Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Feb. 5, 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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Biden Pledges Tougher Line on Russia, China, and End to Saudi-Led Yemen War Support
By John A. Tirpak

President Joe Biden outlined a return to a diplomacy-intensive foreign policy in
a speech at the State Department Jan. 4. He pledged to “push back” against
Russian and Chinese aggression, and said the U.S. will no longer aid Saudi
Arabia in its war in Yemen, to include withholding “offensive” arms sales.
The U.S. will again stand against human rights abuses and authoritarianism, and
make its alliances its top military priority, Biden said.

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DOD Makes Masks Mandatory on All US Military Installations
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory and Brian W. Everstine

The Defense Department on Feb. 4 issued an order requiring all service members
and civilians on U.S. military installations—whether indoors or outdoors—to
wear a mask to try to limit the spread of COVID-19, with limited exceptions.
However, vaccines against the new coronavirus remain voluntary, and a number of
military family members have told Blue Star Families they don't plan on getting
a shot.

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AFRL Building Space Force Ties, Digital Engineering Plans
By Rachel S. Cohen

The Air Force Research Laboratory is kicking off 2021 with plans to forge closer
ties with the fledgling Space Force and a new focus on digital engineering. AFRL
boss Brig. Gen. Heather L. Pringle laid out the lab’s priorities in a Feb. 4
talk with AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. As AFRL now covers
science and technology initiatives for two of the armed forces instead of just
one, she said they’re working to align programs with Chief of Space Operations
Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond’s top research needs: space security, space
domain awareness, combat power projection, information mobility, and mobility
and logistics in space.

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Congressional Defense Panels Name New Members, Subcommittees
By Rachel S. Cohen

Congressional defense committees are moving forward on their work in 2021 with
the addition of a few new faces and subcommittees. Senate leadership has
hammered out the details of an organizing resolution that dictates how the
evenly divided chamber will operate, opening the door for committee
chairmanships to flip to Democratic control and for members to shuffle on and
off the legislative panels. And the House Armed Services Committee is bringing
on more than a dozen new members and splitting an existing subcommittee into two
new groups.

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Operation Inherent Resolve Reports Uptick in Strikes on ISIS
By Brian W. Everstine

U.S. and coalition aircraft closed out 2020 with a slight increase in airstrikes
against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, as the group lingers in the
region and attempts to regain power. Between Dec. 1 and Dec. 31, 2020, coalition
aircraft conducted 25 strikes, consisting of 41 engagements. This included 10
strikes against ISIS in Iraq, consisting of 25 engagements killing 49 ISIS
fighters and destroying one defensive fighting location, according to a Combined
Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve release. In Syria, the coalition
conducted 15 strikes, totaling 16 engagements. This compares to 14 total
airstrikes in Iraq and Syria in November, according to OIR data.

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AFOSI Investigating Breach at Joint Base Andrews
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

“An unauthorized individual” breached Joint Base Andrews, Md., on Feb. 4, a
base spokesperson confirmed to Air Force Magazine via email. The Air Force
Office of Special Investigations is leading the investigation into the incident,
they said.

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30 Years after Desert Storm: Feb. 5-7

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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Two Guardsmen Dead of COVID-19 Complications, Bringing Military’s Total to 19

California Army National Guardsman Sgt. Goran Dimovski, 40, died Jan. 31,
spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Shiroma told Military Times. Alabama Air National
Guardsman Master Sgt. Darryl Lovell, 58, died Jan. 28, spokeswoman Maj.
Jacqueline Witt said.

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Turkey Prepares to Extend the Life of Its Massive F-16 Fleet after F-35 Embargo

Forbidden from receiving F-35s, and with its indigenous fighter far from ready,
the venerable F-16 is set to soldier on in Turkish service.

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Air Force Will Not Run F-16 Training Flights over Gila, Expanding Existing Space Instead

The U.S. Air Force signaled last week that it will likely expand existing
airspace for F-16 fighter pilots taking off from Holloman Air Force Base in
Alamogordo, N.M., rather than establish new operation areas over the Rio Grande
Valley and Gila wilderness.

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Skyborg Could Develop Multiple Drones for Many Missions

The Air Force is "driving toward" 2023 for initial operating capability for
Skyborg, says Air Force Research Laboratory Director Brig. Gen. Heather L.
Pringle.

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China Claims It Has Conducted a New Midcourse Intercept Anti-Ballistic Missile Test

China is developing multiple ballistic missile interceptors, some of which could
also double as anti-satellite weapons.

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US Military Space Commanders Expect Broad Continuity in DOD Space Policy

The Biden administration's national security space policy is not expected to
depart significantly from the previous administration’s guidelines.

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Colorado Presses Biden to Reverse Trump Space Command Move

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and a bipartisan group of state leaders have joined an
attempt to reverse a Trump administration decision to move U.S. Space Command
headquarters from Colorado Springs to Alabama.

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What the Space Force Is, and Isn’t

While cosmic ambitions are the long-term vision of some military space
strategists, the Space Force’s primary mission these days seems to be
separating fact from fiction, and often science fiction.

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OPINION: Five Progressive Reasons Why President Biden Shouldn’t Cut The Pentagon Budget

“[President Joe] Biden faces a tough challenge holding together razor-thin
Democratic majorities in Congress, so there may be some sentiment within the
administration for throwing the left a bone by moderating military spending,”
writes Loren Thompson, the chief operating officer of the nonprofit Lexington
Institute and CEO of Source Associates. “However, trimming military outlays
might not have the positive impact that progressives expect.”

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AFRL Awards Invictus $98M Contract for Cyber Resiliency M&S Technology

The Air Force Research Laboratory has awarded Invictus International Consulting
a $98 million contract for modeling, simulation, and testing of cyber
technologies to support both the service and wider Defense Department.

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AFA’s Mitchell Institute Launches Second Podcast Series

The Air Force Association’s Mitchell Institute is adding another podcast
channel to its virtual content offerings by expanding its “Aerospace Nation”
video interview series into the podcast format. So if you’d like to hear what
top leaders in the Air Force and Space Force are saying while you are on the
treadmill or on the road, tune into this new outlet. This offering will join
Mitchell’s highly successful “Aerospace Advantage” podcast via all podcast
distribution outlets and may also be found on Mitchell’s website.

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One More Thing...
Mattis Explains What Every Leader Should Know about Leading Troops into Combat

Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has advice for military officers getting
ready to lead troops in combat: Listen to your noncommissioned officers, be
physically tough, and know your troops. Do that, and they’ll make you proud on
the battlefield.

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