Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Jan. 7, 2021

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

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D.C., Virginia, Maryland Guard Personnel Responding to Chaos in Capitol
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory and Brian W. Everstine

The entire District of Columbia National Guard, along with Guard personnel from
Virginia, were activated Jan. 6 after a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol building,
with more violence expected across Washington, D.C. throughout the night.
Pentagon leaders spoke with Vice President Michael R. Pence, Speaker of the
House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Sen. Chuck
Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), about the activity at the
Capitol building and activated the entire D.C. National Guard to help federal
and law enforcement, Acting Defense Secretary Christopher C. Miller said in a
statement. “We are prepared to provide additional support as necessary and
appropriate as requested by local authorities,” Miller said. “Our people are
sworn to defend the constitution and our democratic form of government and they
will act accordingly.”

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Defense Policy Turns Blue as Democrats Flip Senate
By Rachel S. Cohen

Democrats appear poised to run defense policy in both congressional chambers for
the first time in 10 years, as the party has won control of the Senate with
narrow victories in two Jan. 5 Georgia runoff races. The results come at the end
of a tumultuous election cycle that has handed Democrats unified control of the
White House and Congress after a decade of split government. It’s a notable
shift as the Pentagon prepares for stagnant budgets in part due to the
coronavirus pandemic and an expected shift toward domestic priorities, and as
the military plans for an era dominated by geopolitical conflict with Russia and
China rather than counterterrorism operations.

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Hyten: JROC Will Soon Set Joint Spectrum Requirements
By John A. Tirpak

In a first, the Pentagon's Joint Requirements Oversight Council will give the
services requirements they must meet to fulfill joint electromagnetic spectrum
and electronic warfare demands, JROC chairman and Joint Chiefs Vice Chair Gen.
John E. Hyten said. The recent EMS strategy specifies capabilities that the
services, not a joint entity, must provide, but the JROC will have to integrate
them with common standards. U.S. Strategic Command will also get a boost in EMS
resources before it transfers the mission to another, yet-undetermined entity,
he said.

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Airstrikes Continue Against ISIS in Iraq and Syria
By Brian W. Everstine

The air campaign against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria continues, as
the U.S. withdraws forces from the region and the operation has largely fallen
off the public’s radar. Throughout November 2020, the coalition conducted 14
airstrikes consisting of 34 total engagements in Iraq and Syria, Combined Joint
Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve on Jan. 6. In Iraq, this included 22
engagements resulting in 35 ISIS fighters killed and one weapons cache
destroyed. In Syria, the coalition conducted seven strikes consisting of 12
engagements, though the results of those strikes were not disclosed. The total
is a sharp drop from previous years.

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Secretary Barrett Visits Niger, Nigeria
By Brian W. Everstine

Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett visited Niger and Nigeria Jan. 4-5 to
increase USAF cooperation with the two countries, including the deliveries of
new aircraft. On Jan. 4, Barrett visited Niger, where USAF has operating bases,
to participate in a ceremony for the delivery of the country’s first C-130.
The U.S. military has since 2015 provided more than $30 million to develop the
Nigerien Air Force’s C-130 program, including training, spare parts,
infrastructure, fuel and support equipment, according to a U. S. Embassy
release. The delivery of the aircraft makes Niger the 70th country to fly the
aircraft. Barrett also visited Nigeria Jan. 4-5, with a key focus of the
meetings on the Air Force’s plan to deliver 12 A-29 Super Tucano light attack
aircraft starting this year. The Air Force plans to train 60 Nigerian pilots,
instructors, and maintainers over 12 years largely at Moody Air Force Base, Ga.

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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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‘I Did All I Could Do’: NCO Earns Commendation for Bravery in Camp Taji Attack

Senior Master Sgt. Rick Johnson had deployed twice before to combat zones, but
he never experienced the panic and confusion he saw in Iraq last March during a
fatal rocket attack on Camp Taji.

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New Law Expands VA Loan Eligibility for Guard, COVID-19 Vets

Early career National Guard troops who supported COVID-19 response this year may
soon be eligible for Veterans Affairs home loan benefits, thanks to a provision
in this year’s Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act.

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Navy Secretary: US Plans Patrols Near Russian Arctic Bases

The Navy will start regularly sailing near Russian land claims in the
increasingly ice-free Arctic, challenging Moscow’s push in the High North,
Navy Secretary Kenneth Braithwaite said Jan. 5. “You will see the Navy
operating again in a more permanent manner above the Arctic Circle,”
Braithwaite told reporters in what is likely his last interview before the Biden
administration takes over on Jan. 20.

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US Intel Agencies Say Solarwinds Hack ‘Likely Russian in Origin,’ Appears to Be Espionage

U.S. investigators confirmed today that they believe Russia is likely behind the
SolarWinds cyber hack into multiple federal government agencies and private
networks revealed last month, though the operation appears to be limited to
intelligence gathering.

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Air Force Software Hub Needs New Data Chief

Boston-based Kessel Run is looking for a chief data officer candidate with
extensive technical experience.

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The British Pick MBDA’s Spear 3 Cruise Missile for Their F-35s

British F-35B combat jets are to be equipped with a new mini cruise missile
following the signing of a £550 million (U.S. $750 million) production contract
by the Ministry of Defence and contractor MBDA, the company announced Jan. 6.
The deal should see the Spear 3 missile achieve initial operational capability
on the aircraft in 2025, making it the primary air-to-ground weapon for the
Lockheed Martin-built jets now coming into service with the Royal Navy and Royal
Air Force.

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SPONSORED—VIDEO: 4 Principles of Agile JADC2 Development

Innovation has always been a hallmark of the U.S. Air Force. But with the
accelerating pace of technology development, the service needs a new approach to
modern design to make the latest technologies profoundly more accessible.

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PODCAST: DOD Taps National Spectrum Consortium to Help Develop 5G

The Defense Department has hired the National Spectrum Consortium to help it
develop 5G communications applications. Federal Drive with Tom Temin spoke with
National Spectrum Consortium Chair Sal D’Itri to find out what they plan to
do.

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Inside the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Contemporary Quantum Pursuits

The early quantum adopter is making strategic moves to develop on-the-rise
capabilities—and manage the hype around them.

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The Pentagon Has 3 Years to Strip Confederate Names from Bases. Here’s What Comes Next

Lawmakers' rebuke of President Donald J. Trump's efforts to tank annual defense
policy legislation last week has paved the way for a yearslong process to remove
the names of Confederate leaders from military bases and scrub other monuments
to the secession. But there are still unanswered questions about the nascent
process, which must kick off by March, including who will ultimately pick the
new names of bases, who will serve on the panel, and whether President-elect Joe
Biden could preempt some of the panel's work with a speedier executive action of
his own after Inauguration Day.

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One More Thing...
A CIA Spyplane Crashed Outside Area 51 a Half-Century Ago. This Explorer Found It.

How urban explorers uncovered the site—and the memory—of a covert Cold
War–era accident.

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