F/A-22 Software Gets
Thumbs-Up
The Air Force recently met a Pentagon-imposed requirement
that F/A-22 software reliability improve to 20 hours between system
restarts. As a result, the Defense Acquisition Board gave the
software a thumbs-up. Then it imposed a stiffer goal.
Last February, the new fighter’s software needed a restart
every two to three hours. By July, the reliability rate had improved
to 21.2 hours.
However, the software that will be used for a data link between
four fighters and for the Joint Tactical Information Distribution
System still requires improvement, said Maj. Gen. (sel.) Richard
B.H. Lewis, USAF’s program executive officer for fighters
and bombers.
The new goal levied by the board incorporates a more demanding
software reliability metric. The new metric measures restarts in
conjunction with subsystem resets and hardware failures. It is
known as the “mean time between avionics anomaly” rate,
or MTBAA rate. In July, that rate was about five hours.
Congress Reviews Tanker Lease
USAF on July 11 sent Congress its report on the proposed lease
of 100 Boeing 767s to be modified for use as aerial refueling aircraft.
The report said that leasing will cost about one percent—roughly
$150 million—more than buying tankers outright but that it
will provide new aircraft sooner.
Service leaders consider time to be the critical factor. Ninety
percent of USAF’s refueling capability currently resides in
KC-135s that average 43 years in age. These older aircraft are
becoming costly to maintain, said USAF, and there is an “increasing
probability” the fleet could “encounter a fleet-grounding
event, crippling our combat forces.”
The lease would provide 60 aircraft by 2009 and all 100 by 2011.
Under a standard purchase, the first aircraft would be delivered
in 2009 and the remainder by 2016—at least five years later
than with the lease.
In the 2002 defense appropriation bill, lawmakers authorized the
service to undertake a lease arrangement for up to 100 767s, despite
criticism from some—most notably Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).
The 2003 defense authorization bill called for authorization and
appropriation of funds or a request for new-start funds before
USAF could enter into the lease.
The lease plan submitted by the Air Force already has passed three
of the four Congressional committees that must approve the deal.
The fourth, the Senate Armed Services Committee, was slated to
hold a hearing on the lease this month.
Bush Forwards Roche Nomination
Months after announcing his intent to do so, President Bush on
July 7 formally nominated Air Force Secretary James G. Roche to
be the next Secretary of the Army.
The Senate was expected to consider the nomination this month.
Several Senators, including Sen. John McCain, have criticized Roche
for his handling of the sexual assault allegations at the Air Force
Academy. However, even Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.), the leading
critic of USAF’s handling of the academy sex scandal, has
said he supports Roche’s efforts to overhaul academy policies.
The Army position came open in May when Defense Secretary Donald
H. Rumsfeld forced out Army Secretary Thomas E. White, with whom
he had numerous philosophical differences. (See “Washington
Watch,” August, p. 7.)
Air Force Removes Stop-Loss
USAF officials on July 23 released the last of the career fields
still held under the most recent Stop-Loss order. The Air Force
had enacted the order in early March to stop active and reserve
personnel in selected fields from leaving the service during Operation
Iraqi Freedom.
The order initially covered 43 officer and 56 enlisted specialties.
After President Bush on May 1 announced the cessation of major
operations in Iraq, the service released more than half those career
fields. The July 23 order released the rest.
USAF Names Top 12 Airmen
The Air Force on July 10 announced the 12 Outstanding Airmen for
2003. The 12 will be recognized at the Air Force Association’s
2003 National Convention in Washington, D.C., and will serve on
AFA’s Enlisted Council.
The selectees and their assignments at the time of the award were:
SMSgt. Thomas O. McConnell, 39th Wing, Incirlik AB, Turkey; MSgt.
