Airman Killed in Iraq
A1C Carl L. Anderson Jr., of Georgetown, S.C., was killed Aug.
29 while on duty during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Anderson, who joined the Air Force in December 2001, died when
his supply convoy was struck by the explosion of a roadside bomb
near Mosul in northern Iraq.
He was deployed with the 732nd Expeditionary Mission Support Group
from the 3rd Logistics Readiness Squadron, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska.
Airman Dies at Osan
SrA. Jeffrey T. Alfieri, 22, of Coral Springs, Fla., died Aug.
5 from an injury sustained while he was working on an electrical
transformer at Osan AB, South Korea, according to Pacific Stars
and Stripes.
Alfieri, who was assigned to the 51st Engineer Squadron at Osan,
was attempting to restore power to a section of the base when the
accident occurred.
Air Force officials are investigating his death.
1,000 Days of Enduring Freedom
July 3 marked the 1,000th day of Operation Enduring Freedom, the
first overseas action by America in the Global War on Terror. In
the 1,000 days since OEF began on Oct. 7, 2001, US Central Command
Air Forces and its coalition partners have flown roughly 140,000
sorties into, out of, and over Afghanistan.
Of those sorties, more than 94,000 have been strike missions, according
to Air Combat Command.
OEF coalition air forces continue to play an important role in
the battle with al Qaeda and the Taliban, protecting Afghanistan’s
fledgling democracy as it heads toward elections this fall. The
operation will continue as long as required, said Lt. Gen. Walter
E.L. Buchanan III, CENTAF commander.
Airpower will help prevent “remnants of the Taliban regime
and other terrorist elements” from interfering with elections
and democracy in that country, Buchanan said. “A historic array
of airpower options ... are available now and for however long they’re
needed.”
For more on OEF’s first 1,000 days, see, “Airpower’s
Contribution to OEF,” p. 19.
Many in USAF Must Change Jobs
In its latest attempt to rebalance the force, USAF is offering
1,098 senior noncommissioned officers in overstaffed career fields
the opportunity to retrain for new specialties in 2005. The voluntary
phase began Aug. 3.
The Air Force said it will resort to involuntary selection if the
service does not receive enough volunteers. It has already identified
those NCOs susceptible to involuntary retraining.
Unlike last year’s program in which NCOs were selected based
on seniority, the 2005 effort selected NCOs across all eligible
year groups.
USAF has limited retraining primarily to staff sergeants and technical
sergeants with 16 or fewer years of service and master sergeants
with 18 or fewer years of service. Some second-term senior airmen
may volunteer for staff sergeant quotas. There are “limited”
opportunities for senior master sergeants.
When it released the retraining-susceptible list, the service also
began a drive to recruit airmen into nine enlisted aircrew specialties.
It has 360 voluntary training slots for senior airmen through master
sergeants.
Positions include in-flight refueling specialists, flight engineers,
loadmasters, airborne communications and electronics specialists,
airborne battle management systems specialists, airborne mission
systems specialists, flight attendants, aerial gunners, and airborne
cryptologic linguists. These positions offer monthly incentive pay
based on the number of years of aviation service.
McSally Heads Combat Unit
Lt. Col. Martha McSally this summer became the first woman to command
an Air Force combat squadron. McSally, an A-10 pilot, took command
of the 354th Fighter Squadron at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., on July
19.
This is not McSally’s first “first.” In 1995, she
became the first woman Air Force pilot to take a fighter into enemy
territory, when she flew a no-fly-zone patrol over Iraq. (See “The
Quiet Pioneers,” December 2002, p. 34.)
In 2001, McSally was instrumental in overturning a Defense Department
policy that required servicewomen serving in Saudi Arabia to wear
a head-to-toe abaya while in public areas, among other restrictions.
McSally, a graduate of the US Air Force Academy and Harvard University,
said she looks forward to a day when gender and serving are not
issues and “we are just fighting side by side, and it’s
not a precedent.”
Thule To Get Upgrades
The US on Aug. 6 signed new agreements with Denmark and Greenland
that “pave the way for an upgrade of radar facilities”
at Thule AB, Greenland, according to a State Department statement.
The upgraded radar will support the US missile defense program.
One of the new documents amends the 1951 Agreement on the Defense
of Greenland. The other two provide for economic, technical, and
environmental cooperation.
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, who was in Greenland for the
signing ceremony, noted that the US, Denmark, and Greenland had
fought together against fascism and communism. Now, he said, “we
will also meet the security challenges of the 21st century, from
missile defense to international terrorism.”
Greenland has had a home-rule government since 1979, but Denmark
continues to oversee foreign and defense issues. At the ceremony,
Denmark’s foreign minister, Per Stig Moeller, said that his
country did not believe the proposed missile defense system would
serve as a defense against “all sorts of terrorism, but that
doesn’t mean you should not defend yourself against some sort
of terrorism.”
