Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Nov. 3, 2020

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

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AMC to Test Patriot Express Passengers for COVID-19
By Brian W. Everstine

Air Mobility Command is testing up to 15 percent of passengers who take
“Patriot Express” flights out of two U.S. airports in an attempt to limit
the spread of the coronavirus. Patriot Express routes are flown by commercial
jets that contract with the Defense Department to ferry military members and
their families overseas. Troops flying out of Baltimore-Washington International
Marshall Airport and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport without COVID-19
symptoms are eligible for the quick tests that began Nov. 1. AMC already screens
passengers for symptoms by issuing a questionnaire and checking their
temperatures.

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Moody PJ Gets Silver Star for Heroism Amid Afghan Ambush
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Staff Sgt. Nicholas Brunetto, a pararescueman with the 38th Rescue Squadron at
Moody Air Force Base, Ga., received the Silver Star on Oct. 29 in recognition of
heroism displayed during a February 2020 ambush in Afghanistan. “While on a
mission, Brunetto and the U.S. Army Special Forces team he was attached to were
ambushed, leaving eight critically-injured U.S. and three partner force
soldiers,” according to a 23rd Wing press release. Brunetto—deployed in
support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel and Resolute Support—quickly
launched into action to help them make it out alive.

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Burt Tapped for Two Key Space Combat Jobs
By Rachel S. Cohen

Maj. Gen. DeAnna M. Burt is slated to take over as the deputy commander of the
Space Force’s operations branch and as head of a related warfighting group
underneath U.S. Space Command, a military spokesperson confirmed Oct. 30. Space
Force spokesperson 1st Lt. Rachel L. Brinegar did not say when Burt will start
the new jobs. The two-star general currently serves as operations and
communications director at Space Force headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base,
Colo. She will run key pieces of the military space combat enterprise as Maj.
Gen. John E. Shaw leaves to become SPACECOM’s deputy commander.

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Senate Confirms Skinner as Next DISA Director
By Rachel S. Cohen

The Senate on Oct. 26 confirmed Maj. Gen. Robert J. Skinner as the next head of
the Defense Information Systems Agency, as well as for promotion to lieutenant
general. Skinner, who currently oversees command, control, communications, and
cyber operations for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii, was nominated for the
new job in September. He’s returning to DISA after serving as its chief of
staff from September 2014 to March 2015. The DISA director “leads more than
8,000 military and civilian personnel who plan, develop, deliver, and operate
joint, interoperable command-and-control capabilities and defend an enterprise
infrastructure in more than 42 countries,” according to the agency’s
website.

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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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OPINION: Serving the Visible and Invisible Wounds: Remembering Mental Health During Times of Uncertainty

“During a time of heightened fear, loneliness and isolation, and stress
stemming from the current coronavirus pandemic, mental health across our
communities has been greatly impacted,” writes Fisher House Foundation
Chairman and CEO Ken Fisher. “As many communities continue to social distance
and quarantine, the social isolation and loneliness caused by this unprecedented
time has led to negative mental health impacts among adults (Kaiser Health
Foundation). Now more than ever, it is important to engage in the challenging
conversation around mental health and suicide prevention for all Americans—but
especially our veterans who may be nursing invisible wounds of war.”

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American Hostage Philip Walton Rescued in Dramatic Military Operation: Officials

An American citizen who was recently abducted in Niger has been rescued during a
high-risk U.S. military raid in neighboring Nigeria, officials told ABC News
early on Oct. 31. The operation involved the governments of the U.S., Niger, and
Nigeria working together to rescue 27-year-old Philip Walton quickly, sources
said. The CIA provided intelligence leading to Walton's whereabouts and Marine
Special Operations elements in Africa helped locate him, a former U.S. official
said.

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Army Picks Fitbit to Develop Wearable Presymptom COVID-19 Detectors

The health and wellness wearable company plans to use the award to partner with
the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research to expand testing of its
internally developed algorithm.

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Possible Photo Of Highly Secret RQ-180 Aircraft Surfaces Online

A picture has surfaced showing a new aircraft generally matching Aviation
Week’s understanding of the shape of what is commonly known as the RQ-180
unmanned aircraft system. Aviation Week understands the picture of the UAS was
taken two to three weeks ago inside the Military Operating Area around Edwards
Air Force Base, Calif.

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Air Force Purchase of Chinese Drones Spurs Security Concerns

The U.S. Air Force recently bought dozens of Chinese-made drones to use for
testing and training, according to officials and records of the purchase,
fueling concerns about continued Defense Department use of technology that
lawmakers consider a threat to national security.

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F-117s Photographed Flying Out of Nellis AFB for the First Time in over a Decade

The small pocket force of still active F-117s that are flying in the aggressor
and test and evaluation roles continues to expand its operations beyond the
confines of its 'childhood' and 'retirement' home of Tonopah Test Range Airport,
located in a remote swathe of Southern Nevada. Now, after deploying briefly to
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego last week, a bizarrely
high-profile operation for the traditionally extremely shy Nighthawks, the type
has returned to Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, a place that its operations
have been tied directly to, in one way or another, throughout its active
service.

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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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Space Industry Group Pushing for Change in Security Clearance Policies

The National Security Space Association, a group that represents U.S. defense
and intelligence contractors, says outdated security clearance policies thwart
the United States’ ability to outpace adversaries that seek to undermine U.S.
space operations. In an Oct. 29 white paper, the NSSA calls for reforms in
“space security policy, practices and governance structures.”

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What First-Time Absentee Voters Can Learn from the Military

As America struggles with the uncertainty of mail-in ballots before this
year’s presidential election, SNAFUs with absentee voting are nothing new to
U.S. military families, many of whom have been forced to vote far from home for
years.

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Defense Innovation Unit Out to Prove AI, Automation Can Keep Up with the Speed of Cyber

Jeff Kleck, the director of the cyber portfolio for the Defense Department’s
Defense Innovation Unit, said DIU is testing artificial intelligence to keep up
with the velocity, volume, and veracity of cyber threats.

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Air Force Academy’s Football Fan Cutouts Honor Fallen Grads, Help Fill Stadium Left Empty by Pandemic

In a section of the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Falcon Stadium on Saturday,
cutouts of nearly two dozen graduates who have passed away “watched” as the
academy’s football team fell to Mountain West conference rival Boise State,
49-30. The fallen grads’ cutouts are part of a program launched in September
by the athletic department to raise money to support cadet athletes and ensure
that coronavirus restrictions don’t mean the nearly 47,000-capacity stadium is
empty for home games.

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One More Thing...
The Iconic Vietnam War Novel ‘The Things They Carried’ Is Getting a Film with a Star-Studded Cast

Tom Hardy will embrace his third major military role after “Black Hawk Down”
and “Dunkirk” as he leads an ensemble cast in “The Things They Carried,”
a new movie based on Pulitzer Prize-finalist Tim O'Brien's short story
collection of the same name about his experiences during Vietnam, Deadline
reports. Producer David Zander, best known for Spring Breakers, had previously
optioned the book from O'Brien, who has been working alongside Zander, Hardy,
and the latter's production partner Dean Baker to develop the work for the big
screen.

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