Austin Becomes 1st Black Defense Secretary

Austin Becomes 1st Black Defense Secretary

Jan. 22, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

Lloyd Austin was sworn in as Defense Secretary on Jan. 22, shortly after the Senate confirmed his nomination, becoming the first Black person to hold the position. He assumes the top Defense Department job just one day after Congress approved a waiver allowing him to lead the Pentagon five years after he retired from Active duty.

Austin, who retired in 2016 as the four-star commander of U.S. Central Command after 40 years in service, becomes President Joe Biden’s Defense Secretary after a quick and relatively easy confirmation process, despite consternation from many lawmakers about the further erosion of civilian oversight of the military.

The Senate’s confirmation vote of 93-2 came the day after the chamber approved the waiver by a vote of 69-27, avoiding the seven-year “cooling off” period required for military officials to become the civilian leader of the Pentagon. The Senate moved quickly, voting immediately after the House approved the waiver by a vote of 326-78, with 28 not voting. Republican Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Josh Hawley of Missouri voted no on the nomination.

Immediately following the vote, Austin was administratively sworn in at the Pentagon and had several meetings to prepare him for his new role, including an intelligence briefing, a briefing on COVID-19 with service Secretaries and combatant command leaders, a phone call with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, and operational briefings about China and the Middle East.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Vice President Kamala Harris will ceremoniously swear in Austin during an event Jan. 25 at the White House.

In a message to the force, Austin wrote that he is “honored to have this chance to serve again and to do so alongside you and your families.” He said his job is to make the military more effective at doing its job.

“That means ensuring you have the tools, technology, weapons, and training to deter and defeat our enemies,” he wrote. “It means establishing sound policy and strategy and assigning you clear missions. It means putting a premium on cooperation with our allies and partners. And it means living up to our core values, the same ones our fellow citizens expect of us.”

Austin said told troops their mission to help the country overcome the COVID-19 pandemic will continue.

“None of us succeeds at this business alone. Defending the country requires teamwork and cooperation,” he wrote. “It requires a certain humility, a willingness to learn, and absolute respect for one another. I know you share my devotion to these qualities. I am proud to be back on your team.”

Austin met with House leaders behind closed doors shortly before the waiver vote on Jan. 21, and multiple lawmakers changed their minds to approve the waiver after the meeting. Austin spent a large portion of his Jan. 19 confirmation hearing attempting to assure lawmakers he is committed to ensuring civilians control the military.

“I would not be here asking for your support if I felt that I was unable or unwilling to question people with whom I once served, in operations I once led, or [if I was] too afraid to speak my mind to you or the President,” Austin told Senators.

The confirmation makes history as Austin becomes the first Black Defense Secretary, just about six months after Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. became the military’s first Black uniformed service leader.

Throughout his career, Austin also served as the vice chief of staff of the Army, the commanding general of U.S. Forces-Iraq, and the director of the Joint Staff, among many other assignments. After retiring, he served on the board of Raytheon Technologies and told Senators in the hearing that he would recuse himself from decisions related to the company for the entirety of his term, even though the requirement is just one year.

“We congratulate Lloyd Austin on assuming his new job as Secretary of Defense,” said Air Force Association President and retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Bruce “Orville” Wright. “It was an honor to serve with him not too many years ago in the Pentagon, and I look forward to working with him now as he leads our Department of Defense.”

Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 22 to include additional information about Austin’s swearing in and his first memo to the force.

DARPA Changing Directors Again in Third Recent Shuffle

DARPA Changing Directors Again in Third Recent Shuffle

Jan. 21, 2021 | By Rachel S. Cohen

The Biden administration is reportedly tapping Stefanie Tompkins to run the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, spurring the third leadership change at the secretive Pentagon organization since January 2020.

Tompkins, an agency alum who left as acting deputy director in 2018 after nearly 11 years there, most recently worked at the Colorado School of Mines as vice president for research and technology transfer, according to her LinkedIn page. She is an advisor to X, the Silicon Valley “moonshot factory,” and an advisory board member at Mines’s Payne Institute for Public Policy.

“She spent 10 years in industry, as a senior scientist and later assistant vice president and line manager at [SAIC], where she conducted and managed research projects in planetary geology and imaging spectroscopy,” according to a Payne Institute biography. “Later, as a DARPA program manager, she created and led programs in ubiquitous GPS-free navigation as well as in optical component manufacturing. She has also served as a DARPA office director.”

