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Curtis Bows Out
Former Deputy Secretary of Energy Charles B. Curtis, whom
the White House had planned to tap as its next nominee to be
Secretary of the Air Force, withdrew his name from consideration
for the post.
Curtis had become concerned that his confirmation hearing
in the Senate would focus on lax security at Energy Department
labs, said Pentagon spokesman Kenneth H. Bacon on April 9. The
result would be "a lengthy, protracted confirmation hearing"
that would "deny the Air Force a permanent Secretary,"
said Bacon. At least one DoE lab has allegedly been the source
of leaks of sensitive nuclear weapons technology to the Chinese.
Curtis, a Washington lawyer, was a classmate of Secretary
of Defense William S. Cohen's at Boston University's law school.
He had been involved in security matters as a deputy secretary
at the Energy Department and "has been cited for his zeal
in dealing with [security] problems," insisted Bacon, when
asked about the withdrawal.
Lax security at DoE labs has become a controversial subject
in Washington, with Republicans charging that the Clinton Administration
did not react quickly enough to reports of Chinese espionage.
Recent reports indicate that, among other things, the Chinese
may have obtained data on the exact shape of the Trident II W88
nuclear warhead.
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US Mobilizes Guard, Reserve
for Balkan Duty
President Clinton authorized Secretary of Defense William
S. Cohen to call up members of the National Guard and the Reserve
to active duty to provide support for NATO operations in and
around Kosovo, the Defense Department reported.
The Pentagon declared April 27 that roughly 2,000 Guardsmen
and Reservists will be called up initially for support of air-refueling
operations, and others may be called in the future as required.
Clinton approved a Presidential Selected Reserve Call-up,
or PSRC, to support NATO operations. It authorizes Cohen to call
up 33,102 members of the Selected Reserve to active duty.
Announcing the move, Cohen said, "Until now, we have
been able to meet many of our military requirements for operations
in the Balkans using volunteers from the National Guard and Reserve
who have been serving side by side with the active forces."
He added, "Ongoing operations now require more support from
the reserve forces. The PSRC is designed to help us meet those
expanding needs."
Guard and Reserve forces are thoroughly integrated into the
Total Air Force. For example, more than half of USAF's aerial
refueling capability and airlift capacity resides in the Air
National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command.
US law permits a President to call to active duty up to 200,000
members of the Selected Reserve and the Individual Ready Reserve
for up to 270 days.
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F-22 Back in the Skies
The F-22 is back in the skies after a planned three months
of ground tests and system updates. On April 8, Lockheed Martin
test pilot Jon Beesley flew Raptor 02 to an altitude of 50,000
feet and performed both flutter tests and flying quality maneuvers.
"The entire F-22 team is excited about moving into the
next phase of test activity," said Tom Burbage, president
of Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems. "The tests and
modifications performed on the F-22 over the past three months
will pave the way for expanded flight activity the rest of this
year."
The flight hiatus started at the beginning of 1999. Technicians
swarmed over the two F-22s assigned to the Combined Test Facility
at Edwards AFB, Calif., trying out maintenance tasks and completing
support equipment validations. Among the changes the ground tests
produced were modifications to landing gear support equipment
and reduced tool requirements.
"Testing a fighter aircraft today is really a combination
of ground tests and flight tests," said Maj. Gen. (sel.)
Michael C. Mushala, director of the F-22 Systems Program Office.
"The F-22 has performed extremely well in both areas, demonstrating
25 percent more flight test points and 20 percent more logistics,
or ground test, points than originally planned."
The ground team also carried out a number of planned modifications
to the aircraft themselves. These included new brakes, new fuel
pumps and fuel system probes, and new flight control actuators
and horizontal tails to meet stiffness requirements.
Raptor 02 also received a spin recovery chute for use in upcoming
high-angle-of-attack testing.
During the coming months, flight tests will attempt to push
the F-22 past Mach 1.8 and demonstrate supercruise, or the ability
to cruise faster than the speed of sound without use of afterburners.
If all goes well the Department of Defense will likely award
contracts for the first six production F-22s in November.
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Shining Hope Aids
Expelled Kosovars
Responding to the tidal wave of ethnic Albanians fleeing "ethnic
cleansing" operations in Kosovo, the Air Force generated
the largest humanitarian airlift in Europe in 50 years.
Not since the Berlin Airlift of 1948-49 have Europeans seen
such a massive movement of food, medicine, tents, and supplies.