Douglas A. Ackerman, 726th Air Mobility Squadron, Rhein–Main
AB, Germany; MSgt. Keith D. Finney, 51st Civil Engineer Squadron,
Osan AB, South Korea; TSgt. James H. Coffey III, 50th Security
Forces Squadron, Schriever AFB, Colo.; TSgt. Tara A. Marta, 932nd
Air Control Squadron, NAS Keflavik, Iceland; TSgt. Kevin D. Vance,
17th Air Support Operations Squadron, Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.;
SSgt. Omar Ali Abed, 37th SFS, Lackland AFB, Tex.; SSgt. Jason
R. Blodzinski, 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.;
SSgt. Christopher D. Tuck, 325th Contracting Squadron, Tyndall
AFB, Fla.; SrA. Hector G. Bauza, 18th Medical Group, Kadena AB,
Japan; SrA. Nathan H. Summers, 317th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron,
Dyess AFB, Tex.; SrA. Harold J. Tolbert II, 9th Civil Engineering
Squadron, Beale AFB, Calif.
GAO: Strykers Will Overtax Airlift
Transporting the Army’s fledgling Stryker brigades will take
longer than planned and under some circumstances could tie up a
third of the Air Force’s strategic airlift fleet, according
to a new report from the General Accounting Office. The Army set
a goal of being able to deploy a Stryker brigade anywhere in the
world within four days.
GAO, the Congressional watchdog agency, claims the task may take
14 days, depending on the location, and require use of more than
30 percent of USAF’s C-17 and C-5 airlifters.
The Strykers—smaller and lighter than Abrams tanks or Bradley
fighting vehicles—are a key component in the Army’s plans
to transform itself into a lighter, more mobile force. Each Stryker
brigade will comprise roughly 3,600 soldiers and 1,000 vehicles—300
of which are Strykers.
The Army maintains it would only deploy about a third of a brigade
by air—using USAF C-17s and C-5s. The rest would travel by
sea.
In its response to the GAO report, DOD said it intended to keep
the four-day worldwide deployment goal, which it called a target
rather than a standard.
Global Hawk Led Eyes Over Iraq
The Air Force’s RQ-4A Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle
generated 55 percent of the targeting data used to destroy time
sensitive targets in Iraq during Gulf War II, said Maj. Gen. Joseph
P. Stein, director of aerospace operations for Air Combat Command.
Global Hawk enabled the service to shorten the “kill chain”—the
time it takes to find and destroy a target. The time required to
pass intelligence from the UAV to Stateside analysts and back to “shooters” over
Iraq sometimes dipped under 10 minutes.
Imagery from the UAV led to the destruction of 13 surface-to-air
missile batteries,
70 SAM transporters, and 300 tanks, said Stein.
Global Hawk’s success prompted Army Gen. Tommy R. Franks, then commander
of US Central Command, to tell lawmakers that DOD planned to add “laser
designation and delivery of precision weaponry” to the RQ-4. That testimony
appeared to be news to the Air Force.
According to Aerospace Daily, the service said no such plans exist.
USAF has “no
plans to weaponize Global Hawk now, or in the future,” the Daily quoted
from a written response to a query.
Belgium Mends War Crimes Law
Belgium’s new government changed a controversial war crimes law that
allowed charges to be brought against officials with no connection to Belgium.
The 1993
law had been used to charge officials such as President Bush, British Prime Minister
Tony Blair, and US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld with war crimes.
Belgium amended the law to limit its use to charges against Belgian
citizens
and residents.
Rumsfeld had indicated that Belgium’s law could make the United States
unwilling
to send officials to the country, which is home to NATO headquarters.
Iran Deploys Shahab-3 Missile
Iran earlier this summer conducted its final test of a medium-range
missile capable of hitting Israel or other targets throughout the
Persian Gulf region, Iranian
government officials announced in July.
The missiles officially entered service with Iran’s Revolutionary
Guards on July 20. At a televised deployment ceremony, at least five of
the missiles
were seen mounted on portable launchers.
The Shahab-3 is reported to have a range of at least 800 miles
and to carry a 2,000-pound warhead. The missile was first flight-tested
in July 1998.
