Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Dec. 23, 2020

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Edited by Amy McCullough with Rachel S. Cohen, Brian W. Everstine and John A. Tirpak

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Hypersonic HAWC Won’t Fly This Year Due to Ongoing Test Problems
By John A. Tirpak

The Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) missile failed to fly in a
planned test launch, due to mechanical errors, not the missile design, sources
reported. The problem follows captive-carry test flight issues during the
spring and summer, which led to a HAWC prototype being damaged. The Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency predicted in September it would fly HAWC
before the end of the calendar year, but that schedule will slip to January at
the earliest.

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Brown: ‘Shame on Us’ if Military Diversity Efforts Falter
By Rachel S. Cohen

Change is coming to make the Department of the Air Force a more diverse,
equitable place—but it won't happen overnight, the four-star generals in
charge of the Air Force and Space Force said in a Dec. 22 town hall on racism
and discrimination. “Shame on us if we miss this opportunity to make a change
that's required across our Air Force to make it better, whether it's the Air
Force or the Space Force,” Air Force Chief of Staff Charles Q. Brown Jr. said.
The discussion comes the day after the Department of the Air Force released the
results of an Inspector General report on racial disparities across the force.

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US Space Command Comes Into Focus in Year 2
By Rachel S. Cohen

When the revived U.S. Space Command got up and running more than one year ago,
Pentagon leaders faced the question: They knew they needed the group again, but
how would it work? The organization, which manages operations of the satellites,
radars, and other support systems that enable everything from guided missiles to
troop communications, launched in August 2019. Since then, SPACECOM has built a
staff of nearly 600 employees from across the military, according to Chief of
Staff Brig. Gen. Brook J. Leonard. What has also matured is the command’s
understanding of how the armed forces should work together to use and defend
space assets.

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USAF, DOD Leaders Make Holiday Visits to Middle East
By Brian W. Everstine

Top Air Force and Defense Department leaders visited several bases throughout
the Middle East to meet with Airmen for the holidays, and receive updates on
ongoing missions. Air Force Secretary Barbara M. Barrett, Chief of Staff Gen.
Charles Q. Brown Jr., and Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass
met with Airmen at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, and al-Udeid Air Base,
Qatar. In a Dec. 22 tweet, Barrett said the Airmen “are the ultimate
competitors in a competition-driven security environment—the Nation sleeps
soundly at night because of their efforts.” Also on Dec. 22, Acting Defense
Secretary Christopher C. Miller traveled to Afghanistan in an unannounced visit.
During the trip, he met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to discuss ongoing
U.S. military support and peace talks.

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New Initiative to Tackle Racial Inequality Faced by Military Families
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

The nonprofit Blue Star Families on Dec. 16 debuted a million-dollar Racial
Equity Initiative to diversify the military- and veteran-service organization
communities and ensure that military families of color feel connected, included,
and as though they belong.

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Radar Sweep

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Snapshot: DOD and COVID-19

Here's a look at how the Defense Department is being impacted by and responding
to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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S. Korea Scrambles Jets as Chinese, Russian Aircraft Enter Air Defence Zone

South Korea said it scrambled fighter jets in response to an intrusion into its
air defence identification zone by 19 Russian and Chinese military aircraft on
Dec. 22. Four Chinese warplanes entered the Korea Air Defence Identification
Zone (KADIZ) followed by 15 Russian aircraft, according to South Korea’s Joint
Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

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Five Persistent Misconceptions About Modernizing the U.S. ICBM Force

Retired Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, dean of the Air Force Association’s
Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies, debunks five common misconceptions
surrounding the modernization of the ICBM Force. They include: A land-based
component of the triad is not necessary; ICBMS are “destabilizing;”
extending the life of Minuteman III is more cost effective; “There is no rush
for a Minuteman III replacement;” and “the GBSD award was
non-competitive.”

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Congress Resurrects MQ-9 Reaper Program, Adding 16 Drones for the Air Force

Buried inside the massive $2.3 trillion spending package passed by Congress on
Monday was a $286 million lifeline for General Atomics that will keep the Air
Force buying MQ-9 Reaper drones at least one more year.

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'You Were in the Situation Room, We Were High-Fiving:' Airmen Brief DOD Chief on Hostage Rescue Support Mission

On Oct. 31, members of SEAL Team Six inserted into Nigeria via CV-22 Ospreys and
MC-130J Commando II special operations aircraft to rescue Philip Walton, who had
been kidnapped from his farm in bordering Niger days before. The mission was an
unqualified success: Walton was recovered safely, and the SEALs killed all but
one of his seven captors while sustaining no casualties themselves. The 100th
Air Refueling Wing, at RAF Mildenhall, U.K., sometimes called "the only gas
station in town" because its capabilities are unique to the region, supplied
five of its 15 KC-135 Stratotankers to the mission, supporting the special
operations aircraft from 352nd Special Operations Wing, co-located at
Mildenhall.

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VA Gets Big Funding Increase in Final Fiscal 2021 Budget Deal

The Department of Veterans Affairs will see nearly a 12 percent increase in
total funding under the full-year spending deal approved by Congress on Monday,
another significant financial boost for a department that has seen steady growth
over the last two decades.

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Air Force Graduates its Largest Class of Female Test Pilots and Engineers in History

They soar into the desert skies, piloting some of the most sophisticated
aircraft the world has ever seen. They have an innate understanding of
high-performance aircraft and are always pushing the boundaries on performance.
They are the small cadre of flight test pilots who graduate from the US Air
Force Test Pilot School (TPS) at Edwards Air Force Base in California -- and
this year they include a group of five women, a record number.

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Former Tuskegee Airman Alfred Thomas Farrar Dies at Age 99

Alfred Thomas Farrar, a former Tuskegee Airman, died on Dec. 17 in Virginia only
days before a ceremony planned to honor his service in the program that famously
trained Black military pilots during World War II. He was 99. Farrar would have
turned 100 years old on Dec. 26.

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The Navy Wants To Go Back To Flying The C-130 Hercules As Its Next Doomsday Plane

The Navy replaced a fleet of C-130s configured to support nuclear deterrent
operations with jet-powered aircraft just over three decades ago.

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Space Force To Focus SATCOM Management On JADC2 Needs: EXCLUSIVE

The Space Force is preparing to launch a new effort to manage military and
commercial satellite communications networks and link them to ensure troops in
the field are always connected, even in the face of enemy jamming. This next
stage in the rapid prototyping program is focused on ensuring 24/7 SATCOM
availability for future All-Domain Operations (ADO).

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SPONSORED—VIDEO: 4 Principles of Agile JADC2 Development

Innovation has always been a hallmark of the U.S. Air Force. But with the
accelerating pace of technology development, the service needs a new approach to
modern design to make the latest technologies profoundly more accessible.

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One More Thing...
Operation Christmas Drop Continues for 69th Year Despite COVID-19

USAF C-130s dropped 64 bundles to the 500-island archipelago of Palau earlier
this month, providing aid to people on the islands, while also providing airdrop
training for C-130 crews, according to a Dec. 17 release. “Operation Christmas
Drop is one of those exercises, it’s one of those missions, that you don’t
forget,” said Maj. Joseph Spitz, Operation Christmas Drop mission commander,
in a video release. “It’s got a special place in everyone’s heart who
accomplishes it. It’s something you can’t duplicate in any other sense.”

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