The airlift, part of NATO's Operation Shining Hope, delivered
to Kosovar refugees in the first month alone more than 3,150
tons of emergency supplies--2,000 tons of food, 400 tons of shelter
gear, 520 tons of support equipment, 140 tons of bedding, 30
tons of medical supplies, and 60 tons of vehicles.
More than 1 million ethnic Albanians-more than half of Kosovo's
former total population-have been displaced as a result of the
fighting that began to escalate in March 1998 and went into high
gear with the start of Operation Allied Force March 24. The NATO
offensive campaign sought to compel Yugoslav forces to halt operations
in Kosovo and withdraw.
Of the total refugees, more than 500,000 have crossed the
border from Kosovo into Macedonia, Albania, and Montenegro, where
they are concentrated in spartan refugee camps. The rest are
displaced within the war-wracked Yugoslav province itself.
Joint Task Force Shining Hope provided a lifeline of sorts
for Kosovars outside of their homeland. The US effort comprises
airmen, soldiers, sailors, and Marines, who are at work in the
Albanian capital of Tirana and Skopje, Macedonia, supporting
the United Nations' plan for distributing humanitarian supplies
to the refugees.
Leading JTF Shining Hope is Maj. Gen. William S. Hinton Jr.,
commander of USAFE's 3d Air Force. He directs the mission from
a communications facility in Germany.
The operation began April 5. Forty airmen from the 86th Contingency
Response Group, Ramstein AB, Germany, arrived in Tirana, established
a base camp at a local airfield, and made preparations for a
relief force to follow. The US presence grew to about 400.
C-5s, C-17s, and C-130s have hauled many tons of supplies,
including a loader and forklifts. The airlifters have brought
in thousands of prepackaged humanitarian daily rations, as well
as support equipment. A contract 747 carried tons of rations,
or about 68,000 meals, in one early flight. Relief supplies include
tents, cots, sleeping bags, blankets, and 700,000 daily rations.
Flights have originated not only in Europe but also from points
in the United States. Supplies have been offloaded not only in
Albania and Macedonia but also in Italy, where they were transferred
to ships for transport.
Other US services and NATO countries, including France and
England, are also providing humanitarian assistance.
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JSF Goes Back for Replanning
The Pentagon has asked the two contractors vying to build
the Joint Strike Fighter, Boeing and Lockheed Martin, to submit
reworked plans to make sure they can finish the demonstration
phase of the program without busting their $1.1 billion budgets.
The Pentagon requested both companies to submit their revised
plans, detailing how they propose to remain on budget and on
schedule through the concept demonstration phase to downselect
in 2001, by the end of April.
The move came in response to a $100 million cost overrun by
Lockheed and an aircraft redesign by Boeing, which might add
cost in the future. The JSF concept demonstration program began
in November 1996 and will end when a contractor is selected in
2001. Boeing announced April 7 that it has begun final assembly
of its model, the X-32A, two weeks ahead of schedule.
DoD program officials had not set a date for completing a
review of the revised plans.
Luke Finds F-16 Engine Cracks
An investigation looking at the causes of a series of crashes
at Luke AFB, Ariz., has found significant engine cracks in 18
F-16 fighters, the Air Force stated in late April after completing
inspections of the 190 F-16s located at Luke.
The cracks were found in relatively old Pratt & Whitney
220 engines. They were located in augmenter ducts, which help
boost engine thrust by channeling exhaust from the engine's nozzles.
Some of the cracks were up to an inch long, said officials.
Luke has been bedeviled by accidents, with six base F-16s
crashing since last October. Air Force officials temporarily
halted flights at the base after a March crash near Phoenix.
Flights were halted once again after the sixth crash, which occurred
April 26 near the White Tank Mountain Range, northwest of the
base.
Service officials announced three days later that faulty landing
gear was the probable cause of the latest crash, involving an
F-16D which had passed the engine inspection. It was the first
instance of a landing gearrelated crash and prompted an
inspection of 100 of the fighters with similar equipment.
However, with four of the six crashes engine-related, the
Air Force has become increasingly concerned about the older F-16
power plants. The problems now stretch from cracks to bearings
to compressors and turbines.
Many F-16s are now powered by a newer, updated Pratt &
Whitney engine, the F100-PW-229.
"The Air Force has never lost an F-16 equipped with a
229 engine," said company spokesman Tim Burris.