Located 750 miles north of the Arctic Circle, Thule hosts a ballistic
missile early warning site that can detect and track missiles launched
at North America.
The United States plans to modernize facilities at Thule, beginning
with $21 million in upgrades in Fiscal 2005.
Seven ROTC Units To Close
The Air Force will close seven low-enrollment Reserve Officer Training
Corps (ROTC) detachments beginning next year. Although these particular
programs have produced few officers over the last 10 years, officials
noted that ROTC enrollment nationwide has actually increased by
30 percent since 2001.
In 2005, USAF will close ROTC units at the University of Akron,
Ohio, and Grambling State University, La. In 2007, USAF will close
units at the New Jersey Institute of Technology; University of Memphis;
University of Cincinnati; University of Massachusetts-Amherst; and
Wilkes University in Pennsylvania.
Air Force ROTC enrollment overall has risen from 13,000 in 2001
to 18,500 today. More than half the growth, however, has come at
only 17 percent of the existing detachments.
The service has created “cross-town” agreements for the
units closing next summer to ensure affected students can remain
in AFROTC en route to earning their commissions. The University
of Akron has an agreement with Kent State University; Grambling
will work with Louisiana Tech University.
JEFX Weighs 15 Initiatives
The Air Force-led Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment 2004 this
summer evaluated 15 technologies as candidates for possible accelerated
fielding. Officials said the “focus areas” at JEFX ’04
were improving network-centric infrastructures, predictive battlespace
awareness, and effects-based operations.
Specific initiatives being evaluated included proposals such as
network-centric collaborative targeting and machine-to-machine weather
data transfer.
The $53 million exercise included live sorties at Nellis AFB, Nev.,
featuring every type of Air Force command and control aircraft.
Gen. (sel.) Bruce A. Carlson, who is 8th Air Force commander and
was leader of the exercise, said prospective technologies will be
evaluated and the most promising ones will be picked for accelerated
fielding.
Carlson told reporters at the Pentagon that recommendations will
be briefed to the Chief of Staff this fall and that findings will
be finalized and published in November.
This is the fifth JEFX. In the past, USAF has selected about 40
percent of the initiatives for acceleration. The relatively low
acceptance rate for JEFX experiments doesn’t bother USAF officials,
however, because they also learn from failures.
Twenty-seven of the 70 initiatives evaluated in earlier JEFXs were
later pushed to the warfighter, according to Lt. Gen. William T.
Hobbins, who led the 2002 experiment.
Seven of the 2002 JEFX initiatives subsequently were fielded for
the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Hobbins added.
Ogden Sets Record Repair Rate
The Ogden Air Logistics Center at Hill AFB, Utah, set a record
by repairing 97 percent of all aircraft on or ahead of schedule
this year, the center announced in August.
“These extraordinary turnaround rates have never before been
seen in Air Force depot-level repair,” said Col. Paul Davidson,
chief of Ogden’s aircraft division.
The goal for on-time deliveries at Air Force Materiel Command’s
three depots is 90 percent. Ogden beat that target in each of its
aircraft repair branches. The A-10 and C-130 shops achieved 100
percent on-time repair records.
Over the past few years, Ogden has instituted “lean”
repair procedures to make the depot’s work more efficient.
Perhaps the greatest improvement was in getting needed parts in
advance instead of after a months-long delay that had been the norm.
Another change reorganized the work area to put tools and supplies
closer at hand.
Pilot Error Caused Fatal Crash
Air Force investigators concluded that pilot error was responsible
for the crash of a T-6A Texan II April 3 at Savannah-Hilton Head
Arpt., Ga. The crash killed the two pilots, Capts. Judson Brinson
and Thomas Moore.
The board could not determine which pilot was flying at the time
of the accident. Both were assigned to the 39th Fighter Training
Squadron, Moody AFB, Ga.
The investigation report, released in late July, found that the
aircraft stalled and rolled because the pilot flew beyond the maximum
bank angle of 90 degrees and let the airspeed fall below the minimum
of 161 mph. The pilot made no attempt to apply proper stall recovery
actions, according to the report’s findings.
The pilots were returning from a training mission and had just
taken off from Savannah to return to Moody when the crash occurred.
Yeager Cleared for Promotion
A little-noticed provision in the House version of the Fiscal 2005
defense authorization bill would permit the President to promote
Chuck Yeager, 20 years after his retirement. Yeager retired as a
brigadier general in 1975.
House legislators stipulated in Section 563 that the President
could appoint retired Brig. Gen. Charles E. Yeager to the rank of
major general on the Air Force retired list.
