Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Oct. 20, 2020

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Edited by Amy McCullough with Rachel S. Cohen and Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

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Space Force Gets Ready to Train First Enlisted Recruits
By Rachel S. Cohen

Seven Space Force hopefuls will ship out this week to the service’s inaugural
boot camp at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. The Space Force is piggybacking on
the Air Force’s long-standing Basic Military Training process while it grows
its own.
Those who graduate from the approximately eight-week program will
become the first enlisted members the Space Force has trained itself, rather
than importing personnel from the other services.

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USAF, Army Move Forward Under New Command and Control Agreement
By Rachel S. Cohen

Air Force and Army leaders recently reached an agreement to partner more closely
on joint all-domain command and control over the next two years. The services
are still scoping out how to pursue a common data standard, and haven’t chosen
specific systems or platforms to collaborate on or launched new development
programs as a result. The Army will play a bigger role in the Air Force’s
periodic ABMS demonstrations (known as “on-ramps”) as a result of the
agreement, and likewise for Air Force participation in Project Convergence
events. The Air Force did not indicate it is working on a similar agreement with
the Navy and Marine Corps.

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Barksdale B-52s Cross Ocean Twice, Participate in Elephant Walk in 2-Day Span
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Two B-52H Stratofortresses from the 96th Bomb Squadron at Barksdale Air Force
Base, La., left the installation on the evening of Oct. 13, flew nonstop to
Europe to train with NATO over the North Sea, and returned the next night, 2nd
Bomb Wing spokesperson Capt. Christopher Sullivan told Air Force Magazine. And
on Oct. 14, eight other Barksdale-based BUFFs took part in an elephant walk back
at the wing's home base, the wing told Air Force Magazine.

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USAF Scoping Out Upgrades to Counter-UAS Weapons
By Rachel S. Cohen

The Air Force is in the market for upgrades to its counter-drone technologies,
according to an Oct. 16 request for information posted on a federal contracting
website. The service is in the early stages of deploying lasers, microwaves, and
other weapons more advanced than a shotgun to deal with potentially threatening
drones loitering around bases. In particular, the RFI is looking for ideas to
fend off the smallest unmanned aerial systems like quadcopters.

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Virtual Events: Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Brown on ‘Aerospace Nation,’ and More
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

On Oct. 21, AFA's Mitchell Institute will host an installment of its
“Aerospace Nation” series featuring Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q.
Brown Jr. The think tank will post event video on its <a
href="[link removed]">website</a> and
<a href="[link removed]">YouTube
page</a> after the live event. Register for the webinar <a
href="[link removed]">here</a>.

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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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Top Military Leaders Cleared to Return to Work at Pentagon

The nation’s top military leaders have been cleared to return to work at the
Pentagon after having self-quarantined as a precaution following the positive
COVID-19 test of a senior Coast Guard official in early October.

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UN Arms Embargoes on Iran Expire Despite US Objections

A decade-long U.N. arms embargo on Iran that barred it from purchasing foreign
weapons like tanks and fighter jets expired Oct. 18 as planned under its nuclear
deal with world powers, despite objections from the United States, which insists
the ban remains in place. While Iran says it plans no “buying spree,” it can
now in theory purchase weapons to upgrade military armaments dating back to
before its 1979 Islamic Revolution and sell its own locally produced gear
abroad.

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JADC2 Needs Pentagon to Overhaul Data Management Policies

The Defense Department has to undertake a foundational “redesign of how we
manage our data” in order to succeed at creating a joint all-domain command
and control network for orchestrating future information-centric warfare against
peer adversaries, says Lt. Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, the Space Force’s deputy
chief of space operations for operations, cyber, and nuclear.

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Spy Plane Was Sent to Monitor Protest in Affluent Suburb, Home to Head of California National Guard

In early June, four National Guard spy planes took to the skies over several
cities to monitor street protests following the killing of George Floyd,
triggering concerns that the military was improperly gathering intelligence on
U.S. citizens. Three of the reconnaissance planes kept watch on demonstrations
in Minneapolis, Phoenix, and Washington that drew hundreds or thousands of
protesters and were marred by violence. But the target of the fourth plane was
far more surprising: the affluent Sacramento, Calif., suburb of El Dorado Hills,
the scene of much smaller and entirely peaceful protests.

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Army Field-Testing Quieter Drones to Avoid Enemy Detection

Army aviation officials recently provided an update on the service's
field-testing of its next-generation drone aircraft program, a key modernization
effort under Future Vertical Lift. The Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System
is being developed to replace the current RQ-7B Shadow UAS to provide brigade
combat teams with day and night reconnaissance and surveillance of enemy forces
on the future battlefield.

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AFWERX Announces Reimagining Energy Challenge for DOD

AFWERX, the Air Force’s innovation catalyst, announces the Reimagining Energy
for the DOD Challenge, seeking solutions to create the future of resilient
energy production, transmission, use, and storage. The Defense Department is
currently the largest energy consumer globally. By reducing demand and reliance
on petroleum and modernizing the energy infrastructure, the Air Force can
improve the way it consumes energy, increase sustainability, and remain
adaptable to future impacts of climate change and reduction in fossil fuels.

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US Envoy Warns New Violence Threatens Afghan Peace Process

The U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan warned Oct. 19 that “distressingly
high” levels of violence threaten to derail ongoing peace talks between the
Afghan government and the Taliban. Zalmay Khalilzad’s comments come as renewed
fighting for days has plagued Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province, a
longtime Taliban stronghold.

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Democrat Urges IRS to Quickly Process Gold Star Families' Refund Requests

A Democratic lawmaker is urging the IRS to quickly process amended tax returns
filed by the families of deceased military members after Congress enacted
legislation last year to provide these families with tax relief.

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Plans for Vets Suicide Prevention Training, New Three-Digit Emergency Mental Health Crisis Line Signed into Law

President Donald J. Trump on Oct. 17 signed into law a pair of bills designed to
help prevent veterans suicide, including a measure to establish a new
three-digit national crisis line similar to 911 for mental health emergencies.

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One More Thing...
Paradise Valley Ridge Named in Honor of Fallen Air Force Pilots

A ridge east of Paradise Valley, Mont., where a bomber crashed in 1962 has
officially been named “B-47 Ridge” in honor of the four Air Force pilots who
died there. President Donald J. Trump signed the bipartisan B-47 Designation Act
into law on Oct. 13.

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