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Allied Force's "Amazing"
Achievement
A May 3, 1999, analysis of the USAF-led Balkan War by Anthony
Cordesman, senior fellow for strategic assessment at the Center
for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, contained
this statement:
"As of April 27, NATO had flown over 11,574 sorties with
only one loss--an F-117--in combat and with no accidents costing
the life of a pilot or destroying an aircraft. It had flown over
4,423 attack sorties under some of the most difficult weather
and terrain conditions that can be encountered in modern warfare
and under extremely demanding rules of engagement designed to
limit collateral damage. Since that time, NATO has flown over
14,000 sorties, although it has lost an F-16C/D to engine failure
and one AV-8B in an accident. ...
"NATO has had few incidents involving collateral damage
and only two involving Kosovar Muslim civilians. There were four
to five strikes on Serbian and Kosovar civlians during some 4,423
attack sorties. This was a maximum 'mistake rate' of about 0.11
percent per attack sortie flown. By [May 3], there have been
seven to eight incidents involving serious collateral damage
in Serbia. This is still a mistake rate of under 0.2 percent
per attack sortie flown. This is an amazing tactical and technical
achievement."
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NMD Test Postponed
The Ballistic Missile Defense Organization has postponed the
first scheduled intercept test in the National Missile Defense
program from mid-June until mid-to-late August, officials said
April 14.
The move is apparently precautionary, not the result of any
specific problem. Officials do not want NMD-which would be the
heart of any planned missile defense of the United States homeland-to
suffer through the same growing pains as its troubled little
brother, the Theater High Altitude Area Defense system.
The planned experiment will involve launch of a target missile
from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., and a prototype interceptor from
Kwajalein atoll in the central Pacific. "Additional time
is needed to complete detailed systems checks and inspections
prior to the test," said a Pentagon statement on the decision.
Even with the delay the NMD program may be rushing things
somewhat, according to a report from DoD's director of operational
test and evaluation, Philip E. Coyle III.
Over the next six years NMD has scheduled an average of three
intercept tests per year, Coyle said in a report to Congress.
That does not leave enough time between shots to apply lessons
learned, he said.
This spring both the House and Senate passed legislation calling
for deployment of a National Missile Defense "as soon as
technologically possible."
NMD proponents say the bill ensures that deployment of such
a system is now a matter of when, not if.
The Clinton Administration disputes that interpretation, saying
that the legislation makes clear that NMD is still subject to
the annual military appropriations process, and thus liable to
cancellation, as are other proposed new weapons.
USAF Defends SBIRS Tactic
Acting Air Force Secretary F. Whitten Peters is defending
the service's decision to channel $1.4 billion into key modernization
accounts rather than use the funds to keep the 2002 launch date
for the Space Based Infrared System High.
SBIRS High would be a crucial set of eyes for any National
Missile Defense effort and space-minded lawmakers have objected
to past reductions in the program.
When the Air Force received an extra $1.4 billion in funds
from the Clinton Administration this fall, Sen. Bob Smith (R)
of New Hampshire questioned why part of the money was not used
to prevent the first SBIRS High launch from slipping to 2004-a
prospective delay first revealed in budget papers this year.
Such items as F-16 aircraft, precision air targeting pods,
and an extra Joint STARS radar airplane were simply much higher
priorities, said Peters in a letter to senators this April.
"If you will look at the Air Force's unfunded priority
list, you will see that there are many high-priority items that
could not be funded," Peters said. "Given these circumstances,
we could just see no way to divert funds from other high-priority
programs in order to restore the 2002 launch."
Phoenix Aviator Rising
Phoenix Aviator 20--the Air Force's new pilot retention program--has
been highly successful so far, say Air Force personnel officials.
Nearly 400 of the 1,500 service pilots eligible for the program
have signed up since it began Oct. 1, says Lt. Col. Philip Barbee,
head of the PA-20 program office at the Air Force Personnel Center
at Randolph AFB, Texas.
"This is a great program," said Barbee. "It
offers several benefits to pilots in turn for a commitment to
stay on active duty past 20 years of service."
The basic aim of PA-20 is to help retiring pilots make the
transition to commercial airlines. Among other incentives, it
promises enrollees a flying job their last two years in the Air
Force and guarantees an interview with one of its participating
airlines.
As of mid-April, 31 enrollees had gone through the interview
process. Thirteen had received job offers.
"The biggest carrot of the program has turned out to
be the interview. Interviews with a commercial airline are hard
to come by," said Barbee.
Lt. Col. John C. O'Donnell was one of the PA-20 participants
offered airline employment. He recently finished his USAF career
with an assignment as an advisor to an Air National Guard KC-135
unit. O'Donnell says that PA-20 will be an effective way for
the service to try and entice pilots at the 15-to-16-year mark
to stay.
