COVID-19 Won’t Keep Wreaths Across America Away from Arlington National Cemetery

COVID-19 Won’t Keep Wreaths Across America Away from Arlington National Cemetery

Nov. 17, 2020 | By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Arlington National Cemetery’s decision to forbid the nonprofit Wreaths Across America from placing holiday wreaths on the graves of the fallen veterans laid to rest on its hallowed grounds—as well as at the United States Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home National Cemetery in Washington—this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic has been reversed.

“I am very pleased to report that today we were able to have these discussions with the cemetery’s leadership team, and they have informed us of their willingness to work with us to develop other options to allow the safe placement of veterans’ wreaths this December,” Wreaths Across America Executive Director Karen Worcester told reporters on a Nov. 17 press call.

But the question of where that decision came from has evolved into a political whodunnit of the do-gooder variety.

The change in course came less than 24 hours after the cancellation was initially announced. The cemetery initially deemed the move necessary due to both the regional and nationwide COVID-19 risk, it wrote in a Nov. 16 release.

“Following a thorough analysis of the annual Wreaths Across America Wreaths-In event this year, and in close collaboration with the Joint Task Force, National Capital Region, we determined that we could not implement sufficient controls to mitigate the risks associated with hosting an event of this size under current and forecasted infection and transmission rates, while still conducting a respectful and honorable public event,” the release stated.

Presenting such a large event threatened its ability to carry out its “core mission of laying veterans and their eligible family members to rest,” stated Karen Durham-Aguilera, executive director of the Office of Army National Cemeteries and Arlington National Cemetery, in the release.

Following the announcement and some Twitter backlash, the nonprofit says it “made some phone calls, emails, [and] pleas to the White House” before organizing the Nov. 17 press briefing.

But 13 minutes before the call kicked off, the organization explained, it received an email from Army public affairs informing it of Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy’s decision. The cemetery posted an identical news update to its website, and McCarthy took credit for the move on Twitter.

The cemetery promised to share details about “the final schedule soon.”

But following the conclusion of the press call, President Donald J. Trump separately claimed responsibility for the reversal in a tweet posted to his personal Twitter account.

The Army referred Air Force Magazine to the White House for comment.

Adapting Traditions

National Wreaths Across America Day is Wreaths Across America’s flagship event. While its calendar date fluctuates from year to year, its 2020 iteration is slated for Dec. 19.

Each December, Wreaths Across America coordinates wreath-laying ceremonies at more than 2,100 national cemeteries across all 50 U.S. states and overseas.

VIdeo: Wreaths Across America on YouTube

Worcester said that volunteers are getting creative in their strategies to keep the tradition alive while mitigating their COVID-19 risk. Planned strategies include drive-through wreath laying and stretching out the process over the course of multiple days so smaller numbers of people are on site at a given cemetery at the same time, she said. However, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for participating cemeteries, she added.

“Every single location, every event that we have, is put together by volunteers, and what’s great about that is it’s very hyperlocal, so what might be working for someplace in Colorado may not work for some place in Maine,” she explained during the press call. “So everything is very governed by boots on the ground and listening to the regulations and rules of COVID[-19] as they pertain in that area.”

She also used the press call as an opportunity to encourage the public to consider covering the cost of a wreath for a fallen veteran.

“We’re down a little and we do hope that people will go to our website and continue to support this,” she said.

Thornberry: Georgia Senate Runoffs Could Derail Bipartisan NDAA

Thornberry: Georgia Senate Runoffs Could Derail Bipartisan NDAA

Nov. 17, 2020 | By Rachel S. Cohen

The drama of the twin Georgia Senate runoff elections looming in January could seep into negotiations over the 2021 defense policy bill, a key GOP lawmaker warned Nov. 17.

Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), who is retiring this term as ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, is one of the “Big Four” lawmakers tasked with cobbling together a compromise on defense issues from nuclear weapons development to troop deployments. But a gridlocked Congress has been slow to advance its policy and spending bills during a heated election season that will now stretch two months longer.

Two runoff races—one between Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Democrat Rev. Raphael Warnock, the other between Republican Sen. David Perdue and Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff—will take place in January because no candidate earned more than 50 percent of the vote on Nov. 3.

The winners of each seat will determine which party controls the Senate, which stands at 50 Republicans and 48 Democrats after the Election Day results. If both Democrats win, the Senate would be tied 50-50, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as the Democratic tiebreaker. If one or both Republicans win, the GOP would remain in the majority.