Yeager is a World War II ace with 13 confirmed aerial victories,
and, in 1947, he became the first human to fly faster than the speed
of sound when he piloted the Bell X-1 beyond Mach 1. Yeager was
also the first to fly twice the speed of sound in level flight,
when he took the Bell X-1A to Mach 2, in 1953.
One Operator Flies Two UCAVs
In a first, a single pilot-operator on Aug. 1 flew two unmanned
combat air vehicles (UCAVs) in coordinated flight.
Two Boeing X-45A aircraft took off in succession from Edwards AFB,
Calif., joined up, then flew preset formations, making autonomous
maneuvers to hold their relative positions, according to a company
news release. A single pilot-operator was able to fly both aircraft
because the X-45s flew the basic mission plan on their own.
The UCAVs are technology demonstrators in the Joint Unmanned Combat
Air System (J-UCAS) program managed by the Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency, Air Force, and Navy. J-UCAS is being evaluated
for suppression of enemy air defenses, strike, electronic attack,
and intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance missions.
USAF Aids Russian Terror Victims
Airlift crews from US Air Forces in Europe sent two C-130s with
emergency relief supplies to southern Russia Sept. 6.
The humanitarian aid was to help Russia respond to the horrific
attack in Beslan. At least 335 women and children were killed there
by terrorist bombs and gunfire three days after the terrorists had
attacked a school. Many others remained in critical condition days
after the hostage situation ended.
The humanitarian aid included sheets and blankets, bandages and
dressings, burn kits, medicine, and medical equipment, according
to an Air Force news release.
Approximately 36,000 pounds of supplies were delivered to Russia,
officials said. The Russians were “very thankful” for
the aid, said AFRC Lt. Col. Richard L. Galante, commander of the
38th Airlift Squadron, Ramstein AB, Germany.
“They said it was nice that our countries were in such community
with one another ... in the midst of tragedy,” added SSgt.
Clayton E. Bronnee, a Russian linguist with Ramstein’s 426th
Information Operations Squadron.
USAF OKs First SBIRS Payload
Air Force officials in July confirmed that the first Space Based
Infrared System High (SBIRS High) space payload was ready for delivery.
In August, prime contractor Lockheed Martin turned over the payload
for integration with a host satellite. The first SBIRS launch is
slated for 2007.
This payload will be one of two to go into highly elliptical orbit
(HEO). According to Lockheed, it demonstrated “unsurpassed
sensing, pointing, and control performance” during testing
by subcontractor Northrop Grumman.
The HEO payload’s primary focus is to spot ballistic missile
launches. In a secondary role, it will detect and report other militarily
significant “infrared events,” stated Lockheed.
Once operational, the full SBIRS High system will include the two
HEO payloads, four satellites in geosynchronous orbit, and fixed
and mobile ground-based assets. The first phase of the ground segment
has been operational since 2001, processing data from Defense Support
Program satellites, due to be replaced by SBIRS High satellites.
Lockheed Wins ACS
Lockheed Martin beat out rival Northrop Grumman to win an $879
million Army contract to begin developing the Aerial Common Sensor
(ACS) for the Army and Navy. The ACS is a next generation airborne
intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance and target identification
system.
The initial contract calls for five aircraft with mission-ready
airborne ISR systems to be available for testing in 2006. Follow-on
contracts for additional systems could raise the value of the program
to more than $7 billion over 20 years.
The ACS, which is slated to replace the Army’s Guardrail and
Airborne Reconnaissance Low aircraft and the Navy’s EP-3E,
will be derived from the Brazilian Embraer business jet.
According to Lockheed Martin, ACS will offer “unprecedented
sensor-computer integration that will pinpoint threats in real time.”
It will also “provide instantaneous access to decision-quality
intelligence” from various ISR systems, including USAF’s
Joint STARS ground surveillance aircraft, U-2 reconnaissance aircraft,
and Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle.
Three Airmen Make Olympics
Three of the 24 military personnel representing the US in the 2004
Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, were Air Force officers. They
competed in race walking, hammer throwing, and fencing.
Capt. Kevin Eastler, 26, a missile combat crew commander at F.E.
Warren AFB, Wyo., and a 1999 Air Force Academy graduate, finished
21st in the men’s 20-kilometer race walk, held Aug. 20. Two
other Americans were among the 48 walkers. Eastler finished a few
seconds off the fastest time posted by any American in the event
in Olympic history.
First Lt. James Parker, 28, a services officer at Malmstrom AFB,
Mont., competed in the track and field hammer throw. He finished
21st out of a field of 33 in his qualifying round and did not make
the finals. His first-place throw in the US Olympic trials was 254
feet, 6 inches.
Second Lt. Weston Kelsey, 22, who graduated from the academy last
year, finished 19th out of 37 in the men’s individual epee
fencing competition. Kelsey is a two-time national champion, who
took World Cup bronze medals in 2002 and 2003.
