Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Dec. 7, 2020

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

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Here’s What the Air Force Can’t Get Rid Of, According to the Draft NDAA
By Rachel S. Cohen

Every year, Congress and the military debate which combat assets should head to
the boneyard and which have more life left in them. Lawmakers often opt to keep
Air Force systems that bring jobs to their districts, which complicates matters
as the service looks to modernize and ditch certain platforms. Sometimes the Air
Force opposes congressional efforts to divest planes as well. While the final
draft of the 2021 defense policy bill, released Dec. 3, is open to letting go of
some worn airframes, several others will stick around.

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Congress Won’t Impose Naval Ranks on the Space Force
By Rachel S. Cohen

Congress has backed off on requiring the Space Force to adopt naval ranks,
allowing the new service to choose its own military rank system and a name for
its members. Former Navy SEAL Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) earlier this year
floated the idea of calling Space Force personnel admirals or ensigns, for
example, instead of their current Air Force ranks like general and staff
sergeant. His provision landed in the House’s version of the fiscal 2021
defense policy bill now making its way through Congress. But the Senate did not
have a similar provision, and ultimately won out in stripping Crenshaw’s
language from the bipartisan compromise between the two chambers.

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‘License Plates’ for Satellites Among Tech Showcased in New Space Force Accelerator
By Shaun Waterman

Space is getting more crowded, and ensuring U.S freedom of action in this vital
domain is one of the missions of the U.S. Space Force. Technology that might
help—including a digital “license plate” for satellites—was showcased in
the latest competition hosted by the Space Force Accelerator Program.

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Maintenance Issues Force B-52 to Divert During Bomber Task Force Mission
By Brian W. Everstine

The Air Force sent two bomber task force missions to the Pacific and Europe on
Dec. 3, with a B-52 linking up with Greek and Norwegian fighters after another
was forced to divert, and B-1s headed back to Guam. Two B-52s took off from
Minot Air Force Base, N.D., and were en route to the Barents Sea when one of the
Stratofortresses experienced a maintenance issue and had to divert to RAF
Fairford, United Kingdom. The remaining B-52 continued, and joined with Greek
and Norwegian F-16s along with U.S. and Turkish KC-135s for training, according
to U.S. European Command.

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Trump Orders Pentagon to Withdraw Most Forces from Somalia
By Brian W. Everstine

The U.S. military will withdraw the “majority” of its personnel and assets
from Somalia by early 2021, the Pentagon announced without providing specifics.
President Donald J. Trump ordered the move, though the Defense Department in a
Dec. 4 statement said the “U.S. is not withdrawing or disengaging from Africa.
We remain committed to our African partners and enduring support through a
whole-of-government approach.” The Pentagon has not disclosed how many
personnel are in the African nation, where they train Somali forces and have
conducted operations against al-Shabab, though the Defense Department Inspector
General in a November report said between 650 and 800 troops were operating in
the country. The withdrawal comes weeks after Trump also ordered the Defense
Department to reduce its footprint in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

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U.S. Approved More than $175 Billion in Weapons Sales in 2020
By Brian W. Everstine

Authorized U.S. arms sales abroad jumped 2.8 percent, climbing to $175.08
billion in 2020 from $170.09 in 2019, fueled largely by major F-35 sales, the
Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced Dec. 4. The total reflects all
deals DSCA has approved in the fiscal year, $50.78 billion of which is
implemented government-to-government foreign military sales. The increase in
approved buys coincided with the State Department’s efforts to reform arms
transfers, including the loosening of restrictions governing the export of
remotely piloted aircraft. The $50.78 billion for FMS is a drop from 2019’s
total of $55.39 billion for a three-year rolling average of about $54 billion,
according to DSCA. Major implemented sales included $23.1 billion for F-35s to
Japan, $4.5 billion for F-15J modernization to Japan, $4.25 billion for AH-64E
helicopters to Morocco, and $3 billion for aviation fuel to Israel, among
others. Additionally, DSCA issued 28,800 export licenses via Direct Commercial
Sales, for a total of $124.3 billion.

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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. <a
href="[link removed]">Click
here to sign up for the live event.</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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US Air Force Appeals Ruling Against Urban Training in Idaho

The U.S. Air Force is appealing a federal court ruling preventing exercises that
had military jets coordinating with plain-clothed soldiers on the ground in
cities in Idaho as part of an urban warfare training program. The Air Force
filed the appeal with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Nov. 30. The
military says air support for ground forces is increasingly required in urban
combat areas.

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Airmen Praised for Helping Teenager Off Bridge

Two Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Airmen are being lauded for their quick
action to help save a distressed teenager who was considering jumping from a
Fairborn, Ohio, overpass.

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Air Force Expands Experimental Pilot Training Across Aircraft, Helo Fleets

"We flew the F-22 like it was an F-15. We flew the F-15E like an F-111. APT-X
will figure out how can we can fly the T-7 differently - not like a T-38," says
Brig. Gen. Brenda Cartier, 19th Air Force vice commander.

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Cadet Joint Domain Exercise Incorporates Cyber, Proves Successful

During the exercise, cadets acted as members of an Air Operations Center (AOC),
directing two other cadets as remotely piloted aircraft pilots during
an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance mission leading to a
simulated kinetic strike on an Islamic State group leadership meeting. Cadet
Cyber Team members served as a cyber effects cell and cyber liaison officers who
were providing cyber ISR to help track the target, and identify who was actually
at the meeting.

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Opinion: Are We at the Start of a New Cold War Between the US and China?

“The U.S. and China are involved in a wide-ranging economic competition, one
that spills over into American bilateral relations with other countries, and
also impacts the "rules" of an international system that has evolved, largely
under American leadership, in the postwar period. The U.S. competes economically
with other countries, most notably Japan and the European Union, but this
rivalry is different from the Sino-American one,” writes Joseph V. Micallef, a
best-selling military history and world affairs author.

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Video: Dunlap Speaks on the Navy, Air Force, Army, & JADC2

The Air Force and Army signed an MOU earlier this year to force lower ranking
people to come on board and drive greater cooperation between the services as
they build JADC2. The Navy has markedly stood back over the last three years as
the Army and Air Force have forged ahead, making All Domain Operations one of
their top priorities. Dunlap discusses how the three services are working
together.

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Spouses Still Waiting Months for Professional Credentials after Military Moves, DOD Survey Shows

About one out of five military spouses who are in professions requiring
licensing and certification said they waited 10 months or more to get their
credential after a permanent change of station move, according to a 2019 survey
of active duty spouses conducted by the Department of Defense.

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One More Thing...
He Escaped Death as a Kamikaze Pilot. 70 Years Later, He Told His Story.

Kazuo Odachi is one of the last living members of a group never meant to
survive. He wants to remind Japan that before its modern success came the
sacrifices of the young pilots who gave their lives.

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