Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Feb. 3, 2021

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

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Boeing F-15EX Makes First Flight
By John A. Tirpak

Boeing's F-15EX fighter made its first flight Feb. 2—a 90-minute hop around
St. Louis, Mo., checking out flying qualities and general systems. No issues
were reported publicly. The jet is one of two that will begin developmental and
operational testing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., later this quarter, after
either a rollout in St. Louis or an arrival ceremony at Eglin. Boeing is under
contract for eight airplanes, but the Air Force plans to buy between 144 and 200
to relieve F-15Cs that are beyond their planned service lives.

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Air Force Unveils New Standards for Enlisted, Officer Evaluations
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

The Air Force is revamping evaluations for Airmen in grades E-7 through E-9 and
O-1 through O-6 and establishing Airman Leadership Qualities on which each will
be graded, the service announced on Feb. 2. These ALQs make up the backbone of a
new, as-of-now optional, form the service has published as a companion document
to the Airman Comprehensive Assessment. “This is just the beginning stages of
constructing a system that clearly defines the qualities we value and need in
our Airmen,” CMSAF JoAnne S. Bass told Air Force Magazine in a statement.

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USAF Intelligence, Cyber Branch Preps Diversity Strategy
By Rachel S. Cohen

The Air Force’s intelligence and cyber operations branch will soon roll out a
diversity and inclusion strategy to strengthen that workforce and the quality of
their analyses. “Diversity, equity, inclusion are critical to our success
going forward. It's a national security imperative; it's in the [Director of
National Intelligence's] principles for professional ethics,” Lt. Gen. Mary F.
O'Brien, deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance,
and cyber effects operations, said at a Feb. 2 event hosted by the Intelligence
National Security Alliance. The strategy aims to address the barriers that
Airmen in certain demographic groups, from racial minorities to mothers, face as
they scale the career ladder.

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B-1Bs to Deploy to Norway
By Brian W. Everstine

U.S. B-1B bombers will deploy to Norway for the first time, in both a message to
Russia and a sign of the growing importance of the Arctic. B-1Bs from Dyess Air
Force Base, Texas, will fly out of Orland Air Base on the coast of the Norwegian
Sea. While bombers have repeatedly flown alongside Norwegian aircraft, this will
be the first time Lancers will operate out of a base in the country, according
to U.S. European Command.

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Despite Big Budgets and New Entrants, Industrial Base Gets a ‘C’ from NDIA
By John A. Tirpak

The National Defense Industrial Association gave the defense industrial base
another "C" grade in its second annual assessment, based on polling data from
member companies. While business is good, companies are finding it hard to get
qualified workers and navigate complex government business rules. With a few
exceptions, the data was mostly collected before the COVID-19, but the few
results that include impacts from the pandemic so far suggest a big hit on the
industrial base is coming.

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Hicks Says She Will Oversee Nuclear Modernization, Commits to Triad
By Brian W. Everstine

Kathleen H. Hicks, who will oversee decisions related to nuclear modernization
if confirmed to be the No. 2 official at the Pentagon, assured lawmakers during
her confirmation hearing on Feb. 2 that she is committed to all three legs of
the nuclear triad. Since Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III, who previously
served on Raytheon Technologies’ board, has committed to recusing himself from
all decisions relating to the company during his tenure, Hicks said that if she
is confirmed as the deputy defense secretary, she will step in for programmatic
discussions on the Air Force’s Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent, the
Long-Range Stand Off Weapon, and “other timely missile defense issues.”

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30 Years After Desert Storm: Feb. 3

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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Virtual Events: AFRL’s Pringle on Mitchell Institute’s ‘Aerospace Nation’
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

On Feb. 4, the Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
will host Air Force Research Laboratory Commander Brig. Gen. Heather L. Pringle
on the next installment of its virtual “Aerospace Nation” series. The
critical technologies under development at AFRL are increasingly important to
national security as peer and near-peer competitors continue to chip away at
America’s technological warfighting advantage. Pringle will share how AFRL is
adapting to this rapidly evolving technology landscape and provide updates on
some of the lab’s most promising research programs. The think tank will post
event video on its <a
href="[link removed]">website</a> and
<a href="[link removed]">YouTube
page</a> after the live event.

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Radar Sweep

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OPINION: To Compete with China and Russia, the US Military Must Redefine ‘Readiness’

“Despite the [2018 National Defense Strategy’s] success in building a sense
of urgency, it has not changed defense investment priorities at the scale or
scope necessary to prepare the U.S. military for great power competition,”
writes Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. and Marine Corps
Commandant Gen. David H. Berger. “While there are several reasons for this, we
believe that a major contributing factor is a fixation on ‘readiness,’ and
how it is conceptualized, by the military services, the Defense Department, and
Congress.”

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Joint All-Domain Awareness

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

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Air Force Hunts for Ways to Use Not-Quite-Ready Tankers

Ten years to the month since Pentagon leaders chose the Boeing KC-46 over a
similar tanker built by European rival Airbus, the plane is still in testing and
is expected to be war-ready no earlier than late 2023, thanks to needed
improvements in its refueling system. “As I look over the 10 years, I have to
say...right now where we're at in the program is we're making lemonade out of
lemons,” Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, the head of Air Mobility
Command, said during a Monday Defense Writers Group Zoom meeting.

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Insider Attacks Against US Troops in Afghanistan Have Dropped to a Historic Low. Here’s Why

For one, the February 2020 peace agreement between the U.S. and the Taliban gave
the latter an incentive to cease direct attacks on U.S. and coalition forces
through those “Taliban infiltrators” described in the State Department
Inspector General report.

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DOD Likely to Miss 2021 Deadline for Counter-Drone Weapon

"Low-collateral effect interceptors" against small drones would be used in
"defeating small UAS in urban environments, over sensitive sites, or situations
where the rules of engagement would not allow kinetic effects," the Defense
Department’s solicitation to industry says.

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Pentagon Chief Purges Defense Boards; Trump Loyalists Out

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered hundreds of Pentagon advisory board
members to resign this month as part of a broad review of the panels,
essentially purging several dozen last-minute appointments under the Trump
administration.

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Austin Creates Safe Haven for Transgender Troops as DOD Solidifies Policy

The Defense Department is making it clear that all activities restricting
transgender people from serving in the military will be put on pause until the
Pentagon can untangle the policies put into place by the Trump administration
restricting those people from participating.

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GOP Congressman: Army Must Push FBI, Congress for More Specifics on Capitol Threats

A Republican congressman urged the Army on Feb. 2 to push for more information
about specific threats that warrant a continued National Guard presence at the
Capitol. Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) spoke on the phone with acting Army
Secretary John Whitley on Feb. 2 after sending a letter last week signed by 10
other Republicans requesting a briefing on threats to the Capitol complex.

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Russia Hints It May Return to Overflight Treaty If US Does

Russia may consider returning to an international pact allowing surveillance
flights over military facilities if the United States reverses its exit, the top
Russian diplomat said Feb. 2.

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One More Thing...
F-117s Cleared to Refuel from All KC-135s as ‘Retired’ Stealth Jets Expand Operations

The Air Force's Air Mobility Command (AMC) has issued a formal order that all
KC-135 Stratotankers are now cleared to execute aerial refueling operations with
F-117 Nighthawks. The order is quite the 'back to the future' directive as the
F-117 was first cleared for aerial refueling operations in the mid-1980s and has
been officially retired for 13 years now, although this really isn't the case
for a number of the remaining ‘Black Jets.’

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