PACAF Pushes Back on Chinese Attack Video | Roper on Autonomous Tanker

Sept. 24, 2020

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

69th EBS Maintains Continuous Bomber Presence

U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules and C-17 Globemaster IIIs sit on the flightline at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, on Feb. 4, 2020. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Michael S. Murphy.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.”

Radar Sweep

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.

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

Military.com

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.

Trump Eyes May 2021 for Total US Withdrawal from Afghanistan

Inside Defense

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.

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

WCVB

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.

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

The Drive

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

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

SpaceNews

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.

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

Defense & Aerospace Report podcast

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.

The Latest on JADC2

Air Force Magazine

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.

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

The Associated Press

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

AFA’s CyberPatriot Program Office Releases 2020 CyberCamp Results

CyberPatriot report

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.

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

Breaking Defense

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.

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

Air Force Times

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.”

One More Thing

CSAF Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. Makes TIME 100 List

TIME

'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."