Daily Report

Aug. 27, 2021
kabul explosion

13 US Troops Killed in Kabul Airport Explosion, Deadliest Attack in Afghanistan Since 2011

Two explosions rocked Kabul on Aug. 26 just outside Hamid Karzai International Airport, killing 12 U.S. service members and injuring at least 15 others, Defense Department officials have confirmed. The attack, coming just days before President Joe Biden’s Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw from Afghanistan, is one of the deadliest against American troops in nearly 20 years of war. These are the first U.S. combat deaths in Afghanistan since February 2020 and the most in a single day since 2011.
afghanistan airlift

Kabul Airlift Continues After Suicide Bombing Kills 13 Troops, Dozens of Afghans

The U.S. airlift mission in Afghanistan is continuing, following one of the deadliest attacks on American forces in the 20-year war. “These American service members who gave their lives … were heroes. Heroes who have been engaged in the dangerous, selfless mission to save the lives of others,” President Joe Biden said in remarks at the White House. American officials believe they know the ISIS-K members behind the attack, and those responsible will be hunted down. “To those who carried out the attack, … we will not forgive, we will not forget,” Biden said. “We will hunt you down and make you pay. I’ll defend our interests and our people with every measure at my command.”
haiti task force

DOD Continues Flow of Aid to Haiti after Earthquake, Tropical Storm

The Defense Department’s joint task force in support of Haiti has helped saved hundreds of lives in the past two weeks, a Pentagon official said, supporting relief efforts for the island nation as it recovers from back-to-back natural disasters. As of Aug. 24, the joint task force has conducted more than 346 missions across air, land, and sea since arriving in Haiti, assisting or saving “over 436 lives” and delivering more than 163,000 pounds of aid supplies, officials said.

Boeing Anticipates Anti-Jamming Advancements in Next Two Years

Two programs to help prevent or mitigate the jamming of communication signals could become operational in 2022 and 2023. Rico Attanasio, director of tactical military satellite communications for Boeing Defense, Space, and Security, said the Mitigation and Anti-Jam Enhancement will be deployed at five grounds stations around the world over the course of several months starting in 2022. Meanwhile, initial operational capability on another anti-jamming system could happen by the second quarter of 2023.

Correction

An Aug. 12 Daily Report item that reported Brig. Gen. Dale White as saying Adaptive Engine Technology Program engines would not work on existing fighters failed to note that White's portfolio does not include the F-35. The story and headline have since been amended. A spokesman said White's comments “were not a reflection of, nor indication to the F-35 propulsion strategy.” The F-35 Joint Program Office said the AETP "is not currently an F-35 requirement,” but added that it is working with the AETP program “and our industry partners to evaluate this new engine technology for possible use in the F-35.” The article has been updated.

Radar Sweep

Grand Forks AFB to Lead Future ISR Missions

Air Force release

The Department of the Air Force announced Aug. 26 it will conduct infrastructure planning in 2022 for construction and renovation projects at Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D., projected to begin in 2023. Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall approved the plan, which will provide the construction and renovations necessary to enable the 319th Reconnaissance Wing to develop and train crews in support of future Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance missions. The announcement comes as the Air Force looks to restructure ISR capabilities to meet national defense priorities and support joint all-domain command and control capabilities.

House Bill Aims to Bridge Acquisition ‘Valley of Death’ In Race to Counter China

Defense One

Two provisions in the latest version of a House defense bill seek to bridge the “valley of death,” the acquisition-process obstacles that can stop promising technology from getting to troops in the field. One would establish a five-year pilot program to more quickly identify such technologies, and the other would expand Navy programs that foster small-business innovation.

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CIA, US Troops Conduct Missions Outside Kabul Airport to Extract Americans, Afghan Allies

Wall Street Journal

The Central Intelligence Agency and the U.S. military are conducting extraction operations to evacuate Americans using helicopters and ground troops as the window begins to close for rescuing all people at risk in Afghanistan. The CIA has launched clandestine operations to rescue Americans in and outside Kabul in recent days, according to U.S. and other officials. The missions are using American military helicopters but are under the control of the CIA, a typical arrangement in such operations.

