February 2001 Vol. 84, No. 2
By Peter Grier
Air Force Launches AEF Cycle 2
The Air Force's evolution into an Expeditionary Aerospace Force
passed a major milestone on Dec. 1 with the beginning of Aerospace
Expeditionary Force Cycle 2.
Officials said the start of a second round indicates that the
concept is maturing and taking hold in the force.
During the cycle, each of the 10 AEFs will stand ready for
immediate deployment during a three-month window. In addition,
two standing Aerospace Expeditionary Wings (assigned to Seymour
Johnson AFB, N.C., and Mountain Home AFB, Idaho) will rotate on-call
status every 120 days. If needed, the on-call unit will respond
quickly to a pop-up contingency anywhere in the world.
Finally, the Air Force's five lead mobility wings will be ready
to help out in humanitarian crises.
"Since the first AEF cycle began Oct. 1, 1999, we have
greatly improved deployment predictability and stability for our
Air Force members," said Brig. Gen. Dennis Larsen, commander
of the Aerospace Expeditionary Force Center at Langley AFB, Va.
Second Crash Clouds Osprey's Future
The second lethal crash of a V-22 Osprey in 2000 has led to
a pause in flying for all models of the tilt rotor aircraft and
raised questions about the future of the V-22 program.
The Marine Corps suspended all MV-22 operations one day after
the Dec. 11 accident, in which an aircraft returning to its North
Carolina base following a night training mission inexplicably
plummeted to the ground only minutes from the airfield.
The crash killed four persons, including the pilot, Lt. Col.
Keith M. Sweaney, the service's most experienced tilt rotor pilot
and the program's test director.
Sweaney managed a Mayday call before the crash, but gave no
word as to why he was in trouble.
Flight tests of the CV-22 Air Force version of the tilt rotor
were also suspended following the accident. The Air Force plans
to purchase 50 of the tilt rotors to replace its aging fleet of
MH-35J Pave Low helicopters. The Marines plan to buy 360 MV-22s
by 2013 and have so far received 10 production models. The Navy
plans to buy 48.
"We have never had anything happen to this aircraft that
was not [caused by] human factors in the past," said Lt.
Gen. Fred McCorkle, Marine Corps deputy commandant for aviation.
"We don't know yet what caused this one."
McCorkle, at a meeting with reporters Dec. 12, conceded that
the V-22 program could be said to be in trouble.
But he added that "if there was something wrong with it
to cause this accident, we plan on finding out what it was and
fixing it."
National Security Heavyweights
Join the Bush Team
When it comes to national security, George W. Bush will be
guided by the voice of experience. Several voices, in fact.
The President, himself a novice in world affairs, takes office
with support of a highly experienced vice president, Dick Cheney,
who served as Secretary of Defense under President George H.
Bush in 1989-93 and played a major role in the planning and execution
of the Gulf War.
Early signs were that Cheney would exert significant influence
on US policy formulation.
In the weeks preceding his Jan. 20 inauguration, Bush also
pulled together a veteran group of Republican defense and foreign
policy all-stars to fill key appointive posts.
Secretary of Defense: Donald H. Rumsfeld, a prominent Republican
who served as President Ford's Pentagon chief in the period 1975-77,
has been deeply involved in missile defense and military space
issues in recent years. The President-elect tapped Rumsfeld for
the job on Dec. 28, declaring, "He's going to be a great
Secretary of Defense-again."
Secretary of State: Retired Army Gen. Colin Powell, the former
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 1989-93, is another key
Gulf War figure selected for high office. Powell is perhaps best
known for his advocacy of the use of "decisive" force
in any overseas US engagement. He also warns that Washington
should be more selective when committing forces abroad.
National Security Advisor: Condoleeza Rice, Bush's principal
security advisor during the Presidential campaign, has intimate
knowledge of Russian affairs and arms control. She served on
the National Security Council staff from 1989 to 1991 as director
and then senior director of Soviet and East European affairs,
and then as special assistant to the national security affairs
advisor.
|
Delay Sought in V-22 Decision
Significant delays in the V-22's acquisition cycle now appear
inevitable.
The Pentagon had been prepared to decide whether to proceed
with full-rate production of the aircraft in late December. That
decision has now been pushed forward to March or April at Marine
Corps request.
Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen named an independent
blue-ribbon panel to study the airplane's performance and safety.
The members are retired Marine Corps Gen. John R. Dailey, retired
USAF Gen. James B. Davis, Norman R. Augustine, and Eugene E. Covert.
Throughout its development the V-22 has attracted both committed
proponents and fierce critics. Vice President Dick Cheney, for
one, tried to kill off the program when he was Secretary of Defense.
An April Osprey crash near Tucson, Ariz., which killed 19 Marines
was caused by a chain of human errors that led to a too-speedy
descent, according to the results of an accident investigation
board. In 1992, an engine fire caused a test aircraft to crash,
killing seven.
USAF, Boeing Commercial
C-17
In an effort to boost the number of big airlifters available
in a crisis, the Air Force will help Boeing create a commercial
market for the C-17, service officials said in December.
Under the arrangement, the Air Force would work to ease restrictions
on the sale of the C-17 to commercial operators and pay a fee
to them that would guarantee the service's access to the aircraft-dubbed
BC-17X-in a crisis. It would mark the first time that aircraft
in the Civil Reserve Air Fleet would offer oversize/outsize cargo
capability.