Former Official Faces Jail
A federal judge in August accepted a “no contest” plea
from Scott A. Fer-guson, the former collections chief at the Air
Force Museum, on two counts in the theft of a “Peacekeeper”
armored car from the museum at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.
US District Judge Walter H. Rice set Oct. 29 for sentencing.
Ferguson became collections chief, the third highest position at
the museum, in March 1995. In July 1996 he told his superiors that
the museum’s 1980 two-door Cadillac-Gage Peacekeeper armored
car had been requested by another military museum. He hid the vehicle
in Ohio, taking it out to conventions in Tennessee and Pennsylvania,
and, in 1999, sold it for $18,000.
Ferguson was indicted by a federal grand jury in 2003 and charged
with transporting a stolen vehicle across state lines and selling
a stolen vehicle. Each count carries a maximum punishment of 10
years in prison.
Last year, the Air Force formed a group to review operational procedures
at the museum. (See “Aerospace World: USAF Reviews Museum Policies,”
November 2003, p. 14.) Among its recommendations, the group said
USAF should clarify the museum’s chain of command and the responsibilities
within that body, and it said USAF should replace the current board
of advisors with a board of directors. The group also recommended
a stronger security program. (See “Aerospace World: Museum
Needs More Oversight,” January, p. 13.)
|
Bush Outlines Overseas Basing Restructure
President Bush in August presented a rough outline of how
the Defense Department will realign its overseas forces over
the next 10 years. The plan would shift US military forces
to a more expeditionary posture, abandoning outdated Cold
War installations when possible.
Out of a total of 230 major US military bases, only 28 are
on foreign soil. However, the US has “5,458 distinct
and discrete military installations around the world,”
said a senior defense official during a background briefing
at the Pentagon. He said those “little pieces of property”
now are deemed unnecessary.
Bush set many changes in motion, though details are still
to be worked out with host nations worldwide. Over the next
decade, Washington would close “hundreds of US facilities
overseas” and bring home roughly 65,000 military personnel,
according to a White House fact sheet. Also headed back to
the United States are approximately 100,000 family members
and DOD civilians.
There are about 230,000 US troops stationed overseas, primarily
in Germany and South Korea. Shortly before Bush’s announcement,
US and South Korean officials reached agreement on how to
realign forces on the peninsula. (See “Korean Realignment
Approved,” p. 26.)
In announcing the restructure plan, Bush said, “We will
deploy a more-agile and more-flexible force, which means that
more of our troops will be stationed [in the US] and deployed
from here at home.”
That more-flexible force will make mobility assets “very
important,” said a defense official, who added, “We
have to move to the fight,” a requirement which will
put a premium on strategic and tactical airlift and sealift.
Airpower in Europe may shift around somewhat. The Air Force
has two F-16 squadrons at Spangdahlem AB, Germany. The senior
official said, “For the moment, that’s where they’re
going to stay.” He added that the US is continuing a
dialogue with Turkey on “more-flexible use” of Incirlik
AB, Turkey.
The Administration does plan to add more punch in the Pacific
theater. “Advanced strike assets will be stationed in
the Western Pacific,” the White House fact sheet stated.
Officials at Pacific Air Forces have been calling for permanent
basing of strike aircraft on Guam for several years.
The most dramatic change will be a major reduction of Army
tank units based in Germany. Under the plan, the Army’s
heavy forces designed for a land war in Europe will return
to the US. They will be replaced by advanced, deployable capabilities,
according to the fact sheet. In Germany, two of the Army’s
heavy divisions will be withdrawn and replaced by a lighter-weight
Stryker brigade that is “more relevant” to the threats
around Europe, said the defense official.
No major movements are expected before 2006, and no final
decisions on which US bases will host the returning forces
will be made until after next year’s domestic base realignment
and closure round is completed.
Defense officials at the briefing told reporters that the
Pentagon is trying to get away from basing arrangements that
were set up for reasons other than military capability. Policy
in the past called for 100,000 troops in the Pacific and 100,000
troops in Europe. However, officials emphasized that bringing
forces back to the United States is not a step toward a reduced
force structure.
“It’s not our view that this will result in a force
structure reduction in any of the services,” the official
said. “That’s not what this plan is about.”
|
|
Martin Nominated To Head US Pacific Command
Gen. Gregory S. Martin on Aug. 19 was nominated to become
commander of US Pacific Command, Camp Smith, Hawaii. If confirmed
by the Senate, Martin would be the first officer from outside
the Navy to lead PACOM. Martin is currently serving as commander
of Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.
The nomination follows a recent trend to break with tradition
in naming new commanders. (See “Aerospace World: Rumsfeld
Opts for Shifts at Two Key Spots,” August, p. 13.)