New Academy Leader Takes Over
Lt. Gen. John W. Rosa Jr. on July 10 took over as commandant of
the Air Force Academy. His confirmation had been held up in the
legislative roadblock set up
by Idaho Sen. Larry E. Craig (R). (See “Aerospace World: Promotions Imbroglio
Ends,” August, p. 12.)
Air Force Secretary James G. Roche announced the same day that
Rosa’s predecessor,
Lt. Gen. John R. Dallager, would be retired as a major general, not as a lieutenant
general. The service said Dallager “did not exercise the degree of leadership
in this situation we expect of our commanders.” (See “Aerospace World:
Report: Academy Lost Focus on Assault Problem,” August, p.12.)
Rosa was the last of four new leaders installed at the academy
after the Air Force removed the previous officials in the wake
of the sexual assault scandal.
USAF Details Structure Changes
The Air Force announced on July 23 several force structure changes
for 2004, among them a formal notice of retirement for its fleet
of 20 C-9 Nightingale
medical evacuation aircraft and 44 KC-135E tankers.
Officials said the service faced rising costs to support the C-9
aircraft. They also maintain the mission can be handled more
efficiently without a dedicated
fleet of medevac aircraft.
USAF is replacing the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve
Command KC-135Es
with 24 KC-135Rs.
The announcement also stated the service would cut 2,260 military
positions, 2,839 civilian positions, and 1,055 part-time reserve
authorizations. Some of
the cuts are related to the aircraft retirements, while others are part of “workforce
reshaping.”
Many of the positions had been identified for elimination in
prior budgets but were never removed from USAF books. They had been unfunded
and unfilled.
Boeing, Loral See Space Losses
In mid-July, space powerhouses Boeing and Loral announced that
the collapse of the commercial space market had hit them hard.
Loral filed for bankruptcy
protection,
and Boeing said it would no longer market its Delta IV launch vehicle for commercial
use.
Launch and orbital systems have become a “terrible marketplace,” said
Boeing chairman Philip M. Condit in a conference call with financial analysts.
Boeing will instead focus efforts on the government launch business—even
though the Air Force just cut Boeing’s share of current launches. (See “Washington
Watch,” p. 11.)
Overall, the number of commercial space launches has fallen by
more than 50 percent since 1998.
The Air Force has said it remains committed to assured access to
space, meaning the nation needs to preserve at least two heavy-lift
launch providers—Boeing
and Lockheed Martin. Boeing would not be allowed to fail as a government launch
provider, if that would leave the government with only one viable launch option,
say USAF officials.
US Public Thinks War Was Right
Despite pundit claims about American unease, a July Gallup poll
determined that only 27 percent of Americans believe it was a mistake
to send US troops
to Iraq.
According to Gallup, “Concern about the validity of the war in Iraq
this spring is somewhat higher” than the concern about Gulf War I at
a comparable time, but it is “nowhere near” the percentage of
people who questioned US involvement in Vietnam.
In July 1991, only 15 percent of Americans considered Gulf War I a mistake;
by May 1971, more than 60 percent of the US considered the Vietnam War to be
a mistake.
News Notes
- USAF presented Airman’s Medals July 14 to eight service members
who risked their lives to help soldiers injured in 1994 when
an F-16 collided in midair with a C-130, then crashed at Pope AFB,
N.C., and skidded into a parked C-141 and a large crowd of
paratroopers. Twenty-four soldiers died and about 100 were injured. Airmen
receiving
the medal were: Capt. Lori E. Katowich; retired CMSgt. Thomas
R. Bridgers; retired SMSgts. John J. White, Eric Truesdale, John P.
Elskamp, and Michael E. Hyers; MSgt. Robert G. Miller; and
retired TSgt. Robert F. Baker.
- The Senate on July 31 confirmed Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers
for a second two-year term as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
of Staff. His first term began on Oct. 1, 2001.
The Administration wants to eliminate the current requirement
that a former POW must have been detained for at least 30 days
to qualify
for full POW benefits. The change recognizes the short duration
of current operations such as Gulf War II.
