Photo by Peter FosterR.

In Europe, USAFE faced a brutal optempo—and that was before 10 percent of its troops deployed. The One--Deep

By Adam J. Hebert, Executive Editor

24 AIR FORCE Magazine / October 2007 he airmen of US Air Forces in Europe find themselves scrambling quite a bit these days. The service’s oldest Tmajor command has little to no excess capacity, so these troops are in constant motion. Moreover, its aircraft are old and require constant care and maintenance. USAFE is just like the rest of the Air Force, only more so. The command’s forward-based air- men are full participants in Air Force operations worldwide, meaning the operating tempo is consistently high. This summer, nearly 2,500 USAFE air- men—almost 10 percent of the force— were deployed in support of the Global War on Terror, noted Lt. Gen. Robert D. Bishop Jr., commander of 3rd Air Force at Ramstein AB, . The 3rd oversees USAFE’s daily operations in a 92-country area stretching from Iceland to South Africa. With so many airmen gone, the other 90 percent of USAFE’s force have had to carry out 100 percent of the already chal- lenging “peacetime” mission—training for upcoming deployments, running a network of bases and operating loca- tions, and maintaining an aged and cantankerous fleet of equipment. “We are one deep in many areas,” said Brig. Gen. Michael A. Snodgrass, USAFE’s plans director at Ramstein. “That was a conscious decision the Air Force made after the [Berlin] Wall fell.” USAFE has one air superiority squad- ron, at RAF Lakenheath, England, one air refueling wing, at RAF Mildenhall, England, and one of A-10s. “We have one base, Spangdahlem [Germany], that does sup- pression of enemy air defenses. We have two bases that give us precision guided munitions capability,” Snodgrass contin- ued. “That’s not a lot, but it’s right-sized to the overall mission set here.” Snodgrass said he would like to see another air superiority squadron in Europe and “a little more close air support capability,” but USAFE must make its case and compete for resources just like the rest of the Air Force. The tight fiscal environment throughout the Air Force means new assets are hard to The One--Deep Air Force come by. The command is forced to lean heavily on its airmen. Roughly 3,500 USAFE positions are being cut to meet USAF’s downsizing requirements. Many of the By Adam J. Hebert, Executive Editor personnel visited this summer expressed reservations about how this would affect USAFE’s long-term health. AIR FORCE Magazine / October 2007 25 that was in question. There might only be one Hercules available, with all the others needed in Southwest Asia or due for repairs. Worse, the one available C-130 might be on “restricted” status—meaning it was so fragile it could not carry a full load, fly at low-levels, perform assault

USAF photo by Capt. Elizabeth Culbertson landings, or operate at night. If this were the case, there would be little point in making the deployment other than to “fly around the flagpole” for public relations purposes. Ultimately, it never came to that. Air- men scraped together two C-130s—one regular and one restricted. This allowed aircrews to perform a full range of mis- sions—low-level flying, airdrops, night vision goggle operations, limited assault landings, “all the sorts of training you can’t get here in Germany,” said Shel- don. With some 120 airmen taking part, USAFE commander Gen. William Hobbins (l) meets at Fetesti Air Base with Lt. Gen. Gheorghe Catrina, then Romanian Air Force Chief of Staff (r), and Air Flotilla Carpathian Summer unfolded more or Gen. Simonescu Laurentin. less successfully over two weeks in mid-July. The operating tempo is already caus- training deployment he was coordinat- The health of USAFE’s aircraft is an ing some problems. “We are absolutely ing might be falling apart. everyday concern: Modernization time- worried about it,” said CMSgt. Gary G. The original plan called for up to lines in Europe often lag behind those Coleman, USAFE’s command chief six C-130s from Ramstein to deploy to in other theaters. There are currently master sergeant. The brutal tempo “is the base on the Black Sea for realistic no plans for USAFE to base the F-22 starting to manifest itself in security combat training. or C-17 in Europe, and even the C-130J forces,” he said, adding that “re-enlist- is coming later than needed. ment rates have plummeted.” The Real World It is also hard to get high-qual- The command is very closely watch- The real world was intruding, how- ity training on a densely populated ing its high-stress career fields. These ever. The demands of Operation Iraqi continent with a massive amount of also include transporters, civil engi- Freedom and the geriatric condition of commercial air traffic, a wide range neers, explosive ordnance disposal participating C-130s had already caused of flight and noise restrictions, limited technicians, tactical air control parties, planners to scale Carpathian Summer range space, and frequently murky forward air controllers, and combat back to a two-ship deployment. weather. During eight midsummer weathermen. All of these groups are Now, Sheldon was learning, even days recently spent in Germany, for “running hard and stressed,” Cole- man said. The command is embracing Air Force Smart Operations 21 process improvements to help offset personnel shortages, but there is clearly a turbulent period ahead, as the command is asked to do more with less.