Tompkins served as a military intelligence officer in the Army from 1987 to 1991 as well.

“When you’re in the intersection of these spaces, you start to develop an idea of what is important to you and what is needed to solve hard problems,” she said in an interview with the Mines alumni magazine.

Defense One first reported Tompkins’s “pre-decisional” appointment to the post on Jan. 19. The White House did not respond to a request for comment by press time.

Former director Victoria Coleman’s last day at the agency was Jan. 20, DARPA spokesman Jared Adams confirmed. Coleman joined the agency in September but served in the top job for only four months before leaving on Inauguration Day.

“Peter Highnam, the current deputy director, will serve as the acting director of the agency until a full-time director is formally appointed by the Biden administration,” Adams said. The position does not require Senate confirmation.

Highnam also filled in as acting director for much of 2020 after former DARPA boss Steven H. Walker left last January. 

Tompkins would be the fourth woman to run the agency since its inception in 1958—all of whom have served since 2009.

The next director will inherit an agency of about 200 employees and a $3.5 billion portfolio that spans hypersonic weapons to unmanned jet dogfighting to bioengineering.

In a 2016 report titled “Innovation at DARPA,” Tompkins praised projects that take more risks and move fast instead of spending months studying whether an idea is feasible. She also touted the short careers of DARPA workers, who often jump between the agency and other government or industry jobs after a few years.

“The longer you’re in one place, the more tendency you have to become risk-averse,” she said in the report. “You start to refine what you’re doing as opposed to throwing out what you’re doing and starting fresh.”

While frequent turnover at the top is fairly unusual at DARPA—directors typically stay for at least a few years—it’s unlikely to drastically change the priorities of an agency focused on the future.

“DARPA is in the business of systematic changemaking, not just about discovering what the new breakthrough might be,” Coleman said in November. “It’s also about being there and seeing it over the line.”

Thousands of Guardsmen Remain in Capital Region After Inauguration

Thousands of Guardsmen Remain in Capital Region After Inauguration

Jan. 21, 2021 | By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

The National Guard Bureau is working with states to drawdown “close to 15,000” of the nearly 26,000 troops who are still in the nation’s capital following President Joe Biden’s Jan. 20 inauguration, the bureau announced on Jan. 21.

Of that total, about 10,600 were still on duty as of the evening of Jan. 21, according to a release.

NGB said it expects to finish mapping out and executing the force withdrawal within 5-10 days, but some 7,000 Guard members will remain in D.C. “through the end of the month” to provide backup to agencies that have asked for “continuity of operations, additional support, and recuperation time for their forces to regroup.”

It’s not immediately clear if Guardsmen will need to quarantine once they return home.

“Demobilization is involved with equipment turn-in and accountability, travel arrangements, COVID screening, and mitigation,” NGB wrote. “Troops will leave by ground transportation, airlift provided by the Air National Guard, and contracted commercial air as necessary.”

At a pre-inauguration press conference, NGB Chief Army Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson said the bureau had at least 6,200 troops on deck to assist in the District until early February, after Army Secretary Ryan D. McCarthy authorized Guard support to D.C. a day after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol Building.

“That number can go up or down depending on the lead federal agency requirements or federal law enforcement requests,” Hokanson told reporters.

30 Years After Desert Storm: Jan. 22

30 Years After Desert Storm: Jan. 22

Jan. 21, 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. 22:

  • After a brief letup caused by bad weather, heavy air attacks resume in and around Basra, Iraq, a supply gateway to Kuwait, and against Republican Guard positions along Iraqi­-Kuwaiti border.
  • An E-8A Joint STARS, orbiting over Saudi Arabia, detects a large convoy moving toward Kuwait and vectors an AC-130 gunship and two A-10s to attack. They destroy 58 of 71 vehicles in convoy.
  • A Scud missile hits Tel Aviv, Israel, destroying 20 buildings. Three people are killed and 96 are injured. The Defense Department reports that the U.S. has lost nine aircraft, Britain has lost two, and Italy and Kuwait have lost one each. Coalition forces have shot down 17 Iraqi aircraft.

Find 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, here.

