April 2014/$10

Smaller, But Still the Best

AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium Nuclear Readiness Operation Damayan

April 2014, Vol. 97, No. 4 FEATURES 4 Editorial: Crimea and Punishment By Adam J. Hebert This is a quarrel in a faraway country, be- tween people of whom we know nothing, but that is enough.

22 Smaller, But Still the Best By Marc V. Schanz At AFA’s Orlando Air Warfare Sympo- sium, the top Air Force leaders said we’re going back to the basics.

28 Low Budgets, High Technology By John A. Tirpak Declining Air Force budgets mean the service must consciously trade capacity for capability.

34 Are RPA Pilots the New Normal? By Aaron M. U. Church The remotely piloted aircraft career fi eld, which cut its teeth controlling Predators and Reapers in the skies over Iraq and Afghanistan, is fi nally settling into normal operations.

40 Nuclear Readiness By Marc V. Schanz Despite the recent distractions, USAF’s 22 nuclear bomber and ICBM forces must keep focused.

About the cover: An F-16 on the ramp at Duluth, Minn. See “Smaller, But Still the Best,” p. 22. USAF photo by SrA. Donald Acton. 28

AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 1 44 The Autonomy Question By Rebecca Grant Where should humans step aside and let the machines take over?

48 One Thousand (and Three) Rescues By June L. Kim The California Air National Guard’s 129th Rescue Wing has saved more than a thousand service members and civilians at sea, over land, and in Afghanistan.

54 Operation Damayan By Carlo Muñoz The Air Force sprang into action to sup- port the storm-ravaged Philippines after the devastating Typhoon Haiyan.

60 What’s Next for GPS? By Marc Selinger 48 The Global Positioning System, a staple for the military and in daily life, is getting a facelift. www.airforcemag.com 64 Fear of Fallout By John T. Correll Publisher: Craig R. McKinley Hoping to survive an atomic attack, Editor in Chief: Adam J. Hebert families built underground shelters in the backyard. In farm country, there Managing Editor: Juliette Kelsey Chagnon were even shelters for cows. Executive Editors: Michael C. Sirak, John A. Tirpak News Editor: Amy McCullough 70 The Heart of the North Senior Editor: Marc V. Schanz By Jack Broughton Senior Designer: Heather Lewis Thud missions into North Vietnam were Special Projects Manager: Gideon Grudo scenic, memorable, and deadly. Designer: Darcy Lewis Assistant Managing Editor: Frances McKenney DEPARTMENTS Associate Editors: Aaron M. U. Church, June L. Kim 6 Letters Production Manager: Eric Chang Lee Photo Editor: Zaur Eylanbekov 11 Chart Page: Facts About Joint Fighters Media Research Editor: Chequita Wood 12 Aperture Digging deep to balance the books; Contributors: Walter J. Boyne, Jack Broughton, John T. Correll, Cutting tooth and tail; The unfunded Robert S. Dudney, Rebecca Grant, Peter Grier, Carlo Muñoz, Marc Selinger priorities list; Long-range future bomber bucks .... Advertising: Andrea Guarnero, Mohanna Sales Representative 214/291-3660 14 Air Force World [email protected] 20 Index to Advertisers

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AIR FORCE Magazine (ISSN 0730-6784) April 2014 (Vol. 97, No. 4) is published monthly by the Air Force Association, 1501 Lee Highway, Arlington, 76 AFA National Report VA 22209-1198. Phone (703) 247-5800. Perodical postage paid at Arlington, Va., and additional mailing offi ces. Membership Rate: $45 per year; $110 for three-year membership. Life Membership (nonrefundable): $600 single payment, $630 extended payments. Subscription Rate: $45 per year; $29 per year additional for postage to foreign addresses (except Canada and Mexico, which are $10 per year additional). Regular issues 79 Reunions $10 each. USAF Almanac issue $20 each. Change of address requires four weeks’ notice. Please include mailing label. POSTMASTER: Send changes of address to Air Force Association, 1501 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA 22209-1198. Publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited 80 Airpower Classics: G4M Betty material. Trademark registered by Air Force Association. Copyright 2014 by Air Force Association.

2 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 THE BENEFITS OF SERVICE. THE FREEDOM OF PART-TIME.

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13176 ANG AF Mag March 2014 Issue_8.125x10.875.indd 1 1/6/14 3:31 PM Editorial By Adam J. Hebert, Editor in Chief Crimea and Punishment

Washington, D.C, March 21, 2014

n 1938, Adolf Hitler decided to bring Russian forces ramped up large mili- NATO began flying AWACS aircraft Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland under tary exercises near Ukraine’s border and over Poland and Romania to monitor GermanI control. Sympathetic Ger- seized a natural gas terminal farther into their borders with Russia. mans rioted, Czechoslovakian forces Ukraine. On March 18, Putin took the The US suspended military-to- responded, and Hitler decried alleged next step and officially claimed Crimea military engagements with Russia. “atrocities” against the Sudeten Ger- as part of Russia. These moves send a powerful mes- mans. He declared the right to defend The civilized world now has a choice. sage that the US is committed to de- the Germans in Czechoslovakia—by It can either stand up to Putin and fight fending its allies, but they are not nearly force if necessary. (literally or figuratively) to return Crimea enough to force Russia to back down. That September, in one of the more to Ukraine. Or it can declare the problem To be clear: This is not a call for war. disgraceful 20th-century decisions, Brit- too difficult to solve and allow Russia to There is not (yet) a vital US interest ish, French, and Italian leaders met with seize another’s territory. at stake in Ukraine, so this territorial Hitler in Munich and agreed to give the This is a quarrel in a dispute is not worth having Americans Sudetenland to Germany. Czechoslova- die over. But the US military action on kia was not present for the talks. Hitler faraway country, between Russia’s periphery adds considerable was neither appeased nor finished. people of whom we know credibility to the accompanying eco- Fast-forward 76 years, and there are nothing, but that is enough. nomic action. disturbing parallels playing out between The US has halted preparations for Russia and Ukraine. The US has asserted all along that a G-8 meeting of leading industrial When Ukraine earlier this year over- Russia must respect Ukrainian sover- nations in Sochi, and has instituted threw despotic President Viktor Ya- eignty and Russian forces must return some financial and travel restrictions nukovich, Russian President Vladimir to the bases they lease in Crimea. on people with ties to the Crimean Putin refused to recognize Ukraine’s In 1938, British Prime Minister Neville takeover. new government. Putin instead declared Chamberlain described Czechoslova- The US should next ramp up its the right to protect ethnic Russians in kia’s struggle as “a quarrel in a faraway international fuel sales to increase sup- Ukraine—by force if necessary. country, between people of whom we ply, lower prices, and weaken Russia’s Russian forces soon spread out and know nothing.” main economic strength. The seven truly seized Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, an There are plenty of reasons not to democratic members of the G-8 should area with a majority-Russian population. take action for Ukraine either. Russia also immediately set a deadline to kick The pretext was that ethnic Russians holds all the military cards in the region. Russia out of the group. were threatened by Ukrainian lawless- The people in Crimea are Russian If Russia still does not return Ukraine’s ness and terrorists. “Not a single piece anyway. Crimea “only” became part of territory, the US and Europe must un- of credible evidence supports any one Ukraine in 1954. The excuses should dertake much stronger and broader of these claims,” replied Secretary of not matter. sanctions targeting Russian elites and State John F. Kerry. Putin will not stop threatening his institutions. Hit Putin, his cronies, and Putin even claimed the occupying neighbors until he is made to stop. Russia’s oligarchs where it hurts—in forces were not Russian military but Under his leadership, Russia has al- their wallets (through asset seizures concerned militia forces. Nearly no one ready effectively annexed parts of Mol- and trade bans) and in their lifestyles believed this fiction as the forces wore dova and Georgia. The eastern half of (through travel bans). Russian style uniforms, drove Russian Ukraine, which also has large numbers If Russia’s elites cannot access large military vehicles, and in one case took of ethnic Russians, could be the next chunks of their money, conduct business over a Ukrainian airfield after arriving area to require “protection.” with the West, or shuttle at will between aboard Russian Il-76 aircraft. Talk is cheap. The US and its allies New York, Paris, and London, they will Putin has shown little tolerance for must be willing to take firm action to soon be calling for relief. Putin is unlikely Ukrainian sovereignty and with the pen- convince Putin to back down and restore to alienate his own supporters for the insula firmly under Russian military con- the international order. Several impor- sake of Crimea. trol, on March 16 the people in Crimea tant first steps have already been taken. The US has been far too compliant voted to leave Ukraine and become part The US moved six additional F-15C toward Russia’s recent military expan- of Russia. The White House declared fighters and two KC-135 tankers to Lithu- sionism. The world community needs to in advance that this referendum “would ania to bolster the USAF-led air defense take serious action, and the US will have never be recognized by the United mission on Russia’s northwest border. to lead the way. States.” USAF deployed a dozen F-16s to A war over Crimea would be devastat- Allegedly, more than 95 percent of Poland for allied exercises and beefed ing for the US, Russia, and Ukraine, but the voters chose unification with Russia up the detachments that host Viper and America has the economic and political in a highly flawed election held under C-130 training rotations there. strength to match its military prowess. military occupation. The ridiculously The US Navy moved a destroyer This should make war unnecessary. The lopsided margin must have made old into the Black Sea for exercises with US is only helpless against Russia if it Soviets proud. Romania and Bulgaria. chooses to be. n

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Give Peace a Chance great move in the right direction if all hence, I do not write (or email) my Prediction: The letter by retired countries that have nuclear weapons opinions frequently, if at all—no social USAF Col. Robert J. Sallee in the would take positive action to eliminate networker am I. But there are just February issue of Air Force Magazine their nuclear weapons and stockpiles some times when I read something [“Imagine All the People,” p. 6] will of plutonium. It will never happen, so outrageous and unbelievable that generate more responses than any and I would venture to say that no I have to grump out loud. single letter (or article for that matter) nation is going to give up its nuclear I am referring to the letter from in recent memory. Some will attack his deterrent capabilities. Col. Robert J. Sallee, who earned suppositions paragraph by paragraph. Russia has the largest underground his “BS in SAC-ology.” First, let me I will concede there are readers who city and storage of plutonium, and just state that I served in SAC from agree with Colonel Sallee. Possibly, Russia maintains more ICBM mis- 1958 to1966, and with all due respect, the last commander in chief of Stra- siles, etc., to include submarines must submit that “BS” must stand for tegic Air Command (SAC), Gen. Lee with nuclear weapons. China has some type of bovine excrement, not Butler, among them. just put into operation its new nuclear the SAC I knew. Here is my view: What begins submarines with such weapons. It is [Sallee asks:] “Would we [the US] as a thoughtful and coherent the- apparent that world leaders want this really ever employ nuclear forces to sis devolves into a hyperbole-laced type of weapon as a deterrent, and annihilate a sovereign nation we see piece seemingly opined by a sandal- I suspect this has been so since the as our enemy?” Ans: I sure as hell hope wearing, pony-tailed, sign-waving, introduction of nuclear weapons. Iran so!! SAC was ready to do just that, aging hippie/peacenik left over from will soon have its nuclear weapons— and that threat did keep the peace. the 1960s. they believe they have the right to join We should remember that. I would point to just two (of many) the nuclear teams around the world. “Our national propensity to attack of his more ludicrous statements: his President Obama has declared that the other foreign powers ... communicated inference of a pre-emptive nuclear United States needs to eliminate its to the world that the US is a dangerous strike on an enemy country by the nuclear weapons program altogether. aggressor.” Aw, c’mon, Colonel Sal - United States. Never, repeat, never, Don’t think for one minute that such lee, that sounds like worn-out Soviet in its history has this nation, its gov- countries like North Korea, Iran, China, propaganda. I hope you didn’t mean ernment or military, ever espoused or Russia would even consider doing that, but you did say it. a such policy or strategy beyond a such with their nuclear programs. “Nuclear weapons had no role in theoretical discussion. Yes, it is a horrible weapon, but if deterring the Soviets during the Cu- Secondly, Sallee apparently be- it were not nuclear, countries would ban missile crisis; they were deterred lieves that the success of the nuclear then come up with deadly chemical by the presence of US naval forces.” deterrence provided by SAC during its weapons, just like the one Chemical Ali Well, the Navy will love you for that, existence is not borne out by history. in Iraq used to kill 5,000 people—and A clear rebuttal to that inane position all living creatures—in the small town is that a nuclear Armageddon never where he used them. No, Colonel Sal- Do you have a comment about a happened. In the words of President lee, I don’t believe giving up nuclear current article in the magazine? George H. W. Bush, “The Cold War weapons is the answer. Getting world Write to “Letters,” Air Force Mag­ didn’t just ‘end.’ It was won.” leaders to work in harmony just doesn’t a­­­­­zine, 1501 Lee Highway, Ar- What other overriding evidence is seem to stop the madness that is lington, VA 22209-1198. (Email: needed? always ongoing in the world. There [email protected].) Letters should Lt. Col. Max R. Moore, will always be wars and rumors of be concise and timely. We cannot USAF (Ret.) wars. It will never change! acknowledge receipt of letters. Bellevue, Neb. Lt. Col. Donald E. Evett, We reserve the right to condense USAF (Ret.) letters. Letters without name and city/base and state are not accept- Colonel Sallee made some interest- Bountiful, Utah able. Photographs can­­not be used ing comments in his article, especially or returned.—the editors when he advocates the elimination of I’m old and grumpy enough to all nuclear weapons. It would be a know when to shut up and keep quiet;

