Introducing the Doolittle Leadership Center | No New Tactical Nukes for USAF

Sept. 3, 2020

Edited by Amy McCullough with Rachel S. Cohen, Brian W. Everstine, Tobias Naegele and Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr helped the Air Force Association unveil its new Doolittle Leadership Center in Arlington, Va., on Sept. 2, 2020. Staff photo by Mike Tsukamoto.

CSAF Helps Dedicate AFA’s New Doolittle Leadership Center

By Tobias Naegele

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. brought his message of “Accelerate change or lose” to the dedication of the Air Force Association’s Doolittle Leadership Center on Sept. 2. “The Doolittle Leadership Center is a perfect environment to foster that renewed focus for all who bleed blue," Brown said. AFA President retired Lt. Gen. Bruce “Orville” Wright said the center will become a “cauldron of creativity and collaboration” and “a place to bring together the best military, industry, and research community talent and expose them to new ideas as they get to know and trust each other, expanding imaginations and horizons across the national security community.”

Soofer: No New ‘Tactical’ Nukes for USAF

By Rachel S. Cohen

The Air Force doesn’t need to grow its stockpile of “tactical” nuclear weapons to complement the Navy’s newly deployed submarine-launched W76-2 warhead, the Pentagon’s top nuclear policy official indicated Sept. 2. “The Air Force is doing more than its fair share in this area,” Robert Soofer, deputy assistant secretary of defense for nuclear and missile defense policy, said during a Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies event. “I don't think they need to do anything more.” Two future USAF systems, the B61-12 bomb and the Long-Range Standoff Weapon, will already offer “low-yield” options, or 20 kilotons or less, as well as bigger blasts.

South Korea Bases Brace for Typhoon Maysak

By Brian W. Everstine

U.S. Air Force bases in South Korea closed or limited operations as Typhoon Maysak hit the country early Sept. 3 local time, bringing high winds and heavy rains shortly after grazing bases in Japan. Kunsan Air Base announced at about 3 a.m. that it was in a Tropical Cyclone Condition of Readiness 1 Emergency, with wind gusts of more than 69 miles per hour. Osan Air Base, which is located further north, near Seoul, was also at TCCOR 1 with delayed reporting for Sept. 3. Typhoon Maysak moved toward South Korea with the power equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane, with peak winds of about 130 miles per hour, though it was expected to weaken.

Lockheed, York Win Contracts for First SDA Satellites

By Rachel S. Cohen

A high-profile effort to spread thousands of satellites close to Earth for better communications, missile tracking, and more is getting underway with contracts to Lockheed Martin and York Space Systems. The Space Development Agency on Aug. 31 awarded $187.5 million to Lockheed and $94 million to York for 10 small test satellites apiece as part of “Tranche 0” of SDA’s low Earth orbit proliferation plan. Satellites are slated to begin launching in 2022. They are the first batch in SDA’s “transport layer” of data-sharing satellites that will pass targeting and tracking data and other communications down to military personnel on Earth.

National Guard Takes Cyber Shield 2020 Online Due to COVID-19

By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

The National Guard will conduct the 2020 edition of its annual Cyber Shield Exercise completely online in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “The mission of Cyber Shield is to develop, train, and exercise cyber forces in the areas of computer network internal defensive measures and cyber incident response,” National Guard Bureau spokesperson Wayne V. Hall wrote in an Aug. 31 email to reporters. The exercise, slated for Sept. 12-27, is projected to include over 800 Guard personnel from at least 41 states and the District of Columbia, plus U.S. government and private sector partners, according to Illinois National Guard spokesperson Lt. Col. Brad Leighton. Most Guard personnel will participate remotely, with Microsoft Teams being the main platform used during the exercise.

Virtual Events: Spain on Mitchell Institute’s ‘Aerospace Nation,’ and More

By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

On Sept. 8, the Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies will host Brig. Gen. Adrian L. Spain, director of plans, programs, and analyses at U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa on the latest installment of its “Aerospace Nation” series. Event video will tentatively be posted to the think tank's website and YouTube page afterward.

Radar Sweep

Register Now for Virtual Air, Space & Cyber Conference

Air Force Magazine

The Air Force Association's annual Air, Space & Cyber Conference kicks off Sept. 14 with Air Force Secretary Barbara M. Barrett and Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. The annual conference, which will be held virtually this year for the first time, runs through Sept. 16. Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond speaks on Tuesday, Sept. 15. Conference attendance is free for military members and defense civilians, and rates for industry participants are discounted for AFA members (and from traditional rates for in-person participants). Registration is open now and space is limited, so early registration is encouraged.

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.

The Next Major Battlefield Threat Facing US Troops May Be Undetectable

Military.com

As the world contends with the COVID-19 pandemic, civilian and U.S. military experts alike are voicing worries that combat units are ill-equipped to detect powerful new bioweapons that are likely to become a reality on the future battlefield.

The Services Have Work to Do When It Comes to Unconscious Bias, SecDef Says

Military Times

When Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper sits down to talk with troops about racial insensitivity in the military, he said, the biggest issue they call out is the unintended discrimination and insensitivity they face from other service members.

Test Launch Demonstrates Safe, Ready Minuteman III Deterrent

USAF release

A team of Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with a test reentry vehicle on the morning of Sept. 2 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The test demonstrates that the United States’ nuclear deterrent is safe, secure, reliable, and effective to deter 21st century threats and reassure our allies.

Air Force Revitalizing Security Forces

National Defense Magazine

The Air Force recently completed the tracking and identification of its final action item for an initiative to ensure the service’s security forces are trained and equipped, according to a top service official.

DHA Launches New Air Force Military Hospital and Clinic Websites

USAF release

On Sept. 1, the Defense Health Agency launched 74 new military hospital and clinic Air Force websites—an important milestone in the effort to modernize the web presence of all military medical treatment facilities. Each website transitioned to the TRICARE domain to provide a standardized patient experience across the Military Health System.

Senators to Esper: Reverse Your Decision to Kill Stars and Stripes

Military.com

A group of senators wants to reinstate funding for Stars and Stripes, the military's newspaper for service members, as the organization faces being totally defunded before the year is out. The bipartisan group, led by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), on Sept. 2 sent a letter to Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper to preserve the "historically significant publication," which only requires "a tiny fraction" of the Defense Department's annual budget, according to the lawmakers.

One More Thing

Microscopes Powered by Google’s AI Could Change Cancer Diagnostics

Defense One

A Defense Department pilot program could help make artificial intelligence useful not just to researchers but to physicians.