Congress Approves Waiver for Austin to Become SECDEF

Congress Approves Waiver for Austin to Become SECDEF

Jan. 21, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

Congress on Jan. 21 approved a waiver clearing the way for Lloyd Austin to be the next Defense Secretary, with a confirmation vote expected as early as the morning of Jan. 22.

Austin, who retired from the Army in 2016 as the four-star commander of U.S. Central Command, needed Congressional approval for a waiver to the law requiring former uniformed military members to wait seven years before leading the Pentagon.

The Senate approved the waiver by a vote of 69-27, immediately after the House approved it by a vote of 326-78, with 28 members not voting.

The approval is the second time in four years that Congress has waived the requirement; retired Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis received a waiver to become Defense Secretary in 2017.

Multiple lawmakers changed their minds, deciding to approve the waiver after Austin met with House leaders behind closed doors shortly before the vote. During his Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing on Jan. 19, Austin sought to assure lawmakers that he is committed to ensuring civilians control the military.

“I would not be here asking for your support if I felt that I was unable or unwilling to question people with whom I once served, in operations I once led, or [if I was] too afraid to speak my mind to you or the President,” Austin told Senators. “I was a general and a Soldier, and I’m proud of that. But today I appear before you as a citizen, the son of a postal worker and a homemaker from Thomasville, Ga., and I’m proud of that too.”

Former Pentagon official Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) initially expressed concerns about the waiver, but ultimately approved it, saying Austin “intends to rebalance civilian control of the military, and is willing to be held accountable for these commitments.”

House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) said in a statement he approved the waiver because he approved one for Mattis, and approving it would be “fair,” though he admitted he had reservations.

Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), who will lead the Senate Armed Services Committee when the panel’s rosters are set, said in a statement that Austin’s confirmation is needed quickly because there is an “urgent and widely recognized need to move forward with getting a new national security team in place.”

More USAFA Cadets Headed for Space Force in 2021

More USAFA Cadets Headed for Space Force in 2021

Jan. 21, 2021 | By Rachel S. Cohen

The U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado plans to send more students to the Space Force in 2021 than it did in the first cohort last year, the school’s superintendent said Jan. 21.

About 115 USAFA cadets will head to the Space Force upon graduation in May, up from 86 last spring, according to Lt. Gen. Richard M. Clark. The class of 2020 graduated the first group of USSF-bound second lieutenants after the new service was created in December 2019.

That figure also indicates USAFA has widened its net over the past few months as it refines the search process for future Guardians. Air Force Magazine reported in November that the school expected 98 students would commission into the Space Force in 2021, largely bound for careers in satellite and radar operations and similar tracks.

Instead of large fluctuations each year, the number of second lieutenants coming from USAFA should stabilize over time “as the other commissioning sources get on board with normalized processes of how they bring young people into the Space Force,” Clark said during an event hosted by AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.

Lt Gen Richard M. Clark shares his insights into how the Academy is preparing cadets to face today’s global challenges, the implications of the creation of the Space Force for the Academy, what it means to accelerate change in an educational institution, and other Academy priorities during a Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies event on Jan. 21.

Col. Jeffrey H. Greenwood, USAFA’s Space Force liaison, recently told Air Force Magazine he expects the school will typically turn out around 80 Space Force second lieutenants each year. More than 440 seniors applied for 60 space operations spots alone in the 2021 cohort, he said.

Surveys last year showed the class of 2022 is less interested in the Space Force than the 2021 graduates, Greenwood said, while about one-third of respondents in the class of 2024 said they are open to joining.

The Space Force aims to bring in about 250 new officers annually, with about half coming from USAFA in 2021. Others will join through the collegiate Reserve Officer Training Corps and the Officer Training School for college graduates.

“We have more volunteers than we have slots to give,” Clark said. “We have the flexibility to meet the demand in case ROTC or OTS don’t quite get to the numbers that they’re after.”

The service is still transferring in officers and enlisted members from the Air Force and other military branches, and will employ around 16,000 people in total. Incoming members are headed for jobs in satellite operations, space-focused intelligence and electronic warfare, cyber offense and defense, acquisition, and more. 

“Where I think we’re becoming more deliberate, because we’re getting direction from [Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. ‘Jay’ Raymond] and the Space Force, is what they want to see in a cadet,” Clark said.