6 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 Colonel, but a lot of historians do appropriate for the times atmosphere, These applications are being made not agree. and still maintain a viable triad against for multiple causes, i.e., headaches, I think the good colonel needs to all threats and technology surprises/ backaches, carpal tunnel syndrome, read more—or read closer—the “his- bolt-out-of-the-blue (this is the endur- sleep disorder, hearing loss, depres- tory” books on his shelves. Nuclear ing justification for the triad). If we sion, anxiety, PTSD, etc. I believe one weapons are here to stay and have had reduced to 50 Peacekeepers with buddy tells another buddy, “Hey, man, served us well, from the cities of World 10 warheads, this would have freed you need to apply, it’s free money War II Japan through the not-so-Cold up a few billion dollars for the global for life, and the more things you list, War. We should be thankful for that. counterterrorism fight, especially the more likely it will be approved.” Peter M. Hansen against the WMD threat. However, As a comparison, only 20 percent of Torrance, Calif. even the partial de-alert mode will those returning from Vietnam applied free up a modicum of funding. And for disability. The huge and mounting My five years working at the State there’s always going back to multiple costs of this out-of-control program Department in arms control treaties independently targetable re-entry will not affect me, but our children and certainly brought home the insanity vehicles (MIRVs), since the Russians grandchildren will have to bear this of nuclear Armageddon, but it also just announced a new MIRV missile. excessive financial burden for many engrained the reality that the State We could restack three warheads at years to come. Department, if allowed, would “give one existing Minuteman base and Col. Lee R. Pitzer, away the farm” in military power— shut down the other two. (Malmstrom USAF (Ret.) that’s why GIs were detailed to State, is the best base.) O’Fallon, Ill. to preclude such folly. I’ll shut up now and get off the No major wars since nukes. stage. But I felt compelled to respond As a retention tool in the early Colonel Sallee is dead wrong about when yet another in a long line of mis- 1980s, our leaders sent us state- the “12 Days of October” Cuban mis- guided, jaundiced, twisted, half-truth ments once a year that advertised sile crisis. It had everything to do with histories is presented (once again) as the “true” value of our compensation nukes, because it was the Soviet bearing truth about a lack of justice as Air Force members. It always in- response to our stationing nukes in in the American way. So many times cluded some amusing assumptions Turkey and Italy, and it was indeed a I’ve wished folks would get their facts and exaggerations, such as the value MAD standoff! Khrushchev’s Oct. 24, straight and tell the whole, true story; of the Aero Club memberships, which 1962, communiqué to President Ken- but that’s why I abhor politics. few of us had at the time. Our leaders nedy stated that [he considered] the Lt. Col. Bob Stevens, today and, sadly, now with Air Force US blockade of “international waters USAF (Ret.) Association editorial endorsement, and air space to constitute an act of Fairfax Station, Va. are using a similar approach. This aggression propelling humankind into time their campaign is to attack the the abyss of a world nuclear-missile I Never Promised You a Rose Garden pay and benefits of military members war.” I take exception to the premise of (current, retired, and future) to spend The next reality Colonel Sallee your editorial [“Compensation Con- those dollars elsewhere. ignores: As tragic as it was to kill troversies,” February, p. 4] that our This campaign’s assumptions are over 100,000 noncombatants [in Hi- government must honor and totally far from amusing. Its false premise is roshima], there is also the reality fulfill any and all so-called “prom- that the current structure of military he ignores that projected casualties ises” made or imagined by previous compensation, especially for retirees, of protracting the war a year or two Administrations or by previous senior is “unsustainable” and even unfair. The longer were at least another 250,000 government officials. Our current leaders in this campaign are relying US casualties and a much greater government, and future governments on fallacies to convince others and number of Japanese casualties; that’s that we elect, should not be bound perhaps even themselves. exactly why the President authorized by the so-called “promises” of previ- They use derogatory and insulting a nuclear attack! I could go on, but ous Administrations. Circumstances terminology to portray members as there are so many holes in Colonel change, and to be of the opinion that burdensome and greedy. Sallee’s letter, I suddenly have a a current Administration must be They mislead with errors and distor- craving for Swiss cheese. shackled by what may have proven to tions. Their estimate for the percent- Yes, the nature of warfare has be the excessive largess of predeces- age share of personnel costs went significantly changed after the turn sors is not in the best interests of our from 33 percent of the DOD budget of the century, but the realities of democracy. I have always believed to 50 percent in just nine months. the US unilaterally “going to zero” that our government, with different How? Creative accounting—adding portend nuclear blackmail in a number Administrations, has treated military questionable costs to the ledger to of scenarios. personnel and military retirees in a fair artificially exaggerate the appear- I would, however, posit a half mea- and equitable manner. I do agree that ance of a crisis. They make obscure sure short of zero. We might now, just any reductions and givebacks should comparisons to faulty baselines and as with our aircraft and submarines, and must include all government civil- create shady statistics when the “de-alert” at least a portion of the ians and all branches of government. facts don’t support them, such as fleet—maybe even “rotate” full alert One area of greatly growing ex- their made-up numbers for Tricare status with one base while the other pense significantly disturbs me, and premium increases, even as they try two temporarily stand down. Just that is because over 60 percent of our to redirect health care funds to spend like, for example, aircraft carriers, the personnel returning from duty in the on other priorities. crews stand down for a while (most Middle East are applying or have ap- They [look to] foolish and destruc- of the time) back in port and the as- plied for service-connected disability tive solutions to their problems, such sets/systems are refitted/modernized payment. This includes Air Force and as civilianizing the military retirement as necessary. Applying this concept Navy personnel, whose duty require- system. They are desperate to believe to missile bases, two of them could ments for the most part do not require that the sacrifices of military service relax, train, refit in a more casual, road patrols and the hazards of IEDs. can be made equivalent to private in-

AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 7 Letters dustries whose purpose is to produce the flying hours flown by our allies and much weed! I would like to meet the financial gains for shareholders. our intel on how many flying hours are person who thought that picture was The stakes in this campaign are actually being flown monthly by our appropriate. To say I was offended significant, not only for individual mem- potential adversaries (Iran, China, would be a vast understatement! I’m bers, but also the future effectiveness North Korea, etc.)? As Colonel Huyck available any time, any place. of our armed forces and for national pointed out, under severe budget con- CMSgt. Robert Sully, security. Caring for those “who shall straints, his Raptor jocks are limited USAF (Ret.) have borne the battle” is a neces- to a maximum of eight sorties and two Sacramento, Calif. sary and altogether worthy expense simulator sessions per month (newer that everyone in America owes its pilots have 10 sorties and three sim Tell the Good News defenders. It’s time for our leaders sessions per month)! The Raptor is When I received my [February] Air to begin rebuilding some credibility considered to be a “complex weapons Force Magazine yesterday, I was con- as principled stewards of a strong system platform.” And regardless of cerned about two significant pieces of defense. That includes standing up state-of-the-art and innovative tech- deliberately eye-catching information for their people, not sacrificing them nologies to enhance a pilot’s ability during my quick review of the content. for financial convenience. to fly and fight in the Raptor, a fighter On p. 21: “By the Numbers” [“Air Lt. Col. Timothy M. Cook, pilot needs all the hours he/she can Force World”] talking of the 34 missile USAF (Ret.) get to maintain proficiency at the officers assigned to the 341st Missile Dayton, Ohio highest levels possible. Back in the Wing at Malmstrom AFB, Mont., ini- day, if I wasn’t flying at least three tially implicated in a cheating incident Our politicians, from the Com- to five times per week (commercial, during a nuclear proficiency test. Mak- mander in Chief on down to our newest multi-engine, instrument ratings—in ing this “announcement” in such an congressman/senators, never get a a much slower bird), I would notice a eye-catching way in the magazine is cut in their annual pay or retirements— slight denigration in proficiency and not consistent with the Air Force Ass- which they vote on for themselves. the ability to remain ahead of the sociation’s mission to honor airmen Why is it the first ones they want to power curve for a short period of time and Air Force heritage. I think it would sacrifice [are] the military retirees? until I again felt totally proficient. It reflect the mission of AFA better had I am retired (’76) and served in the varies, of course, from individual to it listed the total number of Air Force Navy and Air Force. My son was lost individual. And, it appears that Colonel missile officers and deduct the 34 that at sea while serving in the Navy (Jan. Huyck is doing everything humanly are implicated. Better to honor airmen 23, 1985). My grandson is now serving possible, under the circumstances, and our Air Force heritage by telling in the Army (two tours in Afghanistan). to maintain maximum proficiency for your readers what small percentage I am proud to say my family is proud himself and his respective pilots. But of the missile crew force is involved. to serve our country. it still begs the question: How do our Additionally, on p. 22, the retelling Ronald Miller, flying hours to maintain proficiency of the Major General Carey drunk-in- USAF and USN (Ret.) stack up against those of nations we Russia story is another inconsistency. Las Vegas may have to confront in the future? This has been reported broadly in the MSgt. Randolph E. Whitmire, news and in this information era, I’m Total Total Force, Please USAF (Ret.) sure the majority of the readership In the February 2014 article, “Sharp- Rochester Hills, Mich. of Air Force Magazine has heard this ening the Raptor’s Talons” [p. 26], I’m story. It doesn’t reflect well on the surprised nothing was said about the On p. 28 of the February edition of hundreds of thousands of Total Force contribution of the Total Force (Air Air Force Magazine an Australian pilot airmen who uphold the core values National Guard and Air Force Reserve) is designated with the rank of major. daily and execute the mission in tough to the combat readiness of the Raptor. There is no such rank in the Royal financial times to put these two stories Since our move from Richmond IAP Australian Air Force (RAAF). The at the front of your magazine. to Langley AFB in 2007, the 192nd equivalent rank would be squadron Air Force Magazine is likely the Fighter Wing (Virginia ANG) has been leader. only contact some members of the a critical partner with the 1st FW in I always enjoy your magazine, es- American public get with the United every aspect. I know the same can be pecially the articles about events in States Air Force and it is important said of the AFRC and ANG partners at World War I and II, Korea, Vietnam, that the full story be told in a way Elmendorf, Holloman, Nellis, Tyndall, Iraq, and Afghanistan. When I am that matches the Air Force Associa- and Hickam. My point is not to lessen finished reading it I give it to a school tion mission “to promote a dominant our Active Duty brethren, but given library where the boys are usually United States Air Force and a strong how much USAF is in a Total Force eagerly awaiting the next edition. national defense and to honor airmen structure—as pointed out in the report Keep up the good work. and our Air Force heritage.” on the National Commission on the Tibor Pietzsch The magazine continues to improve, Structure of the Air Force—I’m sug - Townsville, Queensland, and I hope there is no effort to make it gesting articles printed about today’s Australia compete with Air Force Times. That is Air Force tell the whole TFI story! where stories such as Major General Col. Jay Pearsall, Beetle Bailey, You’re Not Carey’s failure to represent the Air USAF (Ret.) The picture of Air Force retirees Force in Moscow and the failures of Williamsburg, Va. on p.18 was as disrespectful as the these missile launch officers to uphold Beetle Bailey cartoon in the newspa- their core values are front-page news. I know that I’m not alone in the per [“Air Force World,” February]. If And that is why Air Force Times is numbers of readers who are probably your editors believe that picture is an frequently found in the same retail also wondering how our Raptor pilots’ accurate description of an Air Force position as The National Enquirer. monthly flying hours stack up against retiree, they have smoked far too Thanks for telling the Air Force story

