Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Nov. 30, 2020

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

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New Kirtland Lab to Explore How to Build a Better Spacecraft
By Rachel S. Cohen

A new space materials laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., is now open
for business. The Air Force Research Laboratory’s space vehicles directorate
opened the $4 million Deployable Structures Laboratory (DeSel) on Oct. 29. It
plans to begin testing hardware in the next few months. “We're one lab and
opening our doors to different programs and projects,” Benjamin Urioste,
research engineer and lead for the team that will use the lab, told Air Force
Magazine Nov. 23. “Whether they are large acquisitions or small acquisitions
that want to come in and have an independent government assessment of their
deployable structure, our lab facility is very capable of doing that.”

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Air Force Academy Looks to Become a Place for Space
By Rachel S. Cohen

The U.S. Air Force Academy has long been the training ground for cadets headed
for careers in military space. But with the creation of a Space Force, the
Colorado school is looking to expand the opportunities available to space-minded
students. USAFA's new Space Force detachment is creating mentorship and work
experience programs as it vets candidates to become second lieutenants in the
new service.

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USAF, Boeing Finalizing Overhaul Design of Troubled RVS System
By Brian W. Everstine

The Air Force is finished evaluating the proposed “interim” fix for the
KC-46’s troubled remote vision system, and is moving toward finalizing the
design of the “2.0” overhaul of the system. The Air Force is more focused on
the 2.0 overhaul, and “we’ve completed nearly every aspect of the design”
except for how the image from the rear cameras will be projected to the
operator, said Will Roper, the Air Force's acquisition boss, on Nov. 24.

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Tankers Likely the First Aircraft to Receive ABMS Upgrades
By Brian W. Everstine

The Air Force’s aerial refueling fleet could be the first platform to adopt
new technologies developed under the Advanced Battle Management System effort,
integrating pods complete with advanced communications and data links to feed
information, along with gas, to combat aircraft as early as next year. “If we
try to do podded solutions to artfully move around legacy hardware, we can move
pretty quickly,” Department of the Air Force acquisition chief Will Roper told
reporters. “I think that’s something we can do within a year …. I think
the tech has that level of maturity. Certainly within 18 months, I think we
could have these platforms as true battle nodes.”

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Travis Doctor, USAFA Grad Dies in Al-Dhafra Accident
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Capt. Kelliann Leli, a Travis Air Force Base doctor who was deployed to the
United Arab Emirates in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, died in a
“non-combat related vehicle accident at Al-Dhafra Air Base” on Nov. 27, a
60th Air Mobility Wing release stated. An investigation into the incident is
underway, the wing wrote.

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PACAF Surveyed Every ‘Piece of Concrete’ in the Pacific for Agile Combat Employment
By Brian W. Everstine

Pacific Air Forces has studied “every single piece of concrete” across the
Indo-Pacific as it looks to find new ways to forward deploy different types of
aircraft in a contingency, and to solidify the service’s Agile Combat
Employment concept. The command has surveyed available airstrips to see if they
can host aircraft like F-22s, F-15s, and C-130s, said PACAF boss Gen. Kenneth S.
Wilsbach. The goal for ACE is to be able to operate from an austere location
with a skeleton crew of multi-capable Airmen. “We have a plan for all of those
airfields, and some of them meet the criteria and they are therefore part of
what we call clusters,” he said, adding that while specifics are classified,
the command has identified existing airstrips that will serve as a hub to reach
other “spoke” locations.

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USAF Wants to Base C-130Js in Georgia, Kentucky, Texas, and West Virginia
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

The Air Force on Nov. 25 publicly announced plans to house C-130Js at Air
National Guard wings in Kentucky, Texas, West Virginia, and Georgia, pending
environmental impact analyses. The tentative basing decisions were shared with
Congress a day earlier, Air National Guard spokesperson Lt. Col. Devin T.
Robinson told Air Force Magazine. The new tails will replace the selected wings'
time-worn C-130Hs, the release added. However, House Armed Services Committee
Chairman Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) in a Nov. 24 statement criticized the choice
as unnecessarily politicizing the C-130J basing process.

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Home for the Holidays: Kentucky Airmen Wrap Mideast Deployment
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

More than 90 citizen-Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd
Airlift Wing returned from a four-month Middle East deployment on Nov. 18,
according to a wing release. The wing’s aircrews completed nearly 5,000 combat
sorties, moving 15,000 people and over 10,000 tons of supplies within the U.S.
Central Command region in support of Operations Inherent Resolve and Freedom’s
Sentinel, the release stated.

