Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Nov. 10, 2020

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Edited by Amy McCullough with Rachel S. Cohen and Brian W. Everstine

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Trump Fires Esper, Names Christopher Miller as Acting SECDEF
By Brian W. Everstine

President Donald J. Trump on Nov. 9 fired Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper,
announcing on Twitter that he was appointing Christopher C. Miller, the director
of the National Counterterrorism Center, to serve as the acting Pentagon boss.
“Chris will do a GREAT job! Mark Esper has been terminated,” Trump tweeted.
“I would like to thank him for his service.” Miller will be the fourth
acting Defense Secretary in the Trump administration. In a Nov. 9 letter
addressed to Trump, Esper writes that he serves “in deference to the
Constitution, so I accept your decision to replace me. I step aside knowing
there is much we achieved at the Defense Department over the last eighteen
months to protect the nation and improve the readiness, capabilities, and
professionalism of the joint force, while fundamentally transforming and
preparing the military for the future.”

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Read SECDEF Esper’s Final Message to the Military
By Brian W. Everstine

Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper sent a “Final Message to the Department”
shortly after President Donald J. Trump fired him in a tweet Nov. 9. In the
letter, Esper writes that his time as leader of the Pentagon was the "honor and
privilege of a lifetime," highlighting work on the National Defense Strategy,
military modernization, and department reform. However, he acknowledges there is
more work to be done.

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Space Force Plans for New Intel Hub, More Training
By Rachel S. Cohen

New Space Force guidance directs the service to create entities like a National
Space Intelligence Center, begins to set benchmarks for improving the force, and
offers insight into future operations. Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W.
“Jay” Raymond rolled out the planning document Nov. 9 to “[communicate] my
intent and [define] the capabilities and culture the USSF will pursue over my
tenure,” he wrote. It also elaborates on priorities that military leaders have
touted over the course of the Space Force’s first year, like speed,
flexibility, technological savvy, and international cooperation.

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Pilot Error, Ejection Seat Problems Caused Fatal F-16 Crash
By Amy McCullough

Pilot error and a series of ejection seat malfunctions led to a fatal F-16CM
crash at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., in June, accident investigators said in a
new report released Nov. 9. “This accident is a tragic reminder of the
inherent risks of fighter aviation and our critical oversight responsibilities
required for successful execution,” Air Combat Command boss Gen. Mark D. Kelly
said in a release. “The [Accident Investigation Board] report identified a
sequence of key execution anomalies and material failures that resulted in this
mishap.”

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Kirtland Airmen Receive DFCs, Bronze Star for Roles in Al-Asad Missile Attack
By Brian W. Everstine

Two special operations CV-22 Osprey pilots and a special missions aviator on
Nov. 3 received valor awards for evacuating forces before and after the Jan. 7
Iranian ballistic missile attack on al-Asad Air Base, Iraq. The attack, which
came in response to the U.S. killing of Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem
Soleimani, injured more than 100 personnel and heavily damaged al-Asad. U.S.
forces near Erbil also were targeted. During the ceremony at Kirtland Air Force
Base, N.M., Lt. Col. Adam C. Darrow, 58th Operations Group Detachment 1
commander, and Technical Sgt. Samuel T. Levander, 71st Operations Squadron
operations section chief, received the Distinguished Flying Cross. Additionally,
Lt. Col. John R. Leachman, an Osprey pilot with the 71st Operations Squadron,
received the Bronze Star for his role in the evacuation and other missions
during his deployment.

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Michigan Guard A-10 Pilot Receives DFC for 2017 Belly Landing
By Brian W. Everstine

An A-10 pilot with the Michigan Air National Guard received the Distinguished
Flying Cross on Nov. 5 for dramatically guiding his Warthog to a belly landing
in 2017 after a catastrophic gun malfunction blew the aircraft’s canopy off
and prevented the landing gear from functioning properly. Maj. Brett DeVries,
then a captain with the 107th Fighter Squadron at Selfridge Air National Guard
Base, Mich., was flying a training flight on July 20, 2017, when the
aircraft’s GAU-8 Avenger cannon malfunctioned, sending a “donut of gas”
through the aircraft, and blowing off the canopy while flying at 325 knots.
DeVries linked up with his wingman and a team of maintainers via radio, who
helped guide him to a smooth belly landing at a nearby airfield. The pilot
“demonstrated a level of Airmanship to which we should all aspire,” 127th
Wing Commander Brig. Gen. Rolf E. Mammen said in a release.

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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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Report: VA Hospitals May Be Using Faulty Temperature Sensors for Coronavirus Fever Checks

Numerous Veterans Affairs Department medical centers may be using faulty
temperature screening devices that could miss signs of coronavirus infection
among visitors, according to a new report from video surveillance experts
released Nov. 9.

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Air Force Turns to Machine Learning to Fight COVID-19 Disinformation

Just as the technology can be used to help deliberately spread falsities online,
it can also be tapped to stop that spread.

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Esper, on His Way Out, Says He Was No Yes Man

Speaking to Military Times in an exclusive interview on Nov. 4, ousted Defense
Secretary Mark T. Esper confirmed that he never had any intention of quitting,
and though he expected the other shoe to drop, he didn’t have a good read on
when.

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USAF Researching Lasers to Assist Aerial Surveillance Ops in National Capital Region

The Air Force is beginning market research into laser projection solutions that
can assist the military's Enhanced Regional Situational Awareness system that
defends the National Capital Region's airspace. ERSA uses a network of visual
and infrared cameras to monitor aircraft flying in Washington, D.C., and
surrounding areas. If a plane unexpectedly enters controlled airspace in error,
the system's lasers will generate a visual warning signal to the aircrew.

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Why an Air Force 6th-Gen Stealth Fighter is Here Almost 10 Years Early

America’s mysterious sixth-generation stealth fighter has taken to the skies,
as much as five to 10 years before it may have been anticipated. How could this
have happened? One clear and lesser-known reality related to this can be found
through the fast-evolving process of digital engineering wherein actual
prototype models, design renderings and technology specifics can be replicated,
tested and analyzed before there is any “bending of metal.” This process,
clearly and simply put, massively helped bring the sixth-generation stealth
fighter to life.

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OPINION: How Fast Is Fast Enough? A Role for Supersonic Munitions in Standoff Strike

“The Department of Defense is developing a ‘high-low’ mix of exquisite,
expensive hypersonic weapons and slower subsonic munitions despite the
likelihood that future combat operations against high-technology adversaries
will be munitions-intensive and, therefore, costly,” writes David N. Zikusoka,
a research fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. “An
essential question—one that could deliver more options for decision-makers,
enhance strategic stability, and even reduce overall costs—has been neglected:
How fast is fast enough?”

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SpaceX Explains Why the U.S. Space Force Is Paying $316 Million for a Single Launch

SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell on Nov. 9 explained
that the contract not only pays for launch services, but also covers expenses
for infrastructure and other items required for national security launches.

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One More Thing...
Military Carrier Pigeon Message Turns Up 110 Years after It Was Sent

Found in a field in mid-September by a couple out hiking in Ingersheim,
northeastern France, the message was sent from one German military officer to
another in 1910, when the area was still part of Germany, according to Dominique
Jardy, curator of the nearby Linge Memorial museum. Jardy told CNN the message
was folded up inside a small aluminum capsule and the script is difficult to
decipher.

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