8 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 in your magazine—I look forward to Ted and Travis had been friends every issue. since their cadet days, and the couples Lt. Col. Thomas Cooper, remained close over the years. With the USAF death of Travis’ wife in 1990 and Ted in Alexandria, Va. 1992, both he and Ellen stayed in touch and in a great stroke of good fortune Air Force Association It would be interesting to know how she was visiting this very weekend. 1501 Lee Highway • Arlington, VA 22209-1198 many, if any, of the officers implicated In 1944 MGM released the film Telephone: (703) 247-5800 in the recent cheating scandal involv- “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo.” It starred Toll-free: (800) 727-3337 ing missile crews were also involved Hollywood’s perennial World War II If you know your party’s extension enter it in the cheating on a calculus exam boy-next-door heartthrob Van Johnson or: at the Air Force Academy a couple of as Ted Lawson and Phyllis Thaxter Press 1 to enter their last name. years ago. Back in the day, as they as Ellen. The film was highly praised Press 2 for Membership. say, cheating on an exam would have and considered to be one of the most been grounds for immediate dismissal genuine films to come out of the war. Press 3 for the Air Force Memorial Foundation from any one of the service acad- At one point I was able to ask Ellen Or, stay on the line for the operator emies. However, those cadets were what she thought of the movie version Fax: (703) 247-5853 allowed to remain at the Air Force of Ted’s book. Internet: http://www.afa.org/ Academy. Sometimes what you see She smiled and told me that she is what you get. On a SAC combat was so embarrassed because Phyllis Email Addresses crew in the ’50s and ’60s we were Thaxter was so much prettier than constantly tested on special weapons she was. She said Ms. Thaxter was Events ...... [email protected] procedures, positive control, aircraft gracious as well, and over the months emergency procedures, etc. I was of shooting a friendship grew between Field Services ...... [email protected] never offered a crib sheet for any of them. When I asked her what she Government Relations ...... [email protected] those exams and never provided one thought of Van Johnson’s portrayal to anyone else. You knew the people of Ted Lawson she smiled again and Industry Relations ...... [email protected] you flew with and might have to go to said he was a perfect gentleman and Insurance...... [email protected] war with were competent profession- a wonderful actor but added, “He is als. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could get not nearly as handsome as my Ted!” Member Benefits...... [email protected] back to that? Sadly, Travis Hoover passed away Membership ...... [email protected] Lt. Col. Neil V. Mesler, on Jan. 17, 2004. Ellen Lawson died USAF (Ret.) on Feb. 5, 2009. She and Ted are Canton, Ga. together at the Chico Cemetery, Butte Policy & Communications (news media) ...... County, Calif...... [email protected] Hail and Farewell. SMSgt. Rich Lindsey, It was with both a deep sense of ANG (Ret.) CyberPatriot ...... [email protected] pride and sadness that I read the Mustang, Okla. story of the last of the World War II Doolittle Raiders’ reunions [“Mission Nice article by Peter Grier entitled Magazine Accomplished,” February, p. 40]. In the “Mission Accomplished,” concerning closing moments of the 1954 classic the Doolittle Raiders’ final toast cer- Advertising ...... [email protected] film “The Bridges at Toko-Ri,” Fredric emony. AFA National Report ...... [email protected] March’s character, RADM George I would like to make one small cor- Tarrant, mutters to himself, “Where rection concerning an omission. Editorial Offices ...... [email protected] do we get such men?” Where, indeed. The commemorative wooden pre- Letters to Editor Column...... [email protected] In the summer of 2001 I attended sentation cases containing custom the two-day Joplin Air Fest at Joplin, labeled bottles of Hennessy cognac Mo., as a member of the Oklahoma were presented to the Doolittle Survi- Wing of the CAF. A Sunday show is vors by the Liberty Aviation Museum Air Force Memorial Foundation...... [email protected] traditionally slow in generating crowds on behalf of the remaining operators of until after church services, and on flying B-25 Mitchell bombers in honor For individual staff members this Sunday morning a friend from of the raiders. (The Liberty Aviation first initial, last name, @afa.org the Kansas Jayhawk Wing asked me Museum’s B-25 Georgie’s Gal was also (example: [email protected]) if I would like to take a trip into Joplin one of the B-25s that participated in the and meet a real war hero. He said commemorative flyover that weekend.) AFA’s Mission that because of his advanced age Of note concerning the design is that we would only stay a brief while, and the boxes were entirely handmade us- Our mission is to promote a dominant United only my friend, myself, and two others ing American black walnut. The boxes States Air Force and a strong national defense would be going. On the way into town are held together with 16 Japanese and to honor airmen and our Air Force heri- they told me that the war hero was cherrywood bowties. tage. To accomplish this, we: retired Air Force Col. Travis Hoover. The bowties represent the 16 B-25s Educate the public on the critical need for Col. Hoover flew the second B-25 off used in the mission. The predomi- unmatched aerospace power and a techni- USS Hornet on that April 18th morning. nance of the use of American walnut cally superior workforce to ensure US national At the house we were let in by a very over the Japanese cherry represents security. gracious lady named Ellen Lawson. the United States’ swift response to Advocate for aerospace power and STEM Ellen was the widow of Capt. Ted the Pearl Harbor attack and eventual education. Lawson, author of the World War II overwhelming defeat of Japanese best-seller book Thirty Seconds Over forces culminating with the end of Support the Total Air Force family and pro- Tokyo. World War II. mote aerospace education.

AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 9 Letters

I would like to commend the Hennessy the B-52 component of which had us Thank you so much for your ex- Corp. for their past and continuing sup- all open-mouthed in astonishment cellent article on Lady Be Good in port of the Doolittle Raiders, especially of its sheer lunacy, reminding me of the February issue. My cousin, Bob since they downplay their substantial the British saying of their soldiers in LaMotte, was a 24-year-old radio role of support and do not utilize their World War I, that they were lions led operator on the B-24 and he bailed association with the raiders for profit by donkeys (their generals). Here we out with the rest of the crew before it or gain. had the most lethal air defenses in crash-landed in the Sahara Desert in The Liberty Aviation Museum was history, and SAC was sending their 1943. His mother was my dad’s sister. very proud, but also very humbled, to slow, unmaneuverable bombers into Bob was the sixth child in his family be invited to this most solemn event to them in single-ship attacks. In the of eight, born in Lake Linden, in the honor some of the greatest Americans EB-66 at least we could split-S down Upper Peninsula of Michigan. His who ever lived. and evade the SAMs, but not so the mother, Alvina, and father, John, both Edward G. Patrick Jr. B-52s, in which I had some experience lived to see their son’s body found Port Clinton, Ohio in four years in the old B model. in 1960 and brought back home for After Linebacker II we began to get burial. On the day of the burial (about The Fog of History claims of MiG kills by B-52 gunners. We the first week of May) there was an I read with interest the histories of the were sympathetic to the SAC crews, unexpected blizzard and all the guests Doolittle raid and the sad ending of the as their courage was outstanding and wore borrowed cold weather gear. crew of the B-24 bomber, Lady Be Good we recognized it, and they deserved Bob’s youngest brother, George, is [p. 70] as told in the February issue of any rewards they received, but we did the last of Bob’s immediate family and Air Force Magazine. It rekindled a nag- not understand the claims of the gun- still lives in nearby Houghton with his ging personal struggle I (and possibly ners, and the evidence offered was wife, Henrietta. four other Air Force officers) have had unverifiable. Most of their attacks were In 1970, a propeller from Lady was over the past 40+ years and that also at night, there were no other witnesses, brought to Lake Linden and mounted involves history. and their sole claim was that after fir- above an honor roll in front of the Lake I had returned to Southeast Asia ing their guns, their scopes “bloomed.” Linden city hall. in 1972 for my third tour there, having That was it. Mary E. Breault Thornton already flown 100 missions over North After much discussion as to how to Millstadt, Ill. Vietnam in EB-66s during Rolling Thun- award these “kills,” we knew we would der. Now I was back when the F-111s have to break the rules of evidence, Dragon Lady of the 474th TFW were deployed there and we thought that the “blooms” of the In your February 2014 issue, it was in the latter half of ’72. Since 7th AF gun radars might even have been the great to see the U-2 Dragon Lady in had no experience with the Aardvark, returns of their own shells going out, the “Airpower Classics” section [p. 80]. four of us were seconded temporarily as their radar frequencies would have There are a few corrections/clarifica- to Saigon to educate the staff on how had to be of a high order. We finally tions I’d like to make: to use this great (and still probably the denied the claims. “Because it takes so long to descend best) attack aircraft. I went into target On reading our report, the general from its very high flights (70,000+ feet), intelligence to help select suitable tar- walked into the room and personally a pilot must wear a ‘space suit’ at all gets for the 111s and briefed General ordered us to change our vote. His times.” The length of the descent has Vogt, 7th AF/CC, every afternoon on reason was simple: SAC was hurt- nothing to do with our wearing of the the targets. ing, their morale was low, and they pressure suit. It has to do with the fact I was soon appointed to the MiG Kill needed a boost to their spirits, so with that, in the event of cabin pressure Board as one of its five members. We a single order, we manufactured some loss, the suit is required so you don’t met to evaluate the claims of enemy kills history for SAC’s morale and for future “boil” and die. Remember “Armstrong’s by our airmen. The head of the board historians. Medals were handed out Line” from high school science? was a two-star general, whom I will not to gunners, MiG Killer badges were 104 were built, not 90. name as it appears he might still be living made, etc., and given their courage Endurance: in excess of 14 hours. at an old age. Our five were composed in just flying those missions, I have Max Range: in excess of 7,000 of captains and majors, to include F-111 no problem with all that. miles. and F-105 crew members, with combat I really do not know if any MiGs were Cruise speed: 475 mph. experience over North Vietnam and shot down by B-52 gunners—the claims Wingspan: 104 ft. Easy to remem- Laos, and intelligence officers. may well have been true, we just did ber: 104 were built, and the F-104 was We were really conscious of our not think we had enough evidence to used as a template for a lot of the jet. obligation to history and to fairness, award them. But I am pretty sure that Max gross weight we can ever and to award a kill, we thought that the the Air Force Security Service, which take off with is 40,000 pounds. claim had to be irrefutable—a witness monitored enemy radio transmissions, Test pilots: Keep in mind that Dar- other than the claimant had to confirm would know, and only they could really ryl Greenamyer and Skip Holm, while that the enemy plane had been really verify these claims. The British Y Service legendary test pilots, only flew the U-2 destroyed, or its pilot had ejected, or monitored enemy air, sea, and land one time each. I spoke to Mr. Holm it had been seen to have crashed, or transmissions in World War II, so there a few years ago, and he doesn’t re - if its destruction could be confirmed is no secret in thinking that we had not member too much about it, other than by gun camera film, etc. There were discarded this technique 30 years later. someone gave him the opportunity to claims we denied with reticence, such My only concern is in reading official do a flight in it. In any case, they were as if a descending and smoking MiG histories now. I wonder how much has not involved with U-2 development, were not actually confirmed destroyed been written to make us all feel good. as best as I can tell. Now you know. as it went into heavy clouds and its Col. Peter M. Dunn, Lt. Col. Jon Huggins, end was not actually seen or filmed, USAF (Ret.) USAF, U-2 instructor pilot etc. Then along came Linebacker II, Columbia, Mo. Beale AFB, Calif.