The top Republican and Democrat on both the Senate and House Armed Services Committees are in the opening steps of negotiating a final National Defense Authorization Act against that political backdrop. The results could spur members to dig in and protect their own priorities, jeopardizing agreement on the largely bipartisan bill.

“I am concerned that there is at least the potential that political concerns, especially with the Georgia runoffs, are going to play a bigger role than what’s good for the men and women of the military, and all of the good in this bill,” Thornberry told reporters at a Heritage Foundation event.

One politically charged sticking point is the proposal to rename military installations that honor Confederate icons, such as Fort Bragg, N.C. Thornberry hopes that disagreements over whether and how quickly to do so won’t derail other bipartisan language in the final bill.

Sens. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.), and Reps. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and Thornberry have informally met to smooth the way forward for still-unnamed conferees who will settle on a final NDAA.

Thornberry indicated committee leadership is mulling which pieces of the House and Senate bills make sense to keep, regardless of which party holds the White House. That includes provisions that would downsize the Trump administration’s plans for troop changes in the Middle East and elsewhere.

“I think it makes sense for us to take into account what the results of the recent election have been, and that’s true on a host of issues,” Thornberry said. “There is bipartisan support and interest to make sure we do not precipitously withdraw, undercut our mission, not only in Afghanistan, but in other places.”

Lawmakers have just a few weeks left to meet their self-imposed deadline of having a bill ready for floor votes in early December. Conferees plan to meet Nov. 18 to begin discussing the path forward.

Thornberry warned that if the NDAA is not signed into law before the next Congress and the Biden administration begin in January, the new group of politicians could hit reset.

“I think it’s much safer to say that if we don’t get the NDAA done before the end of December, and signed into law before the end of December, that all of those provisions just die and the new Congress would have to start from scratch,” he said.

The later in 2021 it gets, the more that lawmakers will be faced with the decision of finishing the bill at hand or starting instead on the 2022 legislation, he said.

But the outgoing ranking member appears optimistic they can reach the finish line before the end of the year.

“We’ve made a lot of progress,” he said of the “Big Four” meetings. “There is a very good chance we will be able to resolve, essentially, all of the conference issues.”

Correction

Correction

Nov. 17, 2020

The article “B-1 Structural Fatigue Test to End Next Year After Simulated 73 Years of Flying” (airforcemag.com, Nov. 17), was incorrect, as a result of information provided by the Air Force. The Air Force now reports the fatigue test will not end next year. The incorrect article has been removed from our website and a new story will be published when the Air Force can accurately answer pending queries. 

Brown: Diversity Push Changing Personnel Decision Process

Brown: Diversity Push Changing Personnel Decision Process

Nov. 17, 2020 | By Brian W. Everstine

Diversity and inclusion are now focal points in Air Force personnel decisions, Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. said on Nov. 17.

In the aftermath of race-related protests across the country, the Air Force implemented a Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, received hundreds of thousands of responses to a survey on diversity, and launched an Inspector General review of racial inequality in military justice and promotion, among other efforts. These steps, combined with the climate across the nation, have changed how the service talks about race.

“I think the conversations have been pretty good. … They have been pretty rough,” Brown said during a virtual discussion hosted by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. “We’ve had, across the Air Force, a number of small group sessions where Airmen can get together and talk through what they’re feeling, what they’re thinking. … The feedback I have, as I go to different locations and talk to our leadership teams, is they really get pretty raw, and get pretty emotional. But, at the same time, they’re very eye opening. … There’s more empathy, I would say.”

At the higher level of the Air Force, diversity has moved to the forefront of personnel decisions such as promotions and hiring, Brown said.

“It was almost like, in some cases in the past, when you talk about diversity, folks were afraid to bring it up that you didn’t have a slate of diverse candidates, or there wasn’t an African American, Asian American, a woman on the slate,” he said. “Now, it’s almost like they’ve got to be on the slate and be considered. And so, as an institution and as a nation, we are more apt to talk about diversity, more so than we have in the past. Now, we’ve got to get past talk. … It’s what we do. It’s how we actually bring in … individuals and give them the opportunity.”

Brown used his own experience as the Air Force’s first Black Chief of Staff, and the first Black officer to lead any of the U.S. military services, as an example. While he said he’s proud of who he is and of his background, “There’s a number of people qualified to do any one of these jobs. … There’s probably several officers that are qualified to be the first African American Chief of Staff for the Air Force or for any other service. I just happen to be the first to have the opportunity.”