- The Senate on June 30 approved a change in the Presidential line
of succession. The aim was to better prepare the nation for
a possible catastrophic attack in Washington. Pending approval in the
House,
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge would move from 18th
up to eighth place. The line of succession established in 1947 ranks
Cabinet members according to the date their offices were created.
- Edward C. Aldridge, recently the Pentagon’s top acquisition
official, became a Lockheed Martin board member on June 26.
- The RAF on June 30 received its first Eurofighter—about five
years after originally planned. Developed jointly by Britain,
Germany, Italy, and Spain, the aircraft program suffered years of delays
because of political and technical problems.
- The Air Force version of the V-22 Osprey, the CV-22, on July 14
flew for the first time in more than two years. The aircraft
flew at Edwards AFB, Calif., with a reconfigured tail and antenna attachment.
- Air Force Undersecretary Peter B. Teets, DOD executive agent for
space, approved the Space Based Radar program’s initial
concept definition phase during a July 10 Defense Space Acquisition
Board
meeting. Studies conducted during this phase will focus on
cost factors and cost/performance trades across SBR system
concepts.
- A six-month Pentagon study shows that DOD’s large-scale smallpox
vaccination program produced few adverse effects. From Dec.
13, 2002, through May 28, 2003, DOD administered 450,293 vaccinations.
The number of adverse reactions was below historical rates.
- The 2003 promotion rates to master sergeant and technical sergeant
were down compared to last year. USAF said that the rate for
masters was 25.56 percent, down 7.67 percent, and for techs was 21.89
percent,
down 11.62 percent. Officials attributed the drops to a higher
retention rate, possibly due to the service’s Stop-Loss
order for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
- An accident report, released July 23, revealed no single primary
cause for the fatal crash of an HH-60G from Moody AFB, Ga., during
refueling on March 23 in Afghanistan. It said there were three
contributing factors: The tanker was flying 150 feet below the
required altitude of 500 feet; the helicopter crew suffered spatial
disorientation and loss of situational awareness; and the high
altitude (9,000 feet above sea level) and the refueling aircraft’s
30-degree bank during its climbing turn prevented the helicopter
crew from maintaining their position. All crew members were killed.
(See “Aerospace World: Seven Airmen Die in Afghan Ops,” May
2003, p. 48.)
- The addition of wings and GPS for the CBU-103 sensor fuzed weapon
and the CBU-105 combined effects munition will extend their
range and standoff capability. USAF plans to buy 7,500 dispenser kits,
with delivery beginning in late 2006, for use on the B-52,
F-15E,
and F-16.
- Officials at Luke AFB, Ariz., grounded F-16s with a certain type
of engine July 2 after investigations of a June 10 crash found
a fleetwide engine-related problem.
- Tire failure caused a T-38 trainer to crash at Randolph AFB, Tex.,
March 19, concluded a July 1 accident investigation report. AFRC
Maj. Peter Jahns, in the front seat, was killed after the aircraft
crashed into a barrier support stanchion when the right main
tire failed and disintegrated. AFRC Lt. Col. Frank Gebert suffered minor
injuries. (See “Aerospace World: T-38 Pilot Dies in Crash,” May,
p. 48.)
- Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin will team up to work on DOD’s
new joint unmanned combat aerial vehicle program. The Pentagon
plans to merge the DARPA-USAF and DARPA-Navy UCAV projects
into a single program by Oct. 1.
- A US board of inquiry has exonerated the operators of a US Army
Patriot missile battery who mistakenly shot down an RAF Tornado
GR4 on March 23 in Iraq, reported the London Daily Telegraph
on July 16. Both GR4 crew members were killed.
- USAF noncommissioned officers will induct James G. Roche, Air Force
Secretary, into the Order of the Sword Sept. 13 at Andrews
AFB, Md. The award is their highest honor.
