Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Sept. 17, 2020

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

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Air Force PT Testing Delayed Until Jan. 1, 2021
By Brian W. Everstine

The Air Force will not resume physical fitness testing across the service until
at least Jan. 1, 2021, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the
military, top service leaders announced. The service early in the pandemic
suspended PT testing, and repeatedly delayed resumption until Oct. 1. Chief
Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass said Sept. 16 that the new
target is Jan. 1, and the service is also determining what PT testing will look
like in the future. “That’s really for the safety of our Airmen and, all
across our Air Force … every installation is kind of in a different COVID
environment, so it just makes sense to do so,” Bass said.

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Air Force Vice Chief: Nearly One-Third of Employees May Permanently Telework
By Rachel S. Cohen

About one-third of Air Force employees may remain largely out of the office even
after the coronavirus pandemic subsides, Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Stephen W.
“Seve” Wilson said Sept. 16. “There'll be a portion of our workforce that
never comes back to working as we knew it in the past. I don't know what that
number is—is it 30 percent of our workforce?” Wilson said at AFA’s virtual
Air, Space, and Cyber Conference. “They may show up to work in a work
environment once a day, once a week type of thing, but ... because we've got
everything connected, because we've got this workforce that can now work from
wherever they are, whenever they want, it's changed the paradigm on how we're
going to do work.” The service must now give people the same quality of
technology in an office that they’re used to at home.

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New AEF Focuses on Small Groups, Multitasking, Burden Sharing
By John A. Tirpak

The new AIr and Space Expeditionary Force will see airmen doing multiple
specialties, deploying in groups instead of as individuals, and going less
frequently to built-up bases and more often to austere locations, Chief of Staff
Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. said in a September 16 press conference. He also said
he may engage the other services to pick up some of the load to avoid burning
out airmen in high-demand specialties. The new AEF technically goes into effect
October 1, but won't be felt for several months.

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Air Force to Launch Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

The Air Force's Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, which launched June 9 to
investigate the impact of demographic-related disparities on USAF and the Space
Force, will transition into a new office dedicated to cultivating these
qualities across both services, Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower,
Personnel, and Services Lt. Gen. Brain D. Kelly announced Sept. 16. “This task
force that's created now will transition to a new Office of Diversity, Inclusion
and Belonging that will work directly for the Secretary of the Air Force [and]
service the two service chiefs—both on the Air Force side and the Space Force
side,” Kelly said during a panel on Air Force talent management and culture
issues that was held as part of the Air Force Association's virtual Air, Space &
Cyber Conference.

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Two Airmen Killed in Separate Crashes at Ali Al Salem Within Days
By Brian W. Everstine

Two Airmen have died in two separate single-vehicle crashes within three days of
each other at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, the Pentagon announced. Staff
Sergeant Ronald J. Ouellette, 23, of Merrimack, N.H., died Sept. 14 in a single
all-terrain-vehicle crash on the flightline at the base, the Pentagon announced
Sept. 16. The cause of the crash is under investigation. Ouellette was assigned
to the 42nd Aerial Port Squadron at Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass. The crash
comes days after Senior Airman Jason Khai Phan, 26, of Anaheim, Calif., died
Sept. 12 in a single-vehicle, non-combat-related crash while patrolling outside
the perimeter of the base.

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Ligado May Jeopardize Future of Experimental Space Force Navigation Satellite
By Rachel S. Cohen

Officials overseeing a promising new satellite venture warned this week that
Ligado Networks could jeopardize the future of next-generation positioning,
navigation, and timing alongside the current GPS enterprise. “As we interface
with our [Air Force headquarters] staff counterparts, the message we communicate
is basically, ‘Well, we are going to be collateral damage if this moves
forward,’” Arlen Biersgreen, Navigation Technology Satellite-3 program
manager at the Air Force Research Laboratory, told Air Force Magazine on Sept.
16. “GPS is going to be harmed, and certainly the work that we're doing will
be harmed as well.” The Space Force’s NTS-3 program is an experimental
effort to offer more reliable, accurate location data via satellites that
complement GPS.

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Esper Highlights USAF Modernization, Force Employment Changes as Near-Peer Threats Rise
By Brian W. Everstine

The U.S. Air Force is leading the way within the military on adopting new
technologies and adapting how it operates to be ready for “great power
competition,” both with technological advancements such as the Advanced Battle
Management System and new ways to deploy aircraft such as bomber task forces,
Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said. In a Sept. 16 keynote address as part of
AFA’s virtual Air, Space & Cyber Conference, Esper warned that with countries
like China and Russia making advancements, “we cannot take for granted the
United States’ long-held advantages,” such as air superiority and the
ability to operate without threats in space. Rivals “seek to erode our
long-standing dominance in airpower through long-range fires, anti-access area
denial systems, and other asymmetric capabilities designed to counter our
strengths,” Esper said.

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AFSOC’s Review of Valor Awards ‘Winding Down’
By Brian W. Everstine

Air Force Special Operations Command’s review of valor awards for possible
upgrades, including potentially to the Medal of Honor and Air Force Cross, is
still ongoing, though it is “winding down,” with a handful of cases still
under review. A Defense Department-wide review of valor awards began in 2016,
and notably resulted in the Air Force’s only Medal of Honor for the Global War
on Terrorism with the upgrade of Master Sgt. John Chapman’s Air Force Cross in
2018. Air Force Special Operations Command, the major command with most of the
service’s overall valor awards, has been reviewing the cases and presenting
them to Air Force Secretary Barbara M. Barrett. “We have worked our way
through the bulk of that review, and there are just a handful of awards that
we’re still reviewing as perhaps being eligible for upgrades based on either
new evidence or the criteria being re-evaluated,” AFSOC boss Lt. Gen. James C.
Slife said Sept. 15. “Yes, it is still underway, but I would say it’s
probably winding down.”

