Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Dec. 18, 2019
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Senate Sends NDAA to White House, House Approves Appropriations Plan
By Brian W. Everstine
The Senate on Dec. 17 approved the fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization
Act by a vote of 86-8, sending the bill to the White House where President
Donald Trump is expected to sign it into law. Also on Dec. 17, the House
approved a $1.4 trillion spending plan that appropriates approximately the same
$738 billion in defense spending.
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AFSOC Pauses Parachute, Mountaineering, Dive Training Following Deaths
By Brian W. Everstine
Following the deaths of two special tactics airmen within about one month, Air
Force Special Operations Command has suspended all parachute, diving, and
mountaineering training to review safety equipment and procedures. AFSOC stood
down the training on Dec. 3, in coordination with US Special Operations Command
and the larger Air Force.
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Esper: Drawdown in Afghanistan Possible, Would Enable Shift to Pacific
By Brian W. Everstine
The US may soon drawdown forces in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Mark Esper
said Dec. 16. Commanders on the ground say they can accomplish their mission
with a smaller footprint allowing the Defense Department to shift troops to
higher priority locations. “I would like to go down to a lower number because
I want to either bring those troops home, so they can refit and retrain for
other missions or/and be redeployed to the Indo-Pacific to face off our greatest
challenge in terms of the great power competition that’s vis-à-vis China,”
Esper said.
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US Carries Out Second Somalia Airstrike in 7 Days
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory
A Dec. 16 US airstrike near Dujuma, Somalia, killed one member of the al-Shabaab
terrorist organization without harming any civilians, according to US Africa
Command assessments. It was the second American airstrike targeting the group
within Somali borders in seven days.
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Walker Stepping Down as DARPA Head
By Brian W. Everstine
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Director Steven Walker is stepping
down from his position and heading to industry, the organization announced Dec.
17. Walker has led the agency since November 2017, having previously served as
the agency’s acting director and deputy director.
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AFRL Successfully Tests Next-Generation, Long Endurance RPA
By Brian W. Everstine
The Air Force Research Laboratory recently conducted a successful test of a
next-generation, customizable remotely piloted aircraft, flying the drone for
about two and a half days earlier this month. The Ultra Long Endurance Aircraft
Platform, known as Ultra LEAP, is a commercial airframe converted into a fully
automated system, including autonomous takeoff and landing, with a customizable
suite of surveillance tools.
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Radar Sweep
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Air Force General Says His Planes Are Keeping an Eye Out for North Korea's "Christmas Gift"
The United States has stepped up aerial intelligence gathering around North
Korea, including using a newly modified RC-135V Rivet Joint surveillance
aircraft. This comes amid threats from the regime in Pyongyang to send the US
government a "Christmas gift," very likely in the form of a long-range ballistic
missile test.
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Despite US Complaints, Top NATO General Says He’s Working Closely with the EU on Military Projects
Despite a rising chorus of US defense officials crying foul at European Union
efforts to take a larger role in security, NATO’s top officer said that he had
a close working relationship with the bloc and his forces have access to
projects to improve defense infrastructure on the continent.
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Protect Your Data or Lose DOD Business: Maj. Gen. Murphy
The head of the Pentagon’s Protecting Critical Technology Task Force wants to
tighten security controls. That may conflict with the push to streamline
acquisition.
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Air Force Announces New Ways of Learning Digital Skills, Working on Faster Apps
The Air Force is preparing to invest in what it’s calling Digital U, an online
schoolhouse similar to Udemy or Codecademy that will let airmen learn basic
cyber skills or challenge themselves to learn coding languages.
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USFK Ends Curfew
United States Forces Korea ended the USFK-wide curfew for service members
effective Dec. 17. The original 90-day curfew suspension, and subsequent 90-day
curfew suspension extension assessments, imposed from June 17-Dec. 17, focused
on service member behavior, morale, readiness factors, and the capability for
USFK service members to maintain good order and discipline, at all times and
under all conditions.
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4,000 More Afghan Interpreters Could Get Special Immigrant Visas, Thanks to Defense Bill
An additional 4,000 Afghan interpreters who helped US troops in Afghanistan
could receive Special Immigrant Visas, thanks to a provision included in the
National Defense Authorization Act. The legislation means a total of 22,500
visas through the Special Immigrant Visa program could be issued to former
Afghan interpreters—up from the 18,500 limit previously in place.
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One More Thing...
Researcher Receives US Air Force Award to Find New Ways to Make Fuels from Sunlight
Much like previous researchers, Wayne State’s Aaron Rury also seeks to answer
questions about using sunlight to power our world through fundamental scientific
discoveries. In September 2018, Rury received an award from USAF’s Office of
Scientific Research to look for ways to move away from traditional synthetic
methods used to form the chemical fuels we use every day.
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