Combat controller SSgt. Gabriel Brown, Little Rock AFB, Ark.,
was named the 2003 Pitsenbarger award recipient by the Air
Force Sergeants
Association. Brown handled the close air support assets for
more than 15 hours during the March 2002 battle at Takur Ghar,
Afghanistan,
in support of Operation Anaconda.
- USAF on July 8 announced its top combat controllers for 2002: Capt.
Patrick Ward, 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, Hurlburt Field,
Fla., and MSgt. Michael Lamonica, TSgt. Jason Hill, and SrA. Seth Marinaccio,
all from the 24th STS, Pope AFB, N.C.
- Five tactical air command and control airmen received the Air Force
Association’s Team of the Year award July 14. They are:
TSgt. Scott J. Grotbo, 169th Air Support Operations Squadron,
Illinois
ANG; TSgt. Shawn J. Minyon, 13th ASOS, Ft. Carson, Colo.; SSgt.
Scott T. Ball, 2nd ASOS, Wuerzburg, Germany; SSgt. Joseph S.
Hren, 25th Fighter Squadron, Osan AB, South Korea; and TSgt.
Kevin D.
Vance, 17th ASOS, Hunter AAF, Ga.
- NATO announced July 16 that it was a year ahead of schedule in
its plans to develop the wherewithal to deploy a rapid response
brigade of about 6,000 troops. The new date was mid-October.
- The Air Force has implemented a name change for its legal field
from Judge Advocate General’s Department to Judge Advocate
General Corps. Along with the name change, USAF shifted legislation
and standards of conduct from the JAG to the Air Force General
Counsel, while the JAG Corps acquires contractor bid protests.
USAF Drops “EAF,” Goes With “AEF”
The Air Force has officially stopped using the term “Expeditionary
Aerospace Force,” or EAF, to refer to its expeditionary organizational
concept. Supplanting EAF is the acronym AEF, currently defined
as “Air
and Space Expeditionary Force.”
Top Air Force leaders with great fanfare rolled out the EAF
concept in 1998, holding a press conference to do so. In 1998,
EAF was described as the overarching
concept that employed, as its operating structure, 10 AEFs (or air expeditionary
forces) made up of a cross-section of active, Guard, and Reserve personnel, units,
and weapons from around the Air Force.
Over time, EAF fell into disuse. Then came a little-noticed
change to Air Force
Instruction 10-400, “Aerospace Expeditionary Force Planning,” issued
on Oct. 16, 2002. The instruction’s glossary included this information: “Expeditionary
Aerospace Force (EAF)—No longer used—‘Aerospace Expeditionary
Force (AEF)’ replaces all references to ‘Expeditionary Air Force (EAF).’ ”
The 2002 instruction, however, is itself already out of date.
Air Force leadership
no longer uses the term “aerospace,” preferring to use “air and
space.” Hence, the new formulation: Air and Space Expeditionary Force. |
Fleet Viability Board To First Evaluate C-5A
The Air Force has charged its new Fleet Viability Board,
which begins work this month, with the complex task of
objectively determining
the collective health of USAF’s older aircraft. The first order
of business will be a look at the health of the C-5A Galaxy
airlifter.
There are currently 76 older C-5As in the C-5 fleet. They
first entered service in 1969.
The new board was the brainchild of Air Force Secretary James
G. Roche, a retired Navy officer. Roche decided that USAF should
adopt a system akin to the Navy’s 100-year-old process for determining
whether a ship continues to be seaworthy.
Roche and other Air Force leaders realized earlier this
year that the service did not have a definitive process
to determine whether an aircraft should remain in service.
According to Maj. Gen. (sel.) Elizabeth A. Harrell, Air
Staff director of maintenance, the service needed a definitive,
repeatable process for determining the health of such aircraft.
Harrell
said one challenge facing the new board is to balance the
competing
concerns
of the logistics and operational communities. Logisticians
might favor safety and supportability in evaluating aircraft,
but operators might
emphasize the need to keep an aircraft in service.
Consequently, board recommendations will go directly to
the Secretary of the Air Force and Air Force Chief of
Staff.
