Biden Picks Lloyd Austin for SECDEF | The Base Defense ‘Tax’

Dec. 9, 2020

Edited by Amy McCullough with Rachel S. Cohen, John A. Tirpak and Shaun Waterman

Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III visits soldiers for the holiday

Retired Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, shown during a 2010 visit with service members in Iraq on Thanksgiving, will be nominated to serve as the next Secretary of Defense. Defense Department photo by Sgt. Caleb Barrieau.

Former CENTCOM Boss Lloyd Austin to be Nominated for SECDEF

By Rachel S. Cohen

President-elect Joe Biden will nominate retired Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III to be his Defense Secretary, the transition team announced Dec. 8. Austin, who left the military in 2016 as the four-star head of U.S. Central Command, would be the first-ever Black man to hold the Pentagon’s top civilian job if confirmed by the Senate. The milestone comes shortly after Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. took over as the first Black Air Force Chief of Staff, amid a reckoning on racial inequality in the military and society at large. “With a distinguished record of military service spanning four decades, Secretary-designate Austin is a deeply experienced and highly decorated commander who has served with distinction in several of the Pentagon’s most crucial positions,” the transition team said in a release.

Guastella: Base Defense is the ‘Tax’ Other Services Should Pay for Airpower

By John A. Tirpak

The other military services should defend USAF's air bases as the “tax” to enjoy the many benefits the Air Force provides them in terms of communications, mobility, and protection, Deputy Chief of Staff for operations Lt. Gen. Joseph T. Guastella Jr. said Dec. 8. The Air Force is more engaged than the other services because its roles are in play whether there are hostilities or not, and other branches should help enable the benefits they derive from USAF. Guastella also argued that while the other branches' push for long-range fires could be helpful, they may not be cost-effective in the long run.

Mach-Buster and World War II Ace, Chuck Yeager: 1923-2020

By John A. Tirpak

Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager died Dec. 7, at age 97. Yeager was a World War II fighter ace and most widely remembered as the first man to fly through Mach 1—the speed of sound—in 1947. He tested numerous research aircraft in the 1940s through the 1960s, and is regarded as one of the most accomplished test pilots of all time.

Draft NDAA Offers More Money, Oversight to Air Force Tech Priorities

By Rachel S. Cohen

Lawmakers weighed in on three of the Air Force’s top-priority technology development efforts in the final draft of the fiscal 2021 defense policy bill, offering more money and more oversight as the programs mature. The Low-Cost Attritable Aircraft Technology initiative, hypersonic weapons, and the Next-Generation Air Dominance program all got a closer look this year. The National Defense Authorization Act passed the House 335-78 on Dec. 8, and is expected to pass in the Senate as well. President Donald J. Trump must still approve the bill for it to become law, but has promised a veto over priorities that did not land in the final version.

Three Companies Win New Skyborg Prototyping Contracts

By Rachel S. Cohen

Three companies will move on to flight experiments as part of the Air Force’s Skyborg drone program, the service said Dec. 7. Kratos earned $37.8 million, Boeing earned $25.7 million, and General Atomics earned $14.3 million to continue on in the program, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center said. Each contract will last two years. The announcement indicates Northrop Grumman did not make the cut after receiving a contract to become part of the vendor pool in July.

Space Force: Convergence of New Tech is the Real Disruptor

By Shaun Waterman

Disruption is generally thought of as the result of technological change. But the really disruptive changes happen when several new technologies converge. Welcome to the world of Space Force acquisition, where officials are trying to figure out how to change the game.

How the Air Force’s Tiny Tech Shop Ended Up Being at the Heart of the Nation’s COVID-19 Response

By Shaun Waterman

AFWERX’s contribution to the national Covid-19 pandemic response seems destined to enter the annals of heroic procurement tales. But, it almost didn’t happen.

Virtual Events: Mitchell Institute Hosts EMS/EW Roundtable, and More

By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Today at 10 a.m. EST, the Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies will host a special Electronic Warfare/Electromagnetic Spectrum Superiority Roundtable as part of its “Aerospace Nation” series. The event will feature Ken Dworkin, Booz Allen Hamilton’s executive advisor for EW/EMS; David Tremper, the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s electronic warfare director; Brig. Gen. AnnMarie K. Anthony, deputy director of operations for joint electromagnetic spectrum operations and mobilization assistant to the director of operations at U.S. Strategic Command; Col. William Young, the incoming commander of USAF’s 355th Spectrum Warfare Wing; Ilya Lipkin, technical lead at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Sensor Open Systems Architecture (SOSA); and Brig. Gen. David Abba, director of the USAF F-35 Integration Office. 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.

OPINION: Why I Chose Lloyd Austin as Secretary of Defense

The Atlantic (Subscription Required)

“The fact is, Austin’s many strengths and his intimate knowledge of the Department of Defense and our government are uniquely matched to the challenges and crises we face,” President-elect Joe Biden writes. “He is the person we need in this moment.”

OPINION: The Problem With the SECDEF Purity Test

Defense One

“You don’t want a general, a man, a war veteran—and everyone in the defense industry is evil?” writes Defense One Executive Editor Kevin Baron.

Biden National Security Adviser Sees US Rejoining Iran Nuclear Deal

The Wall Street Journal (Subscription Required)

President-elect Joe Biden’s national security adviser said the incoming administration wants to put Iran “back into the box” by rejoining the nuclear deal and forcing Tehran to comply with the terms of the original agreement. In return, the U.S. would be prepared to honor the terms of the 2015 deal, said Jake Sullivan, Biden’s choice for national security adviser, at The Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council Summit on Dec. 7.

DOD’s $11B Contract to Consolidate Fourth Estate Networks Is Out for Bid

Nextgov

The Defense Enclave Services contract will bring agencies under a common network architecture.

Space Development Agency’s Missile-Tracking Satellites on Hold as Raytheon Files New Protest

SpaceNews

The Space Development Agency agreed to reevaluate the original proposals but will not allow the companies to resubmit new bids.

Air Force’s Next Hack of the Federal Procurement System: One-Year Funding

Federal News Network

Air Force acquisition boss Will Roper said he’s writing a new memo with the general counsel and financial management offices to bring more flexibility into one-year O&M funding-known as 3400 money.

OPINION—Instructors Wanted, Apply Within: Why the Air Force Is Failing to Change Its Culture and What to Do About It

War on the Rocks

“Squadron Officer School has an instructor recruitment problem that is not going away, in spite of the attempted cultural change,” write Bradley Podliska, an assistant professor of military and security studies at Air University’s Air Command and Staff College, and Donnie Hodges, an instructor in the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Department of Military and Strategic Studies. “The survey data we conducted confirms and explains why officers do not want to work there—for many officers, working at the Maxwell Air Force Base is not an attractive option. But it does not need to be this way.”

Former Trump Adviser Kellyanne Conway Appointed to Air Force Academy Advisory Body

The Gazette

Kellyanne Conway, a former senior advisor to President Donald Trump, has been appointed to the Air Force Academy's advisory body, according to the White House. Conway's appointment to the academy's Board of Visitors—which reports to the president and the Pentagon—was one of nearly 30 appointments to "key positions" on various boards announced Dec. 8 in a White House press release, and the most prominent.

14 Fort Hood Leaders Fired or Suspended in Fallout Over Spc. Vanessa Guillén’s Death

Task & Purpose

Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy is cleaning house at Fort Hood.

One More Thing

Chasing Soviet Missiles in the Cobra Ball from a Desolate Rock in the Aleutian Islands

The Drive

During the Cold War, RC-135 Cobra Ball missile test tracking jet crews sat alert at one of the most remote and inhospitable places on Earth.