10 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 Chart Page [email protected] Facts About Joint Fighters

Do joint fighter programs save money? beyond that needed for some variants, That is the provocative title of a RAND potentially leading to higher overall cost, comparison of joint and single-service despite these efficiencies.” This has programs over 50 years. RAND’s answer ramifications for today’s triservice F-35 For the F-35, things looked good at is a resounding, “No.” It states: “The program. RAND says the F-35 “is not on Milestone B. The estimate is not so need to accommodate different service the path” to its advertised savings. As the good for nine years after this point. requirements in a single design or common chart shows, the life-cycle cost of the F-35, In fact, the cost of three separate- design family can lead to greater program nine years past Milestone B, will far exceed service programs would be three- complexity, increased technical risk, and the cost of separate fighter programs for quarters that of the F-35. common functionality or increased weight the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps.

900 O&S (F-22 cost-growth rate at 14 years)

800 O&S (F-22 cost-growth rate at 9.7 years) 700 O&S

600 Procurement RDT&E 500

400

300 Cost (billions of 2002 $)

200

100

0 F-35 Three single F-35 Three single service service (with F-22 cost-growth rate) At Milestone B At nine years past Milestone B

Source: “Do Joint Fighter Programs Save Money?” by Mark A. Lorell, Michael Kennedy, Robert S. Leonard, Ken Munson, Shmuel Abramzon, David L. An, and Robert A. Guffey. RAND Corp., Dec. 13, 2013, Santa Monica, Calif. Full text available at www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG1225.html.

AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 11 Aperture By John A. Tirpak, Executive Editor

Digging deep to balance the books; Cutting tooth and tail; The unfund- ed priorities list; Long-range future bomber bucks ....

THREE LEVELS OF BUDGET PAIN

The Air Force’s Fiscal 2015 budget, proposed in early March, is described by service leaders as a long list of “tough choices.” It includes the wholesale elimination of the A-10 close air support jet and U-2 spyplane and also offers a second set of numbers explaining what will happen Ash M. Scott by photo USAF if Congress doesn’t repeal sequestration. The Air Force budget request of $109.3 billion (the official number is $137.8 billion, but $28.5 billion passes through the Air Force to other defense agencies) is the preferred spending amount, and still inflicts substantial pain on the service. Besides the A-10 and U-2 retirements, up to 25,000 uniformed airmen billets would be phased out over five years. These would comprise about 18,800 from the Active Duty, 3,800 from the Air Force Reserve, and 1,800 from the Air National Guard. USAF leaders have said they’ll try to accomplish the reduction in force through voluntary means and attrition, but warned of some involuntary separations as well. Service leaders said the overall effect will produce a smaller Air Force that maintains its capability and technol - USAF has disclosed funding for the long-range future bomber. ogy lead while giving up capacity to act in as many places, or as rapidly, as it has been able to in the past. spring, numerous USAF squadrons simply stopped flying, Other cuts include a further 51 F-15C fighters—leaving and many are still recovering even after Congress provided a fleet of 172 aircraft—and a reduction of the planned 65 some sequester relief in the form of the two-year bipartisan combat air patrols of medium-altitude remotely piloted air - budget agreement earlier this year. craft (MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper) down to 55. These Other sequester hits detailed by the Air Force include cuts come on top of steady reductions in force structure reduced aerial tanker and intelligence, surveillance, and re- over the last few years, including more than 300 fighters. connaissance capacity; reduced investment in new systems USAF would also start divesting seven of its 31 E-3 AWACS such as the F-35, KC-46, and MC-130J; reduced investment aircraft in Fiscal 2015, but the remaining 24 airplanes would in science and technology; halting sensor and radar upgrades get the Block 40/45 upgrade that improves computing power for fighter and other platforms; slowed recovery from readiness and navigation capabilities. problems; continued degradation of facilities; and “reduced Uniformed pay would increase one percent, but general ability to meet national defense requirements” such as having officers would have a freeze imposed on their compensa - adequate munition war stocks on hand. tion. Funding for commissaries would be reduced, but not eliminated, and those grocery stores that remain would have to operate more like for-profit businesses. Some THE BUCK STOPS HERE service members would be asked to pay more for their health care premiums, which for some haven’t gone up in The “guiding principles” for the ’15 budget were to remain nearly 20 years. ready for “full spectrum” military operations, Martin said, and Maj. Gen. James F. Martin Jr., USAF budget director, told “when forced to cut capabilities” or “tooth,” USAF will “also reporters at a Pentagon briefing that the “bottom line” of cut the associated support structure and overhead,” or “tail.” this budget is that USAF will “keep no more force structure The service sought to “maximize the contribution of the Total than we can afford to keep ready.” In other words, USAF Force,” with more reliance on the Guard and Reserve, and won’t hold onto force structure if it doesn’t have the funds focus “on the unique capabilities the Air Force provides the or people to support, train, and operate it. joint force” in wars against a high-end threat. The second set of budget numbers, describing further Specifically, the budget seeks to continue to provide global cuts if the Budget Control Act of 2009 remains in force, reach, power, and vigilance, Martin said, with well-trained, well- shows that USAF would have to eliminate the entire KC- equipped airmen. The Air Force will strive for the capability to 10 fleet and RQ-4 Global Hawk Block 40 fleet and reduce respond in hours, not days, and fly, fight, and win from home its CAPs of medium-altitude RPAs to 45. Various efforts to anywhere on the globe, prevailing in any highly contested to replenish war-depleted weapons stockpiles and restore battlespace. service readiness would be stillborn under continued se - While some in Congress reacted favorably to the two- quester; readiness has been declining for a decade and pronged budget request, saying it illustrated both appro - took a nosedive when the BCA took effect last year. Last priate spending levels and the potential damage caused

12 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 by ongoing sequester, others saw the effort as a waste of time. One of those was Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R- Calif.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, who said he doesn’t see “any possibility of overturning” the sequester. McKeon told reporters in late February that there’s a sizable faction of Congress that thinks sequester is having a beneficial effect on the federal deficit, and “until a lot of pain is felt by a lot of people” because of it, he doesn’t see a public push to end it. “Sequestration is the law,” he said. It’s “going to happen. Why not plan on it?” he asked. Defensewide, sequestration will lop another $115 billion off the defense budget annually and up to $12 billion from the Air Force’s budget every year through the remainder of the 10-year law.

Retiring the A-10 is an unpopular decision. OGSI-COLORED GLASSES buying 80 to 100 F-35s per year to buy them at the swiftest, The President’s budget is the best-case scenario, but the most efficient rates. Pentagon added an even-better-case scenario in the form The Air Force would spend about $2.1 billion on its top of a new budget device called the Opportunity, Growth, and four space priorities, including the Space Expendable Security Initiative. The OGSI lays out further DOD-wide Launch Capability, supporting the launch of national secu- spending of $26 billion in Fiscal 2015 if Congress agrees rity space vehicles. The numbers reflect lower negotiated to raise some taxes and find other federal spending offsets costs on the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program. to fund it. The OGSI is, in effect, the unfunded priorities list As a hedge against reduced numbers of platforms and usually offered by the Pentagon as a ready-made answer to a wait of at least 10 more years for its new penetrating members of Congress who ask what the department would bomber, USAF will up its buy of the stealthy Joint Air-to- do if it got more money than it asked for. Surface Standoff Missiles-Extended Range (JASSM-ER) The Air Force’s share of the OGSI would be about $7 weapons from 187 in Fiscal 2014 to 224 in Fiscal 2015, billion, and Martin said that if it came through, the service and similarly maintain sustaining buys of the air-to-air would spend the money on readiness improvements, two Sidewinder and AMRAAM AIM-120D missiles. additional F-35 fighters, “accelerated” buys of MQ-9s and C- Martin said the Air Force “took some risk” with modifica- 130Js, upgrades for legacy platforms, and working off some tions to legacy fighters, saying the F-16 Combat Avionics of the large backlog of real-property maintenance, among Programmed Extension Suite, or CAPES, is “one program other things. However, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, in that we decided not to fund.” CAPES was to replace radars a budget preview press conference, said the OGSI would and other gear on some 300 F-16s that the Air Force will only help “mitigate” readiness problems, not cure them. retain until they are replaced by F-35s in 10 years or so. Not all the budgetary news was grim. Up until the bud- Martin suggested these upgrades had migrated to the OGSI get’s release, USAF leaders were hinting there would be account—becoming an unfunded priority—but Air Force no Combat Rescue Helicopter funding, but it was added Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III had said just weeks back in at the last minute. Sikorsky will get the contract for before that both active electronically scanned array radars a UH-60 variant in June if it passes a Defense Acquisition and infrared search-and-track improvements for legacy fight- Board review and various independent cost assessments. ers were an essential part of the budget. The Air Force was Other new starts include the launch of an effort to re- not able to provide a more complete answer by press time. place the E-8 Joint STARS aircraft with a smaller platform, The Air Force said it reversed course on the long-running funded for $100 million in Fiscal 2015 and $2.4 billion over debate pitting the U-2 against the Global Hawk because the the five-year Future Years Defense Program, or FYDP. A numbers have changed. After negotiations with Northrop new weather satellite would also get $500 million over the Grumman, it’s now cheaper to operate the Global Hawk FYDP, and the long-deferred T-X trainer, a replacement for than it is to operate the U-2, service leaders said. To make the 50-plus-year-old T-38, would get underway in Fiscal the Global Hawk as capable as the U-2, however, USAF 2017, with $600 million to spend by the end of Fiscal 2019. will have to spend some money to integrate new sensors and give it better capability for operating in bad weather. If Congress balks and wants the U-2 instead, “we’ll make it STEALTH BOMBER MONEY work,” said Welsh at the Air Force Association’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Fla. However, the service can’t The Air Force disclosed funding for the Long-Range afford to keep both high-altitude ISR systems, he insisted. Strike Bomber (LRS-B)for the first time, showing in budget Retiring the A-10 fleet saves $3.7 billion in operating documents that the program was funded at $359 million in costs over the FYDP, and halting the planned rewinging of Fiscal 2014, but jumps to $914 million in the new Fiscal much of that fleet would save another $500 million “on top 2015 budget. A few days before the budget rollout, Air Force of the $3.7 [billion],” Martin said. The Air Force may have Secretary Deborah Lee James revealed that a draft request a tough time getting its way with the A-10s, though, as the for proposal on the airplane is out for comment by industry, Fiscal 2014 National Defense Authorization Act expressly and that a formal RFP will be issued by the end of the year. forbids spending any money on retiring it or putting the fleet A source selection is to be made in a year. into mothball storage. Shortly after the Air Force’s formal The Air Force will buy 26 F-35s in Fiscal 2015—seven request to retire the A-10 was submitted, dozens of “Save more than it bought in Fiscal 2014. It will buy a further two the A-10” petitions began circulating, as well as numerous if it gets the OGSI funding. The service plans to achieve a Facebook pages and Twitter campaigns seeking to reverse buy rate of 60 aircraft a year by 2018. Early plans called for USAF’s plan. n

AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 13 Air Force World By Aaron M. U. Church, Associate Editor

Top Acquisition Post Filled from exercises, bilateral meetings, and port visits to plan- The Senate confirmed William A. LaPlante on Feb. 12 ning conferences, Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John to become the next assistant secretary of the Air Force for Kirby said March 3. acquisition. “We call on Russia to de-escalate the crisis in Ukraine LaPlante previously served as principal deputy assistant and for Russian forces in Crimea to return to their bases, secretary of the Air Force for acquisition and fills the spot left vacant since Sue C. Payton left it in April 2009. “I’ve spent over 28 years ... around defense systems, technologies, acquisition programs, touching all aspects of those programs [for] all services,” LaPlante said during a Jan. 16 confirmation hearing. “This experience, along with screenshot my tenure on activities like the Defense Science Board, ... offers a firsthand impression of the state and the challenges of defense acquisition.”