USAF would also obtain the cost benefits of maintaining the
rate of production on the C-17 at 15 aircraft a year, which is
considered the most efficient rate. The Air Force's 80-aircraft
multiyear buy of the C-17 is beginning to wind down, and in the
absence of more orders, the production rate will decrease and
the service will pay more for each aircraft beyond the previously
planned fleet of 120 aircraft. The production rate dips to eight
in Fiscal 2003, with long-lead funding for only five more now
in the budget pipeline.
The Air Force is expected to need as many as 50 more C-17s
to meet airlift obligations identified under the latest Mobility
Requirements Study.
Darleen Druyun, principal deputy assistant secretary of the
Air Force for acquisition and management, said if the freight
industry were to buy 10 C-17s, USAF would obtain a substantial
wartime airlift capability at a fraction of the cost of buying
the aircraft for organic service use. There would be an acquisition
cost savings of $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion, plus a further
savings of $6.8 billion to $7.3 billion in operating costs over
20 years of service. Of course, the commercial aircraft would
not be in the day-to-day operating fleet but would be a significant
way "to reduce risk" in meeting wartime surge requirements,
she said.
A private study done for the Air Force identified a potential
market for 10 C-17s in the current decade and possibly many more
as further commercial applications are developed for the airlifter.
The figure of 10 is "highly conservative," Druyun said.
Sufficient work could be found for as many as 18 to 26 of the
aircraft, without cutting into the oversize/outsize market being
served by a handful of Ukrainian An-124 Condor transports. USAF
and its consultants predict an annual growth of 6 to 17 percent
in the need for commercial oversize/outsize cargo aircraft.
Besides commercial work, the aircraft could also be hired
to support US government humanitarian relief operations, to carry
out missions for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or
other nonmilitary operations when Air Mobility Command doesn't
have an airlifter available.
"I know we will have to buy more aircraft," Druyun
said, and "innovative" ways of meeting airlift requirements
within expected budgets have to be explored.
Freight-carrying companies were invited to a symposium in
January to assess the industry's interest in buying the airplanes.
Druyun said USAF was willing to consider buy-back clauses
in the sales to get banks to approve financing of such ventures
and that USAF could buy insurance against having to make such
buy-backs.
Commercial operators of the C-17 would likely be guaranteed
a certain percentage of CRAF contracts, about 20 percent, according
to Col. Greg Lockhart, the Air Force's deputy director of global
reach programs.
Bugs still need to be worked out of the concept, Druyun acknowledged.
The C-17 is still on the State Department's list of restricted
armaments. "We would work to get it off," she said.
Likewise, the State Department might have veto power over where
the commercially owned aircraft could fly overseas and might
have to issue export licenses to send a part if a C-17 broke
down on a foreign airfield.
However, Druyun said the problems can be worked out and anticipated
that the market for C-17s could "support itself" without
any US government work by 2010.
The concept would, however, require that the Air Force itself
buy at least 50 more C-17s, Druyun admitted. Without that production
base, it would not be economically feasible to build commercial
C-17s. The additional BC-17Xs would also make the military C-17
cost-efficient enough to keep it attractive to other allied militaries
to consider for their own air forces. Britain will lease four
of the airplanes for its military use.
While it's likely the C-17s sold to commercial users would
be slightly modified to remove some sensitive equipment-such
as self-defense anti-missile countermeasures-Druyun said she's
hoping for a very high degree of commonality on the production
line.
"Two production lines defeat the purpose" of the
arrangement, she said.
To sweeten the deal, USAF would likely not charge end users
the typical fees to defray research and development costs.
"I'm buying a readiness option," Druyun explained.
"I won't charge myself ... to get it. That wouldn't meet
the commonsense test." However, operators would negotiate
pricing with Boeing, not the Air Force.
Maintaining the production line has become an acutely important
issue because deliveries of C-17s are now running an average
of 132 days ahead of schedule.
Boeing never succeeded in getting the State Department to
relax its rules on selling or exporting a commercial version
of the C-17, called the MD-17. However, Druyun said she feels
the State Department can approve the BC-17X because the technology
involved is simply "a cargo airplane" and not a weapon
system as such. Early on, it made sense to be "conservative"
in withholding the C-17, but the same technologies can now be
found on the 747-5400 freighter, which is liberally sold overseas,
she noted.
The concept would not complicate the depots issue, she said,
because it would only bring more airplanes into the depot pipeline.
"There will be more work for the depots ... not less,"
she said.
Druyun said the concept should be "very attractive"
to commercial interests because it represents a chance to get
in on the ground floor of a new market with guaranteed work while
sharing the risk and cost with the government.
US Transportation Command is enthusiastic about the concept,
Druyun said. The board of directors exploring the concept includes
Druyun, USTRANSCOM Commander in Chief Gen. Charles T. Robertson
Jr., and Boeing chief Harry Stonecipher.
-John A. Tirpak
|
Fire Destroys Missile Alert Facility
A devastating fire Nov. 30 raced through and destroyed an Air
Force Missile Alert Facility near Minot AFB, N.D. No one was injured
during the incident, which was the first major fire at an MAF.
"All weapons systems are safe and secure," said Col.
Kim McKenzie, 91st Space Wing commander at Minot, on Dec. 1.
Throughout the fire, the two-member missile crew working in
the underground Launch Control Center continued to carry out its
normal duties of monitoring 10 Minuteman ICBMs. By closing the
blast doors, they protected themselves from the flames some 65
feet over their heads.