Service officials are pushing digital fluency and coding skills, for example, and a willingness to think outside the box of traditional air and space power. Top Space Force leaders are also getting to know potential Guardians as they interview students to join the service.

As for graduation itself, USAFA hopes the ceremony in May will be more normal than that of April 2020. Seniors finished the school year early with a guestless and socially distanced event as the coronavirus pandemic swept around the planet.

The school canceled spring break and instead spread those vacation days throughout the semester to create more three-day weekends, Clark said. That should keep the semester on track so cadets can graduate on May 26 as scheduled.

“We’re looking at the numbers of people that we can have in graduation. That’s probably going to be a variable that we’ll take as it comes and see how COVID and the [local] guidelines drive us, but we intend to have graduation in the stadium,” he said. “We intend to have some guests for each cadet—how many, we’re not sure yet.”

Boeing Receives $2.1 Billion for the Next KC-46 Production Lot

Boeing Receives $2.1 Billion for the Next KC-46 Production Lot

Jan. 21, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

The Air Force on Jan. 20 awarded Boeing a $2.1 billion contract for the seventh KC-46 production lot, covering 15 aircraft.

The award means there are now 94 KC-46s on contract, and the Air Force plans to buy 179 of the aircraft. It comes just eight days after Boeing received $1.7 billion for production lot six. The two lots were negotiated at the same time, according to Boeing.

“Our KC-46 fleet is growing, and we’re ready to extend the reach of next-generation air refueling to more of our Airmen,” said Col. Jason Lindsey, U.S. Air Force KC-46 system program manager, in a Boeing release.

The contract also covers data, subscriptions and licenses, and the G081 flat file aircraft maintenance database, according to the contract announcement. Work is expected to be completed May 31, 2024.

Boeing has delivered 42 tankers so far to four Air Force bases since the first delivery took place in January 2019.

The award comes as the Air Force and Boeing are finishing the design of a new version of the aircraft’s remote vision system, which is the suite of cameras and sensors that the boom operator uses inside the aircraft to operate the refueling system. The fix, announced in April 2020, is needed to address image quality problems that have inhibited the test and evaluation process for the aircraft. Under the agreement, Boeing will deliver 12 aircraft kits by 2023 with installation on the production line expected to start the following year.

Engine Failure, Aircrew Mistakes Caused Fatal E-11A Crash in Afghanistan

Engine Failure, Aircrew Mistakes Caused Fatal E-11A Crash in Afghanistan

Jan. 21, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

E-11A aircrew shut down the wrong engine during an in-flight emergency and were unable to restart the aircraft’s powerplants, causing the Jan. 27, 2020, crash that killed both pilots in Afghanistan, an Air Force investigation found.

The crash killed Lt. Col. Paul K. Voss and Capt. Ryan S. Phaneuf, both assigned to the 430th Expeditionary Combat Squadron at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. The E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communications Node, a modified Bombardier Global Express business jet, serves as a “wi-fi in the sky,” connecting troops using multiple communications platforms.

“This tragic accident and the loss of these two Airmen will not be forgotten,” said Gen. Mark D. Kelly, commander of Air Combat Command, in a release. “These Airmen gave the ultimate sacrifice in service to the nation while deployed supporting an overseas combat mission. They should be recognized and remembered for their dedication and bravery.”

Around 11 a.m. local time, the pilots took off in the E-11A, tail number 11-9358, from Kandahar for a combat sortie that also served as a mission qualification flight for the co-pilot. About an hour and 45 minutes into the flight, the left engine catastrophically failed as a single fan blade separated and was ingested by the engine, according to an Air Force Accident Investigation Board report released Jan. 21.

The pilots heard a violent bang and the plane started to shake. The aircraft’s Full Authority Digital Electronic Control system sensed the engine’s problem and initiated a shutdown. This notified the aircrew through both an indication system in the cockpit and a caution light on the pilots’ glareshield.

E-11 crash
This graphic depicts the location where an Air Force E-11A experienced a dual engine out emergency and its crash site relative to nearby bases in Afghanistan. Two pilots died in the Jan. 27, 2020, crash. Source: Air Force Accident Investigation Board report.

