Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Jan. 28, 2020
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Edited by Amy McCullough with Brian W. Everstine and John A. Tirpak
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E-11A Crashes in Afghanistan
By Brian W. Everstine
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein confirmed an E-11A Battlefield
Airborne Communications Node crashed in Afghanistan on Jan. 27, but said it’s
still unclear if there were any casualties. US Forces-Afghanistan spokesman Col.
Sonny Leggett said in a statement it does not appear the appear the aircraft was
brought down by enemy fire, saying "Taliban claims that additional aircraft have
crashed are false." The Air Force maintains a small presence of the E-11
aircraft at Kandahar Airfield, which is used as a bridge between communication
devices for forces on the ground.
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Goldfein Says 2021 Budget Buys Connectivity by Accepting Capacity Risk
By John A. Tirpak
Combat platforms are taking a back seat to all-domain command and control in the
fiscal 2021 defense budget, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein said
Jan. 27. Wargames have shown that connecting all platforms with all other
platforms and sensors has a bigger impact than having more platforms in a
notional 2030 fight, he said at a Center for New American Security program.
Space will be a large area of investment, with counter-space capability
included, he said. Other priorities will be logistics and a mix of standoff and
stand-in capabilities.
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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.
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US Airstrike Total in Afghanistan Hits New Record in 2019
By Brian W. Everstine
US strike aircraft dropped more bombs in Afghanistan in 2019 than any other year
since at least the surge in 2009. US aircraft flew 2,434 strike sorties,
releasing 7,423 weapons, according to statistics released Jan. 27 by Air Forces
Central Command. These totals are higher than any other annual tally released by
AFCENT, whose online archives date back to 2009. The previous high was 7,362
weapons released in 2018. There also was a sharp increase in US intelligence,
surveillance, and reconnaissance sorties in 2019.
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French Military Leader Presses US to Keep Presence in Africa
By Brian W. Everstine
The head of France’s military used her visit to Washington to press the
Pentagon to maintain its operations in the Sahel region. “The US support is
critical to our operation,” French Minister of Armed Forces Florence Parly
said during a Jan. 27 press briefing alongside Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
“Any reduction would limit our effectiveness against terrorists.” The visit
comes as the Pentagon reviews the US military’s global force structure, with
the overall goal of reducing personnel deployments in certain areas and
realigning focus to the Indo-Pacific or bringing units home for training. The
Africa review is ongoing, and a review of US Southern Command began last week.
There’s “no decision made, and in due course we will make them,” Esper
said Jan. 27.
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Radar Sweep
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Nighttime Rocket Attack on US Embassy in Baghdad Injured 1
A nighttime rocket attack on the US Embassy in Baghdad injured one person and
caused some material damage, staffers there said Jan. 27. The two staff members,
who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief
the media, did not specify the injured person’s nationality or the severity of
their wounds.
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Imagery Suggests Iran Is Preparing To Try To Launch A Satellite
The imagery, taken Sunday by the commercial firm Planet and shared via the
Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, shows vehicles parked
at a building used to assemble Iran's space rockets at the Imam Khomeini Space
Center in northern Iran. A second group of vehicles is visible at a circular
launch pad that was heavily damaged during failed launch preparations last year.
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SpaceX Presses on with Legal Fight Against US Air Force over Rocket Contracts
SpaceX has taken its protest of the Air Force Launch Service Agreement contracts
to a California court. SpaceX is challenging the Air Force’s decision in
October 2018 to award rocket development contracts to Blue Origin, Northrop
Grumman, and United Launch Alliance.
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Navy Helicopter Crashes in Philippine Sea; 5 Crewmembers Safe
All five crew members from a Navy MH-60S Seahawk helicopter were rescued when
the aircraft crashed in the Philippine Sea on Jan. 25, Navy officials said. The
aircraft, assigned to the amphibious command ship Blue Ridge, went down around
5:15 p.m. local time during routine operations, officials said in a news
release.
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US Dedicates C-130 Hangar to Nigerien Air Force
The US conducted a turnover and dedication ceremony of a new C-130 hangar to the
Nigerien Air Force at Nigerien Air Base 201 on Jan. 22.
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Lockheed Adds Dunford, Former Top US Military Officer, to Board
Lockheed Martin has added Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, the former chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, to its board of directors, the company announced Jan. 24.
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OPINION: Why Does the US Spend So Much on Defense?
“It is well to remember that the real bill includes not just DOD spending but
VA, intelligence, and more,” writes Patrick Collins, a former US European
Command defence economist and a former Defense Intelligence Agency intelligence
officer. “But those who would cut spending must also propose a new
strategy.”
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MilTax: Military OneSource Offers Free Tax Prep
Tax season can be a dreaded time of year for many people, but the Defense
Department's Military OneSource offers the MilTax program to ease filing stress
for service members and their families. Active duty service members and their
families, National Guard members and Reservists, survivors, and veterans who
have left the service in the last 365 days all qualify to use the free MilTax
program, which kicked off on Military OneSource on Jan. 22.
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One More Thing...
Air Force: 'Explosives' Found in Stockton Home Are Replicas
After a neighborhood was evacuated for nearly 24 hours when Stockton, Calif.,
police found apparent military explosives at a home, Travis Air Force Base
officials said Jan. 24 the devices were replicas.
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