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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.