USAF Space Acquisition Office Prepares for Handoff to New Leaders

Jan. 27, 2021 | By Rachel S. Cohen

President Joe Biden hasn’t named his Air Force Secretary pick yet, or someone to serve as assistant secretary for space acquisition and integration. But when they arrive, they’ll need to hit the ground running.

Once a new Secretary is nominated, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration Shawn J. Barnes and other assistant secretaries will begin bringing them up to speed on the broad ideas needed to get through the confirmation process. Then once the new Secretary is approved and sworn in, they’ll receive more detail on the issues facing the Air Force and Space Force.

“There are no shortage of briefings and binders that are being prepared for incoming staff at all levels,” Barnes, who is performing the duties of the assistant secretary while the Air Force awaits a Senate-confirmed nominee, told reporters Jan. 27. “We’ve got some standing continuity documents that we would start from.”

He said his first priority at the moment is successfully bringing on those political appointees as more open positions are filled. That includes the Air Force Secretary, the assistant secretary for space acquisition and integration, and certain other USAF assistant secretary jobs, as well as some posts in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

“We’ll need to keep them apprised of what’s going on and the work that this office has been doing,” Barnes said of the Air Staff.

Barnes won’t speculate on what priorities his Senate-confirmed successor might hold, but believes transferring space procurement responsibilities to a new acquisition executive will be their “no-fail mission.”

“I can’t have that transfer … and drop the ball,” he said.

Barnes hopes to pave the way for a smooth transition to a space acquisition executive in October 2022. Right now, development and purchases of space assets still fall under the Air Force procurement boss instead of a space-specific position. Congress created the new post despite pushback from some in the Air Force to keep all acquisition programs under one decision-maker.

“We’re working very closely with SAF/AQ to determine what sorts of capability and capacity that this office will need, in terms of people, in terms of facilities and networks and clearances and all those kinds of things, so that we can do that service acquisition executive job once that responsibility moves over,” he said.

They are likewise considering what authorities and relationships the assistant secretary will need to work best with commercial companies driving to a boom in new space innovation, as well as ally and partner countries.

“Fundamentally, that integration has a similar theme, which is we’re trying to expand on our overall set of capabilities that we can call on, whether that’s a service that we purchase, or it’s a service that we rely on by an ally,” Barnes said. The specifics of how you would do that with a commercial company is very different than the specifics of how you would do that with a close ally.”

The Air Force’s space integration team will also inherit the work of finishing ongoing and future acquisition and personnel reports to Congress, including one detailing the space aspects of broader procurement reforms underway in DOD.

“I have started to work with the folks in the [Pentagon acquisition and sustainment office] on this,” Barnes said. “We’re working with [the Air Force acquisition branch] and we’ll work with the Space Force to pull that together. I do not see it as a significant hurdle to be able to accomplish that report in the timeframe that’s required—I believe it was mid-May.”

Barnes told reporters in December he would continue doing the top job “into the May timeframe” as well, though Biden could nominate someone to take over before then.

“If the administration nominates and [the] Senate confirms someone earlier, there will be no one happier than me, and I can move into the deputy position by being the deputy, and not being both the deputy and performing the duties of [assistant secretary],” he said.

Defense Committees Begin Taking Shape

Jan. 27, 2021 | By Rachel S. Cohen

Membership on congressional committees that oversee defense spending and policy is beginning to take shape almost a month into the new session.

Democrats named to the House Armed Services Committee as of Jan. 27 are Reps. Marilyn Strickland (Wash.), Stephanie Murphy (Fla.), Jimmy Panetta and Sara Jacobs (Calif.), Kai Kahele (Hawaii), Joseph Morelle (N.Y.), and Marc Veasey (Texas), according to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office.

Republicans joining the committee include Reps. Mike Johnson (La.), Mark Green (Tenn.), Stephanie Bice (Okla.), Scott Franklin (Fla.), Lisa McClain (Mich.), Jerry Carl (Ala.), Blake Moore (Utah), and Pat Fallon and Ronny Jackson (Texas). Alabama Rep. Mike Rogers, now the top Republican on the panel, announced the picks Jan. 27.

Seven Republicans and two Democrats on HASC, including former Ranking Member Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), opted not to return for the 117th Congress, which began Jan. 3.

On the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) is taking over as chair following the retirement of Indiana Democrat Rep. Pete Visclosky. California Republican Rep. Ken Calvert will serve as ranking member.

