Analyzing Aviation Mishaps | House, Senate Reach Agreement on 2021 Defense Policy Bill

Dec. 4, 2020

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

The wreckage of an F-16 is seen after crashing into a warehouse near March Air Reserve Base, Calif., in May 2019. An Air Force investigation found that improperly installed parts in the aircraft's hydraulic system caused the crash. Air Force photo.

Report: Systemic Aircrew, Maintenance Issues Root Cause of DOD Mishap Rates

By Brian W. Everstine

A lack of flying hours and overworked maintainers are contributing to high rates of crashes and other aviation mishaps, according to a new Congressionally mandated report, which called on the services to quickly overhaul how they manage maintainers and pilot training. The National Commission on Military Aviation Safety, in a report released Dec. 3, looked at more than 6,000 aviation mishaps, including 198 deaths, 157 aircraft destroyed, and about $9.41 billion in losses, from 2013 to 2018. None of the losses were due to combat operations. Although the Air Force saw a decrease in “Class A” mishaps—the most serious, which involved a death or more than $2 million in damage—there was an increase in “Class C” mishaps, largely because of maintenance or other on-the-ground issues.

House, Senate Reach Bipartisan Agreement on Massive Defense Policy Bill

By Rachel S. Cohen

As the final days of 2020 count down, House and Senate negotiators have agreed on sweeping defense policy legislation that offers nearly $732 billion to the armed forces in fiscal 2021. “The FY21 NDAA focuses on maintaining the strength of our defense enterprise as our nation grapples with a once-in-a-generation health crisis and a heightened social crisis against the backdrop of sustained systemic discrimination,” the House Armed Services Committee said in a summary of the agreement, now in its 60th year. But the legislation has ballooned to more than 5,300 pages across its text and accompanying explanatory report, as lawmakers across Capitol Hill increasingly piggyback on what is seen as a “must-pass” annual bill.

3 Air Force Bases Delay PT Tests Until April

By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Airmen at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, and Scott Air Force Base, Ill., won’t have to take official physical fitness assessments until April 1, 2021. Air Force guidance issued earlier this year authorizes commanders to make these kinds of delays, Air Force spokesperson Capt. Leah F. Brading confirmed in an email to Air Force Magazine. Although there have been two other force-wide PT testing delays due to the pandemic, the service has yet to announce a third postponement and is slated to resume testing on Jan. 1, 2021.

Hypersonic Missile Coming Five Years Faster Thanks to Acquisition Reform

By John A. Tirpak

New Pentagon acquisition rules are making it possible to field the AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) hypersonic missile five years faster than would be possible under the old rules, top USAF uniformed acquisition official Lt. Gen. Duke Z. Richardson said Dec. 3. He also touted new rules for speeding acquisition of the F-15EX, but “implored” Congress and the Pentagon to go easy on acquisition “mistakes” driven by the push for speed, saying the workforce will resume a risk-averse posture if they get punished for thinking innovatively.

Trump Nominates Aquilino to Lead INDOPACOM

By Amy McCullough

President Donald J. Trump nominated Adm. John C. Aquilino to lead U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, the Pentagon announced on Dec. 3. If confirmed by the Senate, Aquilino—who has led U.S. Pacific Fleet since May 2018—will replace Admiral Philip S. Davidson. Aquilino would take command of the Defense Department’s “priority theater” as the U.S. military shifts its focus from decades of counterinsurgency operations in the Middle East to great power competition with China and Russia, and as the department fields and tests new military capabilities in the region.

Space Force Advocate to Lead GOP on House Defense Panel

By Rachel S. Cohen

Alabama Rep. Mike Rogers, a leading Space Force proponent, will become the top Republican member of the House Armed Services Committee, his office said Dec. 3. “It’s an honor to be selected by my colleagues to lead the Republicans as Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee for the 117th Congress,” he said in a release. “The nature of warfare is changing, and we must adapt accordingly. … I will work to modernize our military, combat our rising adversaries, and dominate the battlefields of this century.” He’ll take over for Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), who is retiring when his term ends Jan. 3, 2021.

Clock is Ticking on New START Extension

By Amy McCullough

President-elect Joe Biden’s administration will have just 16 days after Inauguration Day in January to strike a deal with Russia to extend the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. If they fail to agree, the last remaining pact limiting the two countries' nuclear arsenals will expire. Rose Gottemoeller, who previously served as NATO’s deputy secretary-general and as U.S. undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, has long been an advocate of a five-year extension. She argues the “predictability and stability” it will provide is necessary as the U.S. looks to modernize its nuclear capabilities over the next decade.

Virtual Events: Guastella on Mitchell’s ‘Aerospace Nation,’ and More

By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

On Dec. 8 at 9:30 a.m. EST, the Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies will host USAF Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations Lt. Gen. Joseph T. Guastella for a discussion about how the service is maintaining aircraft and pilot readiness, the development of the Advanced Battle Management System, and what it means to optimize force structure design to counter future threats as part of the think tank's “Aerospace Nation” series. Advanced registration is required. Click here to sign up for the live event.

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.

This Is What It’s Like for Air Force Nurses Deployed to Fight COVID-19

Air Force Times

The Air Force has deployed dozens of nurses to hospitals throughout North Dakota and El Paso, Texas, to ease the strain on local medical personnel trying to fight the coronavirus pandemic. For those Airmen, like registered nurse Capt. Michael Robbins, it means lengthy, 12-hour-plus shifts in full protective equipment. It means caring for patients—mostly elderly—by providing everything from baths to oral care to clearing their airways. And it means dropping into an entirely new workplace, with life-or-death stakes, and quickly becoming part of an already established team.

The US Air Force Wants to Buy a Big Robot to Help with Bomb Disposal

Defense News

A year after the U.S. Army awarded a contract to build a heavy-duty robot able to dispose of bombs and other explosives, the Air Force is looking for its own system—and it wants to see what’s on the market before committing to purchasing what the Army buys.

Marine Corps Declares IOC for F-35C Variant

Inside Defense

The declaration means the Marine Corps has enough mission-ready aircraft and trained Marines and pilots to deploy the F-35C onto aircraft carriers, a Marine Corps press release said.

Journey to JADC2

Air Force Magazine

Joint all-domain command and control is driving change throughout the Air and Space Forces. Check out our latest on the quest for greater interconnectedness across the battlefield.

China’s Y-20 Transport Appears to Be Finally Flying with Indigenous Jet Engines

The Drive

The Y-20, China’s largest indigenous aircraft, needs new, more powerful engines to reach its full potential.

Stratollites Show Promise for Southern Command

Aviation Week Network

U.S. Southern Command is looking for new technologies that can provide long-endurance, wide-area surveillance over maritime and littoral areas and that can transition into a program of record, SOUTHCOM Commander Navy Adm. Craig Faller said Dec. 2.

Milley Wants 'Hard Look' at Restricting Families from More Overseas Tours

Military.com

Families joining troops on accompanied tours to overseas assignments could be a thing of the past in the proposed shift away from maintaining permanent bases in other nations, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley said Dec. 3.

One More Thing

We Salute the Airmen Who Went Full Ricky Bobby on the Flight Line in Saudi Arabia

Task & Purpose

The Air Force will have to add “shake ‘n’ bake” to its list of core values, because two enterprising Airmen acted out a hilarious scene from the beloved comedy “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” on the flight line at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia this summer.