US, Australia Partner on Hypersonics | NATO’s Future in Afghanistan

Dec. 1, 2020

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

A Northrop/Raytheon image of a scramjet-powered hypersonic missile. The Air Force is soliciting the two companies and Lockheed Martin to develop a modular-payload air-breathing hypersonic missile called "Mayhem" within 15 months. Raytheon/Northrop Grumman graphic via Raytheon's Twitter.

Air Force to Lead US, Australia Push for Hypersonic Technology

By Rachel S. Cohen

Australia’s military will help the Pentagon pursue so-called “air-breathing” hypersonic weapons and more under the U.S.-run Allied Prototyping Initiative, the U.S. Defense Department said Nov. 30. The Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment (SCIFiRE) initiative “will be essential to the future of hypersonic research and development, ensuring the U.S. and our allies lead the world in the advancement of this transformational warfighting capability,” Michael Kratsios, Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, said in a release. It’s the second partnership created through the prototyping initiative since it launched last year.

Stoltenberg: NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan to Continue, for Now

By Brian W. Everstine

NATO leaders will discuss the way ahead in Afghanistan during this week's defense ministerial meeting, but a final decision on whether to stay or leave the country is not expected until February, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Nov. 30. “In the months ahead, we will continue to assess our presence based on conditions on the ground. We face a difficult dilemma. Whether to leave, and risk that Afghanistan becomes once again a safe haven for international terrorists. Or stay, and risk a longer mission, with renewed violence,” Stoltenberg said in advance of this week's ministerial. “Whatever path we choose, it is important that we do so together, in a coordinated and deliberate way.”

International Community Must Remain Focused on ISIS in Iraq, Syria

By Brian W. Everstine

As the coalition's footprint in Iraq and Syria “diminishes,” international support for institutional changes, such as building a local judiciary and a military that can sustain itself, is necessary to ensure the Islamic State group does not return, the No. 2 commander of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve said. United Kingdom Army Maj. Gen. Kevin Copsey, speaking during a virtual Middle East Institute event Nov. 30, said the “international political microscope” needs to stay focused on areas within Iraq and Syria where ISIS remains. The group still operates in rural areas such as the Euphrates River Valley and contested regions near Kurdistan, though it has shifted to “survival mode” and is focusing more on criminal activity. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance is “stepping up, [and] enhancing our presence in Iraq to provide more support.”

Air Force Scientific Advisory Board to Wrap Up 2020 Studies

By Rachel S. Cohen

Air Force science advisers will meet Dec. 17 to discuss the findings of their recent space research as they close out this year’s deep-dive studies. In 2020, the board considered emerging space technologies, military communications, and autonomous systems behavior. As the year comes to a close, advisers will hear the results of a classified Innovative Space Applications study that could pave the way for unique new Space Force projects. The panel is also preparing to hear the results of a review of the Air Force Research Laboratory's portfolio.

Radar Sweep

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.

Airman Who Died While Surfing on Okinawa Served with Kadena’s Munitions Squadron

Military.com

The body of Senior Airman Jeremieh Soroten, a member of the 18th Munitions Squadron at Kadena Air Base, Japan, was recovered sometime Nov. 27 in the vicinity of Adan Beach in the Kunigami district where he was last seen, Kadena's 18th Wing said in a statement Nov. 28. Soroten went missing Nov. 22 while surfing near Cape Hedo.

Iran Retaliation Likely After Killing of Scientist, McRaven Says

Military.com

The retired admiral who commanded the SEAL Team 6 raid that took out Osama bin Laden described a retaliatory strike by Iran in the wake of the killing of a top nuclear scientist as all but inevitable. “The Iranians are going to be in a position where they have to retaliate” against either the U.S. or Israel for the Nov. 27 ambush killing of scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh outside Tehran, said retired Adm. William McRaven, a former SEAL and commander of U.S. Special Operations Command.

Air Force Sends Doctors to Flight Line Squadrons in Effort to Field a Fitter Force

Stars and Stripes (Subscription Required)

The move is part of a worldwide Air Force push to put doctors closer to where Airmen work in a bid to save time, reduce work-related injuries and keep commanders better informed about their personnel’s deployment status.

Slife Addresses AFSOC Training Deaths in Think Tank Interview

Northwest Florida Daily News

In response to three fatal training accidents—two last year and one earlier this year—Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) has developed a more comprehensive approach to getting its Airmen ready for deployment and then sending them into the field.

Russian Su-27 Fighter Jets Intercept U.S Air Force RC-135 Reconnaissance Aircraft

Defence Blog

Russia’s National Defense Control Center reported a Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet scrambled to intercept a U.S. Air Force RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft over the Black Sea on Nov. 28.

Defense Department's Annual Housing Satisfaction Survey Begins Soon

DOD release

W. Jordan Gillis, assistant secretary of defense for sustainment and the Defense Department's chief housing officer, is inviting DOD housing residents to participate in the department's annual housing satisfaction survey, which is scheduled to launch in December.

Space Force, AFRL To Demo Mobile Lunar Spy Sat

Breaking Defense

The highly mobile D2S2 satellite will carry a 20cm camera to test the sensor performance needed for lunar imaging.

Raytheon Intelligence & Space and C3.ai Form Alliance to Accelerate Military AI Adoption

Business Wire

C3.ai, a leading enterprise AI software provider, and Raytheon Intelligence & Space, a Raytheon Technologies business, on Nov. 30 announced an alliance to develop artificial intelligence solutions for aerospace and defense missions for government customers, including the U.S. Air Force and intelligence community.

STRIKEWERX Tackles B-52 Maintenance Process

USAF release

Air Force Global Strike Command’s innovation hub, STRIKEWERX, hosted a “Design Sprint” event Nov. 16-19 in Bossier City, Louisiana to aid B-52 maintainers throughout the command. The Design Sprint brought together industry and academia partners to improve the process for maintenance of brake pads on the B-52H Stratofortress.

Navy Will Scrap USS Bonhomme Richard

USNI News

The Navy decided to scrap the amphibious assault ship that burned for nearly five days earlier this year, concluding after months of investigations that trying to rebuild and restore the ship would take too much money and too much industrial base capacity.

One More Thing

The NFL Inspires a Satellite Docking Tool

The Aerospace Corporation

To teach satellites to interact and dock in space, engineers found a possible solution on Sunday Night Football.