The rest of the subcommittee will be comprised of Democratic Reps. Tim Ryan and Marcy Kaptur (Ohio), C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (Md.), Henry Cuellar (Texas), Derek Kilmer (Wash.), Pete Aguilar (Calif.), Cheri Bustos (Ill.), Charlie Crist (Fla.), and Ann Kirkpatrick (Ariz.). Appropriations Committee Chair Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) will serve as an ex-officio member.

Republicans have not announced who will represent the GOP on the defense subcommittee this term. House committee recommendations need to be approved by the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, the House Democratic Caucus, and the Republican Conference.

Committee assignments are still murky on the Senate side. Though Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) is preparing to take over as chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, senators are waiting on chamber leadership to agree on how Democrats and Republicans will share power—and allocate committee seats—in the legislative body now split 50-50 between parties.

Three members are off the committee after losing the election: former Sens. David Perdue (R-Ga.), Martha McSally (R-Ariz.), and Doug Jones (D-Ala.). The Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee similarly lost Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Tom Udall (D-N.M.) to retirement. Others may leave as well to pursue interests on other committees.

Some speculate that newly sworn-in Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), the former Navy pilot and NASA astronaut, could take McSally’s place representing Arizona on SASC. Jake Best, a spokesperson for Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) said it’s possible the senator could join that panel.

“That’s an area he’s definitely worked on in the past,” Best said. “There could be some interest.”

Ossoff—who became the Senate’s youngest member at age 33 after beating Perdue in a runoff election this month—was the legislative assistant for foreign affairs and defense policy to Georgia Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson from 2007 to 2012.

Chip Unruh, a spokesperson for Reed, recently reminded reporters that “everyone who was on SASC last Congress and is still a senator in the 117th Congress remains frozen in place right now.”

Senators are working through the multistep process of switching the party in power on committees, after Democrats took control of the chamber thanks to Vice President Kamala Harris as the tiebreaking 51st vote.

First, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) must come to a power-sharing agreement. Then the parties will finalize committee assignments for their members, after which the Senate will formally adopt its organizational rules and install new committee chairs, Unruh said.

“Once a power sharing deal is reached and once committees formally organize, then Jack Reed will become chairman of SASC,” he said. “When will the official change happen? I wish I knew.”

Organizational limbo isn’t stopping the committees from moving ahead, though. SASC has already held hearings on the nomination of Lloyd J. Austin III to be Defense Secretary, and scheduled a Feb. 2 hearing to consider Kathleen H. Hicks for deputy defense secretary. HASC will also hold a public planning meeting to prepare for the year on Feb. 3.

DOD to Prioritize Climate Change Following Biden’s Executive Order

Jan. 27, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

The Pentagon will incorporate the “implications of climate change” in its wargaming, analysis, simulations, and its upcoming National Defense Strategy after President Joe Biden on Jan. 27 signed new executive actions aimed at addressing the issue across the whole government.

“The order clearly establishes climate considerations as an essential element of U.S. foreign policy and national security,” according to the White House. It directs a National Intelligence Estimate on security implications of climate change and elevates the special presidential envoy for climate to the National Security Council.

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III, in a statement following the executive actions, said the Pentagon is taking immediate steps “to prioritize climate change considerations in our activities and risk assessments, [and] to mitigate this driver of insecurity.”

In addition to the risk analysis in wargaming, the Defense Department will pursue ways to change its own carbon footprint, so DOD “can also be a platform for positive change, spurring the development of climate-friendly technologies at scale,” Austin wrote.

The Pentagon in 2010 began acknowledging the impacts of climate change on its missions, and bases have seen increased threats from extreme weather, Lloyd said. In 2019, 79 installations around the world faced “climate-related impacts,” he added.

“We know first-hand the risk that climate change poses to national security because it affects the work we do every day,” Austin said.

The Air Force has been at the forefront of these challenges. In March 2019, a Pentagon analysis found that the department’s base infrastructure is most at risk of all the services from climate change threats, such as recurrent flooding, drought, desertification, wildfires, and thawing permafrost. The report came after Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., was massively damaged by a hurricane in October 2018, and while Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., was still recovering from extreme flooding.

Climate change is also central to the Air Force’s first-ever Arctic strategy, with its impacts changing both current missions and long-term planning. For example, thawing permafrost and accelerating coastal erosion is putting the Air and Space Force’s “already sparse infrastructure at risk,” according to the strategy.