"Many aircrew members just want to fly," he said.
"The opportunity to go from a staff job back to the cockpit
for your last two years in the service certainly sweetens the
pot."
Missile Crew Assignments Extended
The first tour of duty for new missile combat crew officers
has been extended from three to four years, Air Force Space Command
officials said.
The move will provide the officers in the space and missile
operations career field with more opportunities to gain experience,
according to AFSPC.
"This is a winwin situation for everyone,"
said Col. Perry N. Karraker, chief of the operations and training
evaluation division for AFSPC.
"New officers in a four-year tour will get a chance to
grow and take some of those desirable jobs, such as flight commander
and assistant flight commander, that many of the officers in
a three-year tour miss out on."
The change took effect March 25 with Class 99-11 of Undergraduate
Space and Missile Training, held at Vandenberg AFB, Calif. Reaction
seems positive so far.
"I'm excited about the change," said 2d Lt. Timothy
Koczur, a 99-11 student. "It will provide stability for
my family and give me a chance to grow as an officer."
On the downside, the change means an extra year at a northern-tier
USAF base where winter can close around you like a clenched fist
and large metropolitan areas are a long ways away. It is an experience
that can be particularly hard on single officers.
But that is a problem that was pre-existing. The added year
does not make it significantly worse, said some single students.
"I already considered this when I came to missiles,"
said 2d Lt. John Bales, another 99-11 student. "I have my
four-wheel-drive truck and plan to make the best of it."
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NATO Embraces Broad
New Security View
At their late April gathering in Washington, NATO officials
formally adopted a new Allied strategic concept, one that greatly
expands the scope of Alliance security plans to encompass nontraditional--even
nonmilitary--dangers.
The document, released April 24, was viewed as being as significant
as any since NATO's founding in April 1949.
In its first 50 years, NATO functioned strictly as a defensive
military Alliance based on collective security. Soviet-led Warsaw
Pact forces were the adversary. Each ally pledged to treat an
attack on one as an attack on all. "Out-of-area" operations--that
is, those that would unfold beyond the actual territory of NATO
nations--were virtually nonexistent.
Now, NATO's new 18-page concept document takes official note
of "the evolving strategic environment" and the new
security challenges posed by regional instability--such as the
wars in the Balkans--terrorism, and the spread of Weapons of
Mass Destruction.
The document reaffirms NATO's determination to counter direct
armed attack on NATO soil. However, in the key passage, the Alliance
contends, "Alliance security interests can be affected by
other risks of a wider nature, including acts of terrorism, sabotage,
and organized crime, and by the disruption of the flow of vital
resources." Further, said the document, "The uncontrolled
movement of large numbers of people, particularly as a consequence
of armed conflicts, can also pose problems for security and stability."
The new approach appears to place major emphasis on "political,
economic, social, and environmental factors" as well as
the "indispensable defense dimension." Moreover, the
new NATO concept appears to view out-of-area operations, such
as that now under way in Kosovo--as a foregone conclusion. "As
NATO forces may be called upon to operate beyond NATO's borders,"
it said, Allied capabilities must be "flexible, mobile,
rapidly deployable, and sustainable."
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C-17 Becomes a Little Lighter
C-17s rolling off Boeing's production line in Long Beach,
Calif., will now have a new, lighter horizontal stabilizer, thanks
to a joint militaryindustry improvement effort.
The new stabilizer is a hybrid composite/metal structure that
is 20 percent lighter than the C-17's existing all-metal tail.
The new stabilizer also uses 90 percent fewer parts and 81
percent fewer fasteners than its predecessor.
All C-17s from No. 51 onward will have the new structure,
which was designed under the Military Products Using Best Commercial/Military
Practices pilot program.
The pilot effort was a combined program funded by the Aeronautical
Systems Center, the Air Force Research Laboratory, and C-17 contractors.
The program's overall goal is to take the best acquisition
and design practices it can find and extend their usage throughout
the weapons building process. Specific goals for the tail redesign
were to demonstrate a 20 percent weight saving and 50 percent
cost saving over the metal tail baseline.
"The lessons learned from this program will benefit Boeing,
Northrop Grumman, and many other aerospace companies as our industry
continues to search for more efficient ways to design and produce
structural components," said Mark Wilson, chief engineer
for ASC's C-17 System Program Office.
JASSM Crashes
The Joint Air to Surface Missile crashed on its first test
flight April 8 at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. Flight Test
Vehicle No. 1 struck the ground 40 seconds after separating cleanly
from an F-15.