The Air Force needs to ensure it makes opportunities available to diverse candidates by seeking them out. Brown said he has been trying to do this himself as he built his staff since taking the job in August.

“I hire for diversity, because they all bring a different perspective, which makes my decisions that much better, because I hear different sides of the argument,” he said. “They all see it differently, you know. … Hearing from all these different groups provides a perspective, you know, ‘I didn’t think about that part.’ It makes us stronger as an Air Force, and I think it makes us stronger as a nation as well.” 

Evans Takes Medical Leave from Lockheed Aeronautics

Evans Takes Medical Leave from Lockheed Aeronautics

Nov. 17, 2020 | By John A. Tirpak

Michele A. Evans, Lockheed Martin’s executive vice president for aeronautics, is taking an extended medical leave, a company spokesman reported Nov. 17. Greg Ulmer, Lockheed’s F-35 vice president and program manager, will serve in her place starting Dec. 1 for the duration of her absence, the spokesman said.

Evans was “diagnosed last year with a non-COVID related medical issue and continues to undergo treatment. Her condition is treatable, and a full recovery is expected,” the spokesman said.

Ulmer will “serve as her delegate and acting aeronautics executive vice president, working in partnership with the entire aeronautics executive leadership team.” He will continue to also serve as the F-35 program manager.

In addition to the F-35, Evans oversees the C-5, C-130, F-16, F-22, U-2, and Sikorsky helicopter products, among others, as well as the Next-Generation Air Dominance effort, a partnership with Airbus on future refueling aircraft competitions, the “Skunk Works” advanced products division, and some of Lockheed’s hypersonic air vehicle projects.

It’s Official: Thousands of Troops Returning from Afghanistan, Iraq

It’s Official: Thousands of Troops Returning from Afghanistan, Iraq

Nov. 17, 2020 | By Brian W. Everstine

The Pentagon on Nov. 17 formally announced the plan to withdraw thousands of forces from Afghanistan and Iraq, just two months before President Donald J. Trump is expected to leave office.

Acting Defense Secretary Christopher C. Miller, who has been in the role for eight days, announced the plan in brief remarks at the Pentagon, saying withdrawing about half of the forces from Afghanistan and removing 500 troops from Iraq is the “next phase of the campaign to defeat terrorists,” which has lasted almost 20 years.

“This is consistent with our established plans and strategic objectives supported by the American people, and does not equate to a change in U.S. policy or objectives,” Miller said. “Moreover, this decision by the President is based on continuous engagement with his national security cabinet over the past several months, including ongoing discussions with me and my colleagues across the United States government. I have also spoken with our military commanders, and we all will execute this repositioning in a way that protects our fighting men and women, our partners in the intelligence community and diplomatic corps, and our superb allies that are critical to rebuilding Afghan and Iraqi security capabilities and civil society for lasting peace and troubled lands.”

The forces are expected to leave by Jan. 15, 2021, though defense officials would not provide details on the specific timeline or which forces would leave. A senior defense official, speaking to reporters on background shortly before the plan was announced, said the Pentagon believes the remaining number of troops would be enough to “accomplish everything we have been doing. There’s no need to keep a force posture of over 4,000.” The reduction will not completely eliminate U.S. capabilities in the country, though the official would not say whether the plan will impact the U.S. military’s ability to conduct airstrikes in support of Afghan forces.

The official also would not speculate on a timeline for withdrawing the rest of the forces. National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien, speaking at the White House shortly after Miller’s speech, said it is Trump’s goal that all troops will return by May, but “right now that policy is not known.” The troops that will remain after January will defend embassies, protect diplomats, and “deter our foes.”

Despite warnings from previous Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper and an independent watchdog assessment that said Taliban violence has risen and that the group has not broken from al-Qaida, defense officials said conditions for withdrawal have been met. The official noted these metrics of violence are just one part of the assessment. In discussions with senior military officials and other advisers, Trump decided that “first and foremost” the U.S. national security would not be threatened by withdrawing troops, and the remaining force posture is enough to carry out the mission with allies.

Miller said he spent the morning reaching out to allies, including NATO, along with Afghan and Iraqi leaders to update them on the plan. He also visited with several Congressional leaders to let them know of the withdrawal.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, in a Nov. 17 statement released before the plan was announced, warned of the implications of a premature withdrawal, saying Afghanistan could once again become a platform for terrorists to organize attacks. Stoltenberg also noted that the Islamic State group still has the potential to remake its so-called caliphate in Iraq and Syria.