In June, Adm. Timothy J. Keating was named the new head of
North American Aerospace Defense Command, ending what had
been an Air Force monopoly on that position since NORAD’s
founding.
At the same time, Marine Corps Gen. James E. Cartwright was
selected to head US Strategic Command. This is the first time
STRATCOM has been led by someone other than an Air Force or
Navy officer.
Also announced in August was the nomination of Gen. (sel.)
Bruce A. Carlson to be Martin’s successor as AFMC commander.
Carlson is currently serving as head of 8th Air Force, Barksdale
AFB, La.
|
| Airpower’s
Contribution to OEF
USAF still has more than 18,000 airmen deployed to Southwest
Asia to assist with Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan,
an Air Combat Command news release in July noted. The launch
of OEF on Oct. 7, 2001, marked the start of the overseas portion
of the Global War on Terror.
In 1,000 days of operations (a milestone reached on July
3), US Central Command Air Forces (CENTAF) and its coalition
partners have:
Flown more than 94,000 strike sorties against preplanned
targets or in close air support of ground forces in Afghanistan.
Flown more than 30,000 airlift sorties, carrying troops
and critical military supplies to a land-locked section
of the world far removed from traditional US basing locations.
Flown nearly 13,000 air refueling sorties, delivering
more than 2.1 million pounds of fuel to coalition aircraft.
Flown more than 3,000 intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance
(ISR) sorties.
CENTAF has been bolstered by aircraft of the Army, Navy,
Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve Command, as well
as international members of the coalition team. In particular,
ACC noted, the “now well-established joint and combined
approach to ISR operations” has allowed the coalition
to fuse data from multiple sensors and platforms into one
picture, offering “more complete, precise, and timely”
battlespace awareness.
ACC also said that, since the start of OEF, the way CENTAF
fights has changed in ways that have enhanced airpower’s
“effect and flexibility.” For example, CENTAF works
more closely with ground commanders and intelligence agencies
“to build a flexible air plan that meets the ground commander’s
requirement for on-call close air support and allows quick
access to potential time-sensitive strike areas.”
The “unsung heroes” of OEF, according to Lt. Gen.
Walter E.L. Buchanan III, CENTAF commander, are mobility units.
“Attention naturally gravitates to bombs dropped on target,”
he said, but “without the Herculean efforts of our mobility
forces, we would not have the people or resources available
to make that happen.” |
|
Hurricane Frances Blasts Canaveral, Patrick Bases
Two Air Force facilities in the state of Florida were hit
hard by Hurricane Frances during Labor Day weekend. Patrick
Air Force Base and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, both
on Florida’s Atlantic Coast, sustained damage from the
Category 2 hurricane that came ashore Sept. 4.
The first officials to return to Patrick were members of
the 45th Hurricane Recovery Team, which consists of airmen
from the base’s civil engineering and security forces
squadrons. The hurricane team secured the base Sept. 7 and
began removing debris so that normal air base operations could
resume.
Brig. Gen. (sel.) Mark Owen, 45th Space Wing commander at
Patrick, said the damage at the base “could reach into
the tens of millions” of dollars. Exact figures require
a comprehensive evaluation of the storm’s effects.
Much of the damage at Patrick resulted from the collapse
of an empty hangar. The aircraft normally held there belong
to the 920th Rescue Wing. As Frances approached, the HH-60
Pave Hawk helicopters and a C-130 normally housed there were
flown to Dobbins ARB, Ga., for protection.
At Cape Canaveral, scattered damage did not affect three
rockets already in place on their launchpads, officials said.
Three boosters—a Delta II, Delta IV, and Titan IV B—all
“seem to have survived and weathered it just fine,”
Owen told reporters.
NASA’s three space shuttles, meanwhile, were protected
in hangars able to withstand 105 mph winds.
The Civil Air Patrol, USAF’s official civilian auxiliary,
assisted with the storm assessment efforts. According to an
Air Force news release, CAP members were to “capture
and transmit aerial photos of the affected sites” for
use by emergency responders.
Digital cameras aboard CAP aircraft were to take high-resolution
photos to “help emergency relief agencies plan and prioritize
rescue, repair, and cleanup efforts,” the release stated.
Financially, Frances is still expected to be the most destructive
in Cape Canaveral’s history. (In August, Hurricane Charley
caused a record $700,000 in damage to the air station.)
Airmen at Patrick and Cape Canaveral evacuated Sept. 2 as
a precaution, because the storm was initially forecast to
pack 145-mph winds. It was the first time officials had to
evacuate Patrick since Hurricane Hugo hit in 1989.
The airmen were part of a larger evacuation of 2.5 million
people from Florida’s coastal area. Among other preparations,
13 F-15s from the Florida Air National Guard unit at Jacksonville
relocated to Scott AFB, Ill. Some officials also relocated
to MacDill AFB, Fla., which was farther along the storm’s
path.