Air Force program officials said an electrical glitch caused
the missile to go into safety mode after it was dropped. That
means its wing and tail never deployed.
The JASSM program is supposed to deliver the first of its
stealthy cruise missiles to the force beginning in 2002. The
program remains on schedule, according to program officials.
Air Force Mum on F-117 Loss
Air Force officials say they have a pretty good idea what
caused an F-117 stealth fighter to crash in Yugoslavia on March
27--but that they will not publicly disclose the causes while
operations against the Belgrade regime of Slobodan Milosevic
remain ongoing.
Officials did say they had ruled out an act of God or loss
of consciousness on the part of the pilot. Mechanical failure
has not been entirely eliminated as a cause, but indications
are the aircraft was brought down by a Serbian surface-to-air
missile.
"It's not invisible," said Maj. Gen. Bruce A. Carlson,
USAF's director of operational requirements, at a Pentagon briefing.
"It never has been invisible. We know [there are] radars
that can track our stealthy airplanes. They can sometimes find
us. The key is that that zone of detectability or lethality is
shrunk by orders of magnitude, but it's still not invisible.
For instance, the F-117's radar signature increases when its
bomb bay doors are open, said Carlson.
Operational changes have attempted to minimize the amount
of time the doors are open during bomb runs.
Reports indicated that among the possible causes of the Serb's
unexpected anti-aircraft success were the undetected shifting
of a surface-to-air missile battery, a predictable flight path
by the F-117, and a US electronic jamming aircraft that was flying
too far away.
Of 60 F-117s built, according to Carlson, seven have now been
lost. Six were destroyed in accidents.
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The Archaeology
of Stealth
The following statement about stealth technology came from
Maj. Gen. Bruce A. Carlson, director of operational requirements
at USAF, in an April 20, 1999, briefing for reporters:
"We started out a long time ago building airplanes that
had low observable technology incorporated into their design.
The SR-71 was an example of where we took the aerodynamic design
and then added some radar absorbing material to the airplane
to make it slightly stealthy. ...
"We went to the second generation of airplanes and ...
we designed that airplane, the F-117, essentially from the bottom
up to be stealthy. It was crude technology. It was developed
at a time when we didn't have the modeling and computer power
we needed to make the kind of aerodynamic design that we would
have liked, but we built one that we thought was very stealthy.
...
"Then we came to the third generation of stealth airplanes--we
built the B-2. And of course, by that time, we had the modeling
tools and the design tools and the computing power to make an
aerodynamic design that was optimum. And this airplane is [a]
much higher altitude, much better performing airplane than the
F-117. We were able to eliminate a lot of the radar absorbing
material from the structure.
"By the time we got to the fourth generation [the F-22],
we were able to add supersonic speed, the agility of an F-15-,
F-16-class airplane, and do that with no degradation to the stealth.
In addition to that, we were able to add a number of apertures--in
other words, openings--in the airplane's surface for antennas,
radars, and other sensors. And in the F-22, as an example, there
are over a hundred of those apertures on the airplane, where
if we jump back a couple of generations to the F-117, there are
essentially a couple of aperture openings and the rest of them
we hide when we go into combat."
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DoD Updates Funeral Commitment
Every US military veteran who has honorably served will be
entitled to the presence of two armed services representatives,
plus the playing of "Taps," at his or her funeral,
according to a Pentagon proposal announced April 21.
The Defense Department has been besieged by complaints about
funerals from veterans' families in recent years. Many say they
have been unable to have Taps played at funeral ceremonies or
have a military representative present the family with a flag.
Under the new proposed rules, the military representatives
would conduct a flag folding and presentation ceremony. Taps
would be played by either a bugler or a "high-quality audio
recording," according to DoD.
"Our heartfelt, shared goal was to honor appropriately
and consistently those veterans who have faithfully defended
all Americans and our national interests," said Undersecretary
of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Rudy de Leon. "These
proposals accomplish this important goal."
Critics of DoD funeral practices may find the new rules--which
must be approved by Congress--inadequate.
Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D) of Maryland introduced legislation
which would mandate a five-person military detail at veterans'
funerals, for instance.
But on this as on so many matters, the Pentagon is caught
in a squeeze between increased demand and a shrinking active
force.
Since 1989 the number of veteran deaths per year has increased
18 percent. Yet during that time the size of the military has
shrunk about 35 percent. And demand for funeral honors is sure
to increase further.
Currently, the Pentagon provides honors at about 37,000 funerals
per year. Officials estimate that about 250,000 families per
year could eventually request funeral honors in the coming years.
