Daily Report

Black Airmen are wrestling with their own reality in an Air Force that still suffers from its own racial blind spots and systemic discrimination, as civil unrest sweeps the nation following the May death of George Floyd. A dozen Black Airmen—including current and former officers, enlisted members, and civilians—shared their experiences with Air Force Magazine in June, describing how race has influenced their lives and careers, and how the Air Force still needs to evolve.

The F-16 pilot killed in the June 30 crash at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., has been identified as 1st Lt. David Schmitz. Schmitz, assigned to the 77th Fighter Squadron at Shaw, was flying a local training sortie as his squadron is preparing to deploy when his F-16CM crashed on the base at about 11:30 p.m. The cause of the crash is under investigation. Schmitz is a prior enlisted Airman, who served as a C-17 loadmaster before earning his commission through Officer Training School, 20th Fighter Wing Commander Col. Larry Sullivan said in a video. He earned his pilot’s license at 17 years old, before enlisting in the Air Force.

The House Armed Services Committee argued its way through its version of the fiscal 2021 defense policy bill on July 1, ultimately approving the annual legislation 56-0. The unanimous vote is a stark departure from the committee’s 33-24 vote last year, which largely fell along party lines after a contentious marathon debate. In comparison, this markup lasted only about 14 hours. One of Congress’s most traditional lawmaking processes is taking place under the least traditional circumstances, thanks to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Civil-unrest response efforts should be undertaken by law-enforcement authorities, not U.S. troops, National Guard Bureau Chief Air Force Gen. Joseph L. Lengyel said July 2 during an event hosted by the Brookings Institution think tank. “In my opinion, uniforms, I don't care what flavor they are—Title 10, Active-duty, National Guard, Reserve—uniforms being out there in law-enforcement situations is not optimal,” he told Brookings Senior Fellow Michael E. O’Hanlon during a live-streamed conversation about the state of the Guard. “We should do as little of it as we can, and it should be predominantly a law-enforcement, police operation and when they need us, we can and we will come. But we should do what we can to avoid that.” As of the morning of July 2, approximately 570 Guard personnel—including about 60 Air Guardsmen—were still activated in six states and the nation's capital to back up law enforcement in case unrest broke out, down from nearly 41,500 at the beginning of June.

The Afghan Air Force has made major strides in its ability to plan and conduct operations, especially on its A-29 Super Tucano fleet, but it is overly reliant on contractor support to keep flying, according to a new Defense Department report on progress in Afghanistan. The Afghan Air Force, alongside the country’s special forces, are the most capable components of Afghanistan’s military, the Pentagon said in a report to Congress released July 1. The AAF’s strike aircraft, which was “almost nothing” in 2014 now conducts nearly half of all airstrikes in the country even as U.S. airstrikes have surged. The AAF comprises three flight wings and 18 detachments, flying A-29s, C-208s, AC-208s, C-130s, Mi-17s, and MD-530s.

President Donald J. Trump has nominated Lt. Gen. Richard M. Clark to be the next U.S. Air Force Academy superintendent. If confirmed, Clark will replace Lt. Gen. Jay B. Silveria, who graduated from the Academy in 1985 and has led the school since August 2017. Silveria plans to retire later this year, according to a USAFA release. Clark, who currently works as the Air Force’s deputy chief of staff for strategic deterrence and nuclear integration, is a 1986 USAFA graduate and a former commandant of cadets, according to his service biography. Prior to his arrival at the Pentagon, he led 3rd and 8th Air Forces, and served as vice-commander of Air Force Global Strike Command.

On March 23, the Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies will host a virtual Nuclear Deterrence Series event featuring Scowcroft Group Principal Frank Miller. At a time when nuclear modernization programs are accelerating around the world, proposals to recapitalize the U.S. nuclear arsenal are at the forefront of debates over defense spending. Miller will share his insights into the prospects for U.S. nuclear modernization programs and the value of nuclear deterrence in today's competitive security environment. The think tank will post event video on its website and YouTube page after the live event.