Biden New Commander-In-Chief | New DOD Leaders | Trump Calls Space Force One of His Great Accomplishments

Jan. 21, 2021

Edited by Amy McCullough with Brian W. Everstine, Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory and John A. Tirpak

President Joe Biden delivers his first speech as Commander-in-Chief at the 59th presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2021.

Biden Sworn in as Commander in Chief, Pledges Unity

By Brian W. Everstine

President Joe Biden took the oath of office to become the 46th Commander in Chief on Jan. 20, pledging to unite a country that faces deep internal division and to project strength abroad by repairing alliances. “This is a great nation. We are good people,” Biden said in his inaugural address. “And over the centuries, through storm and strife, in peace and in war, we’ve come so far. But we still have far to go. We’ll press forward with speed and urgency, for we have much to do ..., much to repair, much to restore, much to heal, much to build, and much to gain.” Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took their oaths at a Capitol building that two weeks ago was the site of a violent insurrection while Congress was certifying the election. “Here we stand across the Potomac from Arlington Cemetery, where heroes who gave the last full measure of devotion rest in eternal peace,” Biden said. “And here we stand just days after a riotous mob thought they could use violence to silence the will of the people, to stop the work of our democracy, to drive us from this sacred ground. It did not happen. It will never happen.”

New Team of Acting Leaders Take Command at DOD, USAF

By Brian W. Everstine

A new team of acting leaders in the Defense Department and the Department of the Air Force took command at 12:01 p.m. Jan. 20, leading the military on a temporary basis while Biden administration nominees await confirmation. Immediately after President Joe Biden took the oath of office, former Under Secretary of Defense David L. Norquist became Acting Defense Secretary, following the departure of now former Acting Defense Secretary Christopher C. Miller. And, John P. Roth became Acting Secretary of the Air Force, replacing Former Air Force Secretary Barbara M. Barrett, who worked remotely until her tenure as the service’s 25th Secretary ended at noon, according to an Air Force statement.

Biden Pledges to Repair Alliances

By John A. Tirpak

President Joe Biden told American allies they’ll have a friendlier partner in the White House, pledging to renew cooperation and “engage with the world once again.” The comments mark a departure from the Trump administration’s frequent threats to withdraw from alliances, and its transactional approach to bilateral and multilateral agreements and arms sales.

World Leaders Look Forward to Security, Climate Cooperation with Biden Administration

By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Government leaders from across the globe took to Twitter to congratulate President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on taking the nation’s reigns at a turbulent moment in world history, expressing optimism about the prospect of collaborating with the new administration on topics ranging from security and counterterrorism to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.

Trump Touts Accomplishments Before Last Flight on Air Force One

By Brian W. Everstine

Former President Donald J. Trump on the morning of Jan. 20 took off on Air Force One from Joint Base Andrews, Md., for the last time, after brief remarks highlighting his administration’s accomplishments in adding military funding and creating the newest military service. Hours before President Joe Biden swore in, Trump flew to Andrews on Marine One and boarded the USAF VC-25 with the callsign Air Force One—since Trump was still in office at the time—in front of a crowd of family, supporters, and staff. “What we’ve done has been amazing by any standard,” Trump said. “We rebuilt the United States military, we created a new force called Space Force. That, in itself, would be a major achievement for a regular administration. We were not a regular administration.”

30 Years After Desert Storm: Jan. 21

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.

Virtual Events: USAFA Superintendent on Mitchell’s ‘Aerospace Nation,’ and More

By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

The Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies will host USAFA Superintendent Lt. Gen. Richard M. Clark on an installment of its “Aerospace Nation” series. Clark will share his insights into how the Academy is preparing cadets to face today's global challenges, the implications of the creation of the Space Force for the Academy, what it means to accelerate change in an educational institution, and other Academy priorities. The think tank will post event video on its website and YouTube page after 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.

