Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Feb. 26, 2021

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Edited by Jennifer Hlad with Rachel S. Cohen, Brian W. Everstine, Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory and John A. Tirpak

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USAF Considering Pilot Training Changes to Curb Flight Accidents
By Rachel S. Cohen

The Air Force is considering changes to its pilot curriculum to curb the rising
number of aviation accidents across the service, Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q.
Brown Jr. said Feb. 25. The Air Force saw 72 accidents in fiscal 2020—10 more
than in the previous year, Air Force Magazine reported Feb. 23. Thirteen of the
72 accidents last year caused injury or death, according to Air Force Safety
Center data obtained by the magazine. Air Education and Training Command is
working with major commands that own those aircraft, like Air Combat Command and
Air Mobility Command, on a new approach to flight training.

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TacAir Study Will Determine If F-35 Production Surge Needed
By John A. Tirpak

The Air Force's new tactical aviation study will determine if a surge in F-35
production is needed in order to buy out the planned 1,763 airplanes before the
2040s. But that decision also will depend on funding, contractor capacity, and
the need for complementary aircraft, including the new Next-Generation Air
Dominance fighter, Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr. told reporters Feb.
25.

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USAF Leaders Send Videos, Instructions to Units for Extremism Stand Down
By Brian W. Everstine

Department of the Air Force leadership has distributed videos and instructions
for how local commanders can hold their Defense Department-ordered one-day stand
down to focus on extremism, with the goal of small group discussions on core
values in service. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., speaking
to reporters during the Air Force Association’s virtual Aerospace Warfare
Symposium, said the headquarters sent four videos “to give some situations and
allow me to talk about extremism.” Commanders will schedule small groups to
talk about the dangers of extremism, and how to create “the environment where
all your members can reach your full potential,” Brown said.

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Space Force to Test New Insignia Next Month
By Rachel S. Cohen

Space Force troops will try out new rank insignia for the first time next month,
as the service looks to shake up the traditional chevron design it inherited
from the Air Force. “We’re excited about that, to get feedback and figure
out what that insignia looks like, and new uniforms and all those things coming
up later in the year,” Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force Roger A.
Towberman said Feb. 25 during AFA’s virtual Aerospace Warfare Symposium. The
new insignia will accompany the Space Force’s fresh take on a rank and grade
structure that took effect at the beginning of February.

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For Military Superiority in Space, Start with Safety
By Rachel S. Cohen

The U.S. military has worked in space for decades, providing GPS to the masses
and bouncing combat messages through satellites to troops around the world. In
some ways, though, the Space Force feels like it's starting from scratch.
Officials are looking for ways to keep space safe and maintain an upper hand
while the Pentagon learns how to treat space as it does air, land, and sea.
Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond laid out some of those
foundational concerns during a discussion with famed astrophysicist Neil
deGrasse Tyson as part of AFA’s Aerospace Warfare Symposium.

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Watch: Raymond and deGrasse Tyson Talk Space

At the Air Force Association's virtual Aerospace Warfare Symposium on Feb. 25,
Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond laid out in plain
language the serious threats facing U.S. and allied space capabilities. In a
spirited discussion with renowned author and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson,
the space Chief and the Scientist shared their common view of the value,
opportunities, and vulnerabilities of space in the modern context.

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‘Great Power Competition’ Occurring in Middle East With Interference, Contested Communications
By Brian W. Everstine

The U.S. military operating in Syria regularly confronts “great power
competition” while conducting ongoing counterterrorism operations, facing
regular interference and Russian aircraft close by in a confluence of threats,
Air Force and Space Force officials said. “Great power competition … is
alive and well in Central Command. Certainly in all domains, but certainly where
air and space meet at the confluence of those domains,” Lt. Gen. Gregory M.
Guillot, commander of Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central), said during the Air
Force Association’s virtual Aerospace Warfare Symposium. Maj. Gen. DeAnna M.
Burt, the commander of U.S. Space Command’s Combined Force Space Component
Command, said operations in Syria “day in and day out” look like the Air
Force’s Red Flag exercise.

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Ray Claims Big Success with Bomber Task Forces
By John A. Tirpak

The new Bomber Task Force concept is operationally successful, and is also a hit
with aircrews, whose morale has increased with the flurry of short-term visits
to nontraditional bomber destinations like India and Norway, Global Strike
Command chief Gen. Timothy M. Ray said Feb. 25. Fresh from briefing Congress on
a new bomber roadmap, Ray said there's good support for the new LRSO nuclear
missile, and he expects hypersonic weapons to expand bomber capabilities soon.