The flight crew then improperly assessed that the aircraft’s right engine had failed or been damaged, not the left, and shut down that powerplant. This caused a dual engine out emergency, when the aircraft was about 38 nautical miles from Bagram Airfield or 17 nautical miles from Kabul International Airport, 28 nautical miles from Forward Operating Base Shank, and 230 nautical miles from Kandahar, according to the investigation. Because both engines shut down, the aircraft’s Digital Flight Data Recorder stopped recording.

The aircraft, flying at about 41,000 feet, could have made it to any of the closer locations but Voss attempted to fly back to Kandahar, and radioed air traffic control. “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday … it looks like we have an engine failure on both motors, we are proceeding direct to Kandahar at this time,” he said, according to the AIB.

The aircrew tried to airstart the engines, but they could not provide any usable thrust, meaning the plane could not make it back to Kandahar, and was then out of glide distance to the other bases.

This meant the crew had few options, and they attempted to then glide to FOB Sharana in Ghazni Province. The plane did not have enough altitude and airspeed to make it, and the crew tried to land on rough terrain about 21 nautical miles short of the FOB. The E-11 was damaged significantly when it touched down, skidding about 340 meters. The aircraft was destroyed, and the pilots were fatally injured.

After the crash, the aircraft’s emergency locator transmitter activated and nearby A-10s diverted to try to locate the downed plane. They found it, but weather obscured the area and prevented a search and rescue team from recovering remains the day of the crash. The next day, crews were able to recover the pilots’ remains, the cockpit voice recorder, and the digital flight data recorder. U.S. assets destroyed the plane in place.

The Air Force AIB states the main cause of the crash was the aircrew mistakenly determining the right engine had failed, shutting it down and causing the dual engine out emergency. Investigators also found the decision to try to make it back to Kandahar contributed to the mishap. 

The E-11A is a small, unique aircraft in the Air Force’s fleet. Before the mishap, the service had four of the aircraft based at Kandahar to help troops communicate on the ground using what previously were incompatible systems. The Air Force developed the aircraft as an urgent operational need after communication problems were identified in Operation Red Wings in 2005.

USAF to Let Women Wear Longer Ponytails, Braids in Uniform

USAF to Let Women Wear Longer Ponytails, Braids in Uniform

Jan. 21, 2021 | By Amy Hudson

Female Airmen and Guardians will soon be able to let their hair down—at least a little.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. recently approved a recommendation by the Air Force uniform board to allow women to wear a single ponytail, or single or double braids, as long as the hairdo reaches no farther than their upper back and doesn’t exceed the width of their head. Eyebrow-length bangs are now fair game as well, according to a Jan. 21 release.

The decision comes after the uniform board—a diverse panel of 19 Airmen—met online in November to consider crowdsourced ideas for changes to the Department of the Air Force’s dress and appearance standards. Current rules allow ponytails, braids, locks, and other hairstyles no longer than the bottom of a person’s collar, disqualifying many women with longer hair.

Female service members often lament having to wear their long hair in tight buns, pointing to migraines and sometimes even hair loss. Broadening the range of possible hairstyles also acknowledges that different hair types and textures can make it difficult to meet a one-size-fits-all standard. 

“In addition to the health concerns we have for our Airmen, not all women have the same hair type, and our hair standards should reflect our diverse force,” Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass said in the release. 

The new grooming standards will take effect in February after the Air Force officially updates its regulation.

“This decision is a commitment to supporting the Airmen we need and sustaining the culture and environment of excellence that will continue to make the Air Force an attractive career choice for Airmen and families,” Brown said. “I’m thankful for the feedback and research conducted from a number of women leaders, the Women’s Initiative Team, the Air Force uniform board, and our joint teammates.”

Lt. Gen. Brian T. Kelly, Air Force deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel, and services, said the move removes a barrier to service and can make the Air Force more welcoming to women.

“In an all-volunteer force, we want fully qualified volunteers who are representative of the nation to see us as a great opportunity to maximize their talent and service,” he said.

Depending on their job, women should make sure that a longer ponytail or braids would not pose a risk when working around “machinery, equipment, power transmission apparatus, or moving parts,” the Air Force said.

Women in the Space Force can follow the updated guidelines for now, but the new service is expected to eventually adopt its own uniform and grooming standards. 

The Air Force isn’t extending the same coiffure options to men, however.

“Unlike with women’s hair standards, there are no known health or hair loss issues associated with current male grooming standard compliance,” the release said.