Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Dec. 11, 2019

View in your Web Browser: [link removed]

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

[ Advertisement ]
C3.ai transforms Aerospace & Defense.
See how
[link removed]

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

AFSPC to Become Space Force Under New Policy Bill
By Rachel S. Cohen

Congress green-lit a new Space Force in its joint fiscal 2020 defense policy
bill, under a proposal that would elevate Air Force Space Command to become the
Pentagon’s sixth military service under the Department of the Air Force.

[link removed]

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

Congressional Authorizers Endorse F-15EX Buy, With Caveats
By Rachel S. Cohen

Lawmakers backed the Air Force’s plan to begin buying the F-15EX fighter jet
from Boeing but want to restrict funding until the service provides more
information about the model.

[link removed]

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

[ Advertisement ]
Empowering Disaster Response and Recovery From Space
When a natural disaster or emergency occur, an immediate and seamless response is necessary to
save lives. Operational and situational awareness becomes increasingly important to responders.
If critical infrastructure is down in the disaster zone, then the systems and networks required for
powering the relief efforts are compromised. Ground operations must look to space to solve their
communication needs. Read the full story.
[link removed]

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

NDAA Adds F-35s, Directs Force Structure Strategy
By John A. Tirpak and Rachel S. Cohen

The NDAA funded 60 F-35As for the Air Force—12 more than the service
originally requested. However, it also the Air Force to provide an aviation
force structure acquisition plan by March 1 of 2020.


[link removed]

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

Fasteners Cause Brief Break in F-35 Deliveries
By John A. Tirpak

"Co-Mingling" of fasteners delayed F-35 production for two weeks, but the
aircraft have been deemed safe to fly, Pentagon acquisition chief Ellen Lord
said Dec. 10.

[link removed]

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

[ Advertisement ]
C-17 Global Sustainment
UNMATCHED READINESS
Boeing
[link removed]

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

Congress Wants USAF, SOCOM to Work Together on Light Attack
By Rachel S. Cohen

Congressional authorizers are urging the Air Force to find common ground between
its regular and special-operations forces as the service experiments with light
attack aircraft.

[link removed]

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

Improved B-1 Readiness Showcased in Short-Notice Middle East Deployment
By Brian W. Everstine

The health of the Air Force's B-1 fleet, which spent much of 2019 plagued with
readiness issues, has improved, enabling Air Force Global Strike Command boss
Gen. Timothy Ray to send the bombers on a short-notice deployment to the Middle
East with plans for a full task force rotation in the near future.

[link removed]

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

EUCOM, NATO Increasing ISR Presence With New Aircraft, Deployments
By Brian W. Everstine

US European Command and NATO are bringing in new remotely piloted aircraft, and
repositioning aircraft already deployed to the region, to ensure it has the best
“indications and warnings” of potential Russian activity. But, as always,
more capability is needed, the head of US European Command said.

[link removed]

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

US Airstrike Kills Al-Shabaab Member in Somalia
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

A Dec. 9 US airstrike near Saakow, Somalia, that was coordinated with the
Somalian government killed a member of the al-Shabaab terror group without
harming any civilians, according to US Africa Command assessments.

[link removed]

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

[ Advertisement ]
SimpliSafe
Save on SimpliSafe Home Security.
Exclusive AFA Member Holiday Savings
[link removed]

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

Radar Sweep

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

US Warplanes on Beijing’s Radar in South China Sea, American Air Force Chiefs Say

US Navy missions in disputed waters may get more public attention, but flyovers
have an important role to play, senior military officials say.

[link removed]

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

Navy Grounds 175 Saudi Flight Students After Pensacola Attack

The Navy has grounded more than 300 Saudi military exchange students from flight
training, the service said Dec. 10. The move comes after a Saudi student pilot
killed three US sailors at Naval Air Station Pensacola, the Florida base where
he was undergoing training.

[link removed]

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

North Korea Tested Rocket Engine at Tongchang-ri, Says South Korean Defense Minister

South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo said on Dec. 10 that the test
conducted by North Korea three days earlier at its Sohae Satellite Launch
Station (also known as the Tongchang-ri or Dongchang-ri Missile and Space Launch
Facility) was of a rocket engine: the first official confirmation by the South
Korean government in this regard.

[link removed]
(Subscription Required)

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

3D Printing Can Keep Aging Air Force Aircraft Flying

And the military wants you—to help it make spare parts for decades-old B-52
bombers and other planes.

[link removed]

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

Air Force Aims to Deploy a New Battlefield Weapon: Faster Communications

Military officials are trying to develop systems that instantly push
intelligence to front-line forces, a development strategists say could help
deter aggression by Russia and China.

[link removed]
(Subscription Required)

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

[ Advertisement ]
A Legacy of Partnership Committed to The Future
Pratt & Whitney
Go Beyond
[link removed]

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

OPINION: The Pentagon Is Ignoring Small Innovators

“That’s why I’m proposing a law to give promising small firms an advocate
inside the Defense Department,” writes Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), a member
of the House Appropriations Committee’s defense subcommittee.

[link removed]

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

US Tightens Space Debris Standards; Keeps 25-Year Cap

The long-awaited revision of the rules for managing dangerous space junk set
new, more restrictive operational standards for US satellite
operators—including the Pentagon. However, the new rules stop short of
changing the central prohibition on the time post-mission debris can remain in
orbit from the current 25 years.

[link removed]

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

A New Law Could Finally Force DOD to Compensate Troops Who Suffered from Military Doctors' Mistakes

The 2020 National Defense Authorization Act would allow service members to seek
compensation when military doctors make mistakes that harm them, but they would
still be unable to file medical malpractice lawsuits against the federal
government. If the President signs the NDAA into law, it would mark the first
time in nearly seven decades that US military personnel have had legal recourse
to seek payment from the military in cases of medical malpractice.

[link removed]

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

Court Rules Vets Exposed to Radiation from 1966 Nuke Disaster Can Sue for Benefits

An appeals court on Dec. 6 ruled that elderly disabled veterans who were exposed
to ionizing radiation while cleaning up a 1966 nuclear bomb disaster in Spain
are eligible to sue for disability benefits for their related illnesses in a
class action suit. The US Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims issued a 6-3
decision in the case Skaar v. Wilkie certifying the class of veterans, who have
been denied disability benefits for illnesses they have suffered as a result of
their service in Palomares, Spain.

[link removed]

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

Wisconsin Guard Leader Resigns in Wake of Sex Assault Review

The commander of the Wisconsin National Guard agreed to resign at Gov. Tony
Evers’ request Dec. 9, following the release of a scathing federal report that
found the Guard defied federal law, regulations, and policies for years over the
handling of soldiers’ sexual assault and harassment complaints.

[link removed]

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

One More Thing...
Commanding Space: The Story Behind the Space Force

This featured documentary from the Center for Strategic and International
Studies' Aerospace Security Project and iDeas Lab highlights the history of
space reorganization and showcases several perspectives of the Trump
administration’s Space Force proposal.

[link removed]

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

[ Advertisement ]
Secure, powerful connectivity for your government aircraft.
Intelsat General Flex|Air
[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]

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