The idea behind AFSO 21 is to USAF photo by A1C Kelly LeGuillionL. “reduce the workweek down to a rea- sonable level by doing things smarter,” Coleman said. “We can only maintain this pace for so long, because we clearly are surging.” For an example of how the scram- bling plays out, consider the case of the Carpathian Summer exercise in . Maj. Michael Sheldon didn’t like the news he was getting from Germany on June 27. Working a mobile phone from a makeshift office at Mihail Ko- Airmen go over an F-16CJ outside its hardened aircraft shelter at Spangdahlem AB, galniceanu AB, Romania, Sheldon had Germany. USAFE is “one deep” in many categories, including suppression of enemy gotten word that the C-130E weapons air defenses capability, which resides only in the 22nd Fighter Squadron. 26 AIR FORCE Magazine / October 2007 example, all but one day was hit by downpours. “The traditional European civilian aircraft environment has drastically con- strained our ability to train” in Western Europe, said Gen. William T. Hobbins, USAFE commander. Noise restrictions also limit flights, and sometimes prohibit USAF photo by A1C John Easterling the Air Force from flying at low levels over ground forces. USAFE has only five main operating bases, down from a Cold War peak of 25, and only 27,000 airmen, down from the 65,600 that were in place at the end of the Cold War. Hobbins envisions additional small consolidations to bring isolated units together with stable facilities. For example, there are still stand-alone hospitals, schools, and housing units Airmen with the 48th Logistics Readiness Squadron perform a hot-pit refueling on near Ramstein and Spangdahlem air an F-15 Eagle at RAF Lakenheath, Britain. bases that could be integrated with those recently expanded facilities. Anatolian Eagle exercises modeled The “vision looking forward is for Additional large-scale closures are after USAF’s Red Flag. The Air Force large force-package exercises” to take unlikely, however, because the Air Force has been a regular participant, but needs place in the Romanian airspace, added still desires a “presence” in important additional options. This brought USAFE Lt. Col. Stephen P. Ritter, head of nations such as Germany and Britain. to Mihail Kogalniceanu, 1,000 miles USAFE’s MK Integration Branch. “This These are strong allies of long standing, east of Ramstein. airspace is world-class, and when coun- and they offer enormous support to the MK is local by European standards tries hear about it, they’ll want to come,” bases located on their soil. and allows training with a nation that Ritter said. “They’ll be lining up.” Officials say USAFE’s “center of flies different aircraft—Romanian MiG- gravity” will remain solidly in Western 21s. More importantly, the airspace Fresh Air Europe, even as attention shifts south range around MK is excellent, equiva- Romanian Air Force officials cited nu- and east. lent to the Nevada Test and Training merous benefits of having the Americans The training situation in what former Range (Nellis Range). It boasts plains, visit MK. These range from the mundane Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rums- mountains, over-water areas, landing (an opportunity to use English) to the feld once derisively referred to as “old and drop zones, and ground maneuver sophisticated (a chance to leverage US Europe” is not expected to improve. The space that allows aircraft to train with wartime experiences to develop realistic airspace constriction problem will “only ground units. common training scenarios). get worse,” said Hobbins, as commercial “There are not many places [where The expanding opportunities to fly air traffic on the Continent continues USAFE] can do joint and combined and train in Romania are “like a breath to expand. training with a lot of airspace,” said of fresh air” compared to the tight re- USAFE must monitor and live with Snodgrass. strictions in Western Europe, said Maj. some 5,000 airspace regulations in Europe, some of them severe, said Lt. Col. Jim Burton. Europe has the same air traffic as the crammed into one-third the area, added Burton, who is with the 603rd Air Operations Center’s Air Mobility Division at Ramstein. “As we migrate our training locations eastward, we can strengthen our coali- USAF photo by MSgt. Ron Prysucha tion interoperability,” Hobbins noted. This reduces USAFE’s reliance on “expensive deployments to Stateside locations” which is “not optimal nor is it cost-effective.” Consequently, the US recently signed long-term agreements with both Romania and Bulgaria to allow deployments into the former nations. “We really need training airspace,” said Snodgrass. “We need to deploy.” Meeting part of the need in recent Two ground-attack A-10s from Spangdahlem’s 81st Fighter Squadron come in for a years, Turkey has hosted a series of landing at Montreal AB, Portugal. AIR FORCE Magazine / October 2007 27 basis—what we call a .5 presence,” said Snodgrass. “The game plan after the next year or two is to have an AEF [air and space expeditionary