After the service reaches a conclusion on the health
of the C-5A airlift fleet, the board next will focus
on the E-8 Joint STARS aircraft. |
Task Force Finds 22,277 Possible Conversions
An Air Force task force has identified 22,277 uniformed
members performing jobs that could be done by civilians.
The task force
is part of the service’s effort to identify efficiencies that
could help it meet post-9/11 manpower demands.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld directed each service
to review its force structure for personnel and technology
efficiencies. He has steadfastly refused to consider end
strength increases until
all other avenues are examined.
The Human Capital Task Force Report, approved by the Secretary
of the Air Force and Chief of Staff, identified many such
efficiencies. However, converting them would require hiring
roughly 14,000 new civilian
employees. As yet, Pentagon leaders have not guaranteed that
they will fund any new civilian employees, even if the move
would free
uniformed members to shift to core military work. But even
before the war on terror began, the report noted, “Manpower was ‘stressed.’ Estimates
of additional manpower requirements ranged as high as 10,000.”
“
At the most basic level,” the report stated, the Air Force “has
a content/skills mix problem. Resolving this problem determines
whether or not we have an end-strength problem. ”
The task force identified 16 initiatives to correct the
workforce imbalances, but “workforce substitution”—civilian
for military —will cost about $5 billion through Fiscal 2009.
Some changes have been made. For example, to meet its post-9/11
force protection demands, the Air Force has increased the
number of personnel headed to the security field. “We knew
we had a security forces problem—that’s pretty obvious,” noted
William H. Booth, senior civilian in the Air Force manpower and
organization
office. The service is working on 3,700 realignments right
now, said Booth. However, two-thirds of them are going
to fields other than
security forces.
So far, the Air Force has been unable to obtain money from
DOD to pay for such changes and will have to pay for much
of the realignment out of existing funds. USAF officials
are concerned that, if they
convert the 22,277 military positions to civilian posts,
DOD might simply zero out the military positions and not
shift them to other
highly stressed fields.
“
If you gave me $100 million to buy civilians,” Booth said, “I’d
move $100 million worth of military into stressed [Air Force
specialty codes] tomorrow.”
Instead, the service is taking a phased approach to the
changes. The cost of the next 1,000 realignments was
added to the Fiscal 2005 budget plan, with the hope
that the shift will be approved and signed
into law, setting a precedent. The next goal is to
realign 7,000 new positions in the 2006 budget. |
US Raids Hit 18 US Companies
The Departments of Defense and Homeland Security announced
in July they had raided the offices of 18 US companies
for allegedly supplying military equipment that was
bound for Iran, in violation
of the Arms Export Control Act.
The investigation was spread over 10 states and centered
on a London-based company, Multicore.
According to DHS, the export control items included components
for Hawk missiles, F-14 Tomcat fighters, F-4 Phantom fighters,
F-5 Tiger fighters, C-130 airlifters, military radars,
and other equipment.
The investigation dates to 1999, when a look at Multicore
revealed that F-14 parts were being purchased for shipment
from California
to Iran, via Singapore. A 1999 raid of Multicore’s Bakersfield,
Calif., office yielded documents showing that parts had
come from a host of US companies.
According to the Associated Press, the US companies
raided were: Aerospace Technologies Intl., Boulder,
Colo.; Alamo
Aircraft, San Antonio; Assorted Hardware, Wichita, Kan.;
Brandex Corp., Sunrise,
Fla.; Continental Industries, Hinsdale, N.H.; Centerfield
Pump, Tomball, Tex.; DG Air Parts, Jacksonville, Ore.;
Harry Krantz Co.,
Garden City Park, N.Y.; Instrument Associates, Port Washington,
N.Y.; Instrument Support, Holbrook, N.Y.; Island Components
Group, Bohemia, N.Y.; Jay Tex Inc., Mount Pleasant, Tex.;
Jet Midwest, Kansas City, Kan.; Orion Intl., Charleston,
S.C.; Quintron Aircraft
Parts, Waukesha, Wis.; Space Age Supply, Crowley, Tex.;
Sunrise Helicopter, Spring, Tex.; and Talon Aviation,
Lake Charles,
La. |
As Time Went On, A-10s Dominated CAS Mission
The 110th Fighter Wing, a Michigan Air National Guard
unit that flew A-10s out of Tallil Air Base in Iraq
during Gulf War II, found that ground commanders
grew to love the Warthog
during the war. They said that early requests for close
air support aircraft tended to be generic, but, by
the second week,
commanders asked specifically for A-10 support.