Missileers have enough food, water, and air to maintain sealed
underground operations for several days. Control of their ICBMs
can be transferred to another LCC if necessary.
Crews train constantly for just such a situation, said base
officials. A normal crew change took place after the fire was
extinguished.
Authorities had not determined the cause of the fire, which
was discovered around 5 a.m. when some of the 13 inhabitants of
MAF Golf-01 smelled smoke. Above-ground personnel were quickly
evacuated and fire crews from the base and surrounding towns responded
within minutes. Still, the blaze spread rapidly at the 1960s-era
MAF, valued at around $2.5 million.
Sidewinder Update Completed
The Missiles Division of the Space and Special Systems Management
Directorate, at Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Georgia,
recently celebrated the completion of a major program upgrade
with the building of the last updated AIM-9M-9 Sidewinder missile.
The Sidewinder short-range air-to-air heat-seeking missile
is one of the US Air Force's most trusted weapons and is used
by most USAF fighter aircraft. The upgrade was intended to improve
counter-countermeasure capability.
"Enemy aircraft throw out flares to confuse the missile
and we corrected that problem," said Paul Wellborn, deputy
chief of the Missiles Division. "It gives the warfighter's
missiles a higher probability of a kill."
The program shipped 6,600 modified weapons to Air Force field
units. Some 179 deliveries were made to 84 locations in the US
and around the world.
DoD Helps Save Iridium Satellites
The Pentagon on Dec. 5 agreed to pay Iridium Satellite LLC
$72 million for two years of satellite communications services.
The contract gives 20,000 government users unlimited Iridium satellite
network.
The system provides mobile, cryptographically secure telephone
services to small handsets anywhere on the globe, 24 hours per
day, according to DoD. Since the Navy alone needs more than twice
DoD's current capability, Pentagon officials say they need the
Iridium capacity.
Special forces units, search-and-rescue crews, and polar operation
groups are among the military customers DoD believes will be heavy
users of Iridium service. Early this year, per the Pentagon, Iridium
will offer a classified capability.
The $5 billion Iridium system was designed, built, and operated
by Motorola initially. Its purpose was to provide secure, wireless
communications to customers anywhere in the world. The Motorola-owned
Iridium LLC was charging some of its 60,000 customers $5 per minute
when it went bankrupt in 1999, less than a year after start-up.
A new company, Iridium Satellite LLC, purchased the assets
of Iridium LLC last November. The new Iridium has contracted with
Boeing to operate and maintain the satellite system. Company officials
believe they need only find 40,000 additional private subscribers
at 80 cents per minute to break even.
Lockheed Martin Naval JSF
Takes Flight
The X-35C, Lockheed Martin's concept demonstrator for its
proposed Joint Strike Fighter naval variant, flew for the first
time Dec. 16, in a 27-minute flight that kicked off a planned
short but intense period of testing and evaluation.
Lockheed Martin pilot Joe Sweeney flew the X-35C from the
company's Palmdale, Calif., facility to Edwards AFB, Calif. Along
the way he raised the landing gear, performed rolls, sideslips,
and aircraft checks, and reached 10,000 feet altitude and a speed
of nearly 300 mph. Sweeney reported the flight was "very
smooth."
About two months of flight testing are anticipated with the
X-35C, to explore low-speed handling qualities, approaches and
takeoffs at varying speeds, and simulated carrier landings.
The JSF program, in which Boeing is the other competitor,
aims to develop a highly common family of aircraft for three
of the armed services. The Air Force requires an inexpensive
yet stealthy replacement for its large fleet of F-16s; the Navy
needs a stealthy, longer-ranged attack airplane/fighter, and
the Marine Corps wants a stealthy Short Takeoff and Vertical
Landing fighter for close air support of its troops.
The X-35C approximates the naval version of Lockheed Martin's
airplane. It has larger wings than its Air Force version, as
well as stronger landing gear to deal with hard carrier landings.
The X-35A, which characterizes the USAF version, completed its
month-long flight test program on Nov. 22, when it went back
to the factory to be refitted into a demonstrator for the Marine
STOVL model. It will be rechristened the X-35B and begin flight
tests in the spring.
The concept demonstrator aircraft-Boeing's versions are the
X-32A, B, and C-are intended to generate data to verify claims
made by both companies about the performance and durability of
their designs. They are not intended to be prototypes, and in
fact, Boeing's concept demonstrator aircraft varies significantly
in appearance from what is called its Preferred Weapon System
Concept.
However, Lockheed Martin aimed to produce demonstrators very
close to its proposed final design.
"Our X-35C is highly representative of the aircraft we've
planned for production, so its in-flight behavior will be an
extremely accurate predictor of the production airplane's flight
characteristics," asserted Tom Burbage, Lockheed Martin
executive vice president and JSF program general manager. He
added that the Lockheed Martin naval JSF is a "very low
observable" design, meaning its stealth characteristics
are on a par with-or better than-the F-117 stealth attack airplane
in USAF service.
Such a degree of stealth will give the Navy "first look,
first shot air supremacy" in the air-to-air role, Burbage
said.
The JSF competitors are to submit their proposals this spring;
a winner in the contest, which is valued at more than $300 billion
over 20 years-including export as well as domestic orders-will
be chosen in the fall. Plans call for the first JSFs to enter
service around 2008.
-John A. Tirpak
|
DoD Delays Anthrax Vaccination Again
DoD on Nov. 30 announced it will further reduce the scope of
its anthrax vaccination effort. The reason: a dwindling vaccine
stockpile.