force deployment] into MK for training and presence.” It is important to build a program of “focused” theater security cooperation, USAF photo by MSgt. CharlesTubbs said Bishop. There are 10 new NATO members for USAFE to build partner- ships and interdependence with, but the command must keep at it. “We don’t want to, nor do we have a need to, engage with all 92 countries” in the AOR, Bishop said. “If you really want to make progress, you need to engage, and then you need to re-engage.” That’s what the long-term agreements with Romania and Bulgaria offer. Bishop said that after a recent C-130 deploy- ment to Bulgaria, the pilots were “beside themselves,” saying, “ ‘This is the best Next to a Romanian Air Force MiG-21, ROAF Warrant Officer Marian Micheten (l) and flying we ever had—300 feet above SMSgt. Santos Rodriguez (r) discuss maintenance at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base. the ground, in and out of mountainous terrain.’ ” Michael J. Dean, F-16 functional area maintenance stands typically needed by Yet the Ramstein C-130s participating manager at USAFE headquarters. deployed flying units. in these deployments are a prime ex- In June, USAFE planners were in USAFE doesn’t want to “flood” the ample of USAFE’s old airplane problem. coordinating the Carpath- base with equipment yet, because the A case can be made that the 86th Airlift ian Summer C-130 deployment and long-term mission there is still unde- Wing’s 42-year-old C-130Es are the Air August’s Common Quest special op- termined, said MSgt. Mark A. Fleenor, Force’s most decrepit fleet. erations exercise. Common Quest was logistics action officer for the MK The wing is keeping four of its scheduled to feature MC-130 Combat team. healthy, “unrestricted” airlifters forward Talon and MH-53 Pave Low aircraft from Some equipment needs are obvious, deployed for US Central Command, RAF Mildenhall performing rescue and however, and in an adjacent building an but even there things don’t always go recovery operations. Air Force fire truck, runway sweeper, as planned. The 352nd Special Operations and fuel truck sat in storage after being “We just discovered another doggone Group’s deployment was to be at the flown in for an F-15 deployment. Fleenor crack” in one of the nominally healthy, same time that US European Command said keeping these vehicles at MK for forward-based C-130s, said Brig. Gen. has a 1,000-man “proof of principle” the summer saves $20,000 to $80,000 Richard C. Johnston, commander of deployment going on at the base. per exercise. the 86th AW. “That grounded that air- EUCOM’s new Joint Task Force-East USAFE would like to operate from the plane”—out in the desert. The 86th was is based at MK, to coordinate training base on “approximately a half the year sending another airplane out the same operations in the Black Sea nations. In June, US Army Europe was well on its way toward finishing new barracks buildings to house deploying soldiers. The areas of the base being used by the Army were readily identifiable by their generous use of concertina wire. Ritter said the Army’s presence and

the ground maneuver ranges below the USAF photo by SrA. Eydie Sakura MK airspace offer the potential for urban close air support training, exercises with joint terminal air controllers, and other joint air-land operations hard to achieve in Western Europe. USAFE has sponsored its own con- struction at the base, although the Air Force is thinking of permanently bas- ing only about 10 airmen at MK. New storage buildings near the flight line house 19 pieces of “low maintenance” aerospace ground equipment such as F-16s from Spangdahlem line the ramp at MK Air Base, where USAFE is setting up a tow bars, jack stands, and the aircraft small detachment to help coordinate regular training deployments. 28 AIR FORCE Magazine / October 2007 that now,” said Johnston, so the wing is looking to mitigate the problem by focusing training on the most likely and critical capabilities. “We recognize that we won’t be as capable until we get those” C-130Js, he concluded. USAF photos by SSgt. Justin Pyle D. To help perform its mission, Ramstein depends on a regular rotation of four Guard or Reserve C-130s assigned to temporary duty at the base. Despite the equipment shortcomings, USAFE is “getting more and more mobility minded,” Hobbins said, and the facilities modernization programs at Ramstein and Spangdahlem stand in stark contrast to the health of the C-130s. The bases are on the route to Iraq, and midway between the US and Af- C-130Es of Ramstein’s require constant attention. At top, air- ghanistan, making them key waypoints men perform a prop service check on a for troops and materiel. Ramstein also Hercules. At right, SrA. Jeff Risko of the receives the injured troops headed to 86th Maintenance Squadron replaces a the massive Landstuhl medical center. bleed air manifold duct on the flight line Johnston noted that 95 percent of the at Ramstein. aircraft going through the base are sup- day to replace it, because combat require- porting