Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Oct. 29, 2020

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

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Space Force’s No. 2 Officer Tests Positive for COVID-19
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory and Rachel S. Cohen

Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. David D. Thompson tested positive for
COVID-19 on Oct. 28, the Department of the Air Force announced that evening.
“He took the test today after learning that a close family member, with whom
he had contact, tested positive for the virus,” the email states. Thompson is
quarantining and working from home. Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W.
“Jay” Raymond, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., and Air
Force Secretary Barbara M. Barrett have not tested positive for the new virus
within the past 24 hours and will not quarantine.

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Brown: USAF’s Too Focused on Chinese Assets, Not Enough on Intent
By Brian W. Everstine

The Air Force has an inadequate understanding of China as a potential adversary,
service Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. warned Oct. 28. Brown, speaking
during a Hoover Institution virtual event, said that while the National Defense
Strategy outlines China as a key potential adversary, the USAF is too focused on
how many planes the People’s Liberation Army Air Force has, how many rockets
they can fire, and how far they can fly. The service needs to “start
broadening and deepening our thinking of how the PRC operates, how the
People’s Liberation Army Air Force operates. How they think, how they make
decisions,” he said.

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Boeing Reports $67M KC-46 Charge, But Expects Tanker Program to Turn Around
By Brian W. Everstine

Boeing will pay another $67 million out of pocket for the KC-46 program, a cost
attributed to COVID-19-related cost overruns and productivity deficiencies,
though company leaders say the tanker won't be a “drag” on the company’s
bottom line much longer. In a third quarter earnings call with investors, Boeing
disclosed the charge as part of an overall $6.8 billion decrease in revenue for
Boeing’s Defense, Space & Security division. The charge comes as the company
is redesigning the tanker’s problematic remote vision system and is facing
another delivery delay. “The tanker’s been a drag on us for three or four
years in every way you can think of with respect to investors, but we are
beginning to clear the hurdle with our customer with respect to performance in
their fleet and their need for that tanker,” Boeing CEO David L. Calhoun said
on the call.

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Hill Airman Makes USAF History in the F-35A
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Lt. Col. Jared “Vic” Santos, 388th Fighter Wing special projects manager,
recently became the first USAF Airman to accrue 1,000 flying hours in the F-35A
Lightning II fighter jet, the wing announced. Santos hit the milestone during an
approximately two-hour, “four-on-six tactical intercept” training sortie
Oct. 22 over the Utah Test and Training Range, according to a release.

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Lakenheath F-15Es Return From Middle East Combat Deployment
By Brian W. Everstine

F-15Es and Airmen from RAF Lakenheath, U.K., returned home after a six-month
deployment to the Middle East where the “Bolars” flew more than 8,500 hours
supporting combat operations in the region. The 492nd Fighter Squadron,
supported by the 492nd Aircraft Maintenance Unit and the 48th Operational
Support Squadron, deployed in May and dropped about 350 precision-guided
munitions in support of the ongoing Operation Inherent Resolve, targeting the
Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, according to a release.

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Virtual Events: USAF Vice Chief of Staff on AFA’s ‘Airmen in the Fight,’ and More
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

On Oct. 30 at 5:30 p.m. EDT, Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Stephen W.
“Seve” Wilson will appear on a virtual installment of the Air Force
Association's “Airmen in the Fight” series. Space is limited. <a
href="[link removed]">Register
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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US, Japan Militaries Launch Keen Sword 21 Exercise

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command forces teamed up with units from the Japan
Self-Defense Force and launched exercise Keen Sword 21 on Oct. 26—bringing
together approximately 9,000 service members from the U.S. Navy, Air Force,
Army, and Marine Corps.

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Airman Earns Bronze Star for Supporting Airstrikes in Iraq That Killed More Than 100 Enemy Fighters

Master Sgt. Joe Rodriguez, a radio frequency transmissions systems
noncommissioned officer in charge with the 726th Air Control Squadron, was
awarded the medal on Oct. 9 for his actions during a deployment to al-Asad Air
Base, Iraq, from October 2019 to June 2020.

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Is Iraq’s Military Good Enough for US Troops to Leave?

After 17 years of fighting Saddam, al-Qaida, and the Islamic State group,
officials say support for Baghdad and its security forces remains key to fending
off Iran.

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OPINION: ‘Efficiencies’ Alone Cannot Solve US Defense Budget Crunch

“We are not going to ‘efficiency’ our way out of the hard choices, which
the next administration will face fitting an already straining defense posture
under a flatlined budget,” writes Aviation Week Network Contributing Columnist
Steven Grundman.

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DOD Official Confident in Cybersecurity Certification Body’s Business Model

The volunteer accreditation body that will handle the Defense Department’s
cybersecurity certification effort for contractors will be able to support
itself financially, according to the official leading the Cybersecurity Maturity
Model Certification program.

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Space Experts Roll Out Policy Advice as Election Day Nears

Aerospace Corp.'s policy center intends to influence future debates on issues
such as space traffic management and military space doctrine.

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Israel To Get Direct Access To SBIRS Sats & More F-35 Capabilities; Esper Visiting

The United States, pressed by Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz in Washington
last week, will grant Israel direct access to highly classified satellites such
as the missile detection birds known as SBIRS and ensure Israel gets critical
defense platforms in a very short time by using production slots planned for the
U.S armed forces.

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The Military Is Developing a 'Close Combat Assault Ration' Up to 40 Percent Lighter than an MRE

As the U.S. military prepares for future fights that may see units dispersed and
on their own for extended periods of time, it needs new, lighter rations that
will keep troops fueled for the mission. The Army's Combat Feeding Directorate
in Natick, Mass., is working on solving that problem now.

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One More Thing...
The State Department Is Now Warning of Impending Drone Attacks and How to Survive Them

These kinds of ominous drone alerts belonged only in dystopian fiction just a
short time ago.

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