Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Feb. 25, 2021

View in your Web Browser: [link removed]
Edited by Jennifer Hlad with Rachel S. Cohen, Brian W. Everstine, Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory and John A. Tirpak

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[ Advertisement ]
[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brown: New Force Deployment Strategy Coming, Legacy Not Just Old Platforms
By John A. Tirpak

Airmen will have more predictability about deployments under the new force
presentation model the Air Force is developing, but the application will make
USAF less predictable to adversaries, Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr.
said Feb. 24. He also explained what he considers "legacy" systems, to be
divested to make room for new capabilities and technologies.

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Air Mobility Command to Start Integrating KC-46 Into Limited Operations
By Brian W. Everstine

The Air Force’s next generation tanker is starting to go operational, but in a
very limited way, with the goal of freeing up older planes for combat missions.
Air Mobility Command announced Feb. 24 it is phasing the KC-46 into operations,
by making it available to U.S. Transportation Command for taskings that would
otherwise be filled by KC-135s and KC-10s based on what the Pegasus has been
cleared to do. This, for example, would be state-based refueling of certain
aircraft and possible overseas “coronet” missions to deploy fighters that
use its centerline drogue system, such as F/A-18s. AMC boss Gen. Jacqueline D.
Van Ovost said during the Air Force Association’s virtual Aerospace Warfare
Symposium that the goal is to relieve stress on the other tankers, which have
been in high demand for both overseas combat deployments and to support
exercises and training at home.

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[ Advertisement ]
[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Going Digital Will Take Courage; Fighter Study Looks to 2040s
By John A. Tirpak

Former Air Force acquisition chief Will Roper's transformational ideas on how to
buy new systems will stay on track without him, senior service officials said
Feb. 24. Digital engineering, agile software development, and open architectures
will play a part in all new systems. But sticking to Roper's rapid-refresh ideas
about tactical aircraft will take some courage, Lt. Gen. Duke Richardson said.

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DOD to Unveil New Vision for Joint Professional Military Education
By Brian W. Everstine

The Joint Staff on Feb. 25 will unveil a new vision for developing enlisted
leaders, shaping military education to develop noncommissioned officers who can
lead joint service members to be better prepared for future wars, the
military’s top enlisted leader announced at the Air Force Association’s
virtual Aerospace Warfare Symposium. “No fight has been unilateral. It has
taken a joint effort, a multinational effort to get after the mission at hand.
And that is the model we have to follow from now on,” said Senior Enlisted
Advisor to the Chairman Ramón Colón-López, the first Air Force member to
serve in the role. “So, the joint perspective is critical to the success of
future missions.”

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[ Advertisement ]
[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To Inspire New USAF Tech, Look to Mars Rover
By Rachel S. Cohen

Last week, NASA’s Perseverance rover thrilled citizens of Earth when it landed
on Mars with the promise of a new chapter in red planet exploration. But the
military could also learn a thing or two from the spacecraft’s trip for future
research and development efforts, Space Force Chief Scientist Joel B. Mozer said
Feb. 24 during AFA’s virtual Aerospace Warfare Symposium. NASA “took a very
advanced machine with tons of advanced sensors to a distant, hostile place
without real-time communication or [positioning, navigation, and timing]
infrastructure,” Mozer said. “They put their package right on target, using
automated decision-making and terrain-relative navigation. These are exactly the
technologies that we will need to fight wars in the future.”

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PACAF Boss Calls for E-7s to Replace Aging E-3 AWACS
By Brian W. Everstine

The head of Pacific Air Forces is calling for new aircraft in his theater to
meet the need for air superiority, including a quick short-term replacement for
aging airborne warning and control aircraft and, in the future, the service’s
next generation fighter. PACAF boss Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach told reporters
during the Air Force Association’s virtual Aerospace Warfare Symposium he is
advocating for the Air Force to quickly procure the E-7 Wedgetail airborne early
warning and control aircraft, the Boeing 737-based aircraft already in use by
Australia and South Korea to replace aging E-3 Sentrys that have struggled to
get in the air. “The fact is, we actually need something relatively quick
because of the reliability of the E-3,” Wilsbach said. “It gets harder and
harder to get airborne.”

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AFWERX Aims to Formally Launch SpaceWERX This Summer
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

AFWERX expects to formally launch SpaceWERX—a center for
military-space-centric innovation intended to support Space Force
acquisition—this summer, AFWERX director Col. Nathan Diller told reporters at
the Air Force Association’s virtual Aerospace Warfare Symposium on Feb. 24.
“We are expecting very soon—in the coming months—to actually narrow down
that space topic into what would be our space prime,” Diller said. “That
will be the first prime that will be moving forward under our current plan.”