Service personnel now in or preparing to enter the Korean theater
of operations will no longer receive vaccinations, said DoD spokesman
Ken Bacon. That will conserve approximately 12,500 doses monthly.
Only personnel headed to Southwest Asia will now get the shots.
About 5,000 doses monthly are administered to those headed to
the Gulf region.
"We want to conserve our supplies and still protect people
going to the highest threat areas," said Bacon. "We
know the Iraqis produced anthrax. We know they weaponized anthrax."
At the revised pace of usage, current stocks of anthrax vaccine
are predicted to last until November. The Pentagon expects the
sole current manufacturer of anthrax vaccine, BioPort Corp. of
Michigan, to resume full-scale production in October.
Military Vote Bill Dies
in Senate
A bill that would have allowed, but not required, polling
places on military bases died when the Senate adjourned for 2000
without taking it up for consideration.
Republicans said some Democratic Senators objected to the
bill, which had passed the House on Oct. 12. The Clinton Administration
was opposed to it, as well. The Republicans said that, rather
than try to force it through in the session's waning days, they
would fold their hands and try again in 2001.
A Civil War era-statute prohibits the establishment of voting
places at active duty military establishments, although some
isolated bases, such as Edwards AFB, Calif., have obtained waivers
from the policy on an ad hoc basis.
Backers of the bill believe the repeal of this law would lower
a barrier that now stands in the way of military men and women
exercising their democratic franchise.
In the House, the bill was chiefly sponsored by Rep. Bill
Thomas (R-Calif.), whose district includes Edwards.
The ballot mess in Florida simply demonstrated why a more
rational approach to military voting is needed, said backers.
The Administration objected that the bill could politicize
bases by allowing partisan activity on military grounds. It would
help relatively few personnel, since many in the military vote
absentee.
|
Rand Says Take a Look at Nerve
Gas
A new Rand study says the US cannot rule out exposure to low
levels of Iraqi nerve gas as a factor in what has come to be known
as Gulf War syndrome.
The Rand work called for more study into the long-term effects
of exposures to small doses of chemical warfare agents--such as
those that may have affected some 100,000 US troops near Khamisiyah,
an Iraqi ammo dump blown up after the war.
It was only after Khamisiyah's destruction that US intelligence
determined the site had contained a number of warheads filled
with nerve agents.
"It is not possible to eliminate nerve agents categorically
from playing a role in some cases of illnesses of Gulf War veterans,"
said the Rand report.
Even so, the report found no existing scientific evidence that
nerve gas-related symptoms would appear years after exposure in
a war. Of Gulf War vets who have reported health problems, approximately
half did so a year or more after the end of the conflict.
Cohen Pays Tribute to
His Hollywood Heroes
On Nov. 30 Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen threw a black-tie
bash at a Beverly Hills, Calif., hotel in an effort to foster
goodwill between the military and moviemaking professionals.
Cohen presented Jack Valenti, president of the Motion Picture
Association of America, with the first Citizen Patriot award
for his efforts on behalf of those who wear America's uniform.
Valenti, a top lobbyist and former aide to President Lyndon Johnson,
is also a decorated ex-Army Air Corps pilot with 51 combat missions
over Italy to his credit.
USO icon Bob Hope received a Spirit of Hope award for his
decades of involvement with military entertainment. The honor
was accepted by Hope's son, Tony.
Cost of the bash? About $295,000. That includes the price
of flying 94 military performers to Los Angeles and a $218-per-person
dinner for the likes of Steven Spielberg and "JAG"
star Catherine Bell.
The price tag was worth it, insisted defense officials. A
prime-time recruiting ad costs $300,000 a minute. Furthermore,
the dinner fits in with Cohen's long-standing goal of reconnecting
the US military with key segments of American society.
"I think it will have benefits for years to come,"
said department spokesman Ken Bacon.
|
DoD Issues New Report on Khamisiyah
DoD has revised its best estimate as to which US personnel
were in the Khamisiyah danger zone at the time of the weapons
storage area's destruction.
"Khamisiyah is the benchmark incident for all our investigations,"
said Bernard D. Rostker, undersecretary of defense for personnel
and readiness and special assistant for Gulf War illnesses. "Today,
after three more years of investigation and more precise computer
simulations, we can present a better picture of the events than
was possible before."
New CIA estimates about the volume of chemical weapons at the
site, plus a more detailed DoD study of what units were where
at the time of explosions, have led Pentagon experts to conclude
that 101,000 people possibly were exposed to low levels of toxins
at Khamisiyah. Previous estimates had put the total at 99,000.
Furthermore, DoD now believes that 32,000 of the original 99,000
number were never in a hazard area at all, while 34,000 personnel
originally thought clear of the exposure footprint are now inside
the boundary of the area of concern.
Officials said they were notifying all affected servicemen
and -women of the change.
Link Between Kelly, Illness?
Several studies, including some partly funded by the Air Force,
are seeking to determine whether former and current workers at
Kelly AFB, Tex., are at unusually high risk for acquiring a rare
disease.
A San Antonio chapter of the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Association fears the workers face disproportionately high risk
for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. The San Antonio Express-News
first reported a suspected link.
At least 39 Kelly workers have been diagnosed with ALS, according
to local association officials. They say that number is worrisome,
since the rate in the general US population is one to two new
cases of ALS per year for every 100,000 people.
But epidemiologists from Brooks AFB, Tex., say they are not
so sure. Considering the number of people who have passed through
the base, anywhere from 15 to 43 ALS cases over the past 20 years
might not be out of the ordinary.
