Every year, Congress and the military debate which combat assets should head to the boneyard and which have more life left in them. Lawmakers often opt to keep Air Force systems that bring jobs to their districts, which complicates matters as the service looks to modernize and ditch certain platforms. Sometimes the Air Force opposes congressional efforts to divest planes as well. While the final draft of the 2021 defense policy bill, released Dec. 3, is open to letting go of some worn airframes, several others will stick around.
Congress has backed off on requiring the Space Force to adopt naval ranks, allowing the new service to choose its own military rank system and a name for its members. Former Navy SEAL Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) earlier this year floated the idea of calling Space Force personnel admirals or ensigns, for example, instead of their current Air Force ranks like general and staff sergeant. His provision landed in the House’s version of the fiscal 2021 defense policy bill now making its way through Congress. But the Senate did not have a similar provision, and ultimately won out in stripping Crenshaw’s language from the bipartisan compromise between the two chambers.
Space is getting more crowded, and ensuring U.S freedom of action in this vital domain is one of the missions of the U.S. Space Force. Technology that might help—including a digital “license plate” for satellites—was showcased in the latest competition hosted by the Space Force Accelerator Program.
The Air Force sent two bomber task force missions to the Pacific and Europe on Dec. 3, with a B-52 linking up with Greek and Norwegian fighters after another was forced to divert, and B-1s headed back to Guam. Two B-52s took off from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., and were en route to the Barents Sea when one of the Stratofortresses experienced a maintenance issue and had to divert to RAF Fairford, United Kingdom. The remaining B-52 continued, and joined with Greek and Norwegian F-16s along with U.S. and Turkish KC-135s for training, according to U.S. European Command.
The U.S. military will withdraw the “majority” of its personnel and assets from Somalia by early 2021, the Pentagon announced without providing specifics. President Donald J. Trump ordered the move, though the Defense Department in a Dec. 4 statement said the “U.S. is not withdrawing or disengaging from Africa. We remain committed to our African partners and enduring support through a whole-of-government approach.” The Pentagon has not disclosed how many personnel are in the African nation, where they train Somali forces and have conducted operations against al-Shabab, though the Defense Department Inspector General in a November report said between 650 and 800 troops were operating in the country. The withdrawal comes weeks after Trump also ordered the Defense Department to reduce its footprint in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
Authorized U.S. arms sales abroad jumped 2.8 percent, climbing to $175.08 billion in 2020 from $170.09 in 2019, fueled largely by major F-35 sales, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced Dec. 4. The total reflects all deals DSCA has approved in the fiscal year, $50.78 billion of which is implemented government-to-government foreign military sales. The increase in approved buys coincided with the State Department’s efforts to reform arms transfers, including the loosening of restrictions governing the export of remotely piloted aircraft. The $50.78 billion for FMS is a drop from 2019’s total of $55.39 billion for a three-year rolling average of about $54 billion, according to DSCA. Major implemented sales included $23.1 billion for F-35s to Japan, $4.5 billion for F-15J modernization to Japan, $4.25 billion for AH-64E helicopters to Morocco, and $3 billion for aviation fuel to Israel, among others. Additionally, DSCA issued 28,800 export licenses via Direct Commercial Sales, for a total of $124.3 billion.
