Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Nov. 16, 2020

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

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What a Flournoy Pentagon Could Mean for the Air Force
By Brian W. Everstine

Michèle A. Flournoy, the former under secretary of defense for policy, has
emerged as the frontrunner to take over as Defense Secretary once the
presumptive President-elect Joe Biden takes office in January. If nominated and
confirmed, she would lead a Pentagon facing down either flat or declining
budgets. After years of focus on “great power competition” under the
National Defense Strategy while continuing wars in the Middle East, a rising
deficit and a realignment of priorities amid the COVID-19 pandemic will likely
force the Pentagon to shift its priorities. In recent writings and speeches,
Flournoy has hinted at what her top priorities would be in the department,
including investing in emerging technologies, such as the Air Force's Advanced
Battle Management System, and focusing on ways to make current systems more
survivable and capable verses large new acquisition programs like is typical for
new aircraft and carriers. “Defense budgets are probably going to flatten in
the coming years, no matter who wins the election,” Flournoy said in August.
“That means you have to make tradeoffs. That means you have to make many hard
decisions. It means you probably need to buy fewer legacy forces in order to
invest in the technologies that will actually make the force that you keep more
relevant, more survivable, more combat effective, and better able to underwrite
deterrence.”

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USAF’s Longest-Serving Vice Chief Retires
By Brian W. Everstine

Gen. Stephen W. “Seve” Wilson retired Nov. 13 after 39 years of service,
ending his tenure as the Air Force’s longest-serving vice chief of staff.
Wilson, who is replaced as USAF’s No. 2 by Gen. David W. Allvin, served four
years and four months in the role, surpassing the previous record set by Gen.
Curtis M. Lemay, who served in the role from July 1957 to 1961. Throughout his
career, Wilson accumulated more than 4,600 flight hours and 680 combat hours in
B-1s and B-2s. He previously served as commander of Air Force Global Strike
Command and the deputy commander of U.S. Strategic Command before joining
now-retired Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein to lead the service. As the
39th vice chief of staff, Wilson led initiatives such as Spark Tank, the Vice
Chief’s Challenge, and he partnered with the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology to create an “artificial intelligence accelerator.”

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Senate Weighs in on Space Force Transfers, Procurement
By Rachel S. Cohen

The Senate Appropriations Committee’s version of the fiscal 2021 defense
spending bill looks to continue shaping the young Space Force with provisions on
personnel and acquisition. Lawmakers are offering the Space Force $2.6 billion
for operations and maintenance, $2.2 billion for procurement, and $10.4 billion
for research and development in 2021. Other aspects of the new service’s
funding still come from the broader Department of the Air Force. In the
legislation released Nov. 10, senators added language on military transfers into
the Space Force, the National Security Space Launch program, and the Evolved
Strategic Satellite Communication effort.

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Space Force No. 2 Returns to Work After COVID-19 Diagnosis
By Rachel S. Cohen

Space Force Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. David D. Thompson returned to
work at the Pentagon on Nov. 9 following a nearly two-week quarantine period to
recover from the coronavirus. Thompson tested positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 28
after being in close contact with a family member who also contracted the virus.
He was asymptomatic when he was confirmed positive. The Department of the Air
Force did not offer any additional information about Thompson’s bout with the
deadly virus.

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EMS Not its Own Domain of Warfare, Strategy Implementer Says
By John A. Tirpak

Although the Pentagon has contemplated designating the Electromagnetic Spectrum
as a combat domain, it is no longer thinking that way, the officer in charge of
developing an EMS strategy implementation plan said Nov. 12. Air Force Brig.
Gen. Darrin P. Leleux said EMS is considered an element of every other of the
five combat domains, and for now will be treated as an enabler of those. He also
said the recently released EMS strategy does not yet have a cost or budget
associated with it.

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CMSAF: Don’t Expect Major Changes to Enlisted Promotions in Near Future
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass recently teased potential
reforms to how the service assesses and promotes enlisted Airmen, but troops
might want to strike any major promotions-related changes from their wish lists
this holiday season. “There’s no changes for enlisted promotions in the very
short-term future,” Bass said during an informal Facebook town hall with Chief
of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. on Nov. 13.

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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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Joint Chiefs Vice Chair John Hyten Expected to Retire Next Year; Shortest Tenure in Job Since 2007

The Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is set to step down from the No.
2 leadership role in the Pentagon when his two-year term runs out next year,
USNI News has learned. Gen. John Hyten, who took on the job in November 2019,
plans to step down from the position without seeking a renomination for a second
two-year term for the job, three U.S. officials confirmed to USNI News.

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Trump's New Pentagon Sets Up Clash over Afghanistan Pullout

Any move to accelerate withdrawals would set up a clash with the nation’s top
generals and other civilians.

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Outgoing Syria Envoy Admits Hiding US Troop Numbers; Praises Trump’s Mideast Record

“We were always playing shell games to not make clear to our leadership how
many troops we had there,” Amb. Jim Jeffrey said in an interview. The actual
number of troops in northeast Syria is “a lot more than” the roughly two
hundred troops President Donald J. Trump initially agreed to leave there in
2019.

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US Military Flew Terminally Ill Bahrain Premier to America

The U.S. military flew Bahrain’s terminally ill prime minister to America for
hospital care two months before his death, the State Department acknowledged
Nov. 13, underlining the importance of the island kingdom.

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Want to Become a Pilot? Officer or Enlisted, Now’s Your Chance to Get Core Skills

Airmen and space professionals can now apply for a course that will teach
fundamental skills necessary to become a rated officer—and perhaps pave the
way to becoming a pilot. And for the first time, the Air Force is now allowing
enlisted applicants to also apply for its Rated Preparatory Program.

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US Army Aims to Convert Navy Missiles for Remote-Launched Strikes

The U.S. Army is working to convert Navy missiles into land-based mid-range
weapons that complement its short-range rockets and long-range hypersonic
missiles. If experiments prove out, the new missiles and their launchers will be
added to the Army’s connect-everything network so that soldiers can fire them
remotely or in concert with other batteries.

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Army to Activate Two Iron Dome Batteries at Fort Bliss

“These actions are part of the Army’s force realignment initiative, which
involves the conversion of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery
and realignment of resources from the U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery School,”
a Nov. 13 Army press release states. “The stationing will be completed by Nov.
16, 2020, and will result in an additional 26 personnel stationed at Ft.
Bliss.”

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Podcast: Interview With Space Development Agency Director

Space Development Agency Director Derek M. Tournear joins Aviation Week editors
to discuss how its system of space tracking and transport satellites will
revolutionize the U.S. military and the challenges it will face along the way.

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AI, ML Tech ‘Needed Today’ to Enhance Decision-Making Process at the Edge, DOD Officials Say

Pentagon officials highlighted the potential of emerging technologies like
artificial intelligence and machine learning for automating the decision-making
process at the tactical edge.

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One More Thing...
An F-35 Pilot Reveals Why Good Fighter Pilots Never Skip Leg Day

Unlike a long car ride, there are no rest stops to stretch and get a Big Mac. So
how do you stay alert, comfortable, and healthy while flying a multi-million
dollar jet armed with explodey bits? And when the bullets start flying, how do
you deal with the strain of G-force? F-35 instructor pilot Maj. Justin
“Hasard” Lee took the time to tell Task & Purpose about the human side of
flying a high-performance aircraft.

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