Kelly, picked for closure during the last round of base realignment
and closure actions, will finish conversion this year into KellyUSA,
a commercial air cargo and logistics site with a projected 21,000
workers.
More Cold War Cat and
Mouse?
Russian military aircraft buzzed the aircraft carrier USS
Kitty Hawk on two occasions this fall, the Department of
Defense confirmed.
Both incidents occurred while the carrier was on maneuvers
in the Sea of Japan. The Cold War-style incidents contributed
to a heightened alert status of the Kitty Hawk group.
"They have changed their procedures to deal with flyovers
like this," said Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon. He declined
to provide details other than to say the alert posture had been
enhanced.
The first incident took place Oct. 17. Two Russian jets--an
Su-24 and an Su-27--came within a few hundred feet of the giant
US warship.
Navy aircraft were delayed getting into the air to chase the
interlopers because the carrier was refueling and the commander
saw no need to break off refueling operations, according to Bacon.
"These planes were acquired by the battle group's radar
at some distance off," said Bacon. "They were followed."
Then on Nov. 9 two Russian aircraft overflew Kitty Hawk at
1,000 to 2,000 feet.
The Russians, inexplicably, e-mailed to Kitty Hawk some reconnaissance
photos taken by the airplanes.
US officials said the overflights were nothing more than a
curiosity. They have similarly downplayed the significance of
Russian Tu-95 bombers being moved to Siberian air bases close
to US Alaskan airspace.
"We regard the Cold War as being over," Bacon sniffed.
|
USAF Seeks Retired Aviators
Under a newly authorized Retired Aviator Recall Program, USAF
seeks up to 208 eligible retired pilots, navigators, and air battle
managers who want to fill headquarters rated staff positions.
Those eligible must have separated from the service at the
rank of lieutenant colonel and below and have been retired no
more than five years.
"This ensures they have current rated experience,"
says Col. Kathleen Pivarsky, chief of the military policy division
at the Air Staff. "The officers will fill key rated staff
positions above the wing level for up to nearly three years."
The program will continue through Sept. 30, 2002. Participants
must be released from active duty by Sept. 30, 2003.
This recall effort is just one part of the overall plan to
ease a headquarters personnel crunch caused by the Air Force goal
of 100 percent rated manning at the wing level. Combat units are
fully filled, but higher staff are feeling the pinch, said officials.
"This program will allow them to recapture valuable rated
expertise," said Pivarsky.
The program was contained in the Fiscal 2001 Department of
Defense authorization bill. Volunteers can apply for a specific
location or opt for worldwide availability.
USAF Ups Ante in ACP Program
The Air Force is sweetening the pot of its Aviator Continuation
Pay program as it continues to try and lure pilots away from civilian
employment opportunities.
The highlights of the new 2001 ACP program include a higher
cap on lump-sum payments, USAF officials announced Nov. 29. The
cap on up-front cash for first-time eligibles has been raised
from $100,000 to $150,000, not to exceed 50 percent of the total
agreement value.
"While this does not increase the total contract amount,
it enhances the attractiveness of our longer-term agreements,"
said Lt. Gen. Donald L. Peterson, deputy chief of staff for personnel.
The Air Force is also offering more options to tailor these
up-front payments to individual needs, said Peterson.
Other program features include:
- Agreement options of three or five years in length, as well
as agreements to 20 or 25 years of aviation service.
- Contract values at $15,000 per year for agreements three
years or less in length, and $25,000 annually for agreements
longer than three years.
- Flexibility to allow pilots holding agreements struck in
Fiscal 1999 or earlier to convert or amend their pacts to fit
the new structure.
- Pilots should not view ACP as an entitlement program that
will be available throughout their careers, said officials. Pilot
bonuses, like selective re-enlistment bonuses for the enlisted
force, are tactical force-shaping tools.
- "As conditions change there may be no need to offer
similar agreement lengths and payment amounts in the future,"
said Peterson.
Boost DoD Budget 20
Percent, Say Brown and Schlesinger
The following is excerpted from a Dec. 20 Washington Post
article by James Schlesinger and Harold Brown. Schlesinger was
Secretary of Defense (1973-75) under President Ford, while Brown
was the Pentagon head (1977-81) under President Carter.
"Over the next decade, the nation will need to spend
significantly more-certainly hundreds of billions of dollars-on
defense and foreign assistance if we are to maintain a military
force capable of doing the things that both candidates seemed
to feel it would have to do.
"The US military that President-elect Bush inherits,
while far superior to any other, is not what it needs to be.
... This is a problem that cannot be solved without more money.
The alternative, a substantial reduction in force structure,
must be resisted. Recent events in the Middle East should underscore
that we are living in unpredictable and even dangerous times.
A strong military is a bulwark against threats to US vital interests
and to our homeland.
"While the additional sums required to restore our military
are large in absolute terms, it must be remembered that the United
States today spends slightly less than 3 percent of its gross
domestic product on defense, the lowest level since before Pearl
Harbor.
"Even with all the efficiencies and management improvements
that are politically feasible, to make up the current shortfall
will require a phased increase in defense spending to a level
about 20 percent higher than the present one. An additional one-half
percent out of the national economic dollar to be allocated to
national security is well within the capability of the US economy."
|
Cohen Says Allies Must Invest
in NATO
Secretary of Defense William Cohen said the NATO allies must
invest in new technologies outlined in the Defense Capabilities
Initiative. Otherwise, said the Pentagon chief, the alliance will
become a "relic" of the past.
