Turkey Begins Assault on Syrian Kurdish Forces, US Lawmakers Promise Backlash
45th Space Wing Aims to Execute Launches on Demand
Spangdahlem Grounds Aircraft After F-16 Crash
California Blackouts Not Affecting Beale, Travis, Moffett
Intentional rolling blackouts in Northern California, potentially putting up to 800,000 customers of Pacific Gas & Electric in the dark, are not impacting the three largest Air Force operating locations in the region: Beale AFB in Marysville, Travis AFB in Fairfield, and Moffett ANGB in Mountain View. The company is shutting down power because of the extreme risk of wildfire due to unprecedented heat, drought and anticipated high winds, especially in mountainous areas. PG&E’s equipment was faulted for starting fires in 2018 and 2017 that killed more than 100 people and burned more than 14,000 homes and 36,000 acres. The area affected by the rolling blackouts includes 30 counties up to three hours north and east of San Francisco. A Travis spokesman said the base is not on the company’s grid and won’t be affected by the blackouts. A Beale spokeswoman said the base has not been informed whether it could face blackouts, but the base has generators available to continue “critical operations.” A Moffett spokesman said that facility has not been told to expect a blackout, but the Air National Guard unit at the facility is preparing to help local emergency management organizations transport generators to areas affected by the action. PG&E is turning off the electricity as a precautionary measure, and said customers should expect up to seven days of intentional power outages. —John A. Tirpak
NY Guard Resupplies Northernmost Military Base in Canada
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RADAR SWEEP
UN Says US Strikes Cause Civilian Casualties in Afghanistan
A United Nations report released on Oct. 9 criticized American airstrikes earlier this year against alleged drug facilities in Afghanistan, saying they were unlawful and caused significant civilian casualties. The report, released simultaneously in Kabul and Geneva, said the UN verified 39 civilian casualties, including 14 children and a woman, from multiple airstrikes in May on more than 60 sites. Associated Press
On Ukraine Aid, “Nothing to See Here”: Diplomats Urged to Play Down Funds’ Release
American diplomats who had pushed for the Trump administration to restore security funding to Ukraine were advised by the White House to play down the release of the money when it was finally approved, documents show. The New York Times(subscription required)
At Tyndall, Human Resilience Trumped Nature’s Wrath
With the firm support from the president and Air Force leadership on down, 325th Fighter Wing Commander Col. Brian Laidlaw and a team of civil engineers in the first weeks after the storm began the initial steps toward reclaiming the base. Their nonstop effort over the past 11 months has begun to show concrete results. Panama City News Herald
OPINION: How Airmen Can Work Together for Persistent ISR
“Now is the time, while the United States maintains a position of strength, to ensure we are not outmatched, out-thought, or out-witted,” Air Combat Command Director of Intelligence Brig. Gen. Gregory Gagnon and National Defense Fellow Lt. Col. Nishawn Smagh write. “Rapidly and realistically positioning the Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance enterprise for first-mover advantage in today’s data-driven environment is beginning with purposeful urgency.” C4ISRNET
AFRL Cyber Center to Train How to Hack Sensors (Think IoT)
The Air Force Research Laboratory has inked a deal with the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology to develop a new training environment for testing cyber and electronic warfare attacks, which the Air Force sees as eventually becoming “an operational range for DoD cyber-kinetic and multi-domain operations.” The new cyber training environment is sharply focused on understanding how sensors embedded into devices that are connected via the Internet of Things might be manipulated, both to protect US systems and to attack those of adversaries. Breaking Defense
The Pentagon Is Standing Up a Nonprofit to Assess Vendor Cybersecurity
The group would be responsible for running the vendor accreditation process under the Pentagon’s new Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, or CMMC. The framework, which was released in draft form last month, will serve as a yardstick for determining if contractors are taking sufficient steps to protect the sensitive military data that resides on their networks. Nextgov
“Golf Ball” Radar Leaves Pearl Harbor After $24M Upgrade
The towering Sea-Based X-Band Radar is back at sea after nearly four months in Pearl Harbor, during which $24 million in repairs and upgrades were made, the Missile Defense Agency said. "SBX is underway for regular operations, " agency spokeswoman Heather Cavaliere said in an email. "We cannot comment on duration." The Honolulu Star-Advertiser via Military.com
One More Thing
Area 51 Has Its Own Unique Fleet Of HH-60U Ghost Hawk Helicopters
Originally intended as replacements for the Air Force’s aging HH-60G Pave Hawks, they now exclusively support operations at the top-secret base. The Drive