Back to the Drawing Board House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-Calif.) called on the Defense Department to “rewrite and resubmit” the 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review. McKeon said the review, released along with the Presi- dent’s 2015 budget request, “should be immensely valu- able to planners and senior commanders,” but falls short because it places too much emphasis on politics and too little emphasis on policy. “For that reason, I will require [DOD] to rewrite and resubmit a compliant report,” McKeon said in a March 4 statement. “In defiance of the [sequestration] law, this QDR provides no insight into what a moderate-to-low risk strategy would be, is clearly budget-driven, and is shortsighted,” he added. The QDR, like the Pentagon’s five-year spending plan, assumes sequester will not continue beyond Fiscal 2016 without additional mitigating factors. McKeon has said that’s not the case. “It allows the President to duck the conse- quences of the deep defense cuts he has advocated and leaves us all wondering what the true future costs of those cuts will be,” he noted.

You May Call It Pegasus Boeing’s new KC-46A tanker has been christened Pegasus. “It will be flying in June. It’s a real thing now,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III said, unveiling the name at the Air Force Association’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Fla., Feb. 20. The Air Force will buy 179 KC-46A Pegasus aircraft, the last of them delivered in 2028, to replace a portion of the Eisenhower-era KC-135 fleet. USAF will continue to maintain 200-plus KC-135s, which will be 65 years old or older when the last Pegasus is de- livered. As a result, the KC-Y and KC-Z follow-on efforts have to be real programs “and we’ve got to get on that now,” Welsh emphasized. “Air refueling is the lifeblood of US strategic mobility,” he said.

DOD Cuts Russian Cooperation The Defense Department suspended all military coop- eration with Russia in February as a result of Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine. This included everything

14 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 as required under the agreements governing the Russia The Ride Begins Black Sea Fleet,” said Kirby. The prototype AC-130J Ghostrider gunship cleared the By Aaron M. U. Church, Associate Editor Less than seven months earlier, Defense Secretary runway on its maiden post-modifi cation test fl ight at Eglin AFB, Chuck Hagel and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Shoygu, Fla., in late January, Air Force Special Operations Command laid out a commitment to building “a robust agenda” for offi cials revealed. “As with any new or highly modifi ed aircraft, military cooperation. In fact, the two militaries had previ- the initial goal is to ensure the aircraft design or modifi cation ously planned a joint naval exercise for May, according to does not adversely affect the fl ying and handling qualities,” The Wall Street Journal. said 413th Flight Test Squadron pilot Maj. Brian Taliaferro. Kirby’s announcement came on the eve of Secretary Over the preceding year, technicians at Eglin modifi ed the of State John F. Kerry’s arrival in Ukraine for meetings basic MC-130J with a precision strike package, including a with the new Ukrainian government, and of a meeting in 30 mm cannon, Griffi n missiles, and the ability to carry the Brussels by the ambassadors of all 28 NATO members Small Diameter Bomb. New mission equipment includes consulting on the situation in Ukraine at the request of all-weather synthetic aperture radar and dual electro-optical/ NATO member Poland. infrared sensors. Read more of Air Force Magazine’s coverage at www. Weaponizing the efficient J model brings “the best two airforcemag.com. Search “Ukraine.” C-130s together in a new weapons system,” said Todd Mc-

03.14.2014

A USAF pararescueman gathers his parachute near Camp Lemmonier, Djibouti, as another braces for landing. PJs train to keep skills sharp for missions throughout the Horn of

Africa. Cardenas Erik SSgt. by photo USAF

AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 15 Ginnis, US Special Operations Command Det. 1 AC-130J modification manager. AFSOC plans to convert 32 MC-130Js under the $2.4 billion program to replace legacy gunships.

Super Galaxy Hits IOC The Air Force declared initial op- erational capability with the C-5M Super Galaxy on Feb. 21, according to senior service officials. The milestone means there are now sufficient numbers of aircraft and enough training of flight and ground crews, as well as spares on hand both domestically and at forward operating areas, to allow the C-5M to go to war if needed. The stage was set for IOC when the 16th C-5M was delivered to Dover AFB, Del., in January of this year. By the end of 2016, Air Mobility Command expects to have all 52 C-5Ms in service at three operating locations. The upgrade of all C-5Bs, two C-5Cs, and one C-5A includes re- placement of the aircraft’s engines and more than 70 other structural and capability improvements. It builds on the Avionics Modernization Program, com- Neighborhood Watch On High pleted in 2013. The Air Force has been using the initial C-5Ms The Air Force will launch two previously undisclosed for the past two years, and the giant airlifter has turned in space-surveillance satellites into orbit sometime this year on-time departure reliability rates between 88 percent and that represent a “significant improvement” in monitoring 93 percent, service officials said. By contrast, unmodified activities in near-geosynchronous orbit. This band is where C-5s struggle to make 50 percent of departures on time. the United States operates some of its most valuable space AMC boss Gen. Paul J. Selva said the Air Force doesn’t assets, said Gen. William L. Shelton, head of Air Force need to modify the remaining C-5As, because the C-5M fleet, Space Command. as now projected, will satisfy the service’s requirements. Shelton lifted the veil on the Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program, or GSSAP, satellites in a speech at the Air Force Association’s Air Warfare Symposium Lawmakers: Nyet to Treaty Violators in Orlando, Fla., in February. Republican House members pressed the Obama The satellites will carry electro-optical sensors and will Administration to confront the Kremlin over Russia’s function in a “neighborhood watch” role, detecting threats to alleged violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear US space assets such as debris or a spacecraft a potential Forces Treaty by testing a new type of ground-launched adversary is trying to hide on orbit that could harm US satel- cruise missile, reported Global Security Newswire. lites, said Shelton. “We believe it is imperative that Russian officials The two spacecraft will “drift just above and just below not be permitted to believe they stand to gain from the GEO belt,” he said. They will complement the Space a material breach of this or any other treaty,” wrote Based Surveillance System satellite that has been on orbit House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. since 2010 and US ground-based space-monitoring sensors. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-Calif.) in a Feb. 6 let- ter he penned with House Foreign Affairs Commit- Skibirds Pick Up the Slack tee Chairman Rep. Edward R. Royce (R-Calif.) and A swarm of LC-130 transports airlifted researchers and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Mike supplies back from McMurdo Station, Antarctica, as the Rogers (R-Mich.). hemisphere’s summer research came to an end in February. “Other countries around the world will be closely The LC-130s provide support to the researchers every watching the US response to any Russian violation,” year, but normally, the end of season heavy lifting from they wrote. McMurdo to Christchurch, New Zealand, is done by Air On Jan. 30, State Department spokeswoman Jen- Force C-17s. nifer Psaki confirmed that senior US officials had This year, warm temperatures and volcanic ash turned discussed this issue with NATO allies. However, McMurdo’s ice airstrip to mush, preventing C-17s from landing “there’s still an ongoing review, an interagency review, there. The New York Air National Guard’s 109th Airlift Wing, determining if there was a violation,” she said. operating the ski-equipped C-130s, stepped up instead. The 1987 INF treaty bans ground-launched nuclear- “The unique capabilities of our aircraft have made it capable missiles with ranges between 310 miles and possible for scientists to do their work and get the most of 3,418 miles. The Russians may have begun testing the Antarctic summer research season,” said Col. Shawn this cruise missile in 2008, according to GSN. Clouthier, 109th AW commander. The wing deployed an extra LC-130, making seven in total, to help provide the additional support.

16 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 USAF photo by SSgt. Sheila deVera Sheila SSgt. by photo USAF

GPS IIF Launches Testing Silk: A C-17 prepares to drop heavy equipment while The Air Force and its industry partners launched the fifth another Globemaster III fl ies behind on Feb. 27 over Malemute GPS IIF navigation satellite into space from Cape Canaveral Drop Zone on JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. AFS, Fla., on Feb. 20. A United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket, carrying the Boeing-built satellite into orbit, lifted off Sands National Monument about five miles west of the from Space Launch Complex 37 at 8:59 p.m., local time. base, Feb. 7. The satellite joined the four IIF spacecraft already op- Park officials had closed the monument ahead of pre- erating on orbit as part of the GPS constellation of some planned Air Force tests and extended the closure to allow 30 satellites. for “substantial cleanup” following the crash, according to Compared to earlier model GPS spacecraft, the IIFs of- Holloman officials. No one was injured in the mishap and fer greater navigational accuracy, a new civilian L5 signal, the cause of the crash is under investigation. and an improved military signal with better resistance to jamming, according to the Air Force. Long Shadow Over Britain An MC-130P Combat Shadow assigned to the 67th Special Long-Legged Reaper General Atomics Aeronautical Systems’ MQ-9 Reaper extended-range variant took to the skies for the first time Quick Reaction Satellite Delivered on a test flight on Feb. 12. The new configuration features two external fuel pods to increase the remotely piloted Northrop Grumman recently delivered a revolutionary aircraft’s endurance. new satellite to the Air Force that is quickly confi gurable The Air Force awarded a contract worth up to $117.2 for missions ranging from communications and weather million for the company to supply 38 MQ-9s with the fuel monitoring to surveillance, the company announced. tanks by July 2016, according to a February Pentagon list- Dubbed Modular Space Vehicle, the satellite will al- ing of major contracts. low payloads to be prepared and launched to support Under the Accelerated Extended Range contract, the specifi c operational needs in a matter of weeks, instead company will retrofit new-build airframes with the tanks “as of years, according to the company. “MSV provides ways they come off the production line,” said company spokes- for future development of rapid response space capabili- woman Kimberly Kasitz. ties that will be timely, cost-effi cient, and fl exible,” said The company is also developing a radical new wing Doug Young, Northrop Grumman’s vice president for design to extend the Reaper’s range. It will “carry all the missile defense and advanced missions. fuel inside the wing to eliminate the need for external fuel The satellite structure incorporates a power supply and tanks,” cutting drag, she said. controls that can be tailored to the specifi c mission needs The 79-foot wing is “more than just an extension,” said and can be launched on a number of different boosters, Kasitz, noting that it’s actually “bigger in all dimensions.” including the Minotaur I and IV, Evolved Expendable Construction of the first retrofit wing and tail assembly is Launch Vehicle-class boosters, and the Falcon 9. It also slated for the summer, said Kasitz. The company plans to can operate from low and medium Earth orbits, as well fly the wing mod in tests by the end of the year. as from geosynchronous orbit, according to the company. Northrop Grumman delivered the fi rst MSV to the Monumental Mishap Air Force’s Operationally Responsive Space offi ce at A remotely controlled QF-4 target drone launched from Kirtland AFB, N.M., on Feb. 25. Holloman AFB, N.M., crashed on the grounds of the White

AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 17 USAF photo by SrA. Kristoffer Kaubisch Kristoffer SrA. by photo USAF

