Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Dec. 8, 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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Combat Controller to Receive Air Force Cross
By Brian W. Everstine

A special tactics combat controller will receive the Air Force Cross on Dec. 10
for his actions in a 2017 battle in Afghanistan, where he is credited with
protecting more than 150 friendly forces and destroying 11 fighting positions
over the course of an eight-hour fight. Staff Sgt. Alaxey Germanovich, from the
26th Special Tactics Squadron, will receive the award—the second highest for
valor, behind only the Medal of Honor—from Air Force Secretary Barbara M.
Barrett during a ceremony at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M.

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Congress Mandates Bigger Air Force and Increase to 225 Bombers
By John A. Tirpak

House-Senate Conferees require a larger Air Force in the final version of the
fiscal 2021 defense bill, directing the service to build the 386 combat
squadrons it said it needs to meet the National Defense Strategy, and
specifically raising the bomber fleet to 225 aircraft, as USAF leaders and
various think-tanks have suggested over the last year. “The conferees agree
that the current quantity of Air Force combat-coded aircraft incurs a level of
risk beyond moderate, and is not aligned with the National Defense Strategy,”
according to the joint language.

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USAF Postpones PT Tests Until April, Ditches Waist Measurements
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Airmen and Space Professionals don't have to take their fitness assessments
until April 2021 as a result of COVID-19, and the Department of the Air Force
has empowered commanders to push those tests even further if necessary,
according to a Dec. 7 release. When testing finally resumes, however, it will
look a little different. After years of debate, the Department of the Air Force
is cutting waist measurements from the annual fitness assessments. “Along
with removing the waist measurement, we are also exploring alternative strength
and cardio components to our current Air Force fitness assessment,” Air Force
Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. said in the release. “We believe
these potential test structure changes will impact Airmen in a positive way and
help with a holistic approach to health and fitness standards.”

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Lawmakers Call for More Answers on Military Command-and-Control Plans
By Rachel S. Cohen

The Air Force has four months to figure out exactly what it wants the Advanced
Battle Management System to do, as part of a proposed set of congressional
oversight requirements. ABMS is the service’s sweeping effort to connect its
platforms, not only as attack assets but as intelligence and communications
nodes. Its ambitious goals have drawn criticism from those on Capitol Hill and
federal watchdogs who say it needs more specific benchmarks. Now, the final
draft of the fiscal 2021 defense policy bill wants to see those objectives in
writing.

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Former NRO Chief, USAF Undersecretary Peter Teets: 1942-2020

Peter B. Teets, a former undersecretary and Acting Secretary of the Air Force,
head of the National Reconnaissance Office, and one of the first presidents of
Lockheed Martin, died Nov. 29 at the age of 78.

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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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Biden Picks Retired General Lloyd Austin to Run Pentagon

The former commander of U.S. Central Command will be announced as Biden's choice
for Secretary of Defense as early as Tuesday.

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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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Lawmakers to Vote Dec. 9 on 1-Week CR

The House plans to vote Dec. 9 on a one-week continuing resolution to
temporarily avert a shutdown of the federal government until lawmakers can agree
on a final spending deal.

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Biden Transition Meetings Scheduled This Week with DOD Intelligence Agencies

Transition meetings with the National Reconnaissance Office, National Geospatial
Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, and Defense Intelligence Agency
were planned for Dec. 7 and Dec. 8, a defense official told reporters.

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US Officials Say They Can Seal F-35 Sale to UAE Before Trump Leaves

But that would depend on both Congress and the Gulf state.

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CISA Warns of Iran’s Offensive Cyber Capabilities

Amid renewed tension between the U.S. and Iran, the Cybersecurity and
Infrastructure Security Agency issued a warning to be vigilant for activity from
Iranian hackers.

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Air Force Launches SpaceWERX Innovation Hub

The new SpaceWERX innovation hub, based at Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif.,
will cement the service’s effort to bring startups and cutting-edge commercial
tech into the Space Force’s industrial base, Air Force acquisition head Will
Roper says.

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Journey to JADC2

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.

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Trump Admin to Rename Two Bases for Space Force over Military Objections

The U.S. Air Force plans to change the names of two Florida military bases
heavily involved in Space Force operations during a Dec. 9 ceremony with a guest
list including Vice President Mike Pence, Defense One has learned.

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Westover Getting New $43M Hangar to Service Giant Planes

Westover Air Reserve Base in Massachusetts is getting a new hangar where the
massive C-5M Super Galaxy planes at the base can be serviced entirely indoors.
Westover officials are in the process of seeking bids from contractors to
construct the new $43 million hangar and officials hope to break ground on the
project in the spring, an aide for U.S. Rep. Richard Neal tells Masslive.com.

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A Woman Will Take Command of a Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier for the First Time in US Navy History

Naval Air Forces confirmed Capt. Amy Bauernschmidt’s historic selection on
Monday, though it’s not known at this point which of the Navy’s 11
nuclear-powered carriers Bauernschmidt will command. This isn’t the first time
Bauernschmidt has made history. In 2016, she became the first female executive
officer of a nuclear aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln. As such, she was
second-in-command of a crew of about 5,000 people.

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Organizers Cancel Paris Air Show 2021 on COVID-19 Uncertainty

The board of directors of the Paris Air Show and the board of directors of
French aerospace industry association GIFAS made the decision unanimously,
describing it as inevitable in a statement Dec. 7. “This reasonable decision
was agreed upon unanimously by the Paris Air Show board members in the context
of a crisis that has had an unprecedented impact on the aerospace industry,”
they said in a joint statement.

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One More Thing...
Thieves Broke into Russia’s Il-80 Doomsday Plane

The criminals removed a hatch and made off with radio equipment from the
strategic airborne command post.

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