone who needs it. Roper, who described ABMS as the service's top acquisition
priority, also predicted that new Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. will
be a big backer of the program and will be swift to eliminate legacy systems
that don't build future capability.

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Chinese Military Alleges U-2 Flew Over Training Exercise
By Brian W. Everstine

The Chinese government is alleging an Air Force U-2 overflew a People’s
Liberation Army training exercise, claiming it was a provocative act in a
purported no-fly zone. At the same time, the Pentagon is warning allies of
China’s military modernization and spreading influence. The Chinese Defense
Ministry said the U-2 “severely disrupted regular Chinese training
activities,” and ignored bilateral guidelines on aerial and maritime safety,
according to Reuters. Neither the Department of Defense nor U.S. Indo-Pacific
Command responded to a request for comment. The alleged incident comes as
Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper is traveling through the Indo-Pacific on a trip
to show the U.S. commitment to the region.

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Defense Health Agency Creates COVID-19 Registry to Improve Care Quality
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

The Defense Health Agency has created a clearinghouse for information about
COVID-19 patients’ medical and service histories, journeys with the disease,
and clinical outcomes to help it improve treatment quality and keep Defense
Department guidance for COVID-19 care current, DHA Director Army Lt. Gen. Ronald
J. Place told Air Force Magazine in an exclusive interview. “It's a way of
tracking all of those different things so that we can both provide best care to
the patients that we do have, but using continuous process improvement with the
data within the system to continuously update the guidance that we give to the
field on best modalities on how we care for our patients,” Place said.

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Cornish Takes Command of 12th Air Force
By Brian W. Everstine

Maj. Gen. Barry R. Cornish took command of 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern)
during an Aug. 21 change of command ceremony at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base,
Ariz. Cornish, previously the commander of the 9th Air and Space Expeditionary
Task Force-Afghanistan and commander of NATO Air Command-Afghanistan, took over
for outgoing Maj. Gen. Andrew A. Croft. The Senate confirmed Croft for his third
star and to be U.S. Southern Command’s military deputy commander. In
Afghanistan, Cornish said he saw multiple outside powers competing in an area
that is rife with drug trade and other issues, a direct comparison to other
nations exerting influence in SOUTHCOM’s region. “We should not be lulled
into a complacent sense that we are immune to this exact sort of competition for
power in our own hemisphere,” Cornish said.

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Guard Aircraft Watching California Fires as Blazes Continue to Spread
By Brian W. Everstine

Air National Guard reconnaissance aircraft are tracking the spread of record
fires across California, with unmanned and manned aircraft providing video to
help with the response. The California Air National Guard’s 195th Wing’s
234th Intelligence Squadron is using video feeds from MQ-9s and at least one
RC-26 that have been flying above the fires, using damage assessments and
predictive analysis to inform crews on the ground, according to a 195th Wing
release. There are more than two dozen major fires and lightning complexes
across the state, with 615 total wildfires ignited since Aug. 15. All told,
about 1.3 million acres have burned across California, according to Cal Fire.

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Air National Guard Completes Iowa Storm Damage Cleanup
By Alyk Russell Kenlan

National Guardsmen in Iowa played a crucial role in cleaning up after a storm
with winds up to 140 miles per hour hit Cedar Rapids earlier this month,
uprooting trees, knocking down power lines, and causing power outages across
southeast Iowa. Within 24 hours, Airmen from the Iowa Air National Guard's 185th
Air Refueling Wing Civil Engineering Squadron based in Sioux City joined Army
National Guard Soldiers in Cedar Rapids to clear the way for the power company
to restore power.

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Virtual Events: Mitchell Institute, ANWA DC Co-Host Nuclear Deterrence Forum, and More
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

On Aug. 27, the Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace
Studies, in partnership with the Advanced Nuclear Weapons Alliance Deterrence
Center, will host a Nuclear Deterrence Forum featuring National Nuclear Security
Administration Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Brent
K. Park as part of their NNSA Series. Event video will tentatively be posted to
<a
href="[link removed]">Mitchell's
website</a> and <a
href="[link removed]">YouTube page</a>
afterward.

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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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As Trump Touts Expanded Use of Convalescent Plasma for COVID-19 Patients, the US Military Has Already Been Using It

While President Donald J. Trump announced Aug. 23 an emergency authorization for
the use of convalescent plasma to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients, such
plasma is already being administered to infected U.S. service members.

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Air Force IT Satisfaction Rating Doubles during Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the Air Force to take rapid action to enhance and
scale its telework and remote IT services during the early days of the crisis.
As a result, Airmen are much happier with the Air Force’s IT services and
support than they were before the pandemic hit.

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Air Force to Craft a Quantum Information Science Strategy—and Wants Help

The service is on the lookout for a contractor with a proven track record in the
quantum development space.

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Podcast: The US Hypersonics Program Matures

Aviation Week editors talk about new developments hypersonics, including the
revelation that the Air Force is studying intercontinental-range hypersonics
that could be nuclear-armed and confirmation of the creation of a multi-mission
platform with a multi-cycle engine that could be the path toward a SR-72
intelligence-gathering vehicle.

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F-35 Joint Program Office Ramping Up PBL Analysis

The F-35 joint program office is ramping up its analysis of a possible
performance-based logistics sustainment contract with Lockheed Martin, according
to a notice posted this week. In a new justification and approval document, the
Navy-led tiger team details its reasons for extending a contract with Systecon
North America for consulting services as it finalizes its assessment and
response to Lockheed's proposal for a five-year PBL deal the company says could
save the program about $1 billion.

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Air Force F-16 Squadron Trains with Partners in Poland

F-16 Fighting Falcons and Airmen assigned to the 480th Expeditionary Fighter
Squadron, 52nd Fighter Wing, have deployed to Poland to take part in a joint
training exercise, according to the Air Force. The aircraft and personnel have
deployed to the 32nd Tactical Air Base in Łask Air Base, Poland, to participate
in and support Aviation Detachment Rotation 20.4, officials said in a media
release.

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DARPA’s Gremlins Pass Second Flight Test

DARPA’s Gremlins program is targeting additional tests of the X-61A vehicle
later this year after meeting several primary objectives during risk reduction
flights at the U.S. Army’s Dugway Proving Ground in Utah in late July. The
Gremlins program seeks to develop and demonstrate air launch and air recovery of
up to four unmanned aerial systems, known as Gremlins Air Vehicles, within 30
minutes.

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Army Guard Pilots Get Distinguished Flying Cross for Engaging Taliban at Close Range

Two North Carolina National Guard AH-64 Apache pilots received the Distinguished
Flying Cross with Valor for providing cover to Army special forces in a remote
Afghanistan village in 2018.

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One More Thing...
Air Force Wants New Ideas to Help Make It Easier for Female Fighter Pilots to Pee in Flight

The service says that women aviators are deliberately not hydrating to avoid
having to go, which creates all sorts of serious risks.

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