Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Nov. 20, 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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GAO: Most Military Aircraft Fell Short on Readiness in Past Decade
By Amy McCullough

The vast majority of Defense Department aircraft, including all of the
military’s most advanced fleets, fell short of their mission readiness goals
over the past decade, according to a recent Government Accountability Office
report. Only three of 46 different types of aircraft that the GAO studied hit
their mission-capable rate goals during most of the period studied, from fiscal
2011 to 2019. The watchdog's report comes as the Air Force tries to pivot to
more holistic measures of combat readiness.

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Space Command HQ Search Narrows to Six Locations
By Rachel S. Cohen

The military has narrowed its search for the future home of U.S. Space Command
to six locations across the country, the Air Force said Nov. 19. Finalists
include Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.; Offutt Air Force Base, Neb.; Patrick Air
Force Base, Fla.; Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.; Port San Antonio, Texas; and
Redstone Army Airfield, Ala. The Department of the Air Force, which led the
search, will choose its preferred candidate in early 2021.

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Space Force Plans Ahead for Future of Rocket Launches
By Rachel S. Cohen

The Space Force is thinking ahead to what it might need from rocket providers at
the end of the decade, as it plans for the next phase of the National Security
Space Launch program. The service released a request for information on Nov. 10
to open a more formal discussion between the government and launch companies of
all sizes on the path forward. Military officials are considering rocket
launches for everything from transporting cargo through orbit to points around
the globe, to rapidly upgrading and repopulating groups of intelligence and
communications satellites if attacked.

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Aircrew Faulted for Landing Too Fast, Destroying C-130 in Camp Taji Mishap
By Brian W. Everstine

A C-130H crew landed too quickly, causing the aircraft to oscillate and then
overrun the runway before crashing into a concrete barrier in June at Camp Taji,
Iraq, destroying the Hercules, according to an Air Force investigation. The
C-130H, tail number 94-6706, assigned to the 165th Airlift Wing of the Georgia
Air National Guard and flown by a crew from the Wyoming Air National Guard’s
153rd Airlift Wing, was flying a theater airlift sortie from Ali Al Salem,
Kuwait, when the mishap occurred. All 26 aircrew and passengers survived. The
aircraft was a total loss valued at $35.9 million.

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Air Force Reverses Tuition Assistance, AF COOL Changes for Fiscal 2021
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

The Department of the Air Force has raised the military tuition assistance cap
for Airmen and Space Professionals back to fiscal 2020 levels and restored
funding for Air Force Credential Opportunities Online prep courses, it announced
Nov. 19. These changes, which have already taken effect, mean service members
can apply for up to $4,500 in departmental military tuition assistance in fiscal
2021, a $750 jump over the original fiscal 2021 limit announced on Sept. 29.
Airmen and Space Professionals may also apply for up to $4,500 in departmental
funds to pay for AF COOL “boot camps” over the course of their entire
careers.

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Greece Wants F-35s So Quickly It’s Willing to Accept Used Aircraft
By John A. Tirpak

Greece has officially asked to buy up to 24 F-35s, and wants them so quickly
it's willing to accept used airplanes, according to Pentagon officials and Greek
media. Greece wants to start deliveries of the jets in 2021. The U.S. doesn't
have any used F-35s to spare, but could consider such a sale to freshen the Air
Force's fleet of training machines, many of which are not up to the current
configuration. Greece's request comes soon after an order of both new and used
French Rafales.

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CENTCOM: Iraq Drawdown Coincides With Increased Capability of Local Forces
By Brian W. Everstine

Iraqi forces have shown their ability to maintain security, enabling the U.S.
drawdown in the country despite increased attacks from Iranian proxies and an
Islamic State group focused on rebuilding its caliphate, the head of U.S. forces
in the region said Nov. 19. “The progress of the Iraqi Security Forces has
allowed the United States to reduce posture in Iraq,” U.S. Central Command
boss Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. said during a virtual event hosted by the
National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. “We have closed several bases and
turned them over to Iraqi control. And we’re moving forward with the
President’s decision to reduce our forces in Iraq to 2,500.”

