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Nov. 3, 2020
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Edited by Brian W. Everstine with Rachel S. Cohen and Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory
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 Passengers board the Patriot Express at Misawa Air Base, Japan, on Jan. 30, 2018. USAF photo by Airman 1st Class Collette Brooks. |
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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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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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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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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
Air Force Magazine
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
Military Times
“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
ABC News
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
Nextgov
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
Aviation Week Network
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 Wall Street Journal (Subscription Required)
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 Drive
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
Air Force Magazine
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
SpaceNews
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
Military.com
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
Federal News Network’s “Ask the CIO” podcast
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
Stars & Stripes (Subscription Required)
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
Task and Purpose
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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