By the time Frances came ashore, winds had declined, but
the slow-moving hurricane still caused considerable wind and
water damage.
|
|
DOD, USAF Face Off Over C-130J
The Defense Department Inspector General this summer released
a report harshly critical of the acquisition program and performance
of the C-130J airlifter. Service officials dispute IG claims.
The IG said the newest Hercules is unable to operate in combat
theaters and that contractor Lockheed Martin has little incentive
to deliver improved aircraft.
The Air Force, which manages the program, disagreed with
all of the IG’s recommendations and findings. The service,
in its response to the report, said that much of the report
was based on outdated information. It did say that some facts
were correct, but USAF added that the “findings and conclusions
ascribed to these facts cannot be supported.”
The C-130J is a commercially developed follow-on to Lockheed
Martin’s long-running C-130 line of airlifters. The Air
Force, with endorsement from DOD and Congress, decided it
would be cheaper to buy the C-130J “off-the-shelf”
and then make necessary modifications to meet military requirements.
Congress has been a strong supporter of the program, increasing
buys of the aircraft above what USAF had requested in recent
budgets.
The Air Force began fielding the new airlifter in 1999 with
the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command. Overall,
USAF plans to buy 168 and is purchasing another 33 on behalf
of the Marine Corps.
Although the IG report said that “none” of the
aircraft so far accepted by USAF had met “operational
requirements,” the Marine Corps in late April announced
the C-130Js it had received were ready for operational use.
By September, the Air Force had not released its C-130Js for
service outside the US; however, officials said they would
do so by year’s end.
“It doesn’t have defensive systems, and it is not
cleared for assault landing procedures from a software perspective,”
stated Gen. John W. Handy, commander of US Transportation
Command and Air Mobility Command, during a breakfast meeting
with reporters shortly after release of the IG report. Those
were the reasons it was restricted from overseas operations.
Handy said the software issues would be resolved by December.
“Everything looks incredibly good,” he added.
The C-130J is already being used in combat in Southwest Asia—by
the Royal Air Force and the Australian Air Force. (The United
Kingdom bought the new airlifter before the US.) It is also
being used by the military forces of Italy.
ANG’s 135th Airlift Group, Martin State Arpt., Md.,
the first Guard unit to receive the new aircraft, announced
in May that it had surpassed the 10,000 flying hour mark in
the C-130J.
The unit has been qualifying the service’s initial cadre
of pilots and aircrew for the new cargo aircraft, which, according
to Handy, is a “very software-intense aircraft.”
It is digital, where the earlier C-130s were analog. “There
are going to be challenges,” said Handy. He called it
a “birthing process” that is seen with any new weapon
system and called the C-130J a “dramatic improvement”
over older C-130s.
“The trends are all positive,” said Handy. “The
timelines are being met. All the milestones are being met
for a December deployment to the [Southwest Asia] theater.”
|
|
Korean Realignment Approved
US and South Korean officials in July approved a much-anticipated
plan to realign US forces on the Korean peninsula. The Defense
Department announced the agreement to “relocate all US
forces from the Seoul metropolitan area to the Pyongtaek area,”
near Osan Air Base, about 50 miles south of Seoul.
Seoul is home to the headquarters for US Forces Korea and
hosts roughly 8,000 US troops.
The US will return the Yongsan Garrison’s territory
in downtown Seoul to South Korean control. In return, South
Korea will purchase new land and fund the construction of
a new USFK headquarters, probably adjacent to Osan. According
to the July 23 announcement, the relocation will be completed
by the end of 2008.
Also finalized was an agreement to move the Army’s 2nd
Infantry Division out of its network of camps near the Demilitarized
Zone to enduring facilities in the Pyongtaek area. The timetable
for this move will be determined later, stated the announcement.
|
|
The Iraq Story
Continues
Casualties
As of Aug. 31, a total of 978 Americans—975 troops and
three DOD civilian employees—had died while officially
supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Of those casualties, 732
were killed by hostile actions, while the other 246 died in
noncombat incidents, such as accidents.
Since the end of major combat operations on May 1, 2003,
837 troops have died in Iraq. Of those, 620 were in combat
and 217 in nonhostile accidents. The three civilians were
killed in the line of duty in two attacks earlier this year.
Combat, Air Strikes Consume Najaf
Intense fighting, both on the ground and through air strikes,
engulfed the city of Najaf for much of the month of August.
An uprising led by militant strongman Muqtada al-Sadr began
Aug. 5, and combat with Marines and coalition airpower was
still ongoing two weeks later.
On Aug. 17, US aircraft attacked a target in Najaf’s
sprawling cemetery, where many of al-Sadr’s supporters
had holed up. Wire reports quoted Marine Lt. Col. Thomas V.
