Iran has been successful deterring the US and its regional adversaries and extending its influence in the Middle East with a three-pronged approach to defense, centered on ballistic missiles, a multilayered maritime defense and sponsorship of regional proxies, according to a new report from the Defense Intelligence Agency. The DIA also said Iran’s military power could leap in just a year’s time, when a UN embargo on selling most kinds of weapons to Iran expires. Absent a re-imposition of the embargo, Iran could dramatically up its air and ground game. Read the full story by John A. Tirpak.

Deputy Defense Secretary David Norquist told lawmakers Nov. 20 the Air Force needs to improve its system for tracking intercontinental ballistic missile motors, after the service’s fiscal 2019 audit noted 79 motors were listed as being in the wrong place. The Defense Department revealed the issue in its recently released Air Force audit for fiscal 2019. Bloomberg first reported the problem Nov. 19. “They aren’t actual ICBMs and missiles, they are the motors that are used in them,” Norquist said at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the DOD’s failing audit grade. “When they’re pulled out and put into maintenance in the supply system, there was an issue in the accuracy of the supply system because it’s manual, tracking whether they were still on the base and whether they were at the depot.” Read the full story by Rachel S. Cohen.

The Air Force’s annual retention bonus program is shrinking to about 70 career fields in fiscal 2020, while aiming to keep more types of aircraft maintainers and cybersecurity specialists in the service, according to a Nov. 20 release. The Selective Retention Bonus effort offers a piece of more than $150 million to airmen who reenlist in 72 specialties that are struggling with a high pace of operations, low manning, and retention concerns, down from 115 specialties last year. Cyber surety experts and maintainers that handle the RQ-4 Global Hawk, the C-17 Integrated Instrument and Flight Control System, and communications, navigation, and mission systems on the E-4 and VC-25 were added to the 2020 list of people who can see a financial boost if they stay in the service. Airmen can earn bonuses of up to $100,000. This year’s program goes into effect Nov. 21. Read the full story by Rachel S. Cohen.

Two US service members were killed in a helicopter crash Nov. 20 in Afghanistan. Resolute Support issued a statement on the crash, but did not identify either the personnel or the specific services they belonged to, pending next of kin notification. While the cause of the crash is under investigation, “preliminary reports do not indicate it was caused by enemy fire,” Resolute Support said. The statement did not specify the type of aircraft, or where the crash occurred. Newsweek, citing an unnamed defense official, reported the helicopter was an AH-64 Apache that clipped a cliff during an operation in Logar Province.  —Brian Everstine

The Afghan Air Force is under-utilizing aircraft and training the US is providing, which in turn is stressing older airframes and leading to ineffective air support, a Pentagon watchdog states. The Defense Department Office of the Inspector General’s quarterly report on Operation Freedom’s Sentinel in Afghanistan outlined several issues facing the ongoing US-led training mission in the country. While the Afghan Air Force’s fleet has continued to increase to a total of 183 authorized aircraft as of the end of September, that fleet is not being flown effectively as planned by Train, Advise, Assist Command-Air leaders, the IG states. Additionally, US-trained tactical air coordinators are rarely used in Afghan army operations. Read the full story by Brian Everstine.

Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett and Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein visited 455th Air Expeditionary Wing airmen at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, this week as part of their first joint journey to Air Forces Central Command, according to a Nov. 19 USAF release. Prior to becoming service secretary, Barrett was a member of the US-Afghan Women's Council, according to her Air Force biography. But while she has an established track record of visiting Afghanistan as part of her collaboration with its female citizens and businesswomen, this visit was her first time in the country as SECAF, the release noted. “I’m here because it is such an important location, and it is a place where America is making a difference,” Barrett said in the release. “Aviation is how we project power in this area, and the Airmen here at Bagram are a huge part of the reason why those efforts are successful.” Read the full story by Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory.

Two Texas congressmen from opposite sides of the aisle have joined forces to introduce a bipartisan bill to construct a National Medal of Honor Monument in or around the nation’s capital. Reps. Marc Veasey (D-Texas) and Ron Wright (R-Texas) co-introduced the National Medal of Honor Monument Act—also known as H.R. 5173—on Nov. 19 to authorize the nonprofit National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation to establish the structure. The measure would also cement Arlington, Texas, as the future home of the future National Medal of Honor Museum, according to a Nov. 19 release from Veasey’s office. According to Congress.gov, the bill has been referred to both the HASC and the House Committee on Natural Resources for consideration. “The monument will be an inspiration that everyone around the country can stand behind,” National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation President and CEO Joe Daniels said in a Nov. 19 release. “It will help to further shed light on the stories of our nation’s bravest military heroes.” Read the full story by Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory.

A protective coating of carbon nanotubes may help the Pentagon field warplanes and missiles that can survive the intense heat generated at five times the speed of sound. Researchers from Florida State University’s High-Performance Materials Institute, with funding from the US Air Force, discovered that soaking sheets of carbon nanotubes in phenol-based resin increases their ability to disperse heat by about one-sixth, allowing a thinner sheet to do the job. Defense One

Too Many CISOs Delay Cyber Response, DHS Official Says

Agencies must be able to act swiftly to keep their tech ecosystems secure against a constantly evolving array of digital threats, but excessive bureaucracy within the federal cyber community is impeding that quick action, according to Mark Bristow, director of the hunt and incident response team within the Homeland Security Department’s National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center. Though it’s critical to have different groups weigh in on cybersecurity policies, he said, today there are too many cooks in the kitchen to execute a coherent, unified strategy. Nextgov

“A Really Momentous Day”: STRATCOM Welcomes New Leader, Dedicates New HQ