Space Force No. 2 COVID-19 Positive | CSAF Wants to Know China’s Intent

Oct. 29, 2020

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

Official portrait - Lt. Gen. David Thompson

Then-Lt. Gen. David Thompson, who has since been confirmed as the Space Force's first-ever Vice Chief of Space Operations and received a fourth star, is shown in an official Defense Department portrait. DOD photo by Wayne Clark.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. Register here.

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.

US, Japan Militaries Launch Keen Sword 21 Exercise

Navy Times

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.

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

Task & Purpose

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.

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

Defense One

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.

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

Aviation Week Network

“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.

DOD Official Confident in Cybersecurity Certification Body’s Business Model

Nextgov

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.

Space Experts Roll Out Policy Advice as Election Day Nears

SpaceNews

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

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

Breaking Defense

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.

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

Military.com

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.

One More Thing

The State Department Is Now Warning of Impending Drone Attacks and How to Survive Them

The Drive

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