Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Feb. 11, 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 Outlines Views on Using Military Power in 1st Pentagon Visit as President
By Brian W. Everstine

The U.S. military under President Joe Biden will use force as a “tool of last
resort” as he aims to bring a responsible end to ongoing wars, though he told
Defense Department employees during his first Pentagon visit he will never
hesitate to use force if needed. “Our country is safer and stronger when we
lead not just with the example of our power, but with the power of our
example,” Biden said on Feb. 10. During a brief speech from the Pentagon
briefing room, alongside Vice President Kamala Harris and Defense Secretary
Lloyd J. Austin III, Biden also promised service members he will “never
politicize the work that you do” and will ensure “every single person is
treated with dignity and respect.”

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Biden Announces DOD Task Force on China Policy
By Brian W. Everstine

President Joe Biden on Feb. 10 announced a new Defense Department quick-paced
review of the military’s overall strategy toward China. Over the next “few
months,” the Department of Defense China Task Force will work to define new
priorities and “decision points so that we can chart a strong path forward on
China-related matters,” Biden told DOD personnel in a speech from the Pentagon
briefing room. The results of that review are expected to be released within the
next four months, according to the Pentagon.

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Space Force Building Plan to Combine Active-Duty and Reserve Service
By Rachel S. Cohen

Space Force officials are fleshing out the details of a unique approach to
military service that combines Active-duty and Reserve commitments, hoping that
design will provide more flexibility for families and ultimately keep people in
uniform longer. The service may decide to keep a separate Space National Guard
as well, Lt. Gen. Nina M. Armagno, staff director at Space Force headquarters,
said during a Feb. 10 Space Foundation event.

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Super Bowl Bomber Flyover Previews Future Tactics
By John A. Tirpak

The formation flyover of the Super Bowl is a signal of future dissimilar bomber
missions, Air Force Global Strike Command said, revealing a series of recent
test flights at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., to explore and experiment with
such pairings. A B-1B flew a sortie with a B-52 on one flight, and bomber crew
members swapped jets to see how the other system is deployed.

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Multiple USAF Installations Tweak Security Protocols After Andrews Breach
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

At least three domestic Air Force bases have changed the way they handle base
visitors since the Feb. 4 breach at Joint Base Andrews, Md., in which an adult
male made his way onto a C-40B aircraft assigned to the 89th Airlift Wing and
sparked a global base security review of all Air and Space Force installations.
However, Andrews was the only base to identify the incident as the impetus
behind its posture shift.

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Lackland Defenders Return from 6-Month Deployment to Kuwait
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Thirty-five Reservists from the 433rd Security Forces Squadron returned home to
Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, on Jan. 31 following a six-month
deployment to Kuwait in support of Operations Inherent Resolve, Freedom’s
Sentinel, and Spartan Shield, the squadron told Air Force Magazine on Feb. 9.
During the deployment, the Lackland defenders “provided air base defense and
base security” at Kuwait International Airport.

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30 Years After Desert Storm: Feb. 11

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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Air Force Reduces Exhibition Flights on New F-35 Engine Woes

The Air Force F-35 jet team that performs at air shows around the world has had
to scale back appearances this year. The problem: a growing shortage of engines
because of longer repair periods, some due to previously unreported shortcomings
with engine blade coatings. Air Combat Command, which controls the F-35
demonstration team, late last month cut the number of 2021 shows by eight
performances, or about one-third, to ensure the flying doesn’t aggravate a
worsening service-wide shortage of Raytheon Technologies Corp. engines.

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Air Force Buys Streaming Data Warehouse for Pathfinder, JADC2 Concepts

The Air Force’s digital directorate awarded a contract worth up to $100
million over five years for a data warehousing capability that will pull
together information from independent systems covering the air, land, sea,
space, and cyber domains to create models and visualizations that will improve
situational awareness and allow operators to pinpoint threats to the homeland
quickly.

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OSD, Joint Staff Double Down on DOD-Wide Data Standards

The Joint Staff and DOD’s Chief Data Office David Spirk have agreed to lead a
new process to set data standards for all future military sensors and weapons to
connect at machine speed—the foundation for success in all domain operations,
leaders of the J6 say.

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Hypersonic Debates Shaped by Politics: Aerospace

The intense debate over the capabilities of hypersonic missiles divides US
scientists and experts along political lines and that is complicating the
Pentagon’s investment decisions, finds a new study by the non-profit Aerospace
Corporation.

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AFRL Pursuing New Partnerships to Support Directed-Energy Experiments

The Air Force Research Laboratory released a notice on Feb. 9 announcing it's
launching a two-step research opportunity to work with multiple partners on
directed-energy experiments.

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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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‘They Are Not Cogs in a Wheel’—Congressional Panel to Focus on Humanizing Issues Regarding Troops in 2021

Entering her third year as chairwoman of the House Armed Services Military
Personnel Subcommittee, Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) said she is on a mission
to further humanize military service members to the massive organization they
serve. Speier, who led the subcommittee to work on sexual assault issues, racial
disparity problems, readiness gaps, and extremism in the military, told Federal
News Network this year will be an extension of the progress the panel has made
in the past.

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Judge to Recommend Whether Ex-AFRL Commander to Be Court-Martialed

Government and defense attorneys traded arguments in military court on Feb. 8,
with the defense for the former commander of Air Force Research Laboratory
contending that USAF Maj. Gen. William Cooley is the victim of a
“conspiracy” to end his career, and prosecutors arguing that Cooley sexually
assaulted a woman.

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‘I Survived COVID-19’: Unofficial Patches and Coins Show Pandemic’s Impact on Troops Overseas

The coronavirus pandemic is being immortalized in a colorful array of unofficial
military patches and challenge coins sold near U.S. bases in South Korea.

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‘He Was Always Smiling’: Wife of Aviano Airman Mourns Loss of Husband Who Died After Contracting COVID-19

Tech. Sgt. Michael Morris always wore a smile and was a “big brother” for
the younger Airmen in his unit, his wife Amanda said. Since his sudden death
last month after testing positive for COVID-19, Amanda and her family are just
taking it one day at a time as they remember him.

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Bill Would Cut over 100,000 DOD Jobs

New legislation would require the Department of Defense to cut its civilian
workforce by 15 percent by 2025, a move that would result in the elimination of
over 100,000 federal jobs based on current numbers.

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Searching the Heavens for ‘the Little Guys’

An astronomer at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., has made a career out of
studying asteroid moons.

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One More Thing...
Lloyd J. Austin III Once Told This Story of Incredible Battlefield Bravery that You Can Watch on Netflix

It turns out our brand-new Secretary of Defense is something of a movie star, or
at least a documentary movie star.

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