“The price for leaving too soon or in an uncoordinated way could be very high. … When the time is right, we should leave together,” said Stoltenberg, according to CNN. 

The news received mixed reactions on Capitol Hill from both sides of the aisle.  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Nov. 16 that a “rapid withdrawal from Afghanistan now would hurt our allies and delight the people who wish us harm,” according to Politico.

HASC Ranking Member Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) said he does “not know of any condition that justifies reducing further the troops that we have in Afghanistan. As a matter of fact, I think it undercuts the negotiations to say whatever you do or don’t do, we’re going to reduce our troops even further.”

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) said, “we must ensure that our strategy and posture reflect the conditions on the ground,” adding that he looks forward to detailed briefings on the move. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said it is the “right policy decision” as long as it is done “responsibly and carefully executed to ensure stability in the region.”

Acting SECDEF Issues Vision for the Pentagon

Acting SECDEF Issues Vision for the Pentagon

Nov. 17, 2020 | By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Acting Defense Secretary Christopher C. Miller on Nov. 16 issued a three-pronged set of priorities for his time leading the Pentagon, intended as an annex to his Nov. 13 message to U.S. troops that called for a U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“Building on the message and vision I set forth on Friday, I am now providing a more finite and precise statement of my goals while leading this organization,” Miller wrote.

First, he said, he aims to end the United States’ Global War on Terror “in a responsible manner” that ensures U.S. citizens’ security.

Secondly, he pledged to keep executing the 2018 National Defense Strategy, with a special focus on prepping the Pentagon for great power competition and what it anticipates the strategic environment of tomorrow will look like.

Finally, Miller wants to speed up Defense Department “activities to contribute to our whole-of-government efforts to combat transnational threats.”

As the military moves forward under his nascent leadership, he also advised it to take a cue from the New England Patriots.

“As we embark on this clear path forward, I often reflect on the simple, yet powerful, leadership mantra of the incomparable football coach, Bill Belichick, ‘Do your job,’” he wrote. “We are a team, and that should be our mindset.”

He further charged the DOD team with keeping their eyes on their assignment and finishing “the task at hand.”

“And if each one of us does so to the best of our abilities, nothing can stop us from achieving our objectives and successfully accomplishing the mission,” he wrote. “That is what I am committed to doing every single day as your Secretary.”

President Donald J. Trump tapped Miller to helm the Defense Department in an acting capacity on Nov. 9 after firing former Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper.

Senate Appropriators Question ABMS Spending

Senate Appropriators Question ABMS Spending

Nov. 16, 2020 | By Rachel S. Cohen

Two years after the Air Force canceled its plan to buy a new fleet of airborne battle management planes, senators still aren’t sure the service has its spending priorities straight for the backup option.

The Senate Appropriations Committee became the latest group to question the Advanced Battle Management System in its version of the fiscal 2021 defense spending bill. The Department of the Air Force wants $302.3 million for ABMS in 2021, about double what it received the year before. ABMS aims to share more data between Air Force platforms to give troops a bigger menu of options on the battlefield.

“While the committee continues to support the Air Force’s new approach to command and control, the committee notes that the ABMS requirements and acquisition strategy remain unclear,” lawmakers wrote in the legislation released Nov. 10.

Instead of agreeing to the full request, Senate appropriators are offering $208.8 million to move ABMS ahead with its various demonstrations and seed money for technology development and purchases. That funding has a secondary purpose: paying the Air Force to draw up new reports on how ABMS money is spent.

Senators want the Air Force’s acquisition chief to offer an explanation of the ABMS acquisition strategy as part of the fiscal 2022 budget submission due out early next year. In addition, they call on the Air Force comptroller to ensure the upcoming budget fully funds that plan.

“The committee directs the Secretary of the Air Force to submit a report summarizing all related programs in communications, battle management command and control, and sensors that fall within the ABMS umbrella across the future years defense program,” appropriators said. “The report should reference program element funding lines and clearly link all activities with funding lines in the fiscal year 2022 budget justification documents. It should also clearly articulate all Phase One efforts, including initial operational capability timelines, the status of related legacy activities, and linkages to classified activities.”

The Air Force previously said the first phase of ABMS would last into the early 2020s and rely on short-term technology upgrades to military drones and other command-and-control systems. Those updates would prepare the force for when the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System plane retires later in the decade. The service expected ABMS would be ready for regular operations starting in 2035.