The rising demand will present geographical challenges, as
well.
With the closing of more and more bases, "funeral honor
guard details must often travel greater distances than in years
past to provide support," according to DoD.
The Defense Department also said that it will streamline the
process for requesting honors, via a toll-free request number
and a Web site for use by funeral directors.
CNN, Arnett Part Ways
The Tailwind affair has claimed its highest--profile journalist--Peter
Arnett.
Cable News Network has parted ways with perhaps its most recognizable
correspondent, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Arnett, at least in
part because of his role in a CNN special report that falsely
charged the US military with using nerve gas during the Vietnam
War.
Arnett was chief correspondent for the so-called Tailwind
report, broadcast last June 7. Following an internal CNN report
last summer that found that the story was unsupported by the
evidence, Arnett argued that his role in preparing the broadcast
was in fact minimal. He was allowed to keep his job but was placed
in limbo. He had appeared on air only once since last July.
Now CNN plans to exercise an exit clause in his contract,
Arnett said April 18. The move effectively removes him with two
years remaining on a five-year employment pact.
Arnett has long been one of the most recognizable faces on
TV. He won a Pulitzer for Vietnam coverage in 1966, when he was
a writer for the Associated Press. He broadcast live from Baghdad
in 1991, when US airstrikes began the Gulf War. His future journalistic
plans are uncertain.
Downsizing at ACC
In a reorganization that began May 1, Air Combat Command is
aiming to reduce its current 4,849 headquarters job slots by
1,000.
Too-large headquarters staffs at Langley AFB, Va., are taking
up money and personnel that could be put to better use in stressed
frontline units, said ACC officials. A streamlining of headquarters
organizations could also speed decisions on everything from training
to parts resupply.
Col. Perry Lamy, director of a 35-person re-engineering team,
said the effort will force specialists, such as logisticians,
intelligence experts, and communicators, to work in multidisciplinary
teams instead of their own specific specialities. Military jobs
can be reassigned to squadrons and other field units. The first
reductions will not begin to take hold until next year.
Readiness Challenge Canceled
Readiness Challenge VII was supposed to start April 19 at
Tyndall AFB, Fla. But the biennial, multinational combat support
competition was canceled. Teams that had planned to take part
were needed to augment NATO's Operation Allied Force in the Balkans,
said Air Force officials.
"It's only prudent to free up our combat support resources
in case they're needed," said Col. Bruce McConnell, contingency
support director, Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency. "The
competitors ... and all involved with Readiness Challenge will
now focus their attention on real-world contingency operations."
Civil engineering, public affairs, and chaplain services are
among the support groups that take part in Readiness Challenge
competitions. Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, and
Japan were all scheduled to send competitive teams.
Events test a range of skills from setting up tent cities
with sanitary water supplies and electricity to pumping out press
releases.
Canada was the first to cancel, when the Canadian team was
placed on standby for deployment to the Kosovo area. The team
from US Air Forces in Europe also withdrew-at which point officials
decided that perhaps other challenges took precedence over their
scheduled contest.
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Called On--and Under--the
Carpet
Gen. Klaus Naumann, then chairman of the NATO Military Committee,
met April 26 with the Defense Writers Group in Washington, where
he was asked why Germany was reluctant to consider providing
ground forces for a NATO land campaign in Kosovo. His reply:
"You should never forget the psychological situation
of Germany. It was, after all, among others, you who told us,
'You Germans behave properly. March underneath the carpet, but
in an upright position, and never dare again to come on the carpet.
You stay down there.' ... Then suddenly, when unification [of
West and East Germany in 1990] came about, you told us, 'Now
you Germans are on the carpet, and you are not only 6 feet tall,
you are 10 feet tall.' You cannot get consensus for things like
this overnight. That we achieved this in more or less the incredible
short period of eight years is something which I believe is quite
remarkable. I am not so familiar with all the details of American
history, but I know that it took some 30 years for you to think
about the use of military power outside the United States of
America after the Civil War. ... The Germans are not doing too
badly at this time. If I look at the NATO council, they [the
Germans] are definitely not the ones who are delaying decision.
There are a few others that are wobbling."
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ABL's Mirror Milestone
The Air Force's Airborne Laser program passed another major
milestone April 13 when its primary optical mirror was delivered
to the contractor who will polish it to the needed optical quality.
The mirror--62 inches in diameter and 8 inches thick--was
built by Corning Glass, N.Y. Design and fabrication took two
years and included use of a unique water-jet machining technique
to reduce the weight of the mirror core by over 90 percent.
