Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Oct. 2, 2020

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

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Senate Confirms New Vice Chiefs for Air, Space Forces
By Rachel S. Cohen

The Senate confirmed Lt. Gen. David W. Allvin as the next Air Force Vice Chief
of Staff on Sept. 30, while also approving his promotion to four-star general.
Allvin will replace current VCSAF Gen. Stephen W. “Seve” Wilson, who became
the second-highest officer in July 2016 and is the longest-serving vice chief in
the service's history, according to the Air Force. Senators also approved Lt.
Gen. David D. Thompson's promotion to be the first four-star Vice Chief of Space
Operations.

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Electrical Problems Delay Delivery of KC-46 to New Hampshire
By Brian W. Everstine

Boeing has delayed the delivery of one KC-46 tanker to the New Hampshire Air
National Guard because of an electrical problem on the airplane, though the
company says it's a limited issue that will not broadly affect the schedule for
the problem-ridden program. This particular KC-46, set to be the eighth for the
157th Air Refueling Wing at Pease Air National Guard Base, is delayed because of
the “minor electrical problem on this airplane that was found by our rigorous
acceptance testing process,” Boeing said in a statement. The company believes
there is a poor electrical connection that needs to be removed and reinstalled.

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‘Air Force We Need 2.0’ Exploring Low-Cost, Unmanned Aircraft
By John A. Tirpak

Low-cost, attritable aircraft will likely reshape the fleet design outlined in
“The Air Force We Need” white paper of 2018, panelists said during an Oct. 1
event hosted by the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. The technology's
rapid advance is causing service force designers to consider mixed or composite
squadrons that pair unmanned systems with fighters like the F-35. Rapid
experiments and fielding will drive new concepts that will support an “Air
Force We Need 2.0,” they said.

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Space Systems Command to Stand Up in 2021
By Rachel S. Cohen

The Space Force will stand up its Space Systems Command to oversee software and
hardware acquisition “sooner rather than later” in 2021, the service’s
second-highest uniformed official said Oct. 1. Lt. Gen. David D. Thompson said
during a Defense One event that the new systems management organization is
moving slower than the groups that will oversee training and operations because
the Space Force is still deciding which Army and Navy assets will join the new
service. That will offer a clearer picture of how everything can fit together.

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Tankers Practice Speedy Deployment in European Refueling Exercise
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

KC-135 Stratotankers from the 100th Air Refueling Wing at RAF Mildenhall, U.K.,
practiced supporting other aircraft in "Exercise Wolff Pack," a multinational
event over Europe that ended Oct. 1. The three-day effort vetted the wing’s
ability to deploy its aircraft to multiple places across Europe “in order to
protect and defend partners, allies, and U.S. interests at a moment’s
notice” and sharpen the agile combat employment (ACE) construct, wing
spokesperson Capt. Shelley A. Spreier told Air Force Magazine in a Sept. 30
email. ACE is the Air Force's effort to move troops and planes around the globe
quickly and with less reliance on brick-and-mortar installations, to be more
responsive and resilient if bases are threatened. Twelve KC-135s also took part
in a Sept. 29 "elephant walk."

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Virtual Events: Epstein on Mitchell’s ‘Aerospace Nation,’ & More
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

On Oct. 6, the Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
will host the latest installment of its “Aerospace Nation” series featuring
Ronald Epstein, managing director in equity research at Bank of America Merrill
Lynch who covers aerospace, defense, and multi-industrials with large aerospace
components. Event video will tentatively be posted to the think tank's <a
href="[link removed]">website</a> and <a
href="[link removed]">YouTube page</a>
afterward.

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Radar Sweep

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Speaker Sessions from AFA’s vASC Now Available

Now you can view video and transcripts from the Air Force Association’s
virtual Air, Space & Cyber Conference, including a keynote from Space Force
Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. "Jay" Raymond, and panels on information
warfare and joint all-domain command and control. More videos will be added
daily.

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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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Pentagon Transitioning its COVID-19 Acquisition Task Force to Permanent Office

The Joint Acquisition Task Force the Pentagon set up to deal with the COVID-19
pandemic isn’t going away, even when the pandemic finally does. Defense
officials have decided to turn it into a permanent assisted acquisition
organization to help other federal agencies deal with complex procurement
problems.

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Rockets Strike Iraqi Base Where US Troops Are Located, US Defense Official Says

Six rockets landed near Erbil International Airport in the semiautonomous
Kurdistan region in northern Iraq on Sept. 30, according to a statement released
by the Ministry of Interior of the Kurdistan Regional Government. A US defense
official with direct knowledge of the latest reports told CNN initial indicators
are that three rockets struck a base where U.S. troops are located, with
additional rockets hitting outside the base. There are no reports of U.S.
injuries or damage so far.

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JEDI Delay Doesn’t Derail DOD Cloud: Pentagon CIO

After months of delays from a still-unfinished court battle, the long-awaited
JEDI cloud contract will be neither irrelevant nor overtaken by events when it
finally arrives, Pentagon Chief Information Officer Dana Deasy said Sept. 30. In
fact, Deasy told the Defense Writers Group, while JEDI itself is in legal limbo,
the Defense Department is doing all it legally can to lay the groundwork for a
swift adoption as soon as the judge permits.

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B-52 Stratofortress Experienced Emergency over England Friday

Erica Vega, a spokeswoman for U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa,
confirmed the emergency in a Sept. 29 email. The bomber—one of six B-52s from
the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., that traveled to England in
August—landed safely at RAF Fairford, U.K. without the crew suffering any
injuries.

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The JADC2 Revolution

U.S. forces are redefining joint operations to be more tightly integrated. Joint
all-domain command and control (JADC2) accelerates the speed and complexity of
warfare by tying forces together across the air, land, sea, space, and cyber
domains. For the latest on what this means to operators and the industry, check
out our JADC2 landing page.

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‘Shy, Sweet, and Intelligent,’ Senior Airman Jason Phan Laid to Rest

Senior Airman Jason Khai Phan, the 26-year-old Anaheim, Calif., man who died
Sept. 12 in Kuwait, was laid to rest during a service on Sept. 29 at Miramar
National Cemetery in San Diego.

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VA Officials Hope to Wrap Training, Testing Before October Go-Live of EHR Program

Despite numerous obstacles, the Veterans Affairs Department expects to be ready
for the Oct. 24 deployment date of its new electronic health records system.

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NDIA Names Punaro Chair

The National Defense Industrial Association said retired Marine Corps Maj. Gen.
Arnold Punaro will become chair of its board, effectively immediately.

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SPONSORED: For Active or Retired Military, Federal Long-Term Care Insurance Offers Peace of Mind

The Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program—created specifically for the
federal family—offers active duty and retired members of the uniformed
services the opportunity to help take control of their future long term care
needs with long term care insurance. Designed to be both comprehensive and
flexible, the plan provides insurance coverage for qualified long term care
services, including the type of care you may receive and where you receive it.

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OPINION: How to Trim the Defense Budget Without Harming US Security

“The first step is deciding what the United States wants its military to
do,” write Elbridge Colby, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for
strategy and force development, Mackenzie Eaglen, a resident fellow at the
American Enterprise Institute, and Roger Zakheim, director of the Reagan
Institute.

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One More Thing...
Yes, US RC-135s Have Used Bogus Hex Codes to Transmit a False Identity. But It’s Not to Fool China or Other Enemies.

The U.S. Air Force intelligence aircraft have been using fake Mode-S codes, but
this doesn’t give any real operational advantage. It just fuels some crazy
conspiracy theory.

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