The service has already defended its experiment-heavy approach to lawmakers and groups like the Government Accountability Office that worry the way forward is unclear. Those in charge of the effort believe structuring their search for combat technologies unlike a traditional acquisition program will make it more successful.

Instead of holding years-long competitions for military-specific tools that need to be designed and built from scratch, the Air Force hopes commercial radios, artificial intelligence, display software, and more will network the force faster and more intuitively. Service officials are pushing each part of the force, from fighter jets to radar systems, to get on board as the concept matures.

Meanwhile, lawmakers say the JSTARS airframe is losing out on budget resources as priorities shift elsewhere. It’s possible the 16 E-8Cs will be phased out before ABMS is ready to replace it.

“The committee believes that [$11 million] is inadequate to support modernization of the platform through validated requirements, including avionics and communications upgrades. The committee encourages the Secretary of the Air Force to ensure that robust funding is requested in the future years defense program accompanying the fiscal year 2022 President’s Budget request to modernize the JSTARS fleet until a replacement of equal or superior capability is fielded and operational.”

Trump Administration to Withdraw More Troops from Afghanistan, Iraq

Trump Administration to Withdraw More Troops from Afghanistan, Iraq

Nov. 16, 2020 | By Brian W. Everstine

The Pentagon is reportedly preparing to further withdraw forces from Afghanistan and Iraq by mid-January, despite warnings from the former Defense Secretary and an independent watchdog that violence remains high.

CNN first reported Nov. 16 that the Pentagon has issued a “warning order” to begin planning to draw down forces in Afghanistan from the current level of about 4,500 to 2,500, along with dropping the current number of forces in Iraq from 3,000 to 2,500. The move is a sign the Defense Department expects a formal order from President Donald J. Trump to withdraw forces before his term ends on Jan. 20, 2021.

Trump has pressured the Pentagon to bring U.S. forces home—tweeting in October that, “We should have the small remaining number of our BRAVE Men and Women serving in Afghanistan home by Christmas!”

The order comes days after Acting Defense Secretary Christopher C. Miller, in his first message to the troops, said the time has come for American service members to come home from Afghanistan.

“Ending wars requires compromise and partnership,” Miller wrote. “We met the challenge; we gave it our all. Now it’s time to come home.”

Miller—who served as a U.S. Army officer and former special operations Soldier in the early days of the war in Afghanistan—warned the war against al-Qaida is not completely finished.

“This war isn’t over,” he wrote. “We are on the verge of defeating al-Qaida and its associates, but we must avoid our past strategic error of failing to see the fight through to the finish. Indeed, this fight has been long, our sacrifices have been enormous, and many are weary of war—I’m one of them—but this is the critical phase in which we transition our efforts from a leadership to supporting role. We are not a people of perpetual war—it is the antithesis of everything for which we stand and for which our ancestors fought. All wars must end.”

Miller was appointed to be the Pentagon’s acting leader after Trump fired former Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper on Nov. 9. Esper reportedly cautioned against drawing down too far in Afghanistan. The Washington Post reported that Esper sent a classified memo to the White House in November raising concerns about withdrawing more forces, saying there was too much ongoing violence and remaining troops could be in danger in the event of a rapid pullout.

Other senior national security leaders have pressed for a broader withdrawal. National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien, in an October speech, said the U.S. will drop to 2,500 forces in Afghanistan by early next year adding, “I’m speaking for the President and I think that’s what the Pentagon is moving out and doing.”

Under an agreement with the Taliban signed in February, U.S. forces immediately reduced the troop level to 8,600, with the remaining set to leave in May 2021, provided the Taliban held up its end of the agreement to reduce violence.

However, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction in its latest quarterly report to Congress, released Nov. 5, said enemy-initiated attacks in Afghanistan have increased, with the goal of harassing and undermining the Afghan government. U.S. airstrikes in the country also have increased, according to SIGAR.

Air Forces Central Command this year stopped publicly releasing airstrike totals, along with all airlift, refueling, and surveillance sortie totals. While the amount of U.S. forces and aircraft deployed to Afghanistan has dropped, U.S. combat and mobility aircraft are deployed and flying at a high operations tempo from other Middle East bases.

The drawdown inside Iraq comes as U.S. forces and coalition forces have already moved out of the country and left established bases. Earlier this year, as the COVID-19 pandemic spread, U.S. forces handed over multiple bases.