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How Airmen and Aircraft Helped Move U.S. Forces Out of Somalia
By Brian W. Everstine

The withdrawal of about 700 U.S. forces from Somalia required a massive
nocturnal airlift, movement of fighters and tankers from the Middle East, and
other overwatch from drones and other special operations aircraft, all planned
and executed within weeks. The mission, called Operation Octave Quartz, came
after former President Donald J. Trump in early December ordered U.S. forces to
leave Somalia and reposition to other bases in the region. The joint operation
was planned and executed “inside of a month,” in a way to protect the forces
that were moving from an adversary “that had the potential to hurt
Americans,” said Gen. Jeffrey L. Harrigian, commander of U.S. Air Forces in
Europe-Air Forces Africa, in an interview.

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Here’s How Air Force Leaders Are Fighting COVID-19 Vaccine Stigma
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

When it comes to easing enlisted Airmen’s reservations about getting the
COVID-19 vaccine, the wisest course of action is to be straightforward and
well-informed, and lead by example, Chief Master Sgt. Brian P. Kruzelnick, Air
Mobility Command’s command chief master sergeant, said during the Air Force
Association’s virtual Aerospace Warfare Symposium. Enlisted leaders can help
ease their Airmen’s nerves through “timely and accurate communication”
that removes emotions and sticks to the facts, he said during a pre-recorded
enlisted leadership panel that aired on Feb. 25. Kruzelnick also encouraged
leaders who are eligible for vaccines to “get up front" and get vaccinated.

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30 Years After Desert Storm: Feb. 26

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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WATCH: vAWS ‘21 Day 2 Highlight Report

Check out highlights from Day 2 of the Air Force Association’s virtual
Aerospace Warfare Symposium.

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US Conducts Defensive Airstrikes Against Iranian-Backed Militia in Syria

American forces have struck at an Iranian-backed militia in Syria that launched
rocket attacks against U.S. bases in Iraq, Pentagon Press Secretary John F.
Kirby said.

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Dozens of House Democrats Call on Biden to Give Up Sole Nuclear Launch Authority

Nearly three dozen House Democrats are urging President Joe Biden to relinquish
his sole authority to order the launch of nuclear weapons, arguing that no
single person should wield apocalyptic military power.

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After Trump, Pentagon Reckons with Fortune Wasted on F-35

The Pentagon has spent about $1.7 trillion on a jet that former President Donald
J. Trump loved to talk about. But the military never got its money's worth.
MSNBC's Brian Williams explains.

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Island-Hopping F-35s Test Pacific Air Forces’ Agility Concept

A pair of jets flew two missions from different airfields on the same day in a
bid to complicate Chinese targeting.

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Space Force Sees Itself as a Startup Trying to Launch a New Product

Chief Master Sergeant Roger Towberman said the Space Force is trying to balance
tradition against a desire for innovation and for doing things differently.

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AFRL Pushes Laser ‘SHiELD’ Flight Test Back, Again

The first full-up flight test of the Self-Protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator
(SHiELD) is now slated for 2024, Jeff Heggemeier, Air Force Research Laboratory
program manager, told Breaking Defense in an email. Some ground testing will be
undertaken between now and then to “ensure system performance.” AFRL
originally planned a flight test in 2021; last summer they pushed the date out
to 2023.

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Military Academies’ Sex Assault Numbers Were Steady, Then COVID-19 Hit

The number of sexual assaults at the military service academies was lower than
the previous academic year, but it likely would have been at least at the same
level had schools not sent students home in the fourth quarter due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report.

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Yes, There Is a ‘Pink Tax’ on Women's Military Uniforms, Report Finds

A new congressionally ordered report into the out-of-pocket costs incurred by
service members for uniform items confirms the long-held suspicion of many
female troops that they're paying more than their male counterparts—and shows
that sometimes the difference is dramatic.

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One More Thing...
52 Years Ago, This Airman Threw Himself on a Burning Flare to Save His Crew

After his aircraft was hit by an enemy mortar round, John Levitow saved his
entire aircrew from certain death.

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