Johnson saying the aircraft fired “one precision guided
missile on a building in the cemetery” from which militiamen
with rocket-propelled grenades had been firing on US troops.
A week earlier, officials had warned that the cemetery would
not be a safe haven. “We will not allow [insurgents]
to continue to desecrate this sacred site” by using it
as an operating base, said Marine Col. Anthony Haslem, commander
of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit. “There will be
no sanctuary for thugs and criminals in Najaf.”
DOD Develops New “Captivity Curriculum”
The Defense Department plans to revamp its training to help
troops avoid capture and know what to do if they do become
prisoners. The Joint Personnel Recovery Agency, Ft. Belvoir,
Va., is expected to produce a new “core captivity curriculum”
this year.
According to Air Force Col. Mark Bracich, JPRA’s director
of policy, doctrine, and training, the new curriculum is being
developed jointly by the services. Each will incorporate it
into its service-specific survival, evasion, resistance, and
escape schools.
Traditionally, aircrews were at high risk of capture if
they were shot down over enemy territory. Today, however,
more personnel are at high risk in the modern, asymmetric
battlespace, said Bracich. The new training applies to personnel
on peacekeeping, humanitarian, and noncombat support missions.
Troops are as likely to be taken hostage by a splinter group
as they are by a recognized enemy army.
The first prisoners of war of Operation Iraqi Freedom weren’t
pilots or infantry soldiers—they were combat-support
troops.
|
|
Did Berger Smuggle Papers in his Pants?
Former National Security Advisor Samuel L. Berger was under
investigation by the Justice Department for possible improper
handling of classified documents during the 9/11 Commission’s
investigation. Reportedly, National Archives staff members
saw Berger stuffing documents into his jacket, pants, and
socks.
Berger, who was advisor during the Clinton Administration,
allegedly removed classified documents and notes from the
archives while he was preparing for testimony before the commission.
The investigation began after archive employees reported his
actions.
Berger’s lawyer, Lanny Davis, denied the pants-stuffing
allegation.
The Wall Street Journal on July 30 reported that archive
officials had determined that no original materials were missing
and nothing Berger reviewed was withheld from the commission.
General counsel for the commission, Daniel Marcus, told WSJ
that the Justice Department was “satisfied that we’ve
[the commission] seen everything.” As of late August,
the case was apparently still active.
|
|
Foglesong Calls for Action To Cut
Mishaps
A recent rash of mishaps at US Air Forces in Europe facilities
prompted Gen. Robert H. Foglesong, USAFE commander, to demand
greater attention to detail.
“Several mishaps within the past two months could have
been averted if individuals had paid more attention to detail
in their activity at hand,” the general wrote in a July
27 statement.
The surge in mishaps is a “disturbing trend that must
be stopped before we lose an aircraft or, worse, a life,”
he wrote.
The incidents included ingestion of a plastic cover by an
F-16 engine, aircrew-caused damage to a KC-135 tanker’s
multipoint refueling system, and a C-130 propeller unit on
a forklift dropped in transit.
“In each case, there appears to have been an opportunity
for the individuals involved to pay closer attention to the
task at hand,” Foglesong wrote.
“We cannot afford to lose combat capability by destroying
an aircraft, aircraft parts, or other resources,” he
wrote. And USAFE cannot replace an airman’s skills “if
he or she is injured or killed in a preventable mishap.” |
News Notes
By Tamar A. Mehuron, Associate Editor
- US Air Forces in Europe in August stood up the 38th Combat Support
Center, Ramstein AB, Germany, to help prepare midlevel enlisted
and officer personnel for expeditionary operations. Officials
said the 38th was a USAFE-unique initiative that comprises personnel
from civil engineering, communications, logistics planning, personnel,
services, security forces, supply, and transportation, who will
provide classroom instruction and a field training exercise covering
all phases of deployment.
- Rockwell Collins in August received a $3.6 billion contract
spanning 10 years for technical and logistical support to Warner
Robins Air Logistics Center, Robins AFB, Ga.
- USAF test officials on July 8 conducted the first guided launch
of the AIM-9X missile from an F-16. The test took place at China
Lake Naval Air Weapons Center, Calif. The AIM-9X uses the Joint
Helmet Mounted Cueing System, allowing the pilot to acquire and
track targets beyond line of sight and strike a broader array
of targets than its AIM-9 predecessors.
- IBM of Fairfax, Va., in July received a $500 million contract
to streamline upgrades at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center,
Tinker AFB, Okla. Work is to be completed July 2009. Electronic
Systems Center, Hanscom AFB, Mass., awarded a $490 million contract
to a group of contractors to provide communications infrastructure
for deployed forces that will reduce airlift and footprint requirements
and provide increased interoperability and capacity and user connections.