Cohen delivered his views to attendees at a NATO Defense Ministerial
in Brussels, Belgium, on Dec. 5.
Operation Allied Force revealed huge disparities in the military
capabilities of NATO members and showed that significant allocations
of money are necessary to improve the alliance's ability to fight
in a unified manner.
Capabilities outlined in the DCI include more sealift, more
airlift, and more precision guided munitions, as well as a better
command-and-control system.
"I indicated NATO could become a relic if a number of
factors were to present themselves and if a number of caveats
were not at least adhered to," Cohen told reporters.
Cohen also said the US supports the European Union's drive
to create its own European Rapid Reaction Force-but that planning
for such a force should be done within the existing NATO infrastructure.
Otherwise the two organizations risk creating duplicative planning
teams.
"To establish such duplications would in fact result in
a weakening of NATO capabilities and result in a situation in
which we would have the United States of America, Canada, and
European allies responding to threats and crises on an ad hoc
and fragmented and inefficient fashion," said Cohen. "That
is not desirable for the Europeans or for the United States."
China Tested New Missile
as Shelton Visited
The Pentagon on Dec. 12 confirmed that China carried out a
successful test of its newest long-range nuclear missile during
a November visit by Gen. Henry H. Shelton, Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff.
The DF-31 ICBM is road-mobile, carries a single warhead, and
has an estimated 5,000-mile range. The Nov. 4 test inside Chinese
territory did not reach maximum range, said Pentagon spokesman
Ken Bacon.
"This is a program that's been ongoing-the DF-31 program-since
the late 1980s, and the test was pretty much as expected in terms
of timing and in terms of results," said Bacon.
Some analysts saw the timing of the test as a shot across
the bow to the United States as a new Administration prepared
to come to power in Washington. Shelton's Nov. 3-5 visit took
place on the eve of US national elections.
Bacon downplayed the political significance of the test. "China
has been working on modernizing its long-range missile program
... for some time," said Bacon.
|
British Cast Jaundiced
Eye on the ERRF
A Gallup survey finds that British subjects don't exactly
relish the idea of participating in the new European Union defense
force.
A special Gallup survey for The Telegraph of London found
serious doubts about the benefits of joining the EU's so-called
European Rapid Reaction Force.
Half of Gallup's respondents see the force as signaling the
ultimate creation of a European Union army. Of those who believe
that the force will lead to such an army, 61 percent say they
are opposed to the idea.
|
Pharmacy Schedule
Tricare is moving to simplify its schedule of co-payments for
prescription drugs, per a Congressional mandate from the Fiscal
2000 defense authorization act.
The new co-pay schedule will be the same for all beneficiaries
and will be based on whether users choose generic or brand-name
medication.
If approved, it will take effect on April 1, 2001.
"We're trying to improve the Tricare pharmacy benefit,
to make it simpler to understand and more uniform, consistent,
and equitable for everyone," said Army Lt. Col. William G.
Davies, director of DoD Pharmacy Programs.
Under the new schedule, Tricare-affiliated retail drug stores
would charge beneficiaries $3 for up to a 30-day supply of generic
prescription drugs and $9 for brand names.
Rates would be the same at the National Mail Order Pharmacy
program for up to a 90-day supply-a better value.
Tricare Prime enrollees would still pay a 50 percent point-of-service
penalty after meeting their deductible if they opt to use non-Tricare
affiliated retail outlets. Other Tricare participants would pay
whatever is greater: a 20 percent co-pay or a $9-per-prescription
charge.
Prescriptions filled at military hospital and clinic pharmacies
would still have no co-pay charge. "There are cost savings
available to the majority of the beneficiary population,"
said Davies.
Legislation Forges
Closer Ties Between USAF, CAP
New legislation promises to bring a new era of cooperation
between USAF and the Civil Air Patrol, claim USAF officials.
CAP provisions within the Fiscal 2001 National Defense Authorization
Act set clear lines of authority and establish the level and
type of support CAP will receive as an auxiliary of the Air Force.
It sets policy for equipment, personnel, and financial support.
The legislation also establishes a Board of Governors having
Air Force, CAP, and private sector members.
The new law significantly broadens the ability of the Air
Force to support the Civil Air Patrol at every level. It is called
the most significant legislation affecting the organization in
nearly 50 years.
"The legislation will foster a closer relationship between
the Air Force and the Civil Air Patrol," said Brig. Gen.
Robert D. Bishop Jr., USAF's deputy director of operations and
training and chairman of the CAP Management Improvement Team.
"The Air Force will ensure the CAP is properly supported
and not overextended," he said.
|
Kirtland Housing Project
Moves Forward
USAF's largest current effort to privatize its on-base housing--involving
1,890 old homes at Kirtland AFB, N.M.--has developers lined up,
waiting to bid for the work.
During the fall, an industry forum for potential bidders, sponsored
by the Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence at Brooks
AFB, Tex., attracted 23 developers from 10 states, as well as
eight prime contractors, 17 subcontractors, six suppliers, and
eight architectural/engineering firms, reported the Albuquerque
Tribune.
Specifically, the project will entail the destruction of 1,573
houses built in the 1940s and 1950s, construction of 953 new ones
to start, plus a long-term management contract. The winning bidder
will own the homes themselves, while leasing the land from the
government under 50-year terms.
