Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Feb. 22, 2021

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Edited by Amy McCullough with Brian W. Everstine, Amanda Miller and John A. Tirpak

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USAF Launches New Review of Racial, Gender, Ethnic Disparities
By Brian W. Everstine

The Department of the Air Force Inspector General is launching an additional
review looking at racial, gender, and ethnic disparities in the ranks as the
military continues to reckon with issues of racism and equality. The Air Force
released the 2020 Racial Disparity Review in December, citing wide-spread issues
across the department. That 150-page Inspector General report included feedback
from 123,000 survey responses and 138 in-person sessions, with Black Airmen
reporting distrust of their chain of command, military justice inequalities, and
other administrative issues. The Air Force announced Feb. 19 the next review
will expand to additional racial categories: Asian, American Indian/Alaska
Native, and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander. It also will look at gender
disparities, as well as disparities with Hispanic/Latino Airmen and Guardians.

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USAF Instructor, Japanese Student Pilot Killed in T-38 Crash
By Brian W. Everstine

A USAF instructor pilot and Japan Air Self Defense Force student pilot were
killed when their T-38C crashed Feb. 19 at Dannelly Field near Montgomery, Ala.
The aircrew and aircraft are assigned to the 50th Flying Training Squadron at
Columbus Air Force Base, Miss. Col. Seth Graham, commander of the 14th Flying
Training Wing, said the pilots were on the first leg of a two-leg, overnight
training mission when the crash occurred.

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Steady F-35 Price Reductions Likely at an End
By John A. Tirpak

After years of Lot-over-Lot price reductions on the F-35, it will be hard to
drive them much lower in the next negotiation, Greg Ulmer, Lockheed Martin
executive vice president for aeronautics, told defense writers on Feb. 19. Ulmer
said the next three lots will include about 100 fewer airplanes than the current
three lots, and they will be more advanced, making the goal simply to keep the
cost “neutral.” He also discussed Turkey's involvement in the program and
offered perspective on the Air Force's upcoming tactical aircraft study.

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Decision to Base US Space Command Headquarters in Alabama Under Review
By Amanda Miller

The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General will review the Department
of the Air Force’s decision to base U.S. Space Command headquarters at
Redstone Arsenal, Ala., according to a Feb. 19 memo. The review will gauge how
well the Air Force “complied with DOD and Air Force policies during the
location selection process; used objective and relevant scoring factors to rank
the six candidate locations; and calculated costs and other scoring factors
accurately and consistently," Assistant Inspector General Randolph R. Stone
wrote in the memo addressed to Acting Secretary John P. Roth.

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Indonesia Could Be First Non-USAF Customer for F-15EX
By John A. Tirpak

The head of the Indonesian air force said his service plans to order the Boeing
F-15EX, which would make Indonesia the first country beyond the U.S. to order
the jet in that configuration. The aircraft is based on the F-15QA being built
for Qatar. The U.S. Air Force expects to accept the first F-15EX in the next
couple of weeks, a Boeing spokeswoman said.

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Here’s How USAF’s C-130J Wings Are Chasing ACE
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

For the Air Force’s C-130J wings, there’s no one-size-fits-all way to gear
up for agile combat employment, since the different theaters in which they
operate—specifically, Europe and the Pacific—come with unique challenges,
19th Airlift Wing Commander Col. John M. Schutte told Air Force Magazine in a
recent interview. However, wings across the globe traded notes on ACE during a
recent C-130J Super Hercules Virtual Weapons System Council. During the event,
Active-duty, Guard, and Reserve wings shared updates on all things C-130J—from
fleet readiness to training—and collectively made decisions impacting the
whole enterprise.

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Austin Highlights China Threat in First Briefing
By Brian W. Everstine

As a Pentagon task force begins reviewing the department’s approach toward
China, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III used his first media briefing to
reiterate that Beijing is the top “pacing threat” for the military and the
U.S. needs to ensure its deterrence can remain credible. “From the Department
of Defense standpoint … my No. 1 concern and my No. 1 job is to defend this
country and protect our interests,” Austin said. “And so, we in this
department are going to do everything possible to ensure we have the right
operational concepts, the right plans in place, and that we have resourced the
plans with the right capabilities to present a credible deterrence not only to
China, [but to] any other adversary who would want to take us on.”

