Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Jan. 20, 2021

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Edited by Amy McCullough with Brian W. Everstine and Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

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How the Air Force Is Protecting the 59th Inauguration
By Brian W. Everstine

The Air Force's role in Joe Biden's inauguration will look much different from
past inaugurations, with a historic national airlift bringing in thousands of
Guardsmen to protect the Capitol and surrounding areas and a ceremonial
component that is much smaller than previous events because of the security
situation in Washington, D.C., and the ongoing pandemic. The Air Force activated
the 320th Air Expeditionary Wing as the USAF service component of the Joint Task
Force-National Capitol Region—the military effort that contributes to the
overall inauguration security effort led by the U.S. Secret Service. And, on
Jan. 20, about 400 USAF personnel will support inaugural events, including
flying VIPs, Honor Guards and bands, and communications and other support.

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At Least 12 Guard Troops Banned from Inauguration After Vetting
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Twelve National Guard personnel who deployed to the nation’s capital to
support the presidential inauguration have been sent home after they were vetted
by the Army and Federal Bureau of Investigation, though only two were pulled
over concerns about extremism, defense officials confirmed in a Jan. 19 Pentagon
press briefing. The number of Guardsmen removed from inauguration duty may grow
as their deep-dive continues.

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Austin Emphasizes Importance of Civilian Control as Defense Secretary
By Brian W. Everstine

Lloyd Austin, President-elect Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Pentagon, spent his
Senate confirmation hearing on Jan. 19 pressing his civilian bona fides to
lawmakers, with some pledging opposition to the waiver Austin would need to
become the nation’s first Black Defense Secretary. Austin spent 40 years in
the military before retiring in 2016 as a four-star general, which means he is
still within the seven-year cooling off period required for former military
officers to serve in the top Defense Department job, requiring a waiver from
both the House and Senate for confirmation. “If confirmed, I will carry out
the mission of the Department of Defense, always with the goal to deter war and
ensure our nation’s security,” Austin told the Senate Armed Services
Committee. “And I would not be here asking for your support if I felt that I
was unable or unwilling to question people with whom I once served, in
operations I once led, or [if I was] too afraid to speak my mind to you or the
President."

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National Garden of American Heroes to Honor Aviation, Aerospace Pioneers
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

In the midst of nationwide protests and the tearing down of Confederate statues
last year, President Donald J. Trump promised to build a “National Garden of
American Heroes.” On Jan. 18, he revised his July executive order and listed
out the luminaries he hopes to honor, among them aviation and aerospace pioneers
including Benjamin O. Davis Jr., James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle, Neil Armstrong,
John Glenn, and William “Billy” Mitchell—to name just a few.

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30 Years After Desert Storm: Jan. 20

In commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of Operation Desert Storm, Air Force
Magazine is posting daily recollections from the six-week war, which expelled
Iraq from occupied Kuwait.

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Radar Sweep

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Register for AFA’s Virtual Aerospace Warfare Symposium

Registration is now open for the Air Force Association's 2021 Virtual Aerospace
Warfare Symposium (vAWS) being held Feb. 24-26, with access to view the platform
opening on Feb. 22. The theme of the symposium is “Accelerate and Innovate:
Actualizing the Nation’s Need for Dominant Air and Space Forces.” The event
will provide Airmen, Guardians, and industry leaders direct insights into the
plans, policies, and vision of Air Force and Space Force leadership, and
emerging trends and developments in aerospace technology.

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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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Here’s Who Will Be Running the Pentagon When Biden Takes Office

Dozens named in the most comprehensive roster published to date of who will be
running DOD when the President-elect is sworn in.

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Will Roper to Whoever Replaces Him at Air Force: Stay Agile

As the Air Force‘s top technology and acquisition official departs the
Pentagon at the end of the Trump administration, he’s leaving with a final
message: Stay agile or lose to China.

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PODCAST—A Strategy for Success: The Desert Storm Air Campaign 30 Years Later

Gain an insider's perspective on Operation Desert Storm from the Airmen who
planned and executed the 1991 air war in the latest “Aerospace Advantage”
podcast from AFA's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. Retired Air Force
Gen. Mike Loh joins the architect of the air combat plan, Mitchell Institute
Dean and retired USAF Lt. Gen. Dave Deptula, along with retired USAF Col. John
Warden, to explain the key actions the Air Force took in response to Saddam
Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait. This episode is the first of three "Aerospace
Advantage" podcasts devoted to the story behind Operation Desert Storm, each
featuring Airmen who contributed to the historic air campaign.

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Department of the Air Force Offers Limited Active Duty Service Commitment Waivers

The Department of the Air Force will implement several voluntary officer and
enlisted force management programs for fiscal year 2021, including an expanded
PALACE CHASE program and limited Active Duty Service Commitment waivers. These
programs provide provisions for both enlisted and officer members who meet
specified criteria. The application window runs Jan. 20 – April 2.
“Voluntary force management programs provide Airmen with flexible options to
retire, separate or affiliate at times that suit their personal circumstances
and allow the Department of the Air Force to balance certain specialties to
ensure we meet the needs of the high-end fight,” said Col. Richard Cole,
Military Sustainment and Transition Program Division chief.

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Iran Kicks Off Ground Forces Drill on Coast of Gulf of Oman

Iran’s military kicked off a ground forces drill on Jan. 19 along the coast of
the Gulf of Oman, state TV reported, the latest in a series of snap exercises
the country is holding amid escalating tensions over its nuclear program and
Washington’s pressure campaign against Tehran.

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Air Traffic Controller at Kirtland Air Force Base Credited With Saving Lives of Osprey Crew

The $90 million Osprey was operating under low-light conditions and doing full
“brownout” landings in which the crew, wearing night vision, had zero
visibility of the landing zone. Further inspection found a bearing that controls
the pitch of the blade was falling apart, which Lt. Col. Brett Cassidy, the
commander of the 71st Special Operations Squadron, estimated would have broken
down completely after roughly an hour in the air. “If the aircraft had
continued not to report, and the aircrew hadn’t noticed the vibrations, it
would’ve been a catastrophic failure,” he said. “That would’ve been a
loss of the aircraft and crew.”

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Air Force, Korean Partners Unveil Plan to Co-Fund ‘Breakthrough’ Quantum Research

The aim is to promote international collaboration and push forward new and
needed technological developments.

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Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit Reaches Space With Unconventional Rocket-Launch System

A venture to launch small satellites using a rocket fired from a converted jumbo
jet deployed 10 tiny ones into orbit for the first time Jan. 18, providing a big
boost for the startup founded by entrepreneur Richard Branson. The successful
demonstration flight by Southern-California-based Virgin Orbit, nearly eight
months after a botched test, lifts the company into the select group of
small-satellite launch providers able to offer flight-proven hardware.

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Maxar Adds Wilson to Board

Maxar Technologies said Jan. 19 it has named Heather A. Wilson, the former Air
Force Secretary, to its board of directors.

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One More Thing...
Pilot and Air Force Academy Grad Christy Wise Becomes First Female Amputee to Return to Flying

A 2009 Air Force Academy graduate is the first female amputee in the Air Force
to return to flying duty after a devastating accident. Maj. Christy Wise was
paddleboarding in Florida in 2015 when a boat propeller hit her. She lost her
right leg.

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