“The environment is often the greatest adversary that we face when we are undertaking operations,” and in the Arctic in particular, the reduction in permafrost has destabilized hangars and runways, and impacted the “very precise tracking capabilities” the service relies on, former Air Force Secretary Barbara M. Barrett said in November.

30 Years After Desert Storm: Jan. 28

Jan. 27, 2021

In commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of Operation Desert Storm, Air Force Magazine is posting daily recollections from the six-week war, which expelled Iraq from occupied Kuwait.

Jan. 28:

Baghdad radio announces that at least one captured coalition pilot has been killed and others have been hurt in raids.
A Scud missile attack on Israel hits Arab villages in the West Bank.

Check out our complete chronology of the Gulf War, starting with Iraq’s July 1990 invasion of Kuwait and running through Iraq’s April 1991 acceptance of peace terms.

Boeing’s KC-46 Cost Overruns Surpass $5 Billion

Jan. 27, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

Boeing on Jan. 27 reported another $275 million charge to its KC-46 program, pushing the total cost overruns it is responsible for to more than $5 billion in the past six years—more than the initial contract award for the tanker.

The fourth quarter total means 2020 saw more than $1.3 billion in overruns for the program, a cost the company said in its earnings report was “primarily due to production inefficiencies, including impacts of COVID-19 disruption.” The 2020 total is more than any previous year, according to a review of the company’s prior year earnings reports.

Because of the nature of the contract, the company is responsible for all costs above the $4.9 billion award.

The year wasn’t all bad news for the KC-46, however. The company delivered 14 of the new tankers in 2020 and is finalizing fixes to the KC-46’s long-troubled remote vision system, set to be installed in about three years. This month alone, the company has received $3.8 billion for production lots five and six.

Boeing Defense and Space in 2020 reported $26.26 billion in total revenue, an increase from the previous year. In the report, the company touted an airborne early warning and control upgrade contract for South Korea, along with an engineering design review for Wideband Global SATCOM-11+ and the critical design review for the Space Launch System Exploration Upper State for NASA.

Overall, however, 2020 saw a record downturn for the company. Boeing reported $11.9 billion in total losses, driven by reduced demand for air travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic, continued problems with the 737 Max, and a charge related to a delay in the deliveries of its 777X.

“Our balanced portfolio of diverse defense, space, and services programs continues to provide important stability as we lay the foundation for our recovery,” Boeing CEO David L. Calhoun said in a release. “While the impact of COVID-19 presents continued challenges for commercial aerospace into 2021, we remain confident in our future, squarely focused on safety, quality, and transparency as we rebuild trust and transform our business.”

Improperly Stored Chemicals Caused June 2020 Kadena Fire

Jan. 27, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

Improperly stored calcium hypochlorite caused a fire last summer that destroyed the hazardous material storage building at Kadena Air Base, Japan, and caused about 120 people to seek medical care, according to a recently released Air Force investigation.

The fire at the 18th Logistics Readiness Squadron’s building destroyed the 1950s-era structure and everything inside, at a loss of $2.6 million. It forced the closure of the base’s flight line for about an hour and 40 minutes, requiring three aircraft to divert to other bases, according to the Air Force Ground Investigation Board report released Jan. 25.

The morning of June 22, 2020, five Airmen with the squadron reported to the facility, Building 3150, to repackage pallets of calcium hypochlorite for disposal. The chemicals had been stored in what photographs showed as decrepit conditions, with pallets falling over, boxes rupturing, and granules spilling onto the floor. Calcium hypochlorite is not itself flammable, but has “strong oxidizing potential” that could ignite combustible materials such as paper and cardboard, according to the report.

The chemical needs to be stored in a cool, dry, and well-ventilated location. However, Building 3150 wasn’t well ventilated and didn’t have climate control. Inspections and unscheduled maintenance the prior year showed poor lighting, materials not stored properly, no fire suppression, an old metal roof held up by wooden beams, and the building itself wasn’t secured after inspectors cut the outside gate.

The investigation found that the CH had not been stored properly for about 20 months, and Airmen just 11 days before had another incident with the chemical as a bag began to emit gas, causing the building to be evacuated and fire crews to respond to douse the bag.

**Graphic: USAF Ground Investigation Board report**

About 90 minutes into the job on June 22, an Airman felt heat radiating from a pallet of the chemical. Within minutes, the pallet in the corner of the building began to smoke and then flames began, the report states.

