Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Oct. 30, 2020

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

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DOD Strategy Paves New Path for Electronic Warfare
By Rachel S. Cohen

The Pentagon on Oct. 29 released a strategy for military use of the
electromagnetic spectrum that could ultimately spur the creation of a new
combatant command to oversee those operations. The Defense Department has waged
war via the electromagnetic spectrum for decades, using aircraft like the
E/A-18G Growler and the EC-130H Compass Call to jam electronic signals and
transmit computer code to other wireless devices. But a growing number of
commercial companies, personal electronic devices, and military systems that use
wireless wavelength have crowded and complicated the spectrum in the digital
age. That’s leading the military to see electromagnetic warfare and spectrum
management as intertwined, not independent, concepts that should be coordinated
across the department for the first time.

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USAF Wants to Drop Cruise Missiles from Airlifters
By Brian W. Everstine

Air Force airlifters are one step closer to becoming bomb trucks after the
service awarded Lockheed Martin a $25 million contract to continue developing
palletized munitions. The contract, awarded in August and announced this week by
the company, includes a demonstration in 2021 to assess the ability of C-130s
and C-17s to deliver air-launched weapons, such as Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff
Missiles. The Air Force already has tested the capability on a special
operations MC-130 and a C-17 during the Advanced Battle Management System
“on-ramp” demonstration in early September. The roll-on capability, which
does not require any hardware changes to aircraft, can fit on any C-130 that
carries palletized cargo.

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Collins Gets $700M to Upgrade F-15 Ejection Seats
By Brian W. Everstine

F-15 Eagle drivers will get upgraded ejection seats under a new $700 million
contract to Collins Aerospace, a Raytheon Technologies subsidiary, awarded on
Oct. 29. The new ACES 5 ejection seat will replace the F-15’s older ACES II
ejection seat, found in most of the Air Force’s fighter and bomber fleet.
Collins, in a release, said its new seat includes improved head, neck, arm, and
leg “flail prevention,” along with a catapult that can adjust based on the
occupant’s weight. Work will be conducted in Colorado Springs, Colo., and is
expected to be complete by Oct. 22, 2030.

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Watch USAF Test-Launch an Unarmed ICBM in California
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Air Force Global Strike Command test-launched an unarmed Minuteman III
intercontinental ballistic missile from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., in
the predawn hours of Oct. 29, AFGSC announced. Such tests help the service
ensure the Minuteman's weapon system is accurate and reliable, and yield data
that USAF can use to make sure the nation's nuclear deterrent stays “safe,
secure, and effective,” according to a command release. The test also helps
reassure America's allies and partners, added Air Force Chief of Staff Gen.
Charles Q. Brown Jr. “We must continue to invest in this viable deterrent, and
the Airmen who support this mission, as part of the most responsive leg of our
nuclear triad,” he said in the release.

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Military Domestic Violence Reports Didn’t Rise During COVID-19 Pandemic
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

The Defense Department hasn’t seen an increase in domestic violence reports
among military families since the new coronavirus crisis began, despite the
COVID-19 pandemic reportedly causing a spike in such activity across the globe,
the head of the Pentagon’s Office of Military Family Readiness Policy told
reporters Oct. 29. However, a lack of reporting may not be a reliable indicator
of stagnant or decreasing domestic violence incidences.

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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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Chief Bass on Enlisted Promotions, Developing Leaders, and Creating a Culture of Respect

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne Bass has already made history as
the first woman to serve as a top enlisted adviser in the military. And now,
Bass is planning to put an even bigger mark on the Air Force. In an Oct. 26
interview with Air Force Times, Bass said she’s working on a series of short,
medium and long-term plans to improve how the Air Force manages its enlisted
Airmen.

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US Seeks to Sell Up to 50 F-35s to UAE for $10.4B

The State Department notified Congress Oct. 29 that it backs the proposed sale
of as many as 50 F-35A fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates for $10.4
billion, according to four people familiar with the matter.

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Will COVID-Stressed Countries Slow Their Arms Buys?

The coronavirus pandemic might prompt U.S. allies to restructure arms deals for
American-made weapons, a top State Department official said. But R. Clarke
Cooper, assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, said there
is still an appetite for U.S. weapons overseas—especially F-16 fighter jets
and Patriot missile batteries.

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Air Force Secretary Barrett: Space Force Proving Naysayers Wrong

The Space Force has been the subject of snark since it was first proposed. But
the naysayers are coming around, Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett said Oct.
28.

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AFRL to Award Raytheon Sole-Sourced Contract for Directed-Energy Weapon

The Air Force Research Laboratory is sole sourcing an 18-month contract to
Raytheon Technologies to experiment with the company's directed-energy weapon
prototype called the Counter-Electronic High Power Microwave Extended Range Air
Base Air Defense (CHIMERA).

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4 Startups Tapped to Pilot Capabilities at Defense’s 5G Living Lab

Four startups this week won $50K a piece and an opportunity to pilot and test
out their technologies at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar’s 5G Living Lab
in San Diego. The chosen companies—COMSovereign, GenXComm, Omnispace, and
vRotors—competed against nearly 50 total for the top spots through the
National Security Innovation Network or NSIN’s Navy/USMC 5G Pitch Competition.
That network is an organization within the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit.

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Journey to JADC2

Joint all-domain command and control is driving change throughout the Air and
Space Forces. Check out our latest on the quest for greater interconnectedness
across the battlefield.

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US to Use Iranian Fuel Sale Proceeds to Aid Terror Victims

The Trump administration plans to use proceeds from the sale of fuel confiscated
from Iranian tankers to benefit victims of terrorism, officials announced Oct.
29.

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One More Thing...
F-16 Fighter Jet Fires Flares at Unauthorized Aircraft Near Trump Rally

An Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon was scrambled to intercept a civilian aircraft
flying near President Donald J. Trump's latest rally in Arizona on Oct. 28,
setting off flares to get the aircraft's attention, according to North American
Aerospace Defense Command.

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