Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Dec. 13, 2019

View in your Web Browser: [link removed]

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

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

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

Authorizers Make Few Changes to USAF Nuclear Programs
By Rachel S. Cohen

After a heated partisan fight over the Pentagon's nuclear modernization efforts,
House and Senate authorizers agreed to let the Air Force's key strategic
programs move forward relatively unscathed.

[link removed]

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

Lawmakers Suggest Sensor Fusion, AI for ABMS
By Rachel S. Cohen

Lawmakers have slowly gotten on board with the Air Force’s Advanced Battle
Management System concept, which is intended to replace the E-8C Joint STARS
aircraft, but they still want more information. ABMS will piece together
airborne and ground sensors with space systems to better understand the
battlespace and improve communications. Past legislation called for quarterly
updates, and a provision in the compromise version of the fiscal 2020 defense
policy bill released Dec. 9 built on that request. “The Air Force should
consider prototyping and demonstrating the utility of artificial intelligence
and automated sensor fusion as part of the ABMS concept,” lawmakers wrote in
legislative documents accompanying the bill.

[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]

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

Air Force Tests New Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile
By Brian W. Everstine

The Air Force and the Strategic Capabilities Office on Dec. 12 tested a
prototype version of a conventional, ground-launched, intermediate-range
ballistic missile at Vandenberg AFB, Calif. The Air Force launched the new
missile at 8:30 a.m. Pacific time. It “exited its static launch stand and
terminated in the open ocean” after flying for more than 500 kilometers,
according to a Defense Department statement. The test is the latest step in the
development of new intermediate-range capabilities, following the United
States’ decision to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
in August.

[link removed]

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

455th AEW: No US, Coalition Deaths in Suicide Bombing Near Bagram
By Brian W. Everstine and Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

The impact of the Dec. 11 Taliban attack on Bagram AB, Afghanistan, extended
beyond the hospital targeted outside the installation’s fence line, damaging
US military facilities within the perimeter of the heavily fortified base. No US
or coalition troops were killed in the suicide bombing or ensuing shootout,
though at least five allied soldiers were injured. Insurgents targeted an
under-construction medical facility attached to the sprawling base. The attack,
which began with suicide bombing on the hospital, killed at least two and
wounded at least 73, The New York Times reported. The firefight, which included
US forces, lasted about 12 hours.

[link removed]

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

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

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

DOD: Increased Security Will Impact Trainees from All Nations Training in US
By Brian W. Everstine

The Pentagon is looking at how it vets Saudi Arabian students who come to the US
for training following the Dec. 6 shooting at NAS Pensacola, Fla., but that
review will eventually expand to all international students. The US Navy halted
the flight training of more than 300 students—a decision made by Defense
Secretary Mark Esper, Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence Joseph Kernan,
and US Northern Command boss USAF Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy. While there has
not been a prohibition on new students entering the US, incoming international
students will now go through a new vetting process.

[link removed]

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

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

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

Radar Sweep

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

Airman Found Dead at Laughlin Dorm; Investigation Under Way

A 19-year-old airman from Paterson, N.J., was found dead in his dorm room at
Laughlin AFB, Texas, on Dec. 9, the base said. An investigation is ongoing into
the death of A1C Jerry Nolasco-Peralta, Laughlin said in a release Dec. 10.

[link removed]

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

Wright-Patt Becomes First Active-Duty Purple Heart Base

Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, has joined the Purple Heart Trail community as the
first Active Duty Purple Heart Base. A public designation ceremony at the
National Museum of the United States Air Force commemorated the moment on Dec.
10 at Carney Auditorium.

[link removed]

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

Top General: Military Won’t Be a ‘Raping, Burning, and Pillaging’ Gang after Trump’s War Crimes Pardons

The military’s top officer on Dec. 11 defended efforts to maintain discipline
in the ranks amid stiff questioning from lawmakers on whether President Donald
Trump’s intervention in the cases of three service members accused or
convicted of war crimes will create chaos on the battlefield.

[link removed]

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

Defense Policy Bill Establishes a Defense Civilian Training Corps

The newly released compromise version of the annual defense policy bill will
establish a civilian training corps to address skills gaps at the Defense
Department.

[link removed]

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

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

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

What the Defense Department’s Cyber Certification Will Mean for Small Businesses

The Pentagon lead for the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program
argued the move will be good for small contractors. And for those that don’t
want to comply: Good riddance.

[link removed]

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

Before Pensacola Shooting, Foreign Military Programs Had Years of Troubles

The US is training thousands of foreign service members. But some of them have
disappeared. Others went on to commit human rights abuses at home.

[link removed]
(Subscription Required)

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

ACC Releases Fitness Guidance for Pregnant Airmen

In an effort to improve the fitness program for airmen during the stages of
pregnancy, the Air Combat Command Surgeon General directorate recently released
new guidance. The guidance is called “Conditioning/Reconditioning (Fitness)
Program for Airmen During and After Pregnancy,” and it implements immediate
changes to the fitness program. It also establishes additional fitness and
educational opportunities for pregnant airmen to enhance their physical
wellness.

[link removed]

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

The First Woman Has Made It through SEAL Officer Screening

At the quarterly meeting of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the
Services in December, a Navy official disclosed that the woman had reached the
end of the physically and mentally demanding two-week SOAS process in September.
Ultimately, however, she was not selected for a SEAL contract, officials said.

[link removed]

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

One More Thing...
Special Operations Command Made a Mind-Reading Kit for Elite Troops

As tomorrow’s elite soldiers work to persuade local populations to support
them, they may be able to sense how their messages are being received by
detecting invisible biometric signals. Or when pinned down by enemy fire, they
may make hand gestures to designate targets for close air support, or operate
swarms of drones with just a few voice commands. Those were just a few of the
superhuman abilities that researchers at US Special Operations Command recently
showed off in a series of demonstrations that brought together sensors, data,
and AI, SOFWERX chief technology officer Brian Andrews said Tuesday at Defense
One’s Genius Machines event in Tampa, Fla.

[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]

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