This is one of the projects under a 10-base pilot program the
Air Force began in 1996. Three privatization contracts have been
awarded so far. The first was at Lackland AFB, Tex., for 420 homes,
second at Robins AFB, Ga., for 670 units, and third, Dyess AFB,
Tex., 402.
These housing initiatives are part of a DoD-wide push to replace
or refurbish roughly 200,000 substandard units that DoD has today.
IG Reviews Military Ballot
Issues
Secretary of Defense William Cohen on Nov. 28 instructed DoD's
Inspector General to study problems concerning military absentee
ballots.
He took the move following widespread reports during the post-election
furor in Florida about such ballots being discarded because they
lacked postmarks.
"The Secretary's goal and his instruction to the IG is
to make sure we have a system that makes every vote count,"
said Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon.
DoD regulations require postmarks on all mail, including such
postage-free mail as absentee ballots. The IG will examine current
procedures for handling ballots, cancellation, and postmarking,
and how those procedures are actually implemented.
Clinton Offers Deep
Regret Over No Gun Ri
President Clinton on Jan. 11 expressed "regret"
that Korean civilians were killed by retreating US troops near
the village of No Gun Ri at the start of the Korean War.
Even so, Clinton stopped short of saying that the killings
were committed under orders. Nor did he apologize for the US
actions, as many South Koreans had demanded.
"On behalf of the United States of America, I deeply
regret that Korean civilians lost their lives at No Gun Ri,"
Clinton said in a written statement.
A US official on Dec. 8 said that US and South Korean negotiators
in Seoul reached a mutual understanding that American soldiers
did, in fact, kill South Korean civilian refugees in the chaotic
early days of the Korean War.
The agreement marked the first US acknowledgement that US
forces, fearful of North Korean infiltrators, fired into refugees
huddled under a railroad trestle near No Gun Ri in July 1950.
Was it deliberate, however? Were the troops ordered to shoot
the civilians? No, said Secretary of the Army Louis A. Caldera
at a Dec. 14 session with reporters. American investigators have
found no documentary evidence of such orders, instead concluding
that the killings were caused by panic among green troops.
|
Large Housing Allowance
Increase Kicks In
The Pentagon on Dec. 21 announced the Fiscal 2001 Basic Allowance
for Housing rates, due to give service members one of the largest
increases ever.
The new rates are part of the DoD initiative to eliminate service
members' out-of-pocket expenses by 2005 and incorporate a number
of major changes to the BAH program. In total, the planned increase
in housing allowance funds for Fiscal 2001 above the Fiscal 2000
amount is more than $700 million.
Average increases in the BAH are to range from 12 to 17 percent
by grade, with the typical increase in the range of 14.5 percent.
A typical married E-5's BAH will increase $100 per month. A typical
married E-8's pay will increase $125.
Out-of-pocket expense, the portion of the typical member's
housing cost that the member is not compensated for, has been
reduced from 18.8 percent in 1999 to no more than 15 percent in
2000. Out-of-pocket expense is to be reduced to 11.3 percent in
2001.
US-Russia POW/MIA Group Renews
Commitment
The US-Russian Joint Commission on POWs and MIAs in November
renewed its commitment to continue cooperative efforts in search
of information about the fate of missing servicemen.
The commission acted during a two-day session in Moscow.
The commission was established in 1992 by the US and Russian
Presidents. It is a group of senior American and Russian officials
that meets periodically to assess and to coordinate policy, research,
and investigative efforts on clarifying the fate of missing American
and Russian servicemen.
The group reported that, in August, a team went to Kamchatka
in the Russian Far East and positively identified a US PV-1 patrol
bomber missing in action since March 25, 1944. Plans for a full-scale
excavation of the site this summer were launched.
Denis Clift, the US co-chairman of the Cold War Working Group,
reported that the group has developed new information related
to incidents of US aircraft lost near the borders of the Soviet
Union during the Cold War.
Similar reviews have developed information on MIAs from the
Korean and Vietnam Wars.
58th SOW Crew Rescues Skiers
Airmen of the 58th Special Operations Wing, Kirtland AFB, N.M.,
used a TH-53A Pave Low training helicopter to locate and then
rescue two skiers missing in the Santa Fe National Forest.
The Dec. 19 rescue effort took less than three hours. The skiers
had been missing overnight and had been exposed to below-zero
temperatures.
The rescue was carried out by an aircrew from the 551st Special
Operations Squadron and Pararescue Jumpers from Det. 1, 342nd
Training Squadron. They assisted local search-and-rescue officials.
The crew located the skiers at about 11,000 feet altitude.
Because the aircrew could not land in the area, one PJ was lowered
to help the skiers put on harnesses, with which they were hoisted
into the aircraft.
Commander Rules in Case of
C-130 Crash
The commander of USAF's 314th Airlift Wing dismissed court-martial
charges against the pilot whose C-130 crashed at Ahmed Al Jaber
AB, Kuwait, in December 1999, killing three and seriously injuring
seven.
Instead, Brig. Gen. Paul J. Fletcher, the special court-martial
convening authority, recommended Capt. Darron A. Haughn be punished
under Article 15 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Haughn
had faced trial on charges of dereliction of duty and negligent
homicide.
Fletcher forwarded his recommendation to Maj. Gen. George N.
Williams, 21st Air Force commander. Williams is the ultimate judge
of disciplinary action against Haughn.
Under Article 15, Haughn could be formally reprimanded, arrested
in quarters for 30 days, restricted to the base for 60 days, forced
to forfeit half a month's pay per month for two months, or a combination
of these punishments.