The five Airmen evacuated the building, and fire crews responded within about two minutes to establish a cordon around the facility and to attack the fire with water.

The blaze burned for four and a half hours, with heavy smoke covering part of the base. Despite several announcements that chlorine gas particles were released in the fire, the investigation states that bioenvironmental teams did not detect traceable amounts of chlorine in the smoke plume.

About a three-square-kilometer area of the base had to be evacuated and the airfield closed. That day, 115 U.S. military, civilian, dependent, and retiree personnel sought medical care, with one Active duty Airman admitted to the hospital and released the next day. Five Japanese employees also submitted injury reports.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify that while base and local health officials warned of chlorine gas exposure, investigators did not detect chlorine gas particles.

Barksdale B-52 Flies Direct to the Middle East

Jan. 27, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

A B-52 flew a long-range direct sortie from Barksdale Air Force Base, La., to the Middle East on Jan. 27, the third such flight this year and the first under the new Biden administration.

The bomber from the 2nd Bomb Wing flew the “presence patrol” over the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia, linking up with Air Forces Central Command F-15Es, F-16s, KC-10s, and KC-135s, according to a U.S. Central Command release. The bomber also flew alongside Royal Saudi Air Force F-15s.

“This long-range, short-duration, defensive mission was intended to demonstrate the U.S. military’s ability to deploy airpower anywhere in the world to deter potential aggression and showcase the U.S. commitment to regional security,” CENTCOM said in the statement.

The flight is the sixth in about three months, and the third in 2021. The Air Force has been sending Stratofortresses to the region as a show of strength and deterrence as tensions with Iran remain high.

Within the past year, the service moved away from long-duration deployments of the bombers and instead flies the long-range bomber task force flights roundtrip from home bases in the U.S.

30 Years After Desert Storm: Jan. 27

Jan. 26, 2021

In commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of Operation Desert Storm, Air Force Magazine is posting daily recollections from the six-week war, which expelled Iraq from occupied Kuwait.

Jan. 27:

F-111s, using GBU-15 guided bombs, destroy oil-pumping manifold at a Kuwaiti terminal, drastically reducing the flow of oil into Gulf.
Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. announces the coalition has attained air supremacy.
F-16 “Killer Scout” operations begin.

Check out our complete chronology of the Gulf War, starting with Iraq’s July 1990 invasion of Kuwait and running through Iraq’s April 1991 acceptance of peace terms.

Space Planning Teams Grow Across Defense Department

Jan. 26, 2021 | By Rachel S. Cohen

U.S. Space Command now has a planning team embedded in “about seven” other combatant commands, spurring broader use of space assets in everyday operations, Gen. James H. Dickinson said Jan. 26.

That leaves only a few combatant commands without an integrated planning element for space, though the USSPACECOM boss did not say which ones have yet to stand up their own group.

The Defense Department has 10 combatant commands other than USSPACECOM, which directs the people and resources provided by the new Space Force and similar units around the world. The groups help ensure that each organization accounts for space assets like satellites and radars in their daily missions—what they can do, how they should be protected, and if they are available—as well as offering a line back to SPACECOM about how best to support those regional operations.

“We’re in the process of making sure each of the 10 combatant commands have that respective element,” Dickinson said at an event hosted by AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.

Gen. James H. Dickinson, commander of U.S. Space Command, speaks with retired Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, dean of AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, during a virtual Aerospace Nation Space Power Forum on Jan. 26, 2021.

Former SPACECOM commander Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond, now head of the Space Force, told Congress in 2019 that U.S. Strategic Command, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and U.S. European Command had teams in place to “better synchronize space planning” for their own missions. A recent SPACECOM release noted that U.S. Southern Command has a planning element chief as well.

When Dickinson appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing last July, he said the existing teams had two or three people and would continue to grow. Each planning element is led by an officer at the O-6 level, he added: colonels in the Army, Air Force, Space Force, and Marine Corps, or a Navy captain.

It’s one way of further intertwining space into combat ops rather than seeing it as secondary to air, land, and sea power.

In addition to hosting a space planning team, U.S. Cyber Command is similarly offering its own cyber planners to SPACECOM as well.

“This will help us in our efforts to make sure that as we stand up U.S. Space Command, that we are implementing the cyber protection, cyber capabilities that we need to, right from the very beginning,” Dickinson said last year. “You have two domains where you don’t necessarily … see physically what’s going on in each of those domains, so our ability to work together is critical.”