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Pregnant Airmen Needed to Test Out USAF’s Maternity Flight Suits
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

The Air Force Uniform Office is searching for 25 pregnant Airmen at
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, to test the service’s new Maternity
Flight Duty Uniform. Once the service selects volunteers for the effort, it’ll
take participants’ measurements, fit them for their flight suits, have them
don them for four weeks, and then ask them to report back about how the outfits
held up “during their normal duty day,” according to a Nov. 18 Air Force
Life Cycle Management Center release.

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Virtual Events: 6th Annual Schriever Space Forum, and More
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

On Nov. 20, the Air Force Association's Schriever Chapter will host the 6th
Annual Schriever Space Futures Forum—a live, virtual event—featuring
appearances by Air Force Secretary Barbara M. Barrett, Vice Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. John E. Hyten, Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen.
David D. Thompson, Space and Missile Systems Center Commander Lt. Gen. John F.
Thompson, and incoming U.S. Space Command boss Lt. Gen. (sel.) John E. Shaw. <a
href="[link removed]">Register for free
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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Military Health Officials: Electronic Health Records Rollout On Schedule and Ready for COVID Vaccine

Despite the ongoing pandemic, officials from the Defense Department and U.S.
Coast Guard electronic health record program said the effort remains on schedule
to fully deploy the MHS Genesis system by 2023.

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PACAF Commander Wants Hypersonic Weapons

Should Congress pass a new military fund dedicated to operations in the Pacific,
the general in charge of the U.S. Air Force in the region would like to see some
of it spent on hypersonic weapons.

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Northrop to Win 10-Year JSTARS Sustainment Contract

The Air Force is planning to award Northrop Grumman a contract to support and
sustain the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System.

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It’s Open Architectures for All New Weapons as JROC Sets JADC2 Requirements

Open software architectures for all new development programs will be the new
requirement from the Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC) as it lays the
foundation for joint all-domain command and control for the U.S. military.

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Pentagon Risks ‘Paralyzing Ourselves’ as Tech Priorities Keep Shifting

That’s what the outgoing House Armed Services Committee ranking member says,
and he’s not alone.

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DOD Wants Industry’s Help in Taking Out Space Trash

In March, the military announced that its space fence is fully operational and
can now track items that are 10 centimeters or larger in size. Now, the military
service in charge of space as a warfighting domain is looking for some
garbage-astronauts to take out the trash.

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International Space Pitch Day Offers Model for Future Events

U.S. and U.K. military space officials at the Defence Space 2020 conference
expressed enthusiasm for joint pitch competitions as a way to tap into
commercial space sector innovation. During the conference, 10 companies
participating in the first International Space Pitch Day (ISPD) won awards of
53,000 British pounds apiece ($70,167) plus the opportunity to compete for
follow-on contracts from U.S. and U.K. military agencies.

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New Images Of China’s Elusive Catapult-Capable J-15T Carrier Fighter Emerge

Recently revealed video provides, for the first time, a clear, up-close look at
China’s future carrier-based multirole fighter, the Shenyang J-15T, which is
derived from the Russian-made Su-33 Flanker-D. Unlike previous Chinese carrier
variants of the Flanker, this one importantly features the modifications
required to operate from its future catapult-equipped carriers.

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First Blue Angels F/A-18C Has Arrived at the National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center

On Nov. 18, an F/A-18C of the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, piloted
by Cmdr. Frank Weisser, landed at Washington Dulles Airport and taxied to the
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., where it is going to be put on
display after preparation work. It’s the first “Blue Angels” aircraft and
the first F-18 the museum has acquired.

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Air Force Gaming Takes Off with Official Intramural Esports Program for Airmen, Space Professionals

At launch, Air Force Gaming consists of a new intramural esports program for Air
Force Global Strike Command Airmen and Space Professionals connecting the eight
bases across the country under the AFGSC. AFG will eventually grow to cover all
global Air Force personnel, spanning every base on the planet.

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One More Thing...
This Airman Created an Outrageously Realistic ‘Iron Man’ Suit

When compared to the likes of genius billionaire playboy philanthropist Tony
Stark, Frank Pillar is quick to joke that he "may be closer to Tony Stank" than
the alter ego of Marvel's Iron Man. But he might be selling himself short. After
all, the Air Force technical sergeant is a skilled mechanic, spending his days
working on F-15 engines at RAF Lakenheath in England, where he lives with his
wife and two dogs.

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