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Top Aces Brings 1st Israeli F-16s Back to the US
By Amy McCullough

Top Aces Corp., the first company to operate the F-16 commercially, imported its
first four of 29 jets from Israel late last month, President Russ Quinn told Air
Force Magazine. The company plans to bring the fighters back in batches of 12,
depending on market conditions, with two jets coming in every other month. The
goal is to be on contract and flying for the U.S. Air Force or U.S. Navy in
2021.

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30 Years After Desert Storm: Feb. 22

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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AFA Appoints Space Steering Group

The Air Force Association has formed the AFA Space Steering Group to recommend
ways the Association can strengthen its long-time advocacy for space
capabilities and increase its support for U.S. Space Force Guardians and their
families. “The mission of the Air Force Association is to support dominant Air
and Space Forces,” said AFA President, retired Lt Gen Bruce “Orville”
Wright. “We now have two separate and distinct military services in the
Department of the Air Force, and both are foundational to Joint Force
operations. Both also are key to deterring and, if necessary, defeating any
threat to our nation’s security, and are as important in today’s global
strategic environment as at any time in the history of our Association.”

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‘America is Back’—Biden Vows Close Coordination With Allies on Security Threats Like ISIS, Afghanistan

In remarks to world leaders on Feb. 19, President Joe Biden vowed that America
remains committed to its foreign military alliances and promised to work closely
with international partners in addressing the biggest security threats around
the globe.

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Air Force Adds to DOD Mask Guidance

Acting Secretary of the Air Force John Roth issued a memorandum Feb. 16 that
supplements the Defense Department’s new mask policy on military installations
while performing official duties. This updated Department of the Air Force order
continues the COVID-19 fight and ensures military preparedness is maintained, he
said. The secretary’s memorandum supersedes all previously issued guidance.

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Aviano Pays Tribute to Airman Who Died While in Coronavirus Quarantine

An Airman who died last month while in coronavirus quarantine was remembered on
Feb. 19 for his fatherly sense of humor, his loyalty, his off-duty
“shenanigans” and on-duty mentorship to others. The base ceremony was a
chance for colleagues of Tech. Sgt. Michael W. Morris to celebrate his life and
service after his death more than a month ago.

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National Guard Says Mission in Washington Will Conclude By Mid-March

“The mission is to go through mid-March as planned,” D.C. National Guard
spokesman, Capt. Tinashe Machona told the Washington Examiner on Friday. “We
are not aware of any changes to that plan.” The Guard is scheduled to draw
down March 14 with a total expected price tag of $483 billion for the overall
operation.

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MQ-9 Begins Flying Missions From Romania

The 25th Attack Group began flying the first active-duty operated U.S. Air
Forces in Europe MQ-9 Reaper sorties in Romania via remote-split operations as
of Feb. 1. Until now, the 25th ATKG specialized in counter-terrorism missions in
United States Central Command area of operations. They are now building capacity
in the United States European Command area of responsibility to support great
power competition while maintaining a persistent presence in USCENTCOM.

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F-16s From ‘Triple Nickel’ and 510th Train with First European Air Unit to Acquire F-35s

The exercise, known as an Agile Combat Employment, took place at the Amendola
Air Base in Italy and was designed to "ensure U.S. Air Forces in Europe, along
with allies and partners, are ready for potential short- or no-notice
contingencies by allowing forces to operate from locations with varying levels
of capacity and support,” according to the release.

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Kirtland AFB Female Defenders Get New Female Body Armor

After years of wearing the standard tactical vest originally designed for a male
body frame, female Airmen from the 377th Security Forces Group at Kirtland Air
Force Base were among the first Air Force defenders to receive the new issue of
female body armor starting January 2021.

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Governor's Order On Licenses Aims to Ease Military Family Transitions

Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday signed an executive order to direct the Division
of Professional Licensure to improve license portability for military personnel
and their spouses so that they can continue their civilian careers and provide
for their families without interruption.

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Mitchell Institute’s ‘Aerospace Advantage’ Podcast: Episode 11

On this episode, "Flying and Fighting with the F-35: Pilots’ Perspective,”
F-35 pilots Air Force Maj. Justin “Hasard” Lee and USAF Capt. Kristin
“Beo” Wolfe discuss how the F-35's stealth and information dominance
capabilities are changing combat aviation.

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One More Thing...
NASA's Mars Helicopter Reports In

The technology demonstration has phoned home from where it is attached to the
belly of NASA’s Perseverance rover.

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