Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Dec. 15, 2020

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Edited by Rachel S. Cohen with Brian W. Everstine and Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

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Roper: ARRW Hypersonic Missile Will Fly This Month
By Brian W. Everstine

The Air Force will flight test the U.S. military’s first hypersonic missile
this month, Air Force acquisition boss Will Roper said Dec. 14 at the inaugural
Doolittle Leadership Center Forum. Speaking on the theme of “From Acquisition
to Lethality,” Roper also described progress on the Advanced Battle Management
System, AFWERX, and AFVentures. The forum was produced in partnership with
AFA’s Wright Memorial Chapter.

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US Sanctions Turkey Over S-400 Buy
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

The State Department on Dec. 14 announced sanctions against Turkey’s
Presidency of Defense Industries over its purchase of Russia’s S-400
surface-to-air missile system. SSB is banned from receiving “U.S. export
licenses and authorizations,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote. The U.S.
has frozen the assets of and placed visa restrictions on SSB president Ismail
Demir and additional officers from the organization. Turkey urged the U.S. to
settle the matter through diplomatic channels.

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National Guard Support for COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout Ramps Up
By Brian W. Everstine

As America's first approved coronavirus vaccine is shipped across the country
and frontline workers are getting their first jabs this week, National Guardsmen
have been activated to assist with transportation. Military airlifters are
standing by to support commercial shipping networks as well. Governors in 26
states are planning to use the National Guard in some capacity to help with
distributing the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine that the Food and Drug Administration
authorized Dec. 11 for emergency use. “We bring a wide variety of not only
capacity to augment the size of the workforce. but also specialized skills
within that workforce," Ohio Adjutant General Maj. Gen. John C. Harris Jr. said.
“This is exactly what the Guard does.”

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Space Force Commands Working Together to Grow in Year Two
By Rachel S. Cohen

The new boss of the Space Force’s operations branch on Dec. 14 offered a peek
into how the organization is working with other parts of the service as they
mature. Space Operations Command boss Lt. Gen. Stephen N. Whiting indicated the
ops, training, and acquisition organizations are trying to stay linked so each
piece of the service understands what the others need as they move forward. The
Space Force turns 1 year old on Dec. 20.

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AFMC Overhauling Acquisition, Personnel Practices to Stay Relevant
By Brian W. Everstine

As Air Force Materiel Command makes changes to speed up how it buys, tests, and
sustains weapon systems, the command is also overhauling its personnel practices
to ensure its Airmen face fewer career hurdles and can succeed, the command’s
boss said. AFMC is overhauling its approach to hardware and software management
through steps such as digital engineering, increased foreign military sales,
advanced manufacturing, and conditions-based maintenance, command boss Gen.
Arnold W. Bunch Jr. said Dec. 14. At the same time, however, command employees
have said they face their own hurdles in training, career progression, and
obtaining new certifications.

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Virtual Events: Formica, Todorov on Mitchell’s Nuclear Deterrence Forum, and More
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

On Dec. 16 at 10 a.m. EST, the Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute for
Aerospace Studies will host a live, virtual Nuclear Deterrence Forum featuring
retired Army Lt. Gen. Richard P. Formica, former commanding general of U.S. Army
Space and Missile Defense, and retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Kenneth E. Todorov,
former Deputy Director of the Missile Defense Agency. This session will offer
their unparalleled insight into the state of the U.S. missile defense enterprise
following last year’s Missile Defense Review, as well as projected U.S.
missile defense capabilities in space, cyber, and systems technologies. Advance
registration is required. <a
href="[link removed]">Sign
up here.</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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Trump Faces Dec. 23 Deadline to Veto—or Sign—Massive NDAA Defense Bill

U.S. President Donald Trump has until Dec. 23 to decide whether to veto the $740
billion National Defense Authorization Act or allow the annual measure setting
policy for the Department of Defense to become law, a House of Representatives
aide said on Dec. 14.

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OPINION: Pentagon Needs More Balanced Representation in Joint Service Leadership

“Only by combining a balanced set of talents do we get a successful whole,”
writes retired USAF Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, dean of AFA’s Mitchell
Institute for Aerospace Studies. “That is why senior positions need to reflect
the diversity of perspectives necessary to achieve this professional synergy.
Too much is at stake to consider any other option.”

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Newt Gingrich and Loyalists Tapped for Defense Policy Board as Henry Kissinger Is Ousted

The Trump administration continued efforts to replace Pentagon advisers with
loyalists as it tapped former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and others on Dec. 14
to replace ousted members of the Defense Policy Board, an independent outside
body.

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PODCAST: Don’t Expect Same Defense Spending Priorities under a Biden Administration

There is no end to the important priorities for the Defense Department and the
armed services it operates, but there is a limit to the dollars they can expect.
And they can expect shifts in priorities as a new administration comes into
authority. The podcast features Todd Harrison of the Center for Strategic and
International Studies.

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AFLCMC Delivers Final F-15SA to Royal Saudi Air Force

The final F-15SA advanced fighter aircraft were delivered Dec. 10 to the Royal
Saudi Air Force—a key milestone supporting the National Defense Strategy
imperative to strengthen alliances and attract new partners.

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Pentagon Risks Falling Short on Electromagnetic Spectrum Goals, GAO Finds

The Defense Department needs to improve governance and oversight of EMS
strategies in order to maintain operational control, according to a new audit.

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NSTXL Selected to Manage the Space Enterprise Consortium

NSTXL, a company that helps commercial businesses compete for government
contracts, has been selected to manage the U.S. Space Force’s Space Enterprise
Consortium for the next 10 years. Based in Arlington, Va., NSTXL is short for
National Security Technology Accelerator.

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After Months of Delays, Spy Agency Launches 5th Mission of 2020

Following three months of delays, the National Reconnaissance Office
successfully launched its fifth mission of 2020 on Dec. 10 from the renamed Cape
Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla.

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AFRL Demonstrates Critical New Warhead Technologies for High-Speed Weapons

The Air Force Research Laboratory successfully demonstrated new warhead
technologies for high-speed weapons at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., on Nov.
18.

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Navy Ends Search for Roosevelt Sailor Fallen Overboard

The Navy has ended its search for a sailor who fell from the aircraft carrier
USS Theodore Roosevelt into the Pacific Ocean last week. The service ended
search and rescue efforts for the missing sailor “and has changed his status
to deceased,” according to a statement released Dec. 13.

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Free 3-Year Memberships!

Airmen and Space Professionals—Active, Guard, Reserve, and civilian: Join your
Air Force Association today and get a 3-year membership free–a savings of $85!
Act now–this is a limited-time offer. Be a member of the only association
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Arnold Air Society and Silver Wings Debuts Alumni Network

Arnold Air Society and Silver Wings has formally established an Alumni Network
that will help former members of Arnold Air Society, Silver Wings, and Angel
Flight stay informed and connected. The network will leverage social media
platforms and email messaging to provide members with information on events,
news, students, and volunteers, past and present. Alumni may register now at the
link above.

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One More Thing...
Playing the Bad Guy: Inside the Air Force's Elite Aggressor Program with One of Its Top Pilots

Journey into the shadowy world of the aggressors—where they came from, where
they're going, what it takes to become one, and what it's like being one.

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