Now Contraves Brashear Systems of Pittsburgh, Pa., will take
another year to polish the mirror to the optical quality necessary
to direct a high-energy laser beam to a target hundreds of miles
away.
"This event represents another successful milestone in
the effort to develop and demonstrate this revolutionary weapon
system," said Col. Michael W. Booen, director of the ABL
System Program Office at Kirtland AFB, N.M.
Hawley Set to Retire in
July
On April 9, the Department of Defense announced that Gen.
Richard E. Hawley, commander of Air Combat Command, will retire
July 1. His replacement will be the current Air Force vice chief
of staff, Gen. Ralph E. Eberhart.
A change of command ceremony was tentatively scheduled for
June 11. Hawley has headed ACC since April 1996. He first entered
the service in 1964 after graduating from the Air Force Academy
and has more than 3,000 flying hours, including more than 430
combat missions in the O-2A, A-10, F-4, and F-15.
Prior to his assuming the ACC post, Hawley was the commander
of US Air Forces in Europe and Allied Air Forces Central Europe
at Ramstein AB, Germany.
Eberhart is a fellow graduate of the academy and received
his commission in 1968. He has accumulated more than 4,000 hours
in a variety of Air Force aircraft and flew 300 combat missions
as a forward air controller in Vietnam.
Benken to Step Down
On April 7, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Eric W.
Benken announced that he will retire from the service after wearing
his nation's uniform for more than 29 years. His formal retirement
ceremony will be July 30 at Bolling AFB, D.C. Benken admitted
that part of him still wanted to stay on the job. He likely could
have remained on until the end of Chief of Staff Gen. Michael
E. Ryan's term.
But at three years-plus Benken's time in the top NCO
job has already been longer than most. And he has strong feelings
about extending past the 30-year mark.
"There are many Vietnam-era chiefs like myself who would
like to stay beyond 30 years," he said. "I have asked
them not to do that, so we can make room for the younger troops
to move up. It would be inappropriate for me to do something
I have asked my fellow chiefs not to do."
The chief began his career in 1970 after noticing a recruiting
poster emblazoned with what he now jokes he thought was a direct
order: Join the Air Force. He began as an administrative specialist,
now known as an information manager.
Besides Vietnam, his overseas postings included Taiwan, Korea,
Belgium, and Germany. He assumed the post of Chief Master Sergeant
of the Air Force in November 1996, after serving as USAFE senior
enlisted advisor.
"Knowing he was my advisor on enlisted issues has meant
peace of mind for me," said Ryan. "He tackled many
tough issues in particularly tough times for our Air Force."
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USAF
Raises Space Budget
Senior Air Force officials disclosed
April 26 that the service plans a five-year buildup of space
funding that will come at the expense of air funding.
"Each program is important,"
said F. Whitten Peters, the acting Air Force Secretary, "but
you must remember that we are trying to create a seamless [aerospace]
system of systems."
He said that the service's space Science
and Technology account will rise from somewhat under $500 million
today to $712 million by 2005. At the same time, air S&T
funding will drop from $749 million to $541 million.
Peters and the Air Force Chief of Staff,
Gen. Michael E. Ryan, talked of other space topics as well.
USAF space assets supported the Balkan
War effort with GPS, surveillance, communications, combat search
and rescue, and weather.
The Air Force is interested in shifting
the moving target indicator role from Joint STARS aircraft to
space. This is "a mission naturally suited to migrate to
space," said Ryan.
New GPS satellites will have two jam--resistant
channels for military--only use, as well as two new civilian-only
channels.
The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric
Agency and DoD will merge their weather satellite operations.
"Space negation" studies are
under way now. They are being undertaken pursuant to the "right
of self-protection under international law."
The Air Force hopes to launch a space-based
laser in 2010 rather than 2012.
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Gary Hart, in the
Spotlight Again
Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen announced April 2 the
selection of Gary W. Hart to serve as the co-chair of the Senior
Advisory Board on National Security.
The former Democratic senator and failed Presidential candidate
will replace former Sen. David Boren, who stepped down as a result
of responsibilities as the president of the University of Oklahoma.
The Pentagon announcement said that Cohen, an old Senate colleague
of Hart's, "highlighted Hart's vast experience, keen intellect,
and many important contributions to the nation's security."
Cohen added, "Gary Hart stands out as one of our nation's
best thinkers and most skilled practitioners on matters dealing
with America's security."
Hart represented Colorado in the United States Senate from
1976 to 1984. Before that, he had worked as campaign manager
for Sen. George McGovern in the latter's unsuccessful 1972 bid
for the Presidency.