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How USAF and the Space Force Can Move Forward on Diversity and Inclusion
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

The Department of the Air Force’s new Office of Diversity and Inclusion is
using the findings of the Air Force Inspector General’s 2020 Independent
Racial Disparity Review and the framework the office used during its time as a
task force to mold its future efforts, the office's boss and Acting Senior
Advisor on Diversity and Inclusion Tawanda R. Rooney said at the Air Force
Association’s 2021 Aerospace Warfare Symposium. She said her office, which was
formally established on Jan. 11, is taking a three-pronged approach to its
mission, focusing on how to improve culture, increase diversity, and quantify
its progress on both fronts.

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EUCOM Boss: Russia, China Recognizing Importance of Space as USSF Grows
By Brian W. Everstine

The creation and growth of the U.S. Space Force comes as Russia and China have
recognized the importance of a military presence in space, and the U.S. and NATO
need to ensure they have access to the best “indications and warnings” in
that domain, the head of U.S. forces in Europe said. USAF Gen. Tod D. Wolters,
commander of U.S. European Command and NATO Supreme Allied Commander-Europe,
said during the Air Force Association’s virtual Aerospace Warfare Symposium
that the U.S. military still needs to improve its presence in space to ensure it
can stay ahead of these potential adversaries.

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here’s How Air Force Reserve Command is Training for Readiness
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Since individual readiness is the key to ensuring overall Air Force Reserve
Command readiness, Air Force Reserve Chief Lt. Gen. Richard W. Scobee said AFRC
is being mindful of how troops’ civilian job descriptions and uniformed
taskings line up, and taking a strategic, tiered approach to training them.

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

30 Years After Desert Storm: Feb. 25

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.

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Correction

A Radar Sweep item that ran in the Feb. 24 Daily Report newsletter misstated the
rank of retired Air Force Gen. John Michael Loh. He is a retired four-star. The
item has been updated online.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[ Advertisement ]
[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Radar Sweep

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WATCH: vAWS ‘21 Day 1 Highlight Report

The new enlisted guide to professional military education; the Chief of Staff on
force employment and legacy systems; and the KC-46 begins to contribute. All
this and more from Day 1 of the Air Force Association’s virtual Aerospace
Warfare Symposium.

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Austin Eyes Rolling Back Trump-Era Policy on Special Operations

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III is considering undoing his predecessor’s
last-minute decision to elevate the top civilian Pentagon official overseeing
special operations matters, signaling his intent to continue rolling back the
policies of the Trump administration.

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Air Force Working to Minimize Damage from ABMS Budget Cut

The Air Force is reassessing how to keep the momentum going for its top-priority
Advanced Battle Management System program in the wake of congressional action
last year to whack its 2021 budget request nearly in half.

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Air Force Research Laboratory Wants to Add More Vanguard Programs

The Air Force Research Laboratory wants to add more Vanguard programs in the
coming year while accelerating development of its existing programs, said AFRL
Commander Brig. Gen. Heather Pringle. The AFRL’s Vanguard programs target
transformational science and technology components and integrated systems that
can demonstrate leap-ahead capabilities.

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[ Advertisement ]
[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

General Atomics Tests New MQ-9 Reaper System for AI JADC2 Ops

General Atomics has for the first time flown a new system on the MQ-9 Reaper
that will enable the remotely piloted aircraft to use the kind of artificial
intelligence and other advanced computing technologies the Air National Guard is
pursuing under its Ghost Reaper project.

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Air Force Considers Allowing Airmen to Attend Funerals Without Charging Leave

The top enlisted leader of the Air Force, Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force
JoAnne S. Bass, told Task & Purpose she is a “firm believer” in creating a
bereavement leave category, but there are several hoops to jump through before
such a policy can become real, including Congressional approval. And the Air
Force is also working with other services to possibly create a joint policy.

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FBI, DHS, and Pentagon Officials to Testify on Capitol Riot

Intelligence community officials will appear before senators in their second
hearing examining the breakdown in security during the Jan. 6 attack on the
Capitol. Officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of
Defense, and Department of Homeland Security will appear before a joint session
of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee and the Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs panel on March 3.

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iran’s Latest Indigenous Drone Is a Predator Lookalike

The appearance of the new drone follows longstanding Iranian claims of having
captured one of the U.S.-made Predators.

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One More Thing...
USAF Engineer Pops the Question During FOD Walk at Laughlin

Foreign object debris walks are typically all about keeping things—especially
garbage and aircrafts’ inner workings—apart. But during a recent
safety-driven jaunt at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, two members of the 47th
Civil Engineer Squadron decided to tie their futures together.

[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[ Advertisement ]
[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- Daily Report: [link removed]
- Contact Us: [link removed]
- Advertise With Us: [link removed]
- Purchase/Reprint: [link removed]

- Air Force Association: [link removed]
- Join AFA: [link removed]

- AF Mag on Facebook: [link removed]
- AF Mag on Twitter: [link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Published by the Air Force Association

All airforcemag.com material is under copyright of
the Air Force Association. All rights reserved.

The Air Force Association
1501 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA
22209-1198

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To unsubscribe or change your preferences, please visit the link below:
[link removed]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------