Up to 90 percent of the CAS requests identified A-10s
as the aircraft of choice, the wing officials said at
a July 16 Pentagon briefing.
A-10 units train for CAS constantly, said Lt. Col.
Dave Kennedy. While other aircraft, even B-52s, can
perform close air support for ground units, it “takes
time” for
pilots not trained in the mission to master CAS.
The A-10’s durability proved to be an asset during the
low-level CAS runs. In one 24-hour span, three Warthogs were
hit
by Iraqi fire, but only one went down, and no pilots
were killed.
Maj. Jim Ewald, whose A-10 was hit by a surface-to-air
missile over western Baghdad, said he was able to fly
his crippled aircraft 30 to 40 miles to a safe area,
before one engine failed
completely and he had to “punch out.” Ewald was quickly
recovered by an Army unit that saw his airplane go down. |
The Fiscal 2004 Budget at Midyear
$378 Billion Defense Budget Moving Forward
The House and Senate each overwhelmingly passed $378
billion defense appropriations bills in July. The military
construction portion totaled $9 billion.
The money bills basically matched the Administration’s
Fiscal 2004 request, which sought nearly $380 billion.
Lawmakers explained that the topline reduction was tied to increased
2003
supplemental contingency funding previously provided
but not yet spent by DOD.
Completion of the 2004 appropriations bills means
the Administration’s request is largely on track. House
and Senate authorizing committees, which set budget policy,
previously approved similar totals. Any differences
between
the House and
Senate appropriations and authorization bills will
be resolved in conferences this fall.
The Senate’s defense appropriations bill passed unanimously
July 17. In addition to the $9 billion for military
construction (including family housing), it provided
$99 billion for personnel
expenses; $116 billion for operations and maintenance;
$74 billion for procurement; $64 billion for research,
development, test,
and evaluation; and $16 billion for defense health
and other programs.
F/A-22 Fighter Dispute
While lawmakers funded most of USAF’s high-priority
procurement programs near the requested levels, the F/A-22
was
an area of contention. Both appropriations committees
approved the Air
Force request to buy 22 Raptors next year, but the
two authorization committees cut the quantity to 20.
Authorizers removed savings the Air Force expects
to accrue from new program efficiencies, rather
than letting the service apply that money toward additional
aircraft.
The service
had counted on using savings to buy more F/A-22s, as
long as it stayed within its total program budget.
(See “Aerospace
World: Raptor Cuts Undermine ‘Buy to Budget’ Plan,” August,
p. 11.)
Three Committees Favor B-1B Reconstitution
By mid-July, a plan to bring some B-1Bs back from
retirement had picked up steam. Three of the four
defense oversight
committees approved a plan to give the Air Force $20.3
million in Fiscal
2004, to return to service 23 of the 32 B-1B bombers
that are being retired this year.
The Air Force opposes the plan, noting in a formal
appeal to lawmakers that the B-1B is now experiencing
its highest mission capable rates since 1996. The service
attributes the
higher rate to the consolidation of support at two
bases (down from five) and to the relative increase
in parts availability
from supporting a smaller number of aircraft.
The Air Force maintains that lawmakers failed to
provide the $1.1 billion it would actually cost
to support the aircraft through 2009. (See “Washington
Watch,” p.
11.)
Nuclear Weapons Programs Debated
By mid-June, the fate of proposed changes to nuclear
weapons research was far from settled. House and Senate
appropriators came to different conclusions on the
merits of studying nuclear
bunker busters and improving nuclear test readiness.