Operations Squadron flew the type’s final UK-based sortie Making Sure: A UH-1N deploys a security forces tactical early this year. The aircraft visited several former squadron response force in reaction to a simulated threat to a Minute- haunts on its way out. “We were able to take the airplane to man III missile fi eld during a recent nuclear surety inspection at Minot AFB, N.D.

all the fields that the 67th SOS has been stationed at in the Bomber RFP Taking Shape United Kingdom,” said the final-flight pilot—and squadron A draft request for proposal for the Long-Range assistant operations director—Lt. Col. Scott Hartman. Strike Bomber is now out for review and comment, and From RAF Mildenhall, England, the crew flew over former a fi nal RFP should be issued in the fall, said Air Force 67th SOS bases at RAF Sculthorpe, RAF Prestwick, RAF Secretary Deborah Lee James. “There are two teams Woodbridge, and RAF Alconbury, refueling a CV-22 Osprey at present that are working on preproposal-type activi- en route on Jan. 24. ties, preparing to take the next step in competition” for Although many of the airfields are now closed, “it was the LRS-B, James revealed at a defense symposium a great chance to get a feel for the long history that the in Washington, D.C. 67th has had here in the UK,” said Hartman. Mildenhall is One announced competitor is the Boeing-Lockheed swapping its legacy MC-130Ps for MC-130J Commando IIs Martin team, and Northrop Grumman said it will bid. The as part of Air Force Special Operations Command’s overall competition will play out “in the fall time frame,” James Herc fleet upgrade. said, adding the bomber budget “is not classifi ed.” “We’re at a point where we’re ready to begin the Busting Bad Beacons selection” of the bomber contractor, with a choice com- The Air Force is replacing thousands of personnel-locating ing as soon as early next year, said Lt. Gen. Charles beacons after a series of reported malfunctions over the R. Davis, military deputy in the Offi ce of the Assistant last three years. Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition. Officials at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, conducted a Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Larry O. Spen- series of rigorous tests on the URT-44 personnel recovery cer stated at the symposium that USAF has labored beacon (PRB), intended to put the system through the most to constrain “the temptation to put more stuff on this extreme scenarios possible. “They had a 100 percent failure bomber” and to keep it within the allowed $550 million rate,” said Col. Aaron Clark, the Global Power Programs unit cost, but “the folks working on this program are Directorate deputy director for USAF acquisitions. really working hard to get us the capabilities we need The URT-44 PRB was purchased five years ago to com- for that price. ... They’re really pushing the envelope.” ply with the new digital standards that make crash sites easier to find. Since then, its real world performance has decayed sharply to the point that “right now, we are see-

18 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 AIR FORCE Magazine revealing downed airmen’s locations to enemy forces, the cost of some $40million, according to the release. To avoid will thenbeginreplacingbeaconsfleetwideforanadditional beacons by 2015, at anestimated cost of $15 million. USAF Wright-Patterson, the Air Force willreplace the first 3,900 ejections, said Clark. ing anobserved reliability of about 55 percent” inactual Because of the failed accelerated-lifecycle test results at Operation Enduring Freedom Operation The War on Terrorism the United States and NATO,” said Hagel. months willprovide various options for political leaders in the Afghan Theater, ourforcepostureoverthenext several military continues to move people and equipment out of additional contingency planning. “As the United States Hagel addedhis “strong support” to moving ahead with execute any US mission.” without aBSA, the more challenging it willbeto planand said, though the President noted that “the longer wego of concluding a BSA” later this year, the Feb. 25 release Obama toldKarzaitheUSwould“leaveopenpossibility would protect troops operating inthe country after 2014. Hamid Karzai willsign abilateral security agreement that The President stated that it is “unlikely” Afghan President end of the year, according to aWhite House press release. accomplish anorderlywithdrawal”from Afghanistan bythe partment to “ensure that it has adequate plans inplace to Afghanistan Contingency Planning incidents. noncombatant in died 497 enemy, the with action in killed were 1,814 deaths, while Of these civilians. of Defense Department three and troops Freedom. Enduring Operation 2,309 includes total The Casualties In astatementthatsameday, DefenseSecretaryChuck In atelephone conversation between the two leaders, President Barack Obama has asked the Defense De- OEF. during wounded troops 19,673 been have There of 2,312 total a By 18, March in died had Americans / April 2014 / April the US Air Force, US Navy, Japan Air Self Defense Force, Damayan in the Philippines last year, offi cials announced. ian response scenario based on lessons drawn from Operation Coping On Guam beacons are typically used only in peacetime operations. US lease there expires in July 2014. July in expires there lease US the from mission Transit 24. Feb. on Manas at Center The fl are material and Southwest of out owing Asia. hardware military of amounts massive and down drawing in forces US as time crucial a at comes shift areAfghanistan commander. Col. Todd McCoy, 780th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron capacity that allowedus to addadditional fuel,” said Lt. we negotiated an increase in the airport’s weight-bearing “Thanks to our partnership with the Romanian authorities, said Chris Rosenthal, 18th Air Force transition planner. port the movement of our troops without missing a beat,” February,of 18th to according Force.Air beginning the at role lead this on took known, is hub the as MK, to Romania. operations to shift ago a year proximately offi US forcing Manas, to lease ap- planning begin to cials the replacing Transit Kyrgyzstan. Manas, at Center main air transit in hub for operations supporting Afghanistan, MK Hello Manas, Goodbye said. he mission,” counterterrorism focused narrowly a assisting and advising, as well as forces, security Afghan NATO-led a in participation training, on focused mission More than 1,800 service members and 50 aircraft from This year’s exercise Cope North included a new humanitar- The The Air Force completed its fi nal KC-135 aerial refueling “Now, said. he mission,” each $20,000 over save we The “By standing up MK, weare ableto continue to sup- US the renew to not decided government Kyrgyz The Mihail Kogalniceanu AB, Romania, is now the US military’s for US planning “continue will DOD time, At same the sive RussianactionsinUkraine. sent additionalF-15Csinresponse torecentaggres- rotation beginninginJanuary, andinMarch, USAF the NATO Balticairpolicingmissionforafour-month Siauliai AB, Lithuania.USAFassumedcommand of Taking Turns: MaintainersworkonanF-15Eagle at 19

USAF photo by A1C Dana J. Butler Republic of Korea Air Force, and the Royal Australian Air Force participated in the 85th iteration of the annual exercise. Commission: Disestablish AFRC It began Feb. 14. Cope North 14 featured a full spectrum of fighter and bomber The National Commission on the Structure of the aircraft, as well as transport, command and control, and re- Air Force recommended disestablishing Air Force fueling assets. In addition to combat drills, the US, JASDF, Reserve Command and its numbered air forces in and RAAF designed and practiced disaster response aimed an effort to realign Air Force headquarters functions at increasing interoperability in multinational relief operations. and rebalance the Total Force. “We live in a region with lots of natural disasters,” said “As the Air Force progresses toward fuller integration Group Capt. Glen Beck, RAAF exercise director. “This is the at the unit level, the need for an [AFRC] as a ‘force largest international exercise we do and it’s definitely the providing’ headquarters declines, as does the need largest footprint.” n for its subordinate [numbered air forces],” stated the commission’s report. Commission Chairman Dennis M. McCarthy said the Senior Staff Changes report, released in January, recommends the position of Chief of the Air Force Reserve be retained, and RETIREMENT: Maj. Gen. Margaret H. Woodward. along with the director of the Air National Guard, will still have direct access to the USAF Chief of Staff. “It’s NOMINATIONS: To be General: John E. Hyten, Darren W. McDew. a dual-hat position, and we recommended taking away To be Lieutenant General: Thomas J. Trask, Anthony J. Rock. To be one of the hats,” he told a group of defense reporters Major General: Jeffrey A. Rockwell. To be Brigadier General: Kath- in Washington, D.C. AFRC’s units and functions would leen A. Cook, Robert I. Miller, William P. Robertson, Andrew J. Toth. be taken over by USAF headquarters and the major To be ANG Brigadier General: Mark W. Anderson, David P. Bac- commands, with increased representation. zewski, Jeffrey W. Burkett, Conrad C. Caldwell III, Jeffrey B. Cash- McCarthy said the hope of the commission is that man, Charles W. Chappuis, Joel A. Clark, Patrick J. Cobb, Thomas the Reserve will see the opportunity for fuller inte- B. Cucchi, John B. Daniel, George M. Degnon, William D. DeHaes, gration into USAF and the long-term benefits and William D. Dockery Jr., Michael E. Guillory, Andrew E. Halter, Timo- savings for the Total Force. As the Air Force more thy J. Harmeson, Paul G. Havel, Jill L. Hendra, Alan K. Hodgdon, fully integrates the Reserve into units and wings, the Joseph M. Jabara, Wendy K. Johnson, Timothy M. Jones, Thomas commission argued, the process of fielding equipment J. Kennett, Kerry L. Muehlenbeck, Timothy A. Mullen, John W. Ogle across the Air Reserve Components and the Active III, Ryan T. Okahara, Thomas J. Owens II, Russell A. Rushe, David Duty will become easier with time. P. San Clemente, Diana M. Shoop, Jesse T. Simmons Jr., David A. Simon, Mark C. Snyder, John G. Sotos, Ronald C. Stamps, Randolph Lt. Gen. James “J. J.” Jackson, commander of Air J. Staudenraus, Frank H. Stokes, Scott A. Studer, Michael R. Taheri, Force Reserve Command, said merging AFRC and its Ronald B. Turk, Steven C. Warren, Roger E. Williams Jr., Ronald W. organizational structure into the Active Duty portion Wilson, Bryan F. Witeof, Brett A. Wyrick, Ricky G. Yoder. of the Air Force should not even be on the table. He said the other 40 recommendations put forth by the CHANGES: Maj. Gen. Theresa C. Carter, from AF Civil Engineer, congressionally mandated commission, however, are DCS, Log., Instl., & Mission Spt., USAF, Pentagon, to Spec. Asst. to worth discussing. the Cmdr., AFMC, JB Andrews, Md. ... Brig. Gen. Steven D. Garland, “The commission did great work with the task they from Cmdr., 36th Wg., PACAF, Andersen AFB, Guam, to Vice Cmdr., were given in the timeline they were given,” said 14th AF, Air Forces Strat., AFSPC, Vandenberg AFB, Calif. ... Brig. Gen. Jackson. “The bottom line is, though, that there are Timothy S. Green, from Dir., Instl., & Mission Spt., ACC, JB Langley- some good pieces in [the report] that I can agree with Eustis, Va., to Dir., Civil Engineering, DCS, Log., Instl., & Mission Spt., and some I cannot.” USAF, Pentagon ... Maj. Gen. (sel.) Jeffrey A. Rockwell, from Cmdr., Jackson said there are other ways to achieve similar AF Legal Ops. Agency, JB Andrews, Md., to Dep. Judge Advocate Gen- levels of integration and efficiency, such as expanding eral, USAF, Pentagon ... Maj. Gen. Steven M. Shepro, from Dir., Ops., the number of associate units. Eliminating the com- DCS, Ops., Plans & Rqmts., USAF, Pentagon, to Vice Dir., Strat. Plans mand would have a devastating impact on morale in & Policy, Jt. Staff, Pentagon. the existing Reserve force as well as negatively affect recruiting in the future, he said.

By the Numbers SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE CHANGES: James J. Brooks, to Exec. Dir., ANG, Natl. Guard Bureau, Pentagon.