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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: Stop the Budgetary Bleeding to Get the Air Force We Need

“The time has come to openly articulate what is required to meet national
security requirements,” writes Douglas Birkey, executive director of the Air
Force Association’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. “That is what
the 386 operational squadron goal is all about. It comes down to acknowledging
what Airmen will need to fly into harm’s way, get the job done, and come home
safe. This takes both capability and capacity. It is time to rebuild the Air
Force we need.”

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In Call with Troops, Trump Basks in Space Force Achievement

During a video teleconference with members of the military on his last
Thanksgiving as Commander in Chief, President Donald J. Trump touted his efforts
to establish the Space Force, calling the newest branch of the armed services
“a very important thing to me.” Trump spoke Nov. 26 from the White House
Diplomatic Reception Room with officers representing units from the Army, Navy,
Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, and Coast Guard.

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Readout of Acting Secretary of Defense’s Visit with U.S. Troops and Contractors in Djibouti and Somalia

Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher C. Miller celebrated Thanksgiving with
U.S. military personnel and contractors at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, and in
Mogadishu, Somalia. He recognized their commitment to mission and relayed his
gratitude for the sacrifices they and their families make to protect the
freedoms we enjoy and the American way of life.

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Climate Change, Terrorism Top List of Challenges Facing US Military

The Defense Department Inspector General's annual list of challenges for the
military in the coming year features a newcomer: the long-term threat to
installations and operations from climate change.

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The DODIG Outlined the Pentagon’s Top Challenges. Here’s Where Tech Fits In.

Two new challenges added this year focus on technological dominance and data as
a strategic asset. Tech like hypersonics, microelectronics, AI, 5G, and
biotechnology were also highlighted.

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Pentagon's AI Ethical Priorities to Be Embedded into Its Coming Data and Development Platform

The JAIC’s new director recently offered fresh details on the joint common
foundation.

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Joint All-Domain Awareness

Get a better sense of the drive for greater connectedness between air, space,
cyber, land, and maritime forces. Catch up on all-things JADC2 now.

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Mitchell Institute Launches ‘Aerospace Advantage’ Podcast

AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies will release the first in a new
podcast series titled “The Aerospace Advantage” on Nov. 30. Hosted by former
Air Force Weapons School instructor and Thunderbird pilot retired Lt. Col. John
“Slick” Baum, the series will delve into all aspects of air and space
warfare, emphasizing firsthand accounts from current experts in the field.

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Northrop Grumman Awarded $4.8B for Global Hawk Development, Modernization, Retrofit, and Sustainment

The 10-year award, announced by the Defense Department on Nov. 25, covers
activities for all U.S. Air Force Global Hawk variants, and will run through
Sept. 30, 2030.

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Court Overturns Ruling that Germany Must Press US on Drones

Germany’s top administrative court has ruled the country’s government
can’t be forced to ensure that U.S. drone strikes controlled via an American
military base on German territory are in line with international law.

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Podcast: Military Aircraft Opportunities in Europe

In addition to a planned uptick in defense spending in the UK, nations across
Europe are planning to overhaul their fighter fleets in the coming decade.

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Guard Chaplains Reflect on Floyd Protests, Lessons Learned

National Guard troops were deployed during this summer’s widespread unrest
over racial injustice following George Floyd’s death in police custody in
Minneapolis, and again this fall in the city as a surge in violent crime
collided with heated debate over law enforcement and race. Now the chaplains say
they’re working on two main lessons learned from those tumultuous times:
Building bridges within tense communities and bringing faith-grounded calm and
comfort to the front lines whenever they may be mobilized again—possibly as
soon as next March, when the officers charged in Floyd’s killing go on trial.

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One More Thing...
Take a Look at This Documentary about the Skunk Works’ History and the Birth of the SR-71 Blackbird

Back in 2015, it was decided to move the SR-71 Blackbird exhibited at the
Virginia Aviation Museum, which was about to close a year later, to the new
gallery of the Science Museum of Virginia to “inspire the future of
invention”. The story of the Blackbird is, in fact, still taught today as a
roadmap to true innovation. Producer Todd Hervey, after learning about the
museum’s plans, decided to document the move and tell the story of the
innovation brought by the SR-71 and the Skunk Works.

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