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Here’s How COVID-19 Has Changed the Air Force
By Jennifer Hlad

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way people around the world work, travel,
and live. The U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force are no different. When the
threat of the virus became clear, leaders throughout the Department of the Air
Force sprung into action to change how—and where—work is done, and there’s
no going back now, panelists said Sept. 16 at AFA’s virtual Air, Space & Cyber
Conference. “As we started this, I looked around the office for the book on
how to operate the command in a pandemic, and, surprise surprise, there wasn’t
one,” Bunch said. “We just knew that we were going to have to” figure it
out, making adjustments along the way, “because of what we need to do to
support the nation.”

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Air Force Reserve Helping DOD Assess Space Force Reserve Component Options
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

The outlook for a Space Force reserve component is still hazy, but Air Force
Reserve Chief Lt. Gen. Richard W. Scobee said leaders from his command are among
a group of Defense Department decision-makers who are contemplating different
possibilities for integrating Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard space
functions into the military's newest service. “What they're looking at is how
do they create a 21st century model ... that will really work for who America is
now, and so, what they want to do is create a model for the personnel that
includes both ... full- and part-time people as we go forward,” he told
reporters during a media roundtable held as part of AFA's virtual Air, Space &
Cyber Conference. Scobee said his priority is ensuring that whatever plan is
finally picked carves out a place for part-time Reservists. He also expressed
excitement at the unique opportunities the Space Force could theoretically offer
these personnel.

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Radar Sweep

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WATCH: Virtual Air, Space & Cyber Conference Day Three Highlights

Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Stephen W. “Seve” Wilson says teleworking may be
here to stay for a large portion of the Air Force population, even after the
COVID-19 pandemic is over. Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass
said the service is looking at new ways to track experience when it comes to
promotion … and more. Air Force Magazine Editor-in-Chief Tobias Naegele and
News Editor Amy McCullough highlight the key takeaways from AFA’s virtual Air,
Space & Cyber Conference.

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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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Defense Intel Head: We ‘Did What We Were Supposed to’ with COVID Warning

The Defense Intelligence Agency’s chief on Sept. 16 hinted that the public
doesn’t yet know just what the military knew about the coronavirus.

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US Air Force Adds Electronic Warfare to New Intel, Cyber Office

The U.S. Air Force’s fresh intelligence and cyber entity at the Pentagon is
adding electronic warfare to its profile, continuing to build out a more robust
information warfare portfolio. In 2019, the deputy chief of staff for
intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance added in cyber effects operations
when creating the A2/6. Its leader, Lt. Gen. Mary O’Brien, said Sept. 15 that
while cyber and ISR are the primary focus, there are other capabilities that
must converge to deliver effects in the information environment.

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Why the Pentagon’s JEDI Saga Is Far from Over

The Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure procurement may be grounded until at
least February, according to a new timeline agreed to by the government and
Amazon Web Services.

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Military Commanders Could Use More Satellites for Tactical Surveillance

Pacific theater Air Force commander Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach said one of the items
on his wish list are low-orbiting surveillance satellites to help track targets
on the ground, at sea, and in the air. “Yes, I am absolutely in favor of more
space-based ISR,” said Wilsbach, the commander of Pacific Air Forces at U.S.
Indo-Pacific Command. ISR is the military abbreviation for intelligence,
surveillance, and reconnaissance.

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Lockheed Martin Ventures Invests in Hidden Level

Jeff Cole, Hidden Level's CEO, said that "providing scalable solutions to low
altitude airspace security remains an issue in defense and commercial spaces.
Our mission is to deliver innovative solutions to help our customers keep the
public safe and advance airspace safety within defense and civil arenas alike.
Working with Lockheed Martin, who understands the value of our technology, is
important."

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Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency Chief Sexually Harassed Staffers for 7 Years, IG Finds

The former civilian head of the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency sexually
harassed two women in his office for seven years, subjecting one woman to
unwanted attention and photographing her buttocks and massaging another woman
during a "mentoring" session, according to a Pentagon Inspector General's report
released Sept. 16.

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House to Vote on ‘Transformational’ Change for Reporting Military Sexual Assault

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has committed to scheduling a vote before
the end of the congressional session on the I Am Vanessa Guillen Act—a bill
that would revamp the military’s system for reporting and investigating
military sexual harassment and assault. Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.),
introduced the legislation Wednesday, along with Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.)
and 71 other cosponsors.

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Air Force General on UFOs: ‘Occasionally You See Stuff That You Can’t Explain’

The head of U.S. Pacific Air Forces said he has seen some strange things in the
air, but he’s not sure if aliens have ever visited Earth.

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One More Thing...
Inside Columbine II—The First Ever Air Force One

While Presidents Roosevelt and Truman had used aircraft to transport them
worldwide, the first Air Force One did not exist until Dwight D. Eisenhower was
in the White House.

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