The contractors are: Dell Marketing in Texas, General Dynamics
in Arizona, Northrop Grumman in Maryland and Virginia, and Redcom
Laboratories in New York. Work is scheduled to be completed by
July 2009.
- Ground testing of the first GE Rolls Royce F136 engine for the
new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter began July 22 at the GE facility
in Evendale, Ohio. Configured for the conventional takeoff and
landing version (CTOL) of the F-35, the engine will undergo tests
through December. USAF plans to purchase more than 1,700 F-35s
in some mix of CTOL and short takeoff and landing variants.
- Vought Aircraft of Texas will provide 128 wing-related components
for C-5 airlifters under a $471 million contract issued in July.
The work is to be completed by January 2013.
- Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, in
July awarded Boeing a long-term, performance-based contract for
C-17 fleet sustainment. The contract also stipulates that Boeing
will make investment commitments of $62 million in USAF’s
air logistics centers (ALCs), flowing to the ALCs work that was
performed by commercial repair sources. The overall contract,
which also supports foreign military sales to the UK, is valued
at $4.9 billion over eight years.
- The Air Force this summer held its first Senior Noncommissioned
Officer Symposium in the US Central Command theater of operations.
Previously, master sergeant selectees could only attend such training
at their home stations. The CENTOM area course is condensed to
a day and a half, instead of the standard five days. However,
officials said it provided the critical information that new senior
NCOs need to understand their increased responsibilities.
- Air Force Block 30 F-16s, used primarily by the Air National
Guard, will soon add the 500-pound Joint Direct Attack Munition
to their arsenal. Test officials at Edwards AFB, Calif., in July
completed an accelerated testing schedule that required an “enormous
amount of coordination” between USAF development, logistics,
and test entities in Florida, Utah, and California, said Doug
Pawlik, 412th Test Wing F-16 project manager at Edwards.
- A USAF civilian pilot’s fatal heart attack caused an Air
Force Beechcraft transport to crash March 16, killing him and
four contract workers aboard, concluded a USAF accident investigation
report released July 30. The aircraft was en route to Tonopah
Test Range northwest of Nellis AFB, Nev. (See “Aerospace
World: Five Die in Nevada Crash,” May, p. 21.) Pilot David
D. Palay Sr. had not informed FAA flight physical examiners of
his high blood pressure or the fact that he was on several medications.
- A large black vulture ingested into an F-15E engine caused the
engine to fail, leading the fighter to crash May 6 near Callaway,
Va., determined an Air Force accident investigation. The pilot
and weapons system officer ejected safely. The report, released
Aug. 2, noted that contributing factors included damage to control
and mechanical systems, which made the aircraft uncontrollable.
Both aircraft and crew were assigned to 335th Fighter Squadron,
Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
- The remains of Air Force CMSgt. Luther L. Rose, missing in action
since 1966 in the Vietnam War, were identified and returned to
his family for burial. On June 23, 1966, Rose, a gunner on an
AC-47 “Spooky” gunship, was on a nighttime reconnaissance
mission over southern Laos. Witnesses reported seeing the aircraft
on fire before it crashed into a heavily wooded area. They did
not see any parachutes. No emergency beeper was heard. Specialists
from the US and Laos found and excavated the suspected crash site
in 1995, recovering human remains and identification of other
crew members.
- US officials announced July 28 that search operations would
soon resume for remains of missing American troops in Vietnam’s
Central Highlands. Operations had been halted for three years
due to local unrest in the area. Of 1,855 Americans missing from
the Vietnam War, some 110 are thought to have been lost in the
Central Highlands.
- Students at Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala., can now earn
graduate degrees in airpower and art science, military operational
art and science, and strategic studies, as a result of the school’s
recent accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and
Schools.
- A replica of the “Little Boy” atomic bomb was returned
to the Air Force Museum, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, July 15,
from Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, N.M., after a
year-long restoration project. Additional parts and fresh paint
made the replica look more like the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima
on Aug. 6, 1945.
- Airmen who participated in humanitarian missions for Operation
Enduring Freedom from Oct. 7, 2001, to May 31, 2002, are now eligible
to receive the Humanitarian Service Medal.
- Gen. John P. Jumper, Air Force Chief of Staff, on July 30 presented
the Kolligian Trophy for air safety to Capt. Michael Matesick
for saving his damaged F-16 while flying in Iraq in June 2003.
Matesick, now assigned to Luke AFB, Ariz., saved his fighter after
the single engine suffered a major malfunction en route to a nighttime
close air support mission. He safely landed the aircraft, power
off, on a narrow taxiway at Baghdad Airport. The award, which
is named for 1st Lt. Koren Kolligian Jr., recognizes outstanding
airmanship or resourcefulness in avoiding or minimizing aircraft
accidents.
Copyright
Air Force Association. All rights reserved. |