OPINION: A Weapons Test Is The Wrong Way To Advance Norms On Responsible Behavior In Space

Breaking Defense

“In July, the Defense Department released an unclassified memo on its space operations, identifying five ‘Tenets of Responsible Behavior.’ Significantly, these principles move beyond finger pointing to standard setting. Reinforced are some core tenets of the Outer Space Treaty, including due regard and the avoidance of harmful interference, as well as the long-standing expectation that states limit the creation of long-lived debris. … But there is one glaring gap in the memo: Nowhere does it describe the testing of weapons as irresponsible or as a practice to be avoided,” writes Dr. Jessica West, Senior Researcher at the Canadian peace research institute Project Ploughshares.

US Approves $258 Million Arms Sale to South Korea

Defense News

The U.S. State Department has OK’d a sale of precision-guided weapons worth about $258 million to South Korea. The sale, announced by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency on Aug. 25, will help South Korea address threats on the Korean Peninsula and progress the transfer of wartime operational control to the country, the agency said.

Pentagon Putting More Data Behind IT Modernization Decisions

Federal News Network

As the Defense Department digs out of its mound of technical debt, the office of the chief information officer is ensuring military services and defense agencies receive value for these new investments. DOD is implementing a revamped approach to IT portfolio management to better connect investments to mission requirements. Danielle Metz, the DOD deputy chief information officer for information enterprise, said the new framework will integrate with DOD business processes to enforce recommendations for optimization and modernization.

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Taiwan Eyes Jet Fighter Buy Amid Modest Hike in 2022 Defense Spending

Reuters

Taiwan announced a more modest pace in defense spending for next year on Aug. 26, but will spend $1.44 billion on new fighter jets, as the island bolsters its forces in the face of increased pressure from Beijing. China has stepped up its military activity near Taiwan, including holding assault drills last week near the island, which it regards as Chinese territory to be brought under Beijing's control, by force if necessary.

Mansfield Air Guard Base Selected for National Cyber Warfare Mission

Mansfield News Journal

The Mansfield Lahm Air National Guard Base has been selected as the location for the Air Force’s new Cyber Warfare Mission, according to announcements by Gov. Mike DeWine and Sen. Sherrod Brown. “The Cyber Warfare Wing (CWW) will put Mansfield in the middle of the military’s cutting edge cyber capability and the fight against emerging cyber threats. The mission will also bring approximately 180 new jobs to the base,” Brown said in a news release issued Aug. 25. DeWine said he received “this outstanding news” directly from the Secretary of the Air Force.

Pet Project: Biden Signs Bill Providing Service Dogs for Struggling Veterans

NBC News

President Joe Biden on Aug. 25 signed into law a pilot program to connect veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder with service dogs. The Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers for Veterans Therapy Act—PAWS—requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish a five-year program to provide service dogs and training to veterans with PTSD.

ICBM Modernization And Sustainment: Getting Minuteman III to the Finish Line

Air Force Magazine

With the aging Minuteman III ICBM system staring down obsolescence in the near future, the Air Force and its partners are looking to develop the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent. At the same time, they will have to sustain the legacy platform until the end of the decade. Find out how they’re managing the delicate balance.

Israeli PM To Request Biden Clear Money To Purchase New F-15IAs

Breaking Defense

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is set to meet with US President Joe Biden. When he does, he plans to ask the United States for a special increase in Foreign Military Financing dollars specifically to procure an advanced version of Boeing’s F-15 fighter jet, military sources tell Breaking Defense. Israeli sources said that the request has been shaped with two options. The first is an agreement from the US to allow Israel to use allocated funds before the original schedule of the FMF agreement; the second would be a special allocation increase in the overall FMF agreement.

One More Thing

‘Decarbonising Aviation’: The Electric EEL Could Be the Future of Flying

The Guardian

At first glance it did not look very different from the other light aircraft dotted around Exeter airport’s runway, a chunky extra compartment bolted to the bottom of the fuselage the only hint that there was more to it than met the eye. But the plane took off a little more steeply than might have been expected and it was noticeably quieter than the norm. This was the maiden test flight in England of the Electric EEL, a hybrid electric plane, the like of which may soon be coming to airfields across the world.