a combat mission. ments come first, and four “healthy” Many facilities are from the 1950s, C-130s from Ramstein are needed in noted Col. Earl D. Matthews, command- the sandbox. er of Ramstein’s 435th Air Base Wing. This particular airlifter had just With the base increasingly busy and at been through depot last year. CMSgt. the center of a 55,000-person American Reginald Glover said that crews were community, infrastructure improve- scheduling C-130s for the next day’s ments are designed to both increase missions while the airlifters were combat capabilities and ease long- “still in the air,” on the hope that no standing quality of life concerns. mission-critical components would five years, as required. Then, enough An airfield equipment maintenance return broken. When surprises such was enough. complex, indoor pool, and new town- as the one in the forward-based C-130 In early July, that aircraft was stuck house-style housing community are all occur, the crews must do whatever is in Barbados, on its way to the Boneyard in progress. necessary to get the aircraft ready at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz. A second runway is nearly complet- to fly, but sometimes it is simply not Flying in daylight only, No. 0947 ed. Ramstein recently became DOD’s safe to do so. finally made it to the Boneyard and has only airfield with a CAT III instrument now been officially decommissioned. landing system that allows aircraft to land No Hyperbole The 86th struggles with readiness in very low visibility conditions. The damaged Hercules—which de- problems caused by Vietnam-era C- “Building 530” has been gutted veloped a crack never before seen in 130s. Of a fleet of 16 aircraft, two were and is being renovated for the 24th the C-130 fleet—will need a waiver to considered “good,” three were under Intelligence Squadron—with more than fly back to Ramstein. Glover said the restricted flight status, four were forward 40 miles of fiber-optic cable running deployed aircraft typically fly four times deployed, and seven were in depot. under its floors. as much as home station C-130s, and Tail No. 1835 is illustrative. It was A new munitions maintenance com- the “tactical landings” used downrange supposed to have been in depot for six plex with foot-thick concrete walls stress the airframes and brakes. months’ worth of refurbishment. It will is under construction at the end of Once back, the cracked Hercules “will be 480 days—16 months—before the Ramstein’s enormous weapons storage sit on the ramp here, probably for quite wing gets it back. area. Weapons storage and maintenance some time,” said Johnston. “Forty percent of my airplanes are in capabilities on base are “exhausted.” The This is not hyperbole. Until June, depot,” said Johnston, slightly understat- facility is needed so wartime operation another one of the 86th’s airlifters ing the problem. “That’s ridiculous. We is not hampered. “hadn’t flown in five years, because should have two airplanes [there].” More than 12,000 “patient move- we just didn’t think it was airworthy Help is on the way, but not until 2009 ments” have gone through the 435th enough,” said Johnston. Simply put, C- when the first C-130J replacements are Contingency Aeromedical Staging Fa- 130 No. 68-10947 had exceeded its life scheduled to arrive at the base. In the cility’s new building in the past year. expectancy. Nonetheless, maintainers at interim, “we won’t be able to maintain The 435th receives wounded and sick Ramstein kept it in flyable condition for 100 percent crew currency, we know troops from the war zone, and either AIR FORCE Magazine / October 2007 29 and equipment in place to easily ab- The K-Town Community Center sorb his squadron’s 18 A-10s for the The Defense Department’s largest current construction project is the Kaiserslautern summer. Military Community Center, a program to bring together scattered shopping, lodging, These are the only A-10s perma- and other services under one roof near Ramstein’s passenger terminal. The project nently based in Europe, which points has become “every bit a nightmare,” one official said, and is currently 18 months behind to USAFE’s lack of depth. schedule. This is unusual at Ramstein, where most of the myriad improvement projects cur- Even the command’s newer equip- rently in progress have stayed on schedule. ment isn’t trouble-free, and several of- “Significant problems urgently confront the KMCC,” said Brig. Gen. Danny K. Gardner, ficials called attention to the workloads in June testimony. Gardner, USAFE’s director of installations and mission support, that maintainers and crew chiefs are said this project “presents few clear, easy choices.” bearing. At Spangdahlem, some crew KMCC has suffered from the lack of an overall contractor, inadequate quality control, and ineffective contract management. “The most prominent example of poor enforce- chiefs stayed at the base when most ment of quality ... is the deficient roof that now requires nearly complete replacement,” of the aircraft shipped out, so they