Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Sept. 24, 2020

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

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PACAF: Chinese Propaganda Targeting Andersen AFB is an Attempt to Intimidate
By Brian W. Everstine

Pacific Air Forces is pushing back against a Chinese military propaganda video
depicting an H-6K bomber targeting Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, calling it
attempted intimidation in the region. The video, released Sept. 19, shows the
bombers flying alongside fighter aircraft, and firing a missile at a Google
Maps-style picture of Andersen’s flight line. “It is yet another example of
their use of propaganda in an attempt to coerce and intimidate the region,”
PACAF said in a Sept. 23 statement. “Maintaining the safety of our personnel
and resources, as well as our allies and partners, is of the utmost importance
and we remain committed to ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific for all
nations.”

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Cyber Airmen Trained for a China-Taiwan Conflict That Unfolds Online
By Rachel S. Cohen

If China invaded Taiwan, how would it play out on the Internet and mobile
devices? Over the course of four weeks in late August and early September,
Airmen in the 16th Air Force information warfare organization explored how to
mine social media and other forms of public information to address an
undisclosed scenario involving the two nations. They used a toolkit built by
Virginia-based BlackHorse Solutions that was paid for by the Air Force
Warfighting Integration Capability team, a group based at the Pentagon that
studies how the service should be structured and what tools it needs to fight in
the future.

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Roper: Now Is the Time to Develop Requirements for Autonomous Refueling
By Brian W. Everstine

Air Force acquisition and Air Mobility Command leaders are looking to set the
requirements of future tankers, as the improved suite of cameras and sensors for
the KC-46 brings the service to the “doorstep” of autonomous refueling. The
Air Force and Boeing’s agreement to move forward with the Remote Vision System
2.0, announced in the spring, includes high-tech sensors that track receiving
aircraft, feeding into an operator’s location with high-definition displays.
All that’s missing, once that new system is installed and operational, is some
additional software to enable automation, said Will Roper, the service’s
assistant secretary for acquisition, technology, and logistics. “We don’t
have requirements for … tanking autonomously. We don’t know where, when,
how. And now’s a great time to start studying that, and to do it in
conjunction with what comes next,” he said.

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Tyndall to Use Big Data to Make Base Safer
By Rachel S. Cohen

Tech firms SimpleSense and Novetta will take the lead in setting up a new kind
of operations center for Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., as part of its “Base of
the Future” effort. The Air Force awarded $9 million to startup SimpleSense
this month for the virtual “Installation Resilience Operations Center,”
which will act as a central hub for base security and facility operations at
Tyndall. The Florida Panhandle base is a proving ground of sorts for new
infrastructure ideas as it rebuilds from Hurricane Michael, which destroyed much
of the installation in 2018. Tyndall sought ideas from four pairs of companies
at a “Shark Tank”-style pitch competition on Sept. 14.

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USAFA’s New Superintendent Shares Vision for Academy’s Future
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Lt. Gen. Richard M. Clark officially took over as U.S. Air Force Academy
superintendent and discussed priorities for his tenure during a Sept. 23 change
of command ceremony at the Colorado Springs, Colo., campus. Clark, who replaced
now-retired Lt. Gen. Jay B. Silveria, is the Academy's first Black
superintendent and the first former commandant of cadets to ascend to USAFA's
top job. “Rich, you epitomize integrity, service, and excellence throughout
your career, and now you will instill those fundamental values into future Air
and Space Force officers,” Air Force Secretary Barbara M. Barrett said during
the ceremony. “We are deeply grateful for your leadership, and we thank
you.”

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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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Coronavirus Has Changed the Way Airmen Go through Training, Leaders Say

The U.S. Air Force has had to revise the way it executes its day-to-day missions
amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with commanders all over the world amending their
playbooks to keep Airmen safe and healthy.

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Trump Eyes May 2021 for Total US Withdrawal from Afghanistan

A senior Pentagon official told lawmakers Sept. 22 the Trump administration has
begun planning for the complete withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Afghanistan
by May 2021.

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Air Force 2 Returns to New Hampshire with VP Pence on Board after Bird Hits Engine

A plane that left New Hampshire with Vice President Mike Pence on board had to
land quickly after taking off after its engine was struck by a bird. An aide to
Pence confirmed to ABC News that a bird hit one of the engines on Air Force 2,
which returned to Manchester Regional Airport and made a safe landing on Sept.
22.

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The Air Force’s Secret Next Generation Air Dominance Demonstrator Isn’t What You Think It Is

Like the future of air combat in general, there are lots of misconceptions about
the secret technology demonstrator and the program it belongs to.

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Space Force, DOD Agencies, NRO Try to Get on the Same Page on Future Acquisitions

A "program integration council" run by the Space and Missile Systems Center will
include representatives from Defense Department space-buying agencies and the
National Reconnaissance Office.

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DEFAERO Report Daily Podcast Featuring Air Force Test Center’s Azzano

On the Sept. 22 episode of the DefAero Report Daily Podcast, Air Force Test
Center Commander Maj. Gen. Christopher P. Azzano discussed joint domain
operations, digital modeling, and the power of information on testing, platform
development, and desired battlefield effects.

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The Latest on JADC2

Joint all-domain command and control is redefining how the U.S. military will
operate in the future joint fight—and how systems must be designed today. For
the latest on all things JADC2 and to stay tuned to the latest developments,
check out our JADC2 landing page.

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Tuskegee Airman from Arizona Who Flew in 3 Wars Dies at 95

George Washington Briggs, a member of the famed all-black Tuskegee Airmen who
died in Arizona, will be remembered this week.

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AFA’s CyberPatriot Program Office Releases 2020 CyberCamp Results

The report synopsizes the summer 2020 season of Air Force Association
CyberCamps. It provides camp participant demographics, effectiveness, and
quality as reported in post-camp surveys of participants and instructors.

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Marine Corps’ Builds New Littoral Regiment, Eye on Fake Chinese Islands

USMC is looking for a unit that is "very low signature and that gives us the
firepower that we need to be a relevant force that provides consequences, should
we get past the deterrence phase," said Maj. Gen. Kevin Iiams, assistant deputy
commandant of combat development.

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Air Force Moves to Cancel Contracts for Training on ‘White Privilege’

The Air Force is taking the first steps toward canceling any contracts for
diversity and unconscious bias training that include segments on white privilege
and other controversial subjects, as called for by the White House. The Air
Force’s move follows a Sept. 4 memo from Office of Management and Budget
Director Russell Vought, which alleged executive branch agencies have spent
millions of taxpayer dollars “'training' government workers to believe
divisive, anti-American propaganda.”

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One More Thing...
CSAF Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. Makes TIME 100 List

'Meeting the challenges of this time will require visionary leadership," wrote
former Air Force Secretary Heather A. Wilson. "CQ has become a member of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff through competence and character. It’s a model worth
following."

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