Hart was himself twice a Presidential candidate. He was forced
to abandon his 1988 quest for the White House when he was caught
in an adulterous affair. He is the author of several books, the
latest of which, The Minuteman, was published in 1998.
Hart and co-chair Warren Rudman will lead the national security
study group, a two-and-one-half-year effort that will focus on
three areas:
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The global security environment of the first quarter of the
21st century.
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The character of the nation during that period and what might
be an appropriate national security strategy.
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Possible alternatives to the current national security apparatus.
The group will complete its work in February 2001.
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News Notes
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The US military will soon have two new chiefs: On April 21,
Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen nominated Gen. Eric K.
Shinseki for appointment as chief of staff of the Army and Lt.
Gen. James L. Jones Jr. for appointment as commandant of the
Marine Corps.
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On April 9 the Department of Defense announced that Lt. Gen.
Lester L. Lyles has been picked for appointment to the grade
of general and the position of USAF vice chief of staff.
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On April 12, President Clinton announced that he will issue
an executive order designating the Kosovo area of operations
as a "combat zone" for tax relief benefits. Those serving
within the zone will be largely exempt from income tax on their
military pay, among other benefits.
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The nation's 20th B-2 stealth bomber was named Spirit of
Indiana at a ceremony at Grissom ARB, Ind., May 22.
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On April 21, Secretary Cohen asked Congress for the authority
to transfer former military base property to local communities
at no cost if they use it for job-generating economic development.
The new policy of no-cost economic development conveyances would
minimize the need for time-consuming property appraisals and
negotiations, officials said.
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The best food service programs in the Air Force are at Hurlburt
Field, Fla., and Kirtland AFB, N.M. That is what the Air Force
Services Agency Food Branch decided in designating them the 1999
Hennessy award winners for multiple and single dining facilities,
respectively.
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Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems formally turned over
the first C-130J Hercules to the US Air Force Reserve in a March
31 ceremony at Keesler AFB, Miss. The airplane is the first of
two training aircraft and will be used by the 403d Wing at Keesler.
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The first brand-new F-15E to roll off the production line
since 1994 took to the skies over St. Louis for its initial flight
April 1. Boeing is slated to deliver 17 new Strike Eagles by
early 2000, bringing the total delivered to the Air Force up
to 226.
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Boeing has been picked to proceed into the second phase of
the Uninhabited Combat Air Vehicle program, Pentagon officials
announced March 25. The UCAV is a demonstrator effort aimed at
producing an unmanned craft capable of carrying out suppression
of enemy air defenses against anticipated threats of 2010.
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The AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missile completed its first
air launch at the Naval Air Warfare Center, China Lake, Calif.,
March 18. The AIM-9X is a joint Navy and USAF program currently
in engineering and manufacturing development that aims to update
the famous Sidewinder short-range weapon now used by more than
40 nations around the world.
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ANG Maj. Suellen Overton, a legal officer assigned to the
Iowa Air National Guard's 132d Fighter Wing in Des Moines, has
been selected as the 1999 American businesswoman of the year
by the American Business Women's Association. In private life,
Overton has her own law practice in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
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An aircrew from the 40th Helicopter Flight, Malmstrom AFB,
Mont., rescued two injured snowboarders from a mountainside near
Augusta, Mont., April 19. The crew hoisted the men nearly 60
feet to the safety of a UH-1N Huey, bringing the unit's total
number of saves to 318.
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Four pararescuemen from the New York ANG's 106th Rescue Wing,
Francis S. Gabreski IAP, N.Y., parachuted to the aid of the unconscious
captain of a freighter near Bermuda on April 4. The seaman, who
had suffered a brain aneurysm, represented the unit's 276th rescue.
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On April 5 the Department of Defense announced the formation
of an advisory panel, headed by Virginia Gov. James Gilmore (R),
to assess domestic response capabilities for terrorism involving
Weapons of Mass Destruction. The WMD Advisory Panel will be a
three-year effort and will report its findings, conclusions,
and recommendations to the President and Congress.
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Secretary of Defense Cohen announced the winners of the 1999
Commander in Chief's Award for Installation Excellence on April
2. The winners-Ft. Benning, Ga.; MCAS Cherry Point, N.C.; Fleet
Activities Yokosuka, Japan; Hickam AFB, Hawaii; and Defense National
Stockpile Center, Alexandria, Va., are being recognized for providing
excellent working, housing, and recreational conditions.
Copyright by Air Force Association.
All rights reserved
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