COMMAND CHIEF CHANGE: CMSgt. Matthew M. Caruso, to Com- mand Chief, AFSOC, Hurlburt Field, Fla. n

Index to Advertisers

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20 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 Verbatim [email protected] By Robert S. Dudney

While America Sleeps for the Air Force? It makes no sense. that the Pentagon needs to recognize “With the proliferation of more ad- We are ready to compete.”—Elon Musk, ‘the reality of the magnitude of our fiscal vanced military technologies and other CEO of SpaceX, calling for more competi- challenges.’ So we’re rolling in dough nations pursuing comprehensive mili- tion in Air Force launcher procurement, when it comes to entitlements. ... Yet tary modernization, we are entering an Senate hearing, March 5. we’re out of cash for defense. This is era where American dominance on the the policy combination that has made seas, in the skies, and in space—not Bomber Costs, Explained much of Europe bankrupt and defense- to mention cyberspace—can no longer “We get a lot of questions on [unit less at the same time.”—House editorial, be taken for granted.”—Secretary of cost of the next generation bomber]. Wall Street Journal, Feb. 28. Defense Chuck Hagel, statement to Sen- Is it going to be $550 million a copy? ate Armed Services Committee, March 5. No, of course it’s not going to be $550 Uhhhhhhh ... Why? million a copy, once you add in every- “US PUSHING ISRAEL TO STOP Yo, Adrian! Surrender! thing. ... What it will be is $550 million ASSASSINATING IRANIAN NUCLEAR “We’re hoping that Russia will not in design constraints. ... That limits the SCIENTISTS.”—Actual headline seen at see this [conflict over Ukraine] as a technology you bring in. It limits certain CBSNews.com, March 1. sort of a continuation of the Cold War. parameters and certain capabilities. We don’t see it that way. We do not By definition, we have used a cost- Let’s Keep Negotiating! believe this should be an East-West, controlled approach.”—USAF Lt. Gen. “I can tell you that Iran’s nuclear Russia-United States. This is not Rocky Charles R. Davis, military deputy for program will remain intact. We will not IV.”—Secretary of State John F. Kerry, in acquisition, remarks to Aviation Week close any program.”—Iranian Foreign lead-up to Russian invasion of Crimea, Defense Technologies and Requirements Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, on MSNBC broadcast, Feb. 26. Conference, March 5. proposals to halt Iran’s nuclear effort, to reporters in New Delhi, Feb. 27. Zero Means Zero Dare Call It Dereliction “Here our Secretary of State is “Is Afghanistan less of a threat to Well, It’s Settled, Then saying this [Russia’s seizure of part the United States than it was 13 years “The men don’t want to lower the of Ukraine] is not the Cold War, it’s ago? Is it a better place than it was standards [for women to qualify for the ‘win-win,’ and it’s ‘not zero sum.’ But 13 years ago? Is America safer than it combat arms], because they see that for Vladimir Putin, it is zero sum. That’s was on September 10th, 2001? Take as a ... risk to their team. The women what we need to understand.”—Retired a good, hard look at what’s actually don’t want to lower the standards, Air Force Gen. Michael V. Hayden, former been happening out there, and each because they want the men to know CIA director, quoted in The Daily Beast, of those answers come back, ‘Yes.’ ... they’re just as able as they are to do March 2. Even though the way that this White the same task.”—David Brinkley, Army House has run this war has been out- Training and Doctrine Command, Associ- Boots Back to Barracks rageous—with White House staffers ated Press dispatch, Feb. 25. “Armies are like newspapers; they telling four-star generals their busi- have become 21st century anachro- ness—there has been unmistakable Catastrophe Takes a Holiday nisms. ... To judge by outcomes, the progress. ... What I find astounding is “Shrinking the future military contains Army is not a force for decisive action. that the President won’t acknowledge real risks, as a smaller force, no matter It cannot be counted on to achieve these victories. I’m astounded he won’t how ready or technologically advanced, definitive results in a timely manner. give this speech. ... If the troops fight can go to fewer places and do fewer In Afghanistan and Iraq, actions that for the mission abroad, the President things, especially when confronted by momentarily appeared to be decisive better fight for their mission here at multiple contingencies or a scenario served as preludes to protracted and home. Anything less is a dereliction of in which mass is required. However, inconclusive wars. ... What role, then, duty.”—Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon attempting to retain a larger force in remains for the United States Army? (R-Calif.), House Armed Services Com- the face of potential sequester level The honorable and necessary one of mittee chairman, speech to the National cuts would create, in effect, a decade- defending this country. For that task, Press Club, Feb. 24. long modernization holiday on top of absent the emergence of a major Mexi- the program cancellations and delays can or Canadian threat, a smaller Army Rich Man, Poor Man already made. And while the odds of a should serve just fine.”—Retired Army “The White House made clear last major conflict against another techno- Col. Andrew J. Bacevich, op-ed titled, week that it had no interest in Social logically advanced military power are “Do We Really Need a Large Army?” Security reform, citing budget projec- relatively low, the consequences of be- Washington Post, Feb. 27. tions showing a shrinking deficit and ing unprepared for such a contingency debt-to-GDP ratio. This week, Defense could be catastrophic.”—Christine H. Rhetorical Question of the Day Secretary Chuck Hagel rolled out a Fox, acting deputy secretary of defense, “If our rockets are good enough for budget that would shrink the Army to remarks at American Enterprise Institute NASA, why aren’t they good enough pre-World War II levels, on the excuse forum, Feb. 26.

AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 21 Smaller, But Still the Best By Marc V. Schanz, Senior Editor

At AFA’s Orlando Air Warfare Symposium, the top Air Force leaders said we’re going back to the basics.

22 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 he Air Force is shedding aircraft ing budget choices. James made clear (along with the force structure) in future and personnel in an attempt to that so-called “vertical cuts” of entire years, CMSAF James A. Cody said. The preserve its potency and readi- fl eets of aircraft (with the A-10 and U-2 goal is to have most of the reduction ness as a global force. At the among the proposed victims) were now programs in process by the beginning Air Force Association’s Air necessary evils. of next year, as USAF does not want to WarfareT Symposium in Orlando, Fla., James also noted that over a decade take fi ve years to make the cuts. in February, USAF leadership laid the of war USAF delayed some diffi cult There will be adjustments and re- groundwork for what this will mean choices in its investments, end strength, fi nements along the way. You have to and cautioned that the service must and capabilities. These decisions can’t be prepare the force, Cody said, and give undergo deep changes to adapt to a new put off anymore. Secretary of Defense people the opportunity to consider the postwar footing. Chuck Hagel has directed the services voluntary programs. Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee to begin balancing hardware, personnel, “I can tell you that although it might But Still the Best James used the opportunity to preview and long-range strategy, James said. sound counterintuitive, it’s actually bet- what she and Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Alongside force structure reductions, ter if you can … get things done more A. Welsh III would present to Congress. USAF will soon be carrying out end quickly rather than more slowly,” James “There are going to be some things that strength reductions of up to 25,000 per- elaborated. “It’s easier on people that you like, and there are going to be some sonnel across the force by Fiscal 2019. way because people will know what things that you don’t like,” she told the Much of the personnel reductions are to expect. They can know about their audience in Orlando about the forthcom- set to come up front and then normalize choices.” The end strength reduction is just part of the major effort to retool the Air Force to survive sequestration—and beyond. “Let’s go back to basics and rethink why we are doing it? Is it necessary? Can we stop?” James asked rhetorically. An F-15E taxis to the runway before a training mission during Red Flag 14-1 at Nellis AFB, Nev. Get Ready This philosophy is what is also behind USAF headquarters reductions and staff reorganizations, tied to the Fiscal 2015 budget. “I’m telling you all of this now to get you prepared and ask for your help in helping us tell the total story of how we need to achieve these savings, sometimes in very unpopular ways,” James said in her speech. Her message was echoed by Welsh and other senior leaders who emphasized repeatedly that USAF’s plan would require a good deal of pain, but reductions would be reinvested into core service capabilities needed for the future—intelligence-surveillance- reconnaissance, space, cyber, strike, and mobility modernization, among others. Cutbacks will not be restricted to the enlisted force and will go as high as the general offi cer corps. Welsh confi rmed the Air Staff is examining the reduction of three- and four-star general offi cer positions across the force. During a panel with the heads of the major commands, Welsh said USAF is about to hire the fi rst of a new generation of majcom vice commanders who will be two stars rather than three-star generals. While Congress recently granted some relief to readiness accounts, the fundamental problem for the service’s solvency remain. Last year’s Bipartisan Budget Act, though giving USAF a reprieve from sequestration, does not fix the problem. Funds can only go to activities in the next two fiscal years; USAF photo by SrA. Brett Clashman thus almost all of it must go to readi-

AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 23 ness activities—fl ying hours, training, the coming years the service aims to in- weapons school classes. tegrate its Air Reserve Components with Clockwise: |1| SSgt. Jerome Duhan And by 2017, the Air Force is back its daily operations in an unprecedented inserts a hard drive into a server at to the full burden of sequestration. The manner. USAF just now is emerging from the 97th Air Mobility Wing’s network reduction plan now underway is based a long reexamination of its relationship control center. |2| An A-10 peels away after taking on fuel from a KC-135 over on the assumption that the cuts remain, with both the Air National Guard and Air Afghanistan. Secretary of the Air Force as sequestration is indeed the law of Force Reserve Command, prompted by Deborah Lee James said that due to the land and USAF must still train and the sharp disagreements that arose from budget cuts, eliminating entire fl eets maintain a capable force. the Fiscal 2013 budget proposal. of aircraft—including the A-10—is a necessary evil. |3| USAF SrA. Frederick “How big can that force be and still This led to the stand-up of the Total Riggans-Huguley (r) and Royal Austra- remain trained?” Welsh asked. “That’s Force Task Force (TF2), bringing gen- lian Air Force Flight Sgt. Sean Bedford why we target these fi rst couple of years eral offi cers from Active Duty, the Air analyze missile defense systems data to make the reductions, so that we can Guard, and AFRC together at the Air during Red Flag 14-1. Over the next few kind of balance our ability with our size Staff level to hammer out a consensus. decades, USAF will be looking closely at the ratio between air, space, and by 2017 if nothing else changes in the The work of TF2 directly infl uenced cyberspace in its core missions. budget.” the long-term trades and priorities The changes by necessity are not established in the 2015 budget, Welsh limited to the Active Duty force, and in and others pointed out. USAF photo by SrA. Franklin R. Ramos R. Franklin SrA. by photo USAF

24 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 Discord between the components attendees the TF2 was a new way of a permanent resource for Total Force emerged in the first months, but by approaching an old problem: how to issues at the Pentagon. the fourth month those inside TF2 integrate the Guard and Reserve into the had a good understanding of the posi- Total Air Force. Clarke said that dur- Cautions tions of the others on long-term force ing a previous assignment of his at the Meanwhile, the National Commission structure choices facing the Air Force, Pentagon, most of the decision-making on the Structure of the Air Force released officials said. on Total Force integration was done at its fi nal report in January. While it came The task force was able to run through the major command level. “Now, we too late to advise the 2015 budget, USAF a deep analysis of platforms and spe- have a place to focus our efforts at the leadership largely had praise for the cialty codes and how much capabilities Air Staff level. There’s more process, commission’s work, noting many of its cost in each of the components. About more insight,” he said. recommendations refl ected similar issues half the service’s force structure was “Arguably some of the things we tackled by the TF2. examined by the time the 2015 budget did in the past weren’t done as well However, both Welsh and Lt. Gen. was finalized. By USAF estimates, the as they could have been,” he said. James “J. J.” Jackson, commander of in-depth analysis on the remainder will Now, with TF2 institutionalized at the Air Force Reserve Command, sounded be completed for the 2016 submission. headquarters level as the “Total Force a caution on specifi c recommendations: Air National Guard Director Lt. Continuum” with three one-stars to setting a percentage fi gure for force Gen. Stanley E. Clarke III told Orlando rotate in and out, TF2 will serve as structure in the Active Duty and reorga- nizing AFRC command structures. While Jackson supported many of the commis- sion’s fi ndings, he disagreed with their recommendation to disestablish AFRC and its numbered air forces. Jackson noted the organizations were built up based on key lessons learned during both the Korean War and in the