Special Operators Rescue Downed
Pilot
An MH-53 Pave Low crew of the 20th Special Operations Squadron,
Hurlburt Field, Fla., on Dec. 13 rescued a downed F-16 pilot who
had ejected into the Gulf of Mexico six miles from land.
The fighter, assigned to the 27th Fighter Wing at Cannon AFB,
N.M., had been on a training mission while on temporary duty at
Tyndall AFB, Fla., when the mishap occurred.
The crew of a Coast Guard HU-25 twin-engine jet from Mobile,
Ala., located the pilot-Lt. Col. John Harrison-after a 20-minute
search and dropped a smoke marker so the rescue helicopter could
find him. Visibility was only about one to three miles with 300-
to 400-foot ceilings.
The helicopter crew immediately spotted the pilot, who was
obviously cold and tired but still conscious in the water, said
Capt. Joe Decaro, the helicopter commander. The helicopter hovered
low over the water so the downed pilot could grab onto a hoist.
Two 20th SOS flight engineers on board, TSgt. T.J. Carmichael
and SSgt. Gary Mishye, pulled him safely inside the helicopter.
News Notes
- Pilot error was the cause of the crash of an Air Force Reserve
Command F-16C near Tulia, Tex., on Aug. 28, according to Air
Force investigators. Maj. Stephen W. Simons, who was killed,
was performing unauthorized aerobatic maneuvers over the property
of his in-laws when the accident occurred.
- Engine failure was the cause of an Air National Guard F-16C
crash into the ocean off Atlantic City, N.J., on Aug. 31, according
to an accident report. A turbine blade separated and damaged
the oil system and other power plant parts. The pilot safely
ejected and sustained minor injuries.
- The Air Force won the 2000 Armed Forces Basketball Tournament,
held Nov. 15-17 at Charleston AFB, S.C. The margin of victory
over the Marines, the defending champions, was 71-59.
- On Nov. 24 the "Rocket Site" at Edwards AFB, Calif.,
was designated one of the nation's historic aerospace sites by
the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Officially
named the Air Force Research Laboratory Edwards Research Site,
it is a 65-mile-square patch on the corner of the base that contains
two-thirds of the nation's high-thrust static rocket test stands
as well as unique space altitude and propulsion research facilities.
- On May 1 the US Postal Service will issue a new first-class
stamp to honor those who have served in the nation's armed forces.
The stamp will feature a photograph of the flag and the phrases
"Honoring Veterans" and "Continuing to Serve."
- USAF successfully launched an Atlas IIAS rocket from Cape
Canaveral AFS, Fla., on Dec. 5. Payload was a National Reconnaissance
Office satellite.
- A pilot's inadvertent killing of his engine caused the crash
of an Air Force T-6A Texan II trainer near San Antonio on Aug.
31, according to Air Force investigators. The pilot, who was
on an "instructor enrichment training" flight, turned
off the engine when attempting to move the wing flaps lever.
The pilot and the instructor pilot attempted to restart the engine
with no success. They ejected safely, receiving only minor injuries.
- The 357th Fighter Squadron, 355th Wing, Davis-Monthan AFB,
Ariz., finished on top when Gila Bomb 00-2 wound up Nov. 17.
Gila Bomb is a competition sponsored by 12th Air Force. Top Wrench
for best maintenance team went to the maintainers of the 34th
Fighter Squadron, 388th Fighter Wing, Hill AFB, Utah.
- MSgt. Kenneth Taylor, 19th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt
Field, Fla., has been named the inaugural winner of the Air Force
Modeling and Simulation Achievement Award. Taylor won for his
development of the Visual Threat Recognition and Avoidance Trainer,
an interactive computer video system that provides realistic
training for threat avoidance during hostile anti-aircraft engagements.
- Capt. Roger Klaffka and SMSgt. Darryl Cooper, 352nd Maintenance
Squadron, RAF Mildenhall, UK, have been named winners of the
2000 Gen. Lew Allen Jr. Trophy. The award is sponsored by the
Air Force Chief of Staff and is presented to a base-level officer
and NCO in recognition of outstanding performance in aircraft
sortie generation.
- The Air Force has awarded a $53.6 million contract to GSD&M
of Austin, Tex., to provide national, regional, and local ads
and marketing support for service recruitment, retention, and
public awareness. The contract includes post-advertising research
and tracking as well as recruiter training and special event
marketing.
- The Pentagon's Joint Configuration Control Board recently
made the Theater Battle Management Core System the system of
record for air battle command and control. The TBMCS, developed
by Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom AFB, Mass., combines
a contingency theater air planning system, a combat intelligence
system, and a wing command-and-control system into one integrated
command-and-control system.
- On Dec. 5 Secretary of Defense William Cohen held an awards
ceremony in Brussels, Belgium, to honor the contributions of
two Americans to NATO's continued development. Robert B. Hall,
Secretary of Defense representative for Europe and defense advisor
to the US ambassador to NATO, received the DoD Medal for Distinguished
Public Service. Clarence H. Juhl, deputy defense advisor, received
the Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service.
- Six former Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff met Dec.
4 at the Pentagon with the current occupant of the office, Army
Gen. Henry H. Shelton. Shelton was seeking the advice and perspective
of retired Army Gens. Colin Powell, John Shalikashvili, and John
Vessey, retired Navy Adms. William Crowe Jr. and Thomas Moorer,
and retired USAF Gen. David Jones.
Copyright by Air Force Association.
All rights reserved