Mitchell Institute ‘Aerospace Advantage’ Podcast, Ep. 6—Commanding the Air Campaign: The Desert Storm Air Campaign 30 Year Later

Mitchell Institute podcast

In Episode 6, “Commanding the Air War: The Desert Storm Air Campaign 30 Years Later,” Mitchell hosts a conversation between retired Gen. Chuck Horner and retired Lt. Gen. Dave Deptula, the joint forces air component commander who led the air war and his chief offensive air campaign planner. Their air campaign marked a turning point in warfare. As they walk through the planning to the execution of the first attacks, which exploited the advantages of stealth and were based on a strategy of airpower, they reflect on the implications of their success and how it would change warfare and shape the development of air power—and counter air power—capabilities for decades to come. This winning approach contrasts sharply with those that evolved in the conflicts of the first decades of the 2000s, in which our military became entrenched in nation-building. Given the current security challenges facing the United States, the lessons of Desert Storm are more important than ever.

What Biden Should Do With the Space Force

Slate

As the Biden administration prepares to inherit the Space Force, it has a profound choice to make: Is space a commons to share or a territory to defend? Yes, the Biden administration could try to convince Congress to formally change where the Space Force fits into the Pentagon’s organization chart, demoting it from its standing as a branch of the military. But the more meaningful action would be to choose to see space as a commons, breaking with former President Donald J. Trump’s orbital policies that treated a war in space as inevitable—and America’s to win.

Space Challenges for President Biden: Four Issues for the Next Four Years

SpaceNews

As Joe Biden begins the first year of his presidency, there is still much we don’t know about where he and his vice president, Kamala Harris, stand on major issues in civil and national security space. The pandemic and economic recovery are sure to drive Biden’s initial agenda.

Joint All-Domain Awareness

Air Force Magazine

Get a better sense of the drive for greater connectedness between air, space, cyber, land, cyber, and maritime forces. Catch up on all-things JADC2 now.

Who Was the Designated Survivor for the Inauguration? Outgoing Administration Doesn't Say

Military.com

The Trump administration did not reveal the "designated survivor" for Wednesday's inauguration ceremony, and it remains unclear whether the White House named one.

COVID-19 Left the Air Force Overmanned. Now’s Your Chance to Get out Early or Go Reserve.

Air Force Times

The Air Force said Jan. 19 it is offering a series of voluntary force management programs to some officers and enlisted Airmen in a variety of career fields, as part of an effort to fix a coronavirus-driven overmanning problem. The voluntary programs include an expanded Palace Chase program, which allows Active-duty Airmen to serve out the rest of their service commitment in the Air Force Reserve, and limited Active-duty service commitment waivers, the Air Force Personnel Center said in a release.

FCC Rejects Request to Stay Ligado Order

Inside Defense

The Federal Communications Commission voted on the evening of Jan. 19 to reject a request from federal agencies to stall the controversial order allowing Ligado Networks to deploy a terrestrial network in the lower band of the electromagnetic spectrum.

White House, Transportation Department Promote More Dough for GPS Alternatives

Breaking Defense

No currently available commercial alternative can provide a stand-alone backup to GPS, concludes a long-awaited study led by the Transportation Department. While some systems can stand in for GPS’s timing function, none provide robust enough positioning and navigation capabilities, the study concludes.

Innovation Rodeo Finalist Seeks to Increase Security Officer Efficiency

USAF release

Staff Sgt. Jordon Varnier, crime prevention program manager for the 30th Security Forces Squadron at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., was selected to be one of eight finalists for the 2021 Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center Innovation Rodeo.

Trump Didn’t Influence Program Details on Air Force One, JEDI, Says Acquisition Head

Defense News

President Donald J. Trump did not ultimately change the course of either the Pentagon’s Air Force One replacement or JEDI cloud computing programs, the Pentagon’s outgoing acquisition chief said Jan. 19. Ellen M. Lord, who exited the office at noon on Jan. 20 as the Trump administration came to a close, told a group of reporters that despite reported pressures and public statements from the President, Trump’s influence on defense acquisition programs was extremely small.

One More Thing

‘We Did It’: Viral Tweet Helps Air Force Veteran Reconnect with Long Lost South Korean Family

Stars and Stripes (Subscription Required)

Air Force veteran Isabelle Hyon DuCharme had spent nearly a decade attempting to find her mother’s family in South Korea—but it took just three days for the internet to find her relatives after her request for help went viral.