The House panel proposed eliminating the $6 million
sought for research into low-yield nuclear weapons
and the $25 million needed to improve nuclear test
readiness.
President
Bush wants to halve the time required to resume nuclear
tests, if a decision were made to test again. Currently,
the time lag
is 36 months.
House appropriators also cut $10 million from the
Administration’s
request of $15 million for research into a Robust Nuclear
Earth Penetrator that would be used to target hardened,
underground facilities.
The same week, Senate appropriators fully funded
each of the above accounts, setting up a showdown
over nuclear
issues in the conference committee. |
Gulf War II: The Story Continues
US Forces Kill Hussein Sons
Uday and Qusay, two sons of former Iraqi dictator
Saddam Hussein, were killed by US forces July 22.
The sons were slain after refusing to surrender
and engaging in a protracted
battle with US forces in the town of Mosul in northern
Iraq.
US forces were tipped to their location by an informant
described as a “walk up.”
The informant could receive up to $30 million because
the two sons, missing since the beginning of Operation
Iraqi Freedom in March, each had a $15 million reward
on his head.
After Saddam himself, Uday and Qusay were the biggest
Iraqi fugitives, considered No. 2 and No. 3 on US
Central Command’s wanted list of former regime fugitives.
CENTCOM Undergoes Change of Command
Army Gen. John P. Abizaid took command of US Central
Command on July 7, succeeding Gen. Tommy R. Franks,
who retired. Abizaid had been CENTCOM deputy commander.
Franks, a 38-year veteran, had led CENTCOM since
June 2000. During his tenure, he oversaw Operation
Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan as well as Operation
Iraqi Freedom.
Abizaid Describes Guerilla Campaign
At a July 16 Pentagon briefing, Abizaid created
a stir when he described the ongoing situation
in Iraq as a “classical
guerilla-type” war.
Abizaid added that the troops were doing a “magnificent
job” dealing with this particular style of threat.
The US is fighting remnants of Saddam Hussein’s forces
that are conducting “what I would describe as a classical
guerilla-type campaign against us,” said Abizaid. “It’s
low-intensity conflict, in our doctrinal terms, but
it is war, however you describe it.”
Abizaid’s comments were notable because it was the
first official declaration that the repeated attacks against
US and coalition forces in Iraq were not isolated
events but
part of a concerted, probably organized, campaign.
Gulf War II Deaths Surpass Gulf War I Total
On July 17, the US suffered its 147th combat
death in Gulf War II, thereby equaling the
total from the
1991 Persian Gulf War. According to Pentagon
data, 32 of the deaths took
place after May 1, when President Bush declared
major combat activities to be over. Sporadic
fighting has
continued since
that time.
Counting deaths caused by accidents, the US had
suffered a total of 224 deaths in Gulf War
II by July 17.
Rumsfeld Doubles Iraq Cost Estimate
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld informed
a Senate committee in July that ongoing
Iraq operations will
likely cost $3.9 billion per month for
the foreseeable future. That
figure nearly doubled a previous Administration
estimate
of roughly $2 billion per month.
The military cost includes food, fuel,
transportation, weapons, and personnel
costs associated with
keeping a force of about 145,000 troops
in Iraq.
Continuing operations in Afghanistan
cost an additional $900 million to $950 million
monthly, Rumsfeld added. |
Bob Hope, 1903-2003
Bob Hope, the beloved comedian who entertained
American forces for some 50 years, died July
27 at his home in
Toluca Lake, Calif.
Hope was born May 29, 1903, in Eltham, England,
but moved to the US with his family when he was
four years
old. He appeared in vaudeville, radio, and numerous
movies. He also had a long career in television.
Hope has been
described as being “a part of American folklore.”
Hope was the first and only American to be made
an honorary veteran of America’s armed forces.
He began entertaining US troops during World War II
and continued
over the years, making his last tour in 1991 to the
Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm. |
Copyright Air Force Association. All rights reserved.
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