Gardner testified. could work on broken aircraft. SrA. Jose L.C. Ramos said that nine of the wing’s F-16s stayed behind while the treats them or sends them on to Landstuhl downrange, said Lt. Col. James Kirk, runway was closed. for additional care. After treatment, the commander of the 726th Air Mobility Ramos and SSgt. Christopher L. unit sends patients back to the States. Squadron. Aircraft are typically on the Hatten expressed their frustration with Up to 120 movements have been made ground for less than four hours to get one F-16, No. 91-344. The problems in one day. fuel and a new crew, he said, adding began when a stuck throttle made for New underground fuel hydrants “mission velocity is key.” an exciting engine start-up. run out to all the parking spots used For a period this summer, how- The airmen discovered a problem by the “heavies,” replacing an old ever, mission velocity was almost with the throttle cable, which runs from fueling system Matthews described nonexistent at Spangdahlem, as the the cockpit to the back of the aircraft. as “decrepit.” The aircraft plug into runway was closed for major repairs Replacing it required removing the the hydrants, eliminating the need and its operational aircraft dispersed pilot’s seat and numerous panels, and to run “truck after truck” out to the throughout the world for the months Hatten said it was a “full day’s work tankers and transports, explained A1C of June and July. to get it out.” Apasara Takara, a technician with the One squadron of F-16s deployed 40 After waiting for the replacement 435th Logistics Readiness Squadron. miles up the road to Buechel Air Base, cable, another day was spent reinstall- The new system allows a C-17 to re- a Tornado base for the Luftwaffe. This ing it and reassembling the F-16. fuel in about an hour—instead of up local deployment allowed airmen to The new cable was also defective. to four hours. spend their evenings and weekends On June 25, this particular Viper was Underground refueling hydrants at home, but added an hour-long bus still torn apart, sitting in its hardened are also now in place at Spangdahlem, ride to the workday. aircraft shelter, waiting for another a longtime home to USAFE F-16s and A second Viper squadron spent replacement cable. A-10s that has undergone an airlift re- the summer in Nevada, at Nellis Air “We need to recapitalize the force naissance. The base recently expanded Force Base. Roberson noted that it ... because we’re on borrowed time,” to accommodate part of the old Rhein- participated in a Green Flag exercise, said USAFE command chief Coleman. Main Air Base mission, and now has preparing for its upcoming AEF de- “The innovation and expertise of these spots for 13 widebody aircraft. ployment. airmen who are serving us has its Spangdahlem’s third fighter squad- limits,” he said. “I clearly sense that Gas and Go ron, the 81st, spent much of the summer we are getting there.” The community support around in England, at RAF Lakenheath. The The pace of the manpower reduc- Spangdahlem has been exceptional, A-10 crews are benefiting from the tions “may go faster than the pace of noted Col. Darryl Roberson, 52d “much better” training airspace avail- the new initiatives and ways of doing Fighter Wing commander. Local com- able there, said squadron commander business that will allow us to absorb the munities donated land that allowed Lt. Col. Keith McBride. Realistic impacts,” said Snodgrass. “We ought the base to build the airlift segment training is important for a squadron to all be concerned about that.” of the base and a new main gate. Land that has deployed to Afghanistan three Commanders are taking care that they has also been granted to Spangdahlem times in the past four years. “don’t increase the burden on [airmen] from surrounding communities to al- Hobbins also lauded the training and call that making it better,” said low absorption of the facilities that ranges in the UK, saying that the air- Coleman. “Our AFSO 21 program here are still open at Bitburg Annex. New space is “wide open” off the coast. in the command is really sensitive to housing, a base exchange, a hospital, The USAF operating locations in that” and careful not to “play the shell and a high school are all planned England are leading candidates to game” by simply moving jobs from one for Spangdahlem, though it will be receive Joint Strike Fighters when the area to another. years before all these facilities are F-35 becomes available for overseas Ramos said one thing that keeps the consolidated. basing. airmen going is the desire to accomplish While Spangdahlem now has its Hobbins said he would “love to” their mission, by seeing an aircraft own passenger terminal, the primary see the F-35 based in England. The return to service. An aircraft won’t fly airlift mission is to provide “gas logistics there are good: McBride until it is ready, he said—but the airmen and go” services for aircraft headed noted that Lakenheath had the space will keep at it until it does. n 30 AIR FORCE Magazine / October 2007