A massive, 150-page report released Dec. 21 shows wide-spread racial disparities within the Air Force, with Black Airmen reporting distrust with their chain of command and military justice, and a review of data showing Black Airmen are much more likely to face administrative and criminal punishment compared to white Airmen. The Air Force Inspector General’s Independent Racial Disparity Review is based on more than 123,000 survey responses from Airmen, 138 in-person sessions at bases across the Department, and 27,000 pages of responses. The review was launched in June following a nationwide reckoning on race relations in the country, and even those behind the effort were surprised at the response. “The pent-up angst … the volume was surprising,” USAF Inspector General Lt. Gen. Sami D. Said said in a briefing Dec. 21. “When we asked for feedback, I expected to get feedback. But we were just drowned with feedback. So, the Airmen were very eager to tell the story, their story. They wanted their voices heard. So glad we did that element of the review. And I was, at first, like ‘Wow. I realized the response would be high.’ But this was unprecedented, overwhelming. People are eager to talk to use and share their stories.”

Lockheed Martin will buy Aerojet Rocketdyne, maker of rocket motors and hypersonic engines, among other products, in a $5 billion transaction, Lockheed announced Dec. 21. The biggest issue in the potential deal is how comfortable the industry, Congress, and the Pentagon will be with all solid rocket motor work being consolidated with Lockheed and Northrop Grumman. Lockheed CEO James D. Taiclet said that, like Northrop when it bought Orbital ATK, the company will sell to any peer competitor needing such equipment. Lockheed's Missiles and Fire Control and Space divisions would absorb most of the Aerojet work.

Ten years after the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy began to phase out, gay and lesbian Airmen say there’s more the Department of the Air Force can do to support the LGBTQ community. On Dec. 22, 2010, President Barack Obama signed legislation that led to the repeal of DADT, which for nearly two decades blocked openly gay personnel from serving in the military. The policy formally ended in September 2011 after months of preparation within the Pentagon. Air Force Magazine spoke with several gay and lesbian Airmen who said they are better wingmen since the fall of DADT, and are optimistic about a military where the LGBTQ community is better represented and accepted. All have served for more than a decade, including multiple deployments to the Middle East and elsewhere overseas.

Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, now has its second F-35A squadron. The 355th Fighter Squadron officially stood up during a Dec. 18 ceremony at the base, joining the 356th Fighter Squadron, which activated earlier this year. The base will eventually be the home to 54 of the aircraft, and with F-22s at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, will be the home to the highest concentration of fifth-generation fighters in the Defense Department. “The 354th FW has been tasked with standing up two combat-coded F-35A squadrons for a total of 54 F-35As at Eielson AFB,” squadron commander Lt. Col. Samuel Chipman said in a release. “The 355th FS is the final addition to this tasking.”

U.S. Africa Command stood up a task force and began withdrawing forces from Somalia, while at the same time conducting a live-fire exercise to show that American airpower will remain active in the country despite the move. On Dec. 19, AFRICOM activated Joint Task Force-Quartz to oversee the repositioning of troops from Somalia to other bases in the region—called Operation Octave Quartz. The task force, commanded by Special Operations Command-Africa boss Maj. Gen. Dagvin Anderson, comes after the Dec. 4 order from President Donald J. Trump to move almost all personnel and assets from the East African nation. “To be clear, the U.S. is not withdrawing or disengaging from East Africa,” AFRICOM boss Gen. Stephen J. Townsend said in a statement. “We remain committed to helping our African partners build a more secure future. We also remain capable of striking al-Shabab at the time and place of our choosing—they should not test us.”