USAF photo by MSgt. William Greer William MSgt. by photo USAF aftermath of Operation Desert Storm. “I don’t think we should go backward in time,” he said. James said there were recommenda- tions in the NCSAF report “we don’t fully understand” but added that USAF leadership would wait to get briefed on the methodology used before making fi nal decisions. The NCSAF report came back with a fl oor for Active Duty force structure, to boot: USAF should aim to put no less than 58 percent of the force structure in the Active Duty. “I’m not arguing that their numbers are wrong,” Welsh said. He said the Air Staff wanted to engage in talks with the commission to see how they arrived at their conclusions. He said the Air Force began the TF2 process USAF photo by SrA. Brett Clashman Brett SrA. by photo USAF from the other end of the problem: try- ing to put as much force structure into the Air Guard and Reserve and not lose responsiveness. Air Force leaders want to improve the mobility of personnel between compo- nents, but warn that this will not be easy. While it will be diffi cult in some regard, due to the part-time nature of the ARC, USAF needs to start thinking about how to develop senior leaders over time who have a good understanding of how the Total Force operates, Welsh emphasized. The Air Force is now also reexamin- ing how it plans, budgets, fulfi lls, and prosecutes its missions. In the long term, the Air Force must reconfi gure how it adapts and adjusts its core missions to the national military strategy. Over the

AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 25 years USAF has had a lot of guiding cyberspace). It must be updated every planning. Other organizational changes concepts, Welsh said, from strategic four years. are in the works, too. bombardment in World War II to nuclear Second, a master plan will look at the Even as USAF experiences great up- deterrence after the Korean War, to Air- service’s next two decades and take core heaval in its force structure (with some Land Battle in the 1980s all the way up function plans—from air superiority to additional 300-some aircraft proposed to the counterinsurgency (COIN) wars mobility to space operations—and bring for retirement in Fiscal 2015), leadership of the last 12 years. them together in one place. By examining believes a close relationship between The Air Force must now ask itself what all these in one place, leaders will be able budgeting and planning will help the it needs to deliver more of to fulfi ll the to trade capabilities across portfolios and service articulate what it will become national military strategy. “We’ve got to missions and build off-ramps to recognize 10 and 20 years in the future. fi gure this out and we’ve got to fi gure it programs or technologies that succeed or The cyber mission, a growth area out quick,” Welsh said. get out of ones that don’t. for the service, is a prime example. Air The 2015 budget set the Air Force on Force Space Command’s Gen. Wil- a path with various resource options. Organizational Changes liam L. Shelton said seven of USAF’s For example, USAF has worked out a The third element will institutionalize cyber capabilities have been declared classified resource strategy, Air Force a 10-year resource-driven look, much offi cial “weapons systems”—much like 2023. Welsh was quick to say the effort like AF 2023, to make sure the service is any aircraft—and include cyber defense was not a USAF strategy per se, but keeping “reality in our funding streams programs, the “vulnerability assessment rather a resourcing guide, designed to ... down the road.” system,” and unnamed “offensive cyber get the service to the end of sequestra- To guide and plan for the service’s capabilities.” tion. A new USAF strategy is now in long-term health, leadership forecast The Air Force will add thousands of air- the works, Welsh stated, and will be organizational changes to headquarters men in the coming three years to focus on released in June. staff in 2015 and beyond. Welsh confi rmed cyber defense, combat support, and other This strategy document will help the that as part of headquarters reorganization activities through US Cyber Command. Air Force more closely track its capabili- and reductions efforts, the Air Staff’s A3/5 “We have tremendous opportunity ahead, ties, spending, and long-term goals and offi ce (operations and plans) will be split but it will require us to rethink how we has three components. up again, with A3 now left solely to focus do business in cyberspace,” Shelton said. First, a “30-year” plan element will on operations, while a new A5/8 offi ce Welsh said it is important for all airmen examine threats, strategic priorities, and will be in charge of both strategic plans to understand the cyber domain, rather how USAF operates (in air, space, and and programs and long-range resource than a mission, is a vehicle for USAF’s fi ve Lockheed Martin photo Martin Lockheed

26 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 core missions: air and space superiority, challenges will emerge for both targeting complementary capabilities in areas such ISR, global mobility, global strike, and and command and control—as coordinat- as ISR and airlift for when USAF will command and control. “I believe very ing operations at a theater level, among not be available. fi rmly that if we look at the missions, ... allies, will get harder in an environment Col. Anton Den Drijver, Royal Neth- we will see corollaries that we can do in where an enemy is actively trying to erlands Air Force’s air attaché at the both space and cyber,” he said, noting deny goals. Some tools that will become Dutch Embassy in Washington, said USAF already does ISR through space, more important in this domain include the Netherlands realized after the 2011 and someday it may even perform strike self-healing networks and better situ- Libya campaign that many allies needed from space. “Someday, ... we’ll be doing ational awareness, including, in space to wean themselves from reliance on key armed escort of information in the cyber and cyberspace. US capabilities. “That’s a big challenge domain,” he said. “This isn’t that cosmic With the change rippling across the with [the] US and Europe. There are a if you understand the roles we play to force, some are sanguine about the risks lot of countries facing this,” Drijver said. a joint commander and to the nation.” being shouldered by the reductions. “We The Netherlands has moved to increase Over the next 20 to 30 years, the Air will still be the best, most capable air procurement of joint programs, such as Force will be looking closely at the ratio force in the world,” said Heidi H. Grant, the F-35 and MQ-9, and to reach out to between air, space, and cyber in all its deputy undersecretary of the Air Force allies to help build consortiums. core missions and at how to create the for international affairs. USAF’s partners “At the end of the day, it’s nice to have best effect overall. around the world understand, however, the same pallet confi gurations in the back Change is already taking place in many that the US is taking “potential risk” in of a C-17, ... the same weapons that load mission sets. The end of F-22 production capacity. In the future, the US may not up and talk on the same 1760 [data] bus,” meant the F-35 is now being adapted to be able to have the depth to accomplish said Assistant Vice Chief of Staff Lt. perform air superiority missions, and this a full range of operations like it did in Gen. Stephen L. Hoog, on a panel of air involves improving weapons and sensors. March 2011, Grant said, when the Libya attachés. “All of this interoperability we Two of the Air Force’s greatest mis- campaign kicked off, Operation Tomoda- sometimes take for granted is absolutely sion successes are undergoing change: chi in Japan commenced, and wars still essential to the effective integration of ISR and global mobility. Air Mobility needed support in Iraq and Afghanistan. airpower, ... and it can go away.” Command’s Gen. Paul J. Selva stated that “In the future, the question is, will On one point the leadership was clear, the collective global mobility capability we be able to? And that’s where our however: “Our ability to respond is go- of USAF is largely built on studies and partners come in,” Grant said. Allies ing to diminish,” Welsh said, “but when projections performed in 2012. “We’ve will be increasingly important to or- we respond, we’ll still be the best in the advocated [that] we ought to take a look ganize and respond and must build up world when we arrive.” ■ at emerging [operations plans] from our combatant commanders and look forward to the early 2020s,” he said, to get some sense for what the needs of a future force will be, as they will likely not refl ect the capability now fi elded. The same can be said of ISR. In the Gulf War, “nobody knew what ISR was,” Welsh said, and today, at the NCO level, USAF has experts on a range of ISR operations. “The game has changed,” he said. “It has changed principally because the Air Force has built the system, and we ... can move this kind of data all over the world at the speed of light. ... It is a stunningly effective example of American military power,” he said.

No More Soda Straws As the service adapts from an archi- tecture set up to support a large footprint COIN campaign to aid future fi ghts, the question needing an answer is how USAF integrates all the ISR tools it has built up across domains, from signals intelligence to audio and imagery. The era of a fl eet of soda straw-limited views on Preda- tors and Reapers pulling up volumes of full-motion video has to give way to a better method to collect, manage, and Left: The U-2 fl eet is one of the proposed victims of “vertical cuts” that US Air Force disseminate information around the world leaders say are necessary to meet budget limits. Above: Gen. Mark Welsh, USAF Chief of Staff, and James acknowledged the harsh budget realities that will lead to for combatant commanders, Welsh said. a smaller force, but they are confi dent the US Air Force will remain the best in the As adversary capabilities increase, world.

AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 27 Declining Air Force budgets mean the service must consciously trade capacity for capability. Low Budgets, High Technology By John A. Tirpak, Executive Editor

28 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 In this Boeing illustration, a KC-46 nder even the best-case fi nancial scenario, the Air Force in prepares to refuel an F-15 as another the coming years will continue to shrink and be able to do Eagle waits for its turn at the boom. Air less. Consequently, service leaders have made a deliberate Force Secretary Deborah Lee James says the KC-46 remains one of USAF’s decision to trade capacity for capability: preserving the ser- top priorities. vice’s technological edge over world competitors but giving upU the ability to operate in as many places at once. To keep that edge—according to top offi cials at the Air Force Associa- tion’s Air Warfare Symposium, held in February in Orlando, Fla.— USAF will not only stick to its recapitalization efforts, it will expand them. There will be a formal program to go beyond the KC-X tanker program with more aircraft, and “serious” work will begin on a successor to the F-22. The Air Force will move aggressively toward hypersonic systems; improve its weapons, to include directed-energy systems; launch a major new engine program; and work more closely with industry to avoid redundant research and development efforts. Industry speakers at the conference forecast potentially profound changes in manufacturing technologies that could sharply lower costs and shorten the timetable for introducing new weapons. Nevertheless, many speakers noted that USAF’s long-held technological lead has greatly narrowed—perhaps permanently—and the service will require diligent, thoughtful investment to stay ahead.

Putting Two and Two Together Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James, addressing the symposium, explained, “We have to always keep in mind both the strategy of what it is we may be asked to do when the nation calls, but also the ... budget that we are likely to have in the future.” If USAF doesn’t “put those two things together, then in my opinion, our plans, no matter how good they [are] ... simply won’t be realistic,” she said. Speakers gave attendees a preview of the Fiscal 2015 budget and fi ve- year plan that would be released shortly. The Air Force’s budget, like that of the overall Defense Department, proposes spending at one of two levels: an optimistic one that assumes Congress will repeal the Budget Control Act and end the sequester and a second one that assumes the sequester remains in force. At either level, James said, “we will be a smaller Air Force overall, but it is our charge to make sure that we are an Air Force that remains on the cutting edge of technology and able to provide that important capability when the nation calls.” She said she’ll work toward “balancing today’s readi- ness with tomorrow’s readiness.” That means maintaining suffi cient forces able to fi ght tonight while investing adequately in future game-changing technologies to ensure USAF stays ahead of rising competi- tors. Some existing platforms will be selectively modernized or replaced “to ensure that we stay ahead of the threats and remain able to control the skies, project power, and extend global reach for years to come,” James said. As they have been for the past few years, USAF’s top priorities remain the F-35 fi ghter, the KC-46 tanker, and the Long-Range Strike Bomber. Other programs, readiness, force structure, and compensation will all be considered legitimate trade-offs to preserve these three keystone projects. Low Budgets, High Technology

Boeing illustration

AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 29 Bottom (l-r): A1C Nathan White, SrA. Vincent Miller, and SSgt. Irma Hinton transport an inert GBU-32 JDAM to load onto an F-22 at Holloman AFB, N.M., during a load crew competition. USAF Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh III says the F-35 is having the sort of maintenance problems that the F-22 once experienced—and those have been solved.

James promised to work toward “bet- portfolio roadmaps, Welsh said, into “a the F-35 will have to fulfill some of the ter communications and relations with single Air Force master plan.” air superiority mission “before it goes industry,” because USAF depends so and does the things it was supposed to heavily on its “direct contribution ... to Teething Problems be designed to do. It’s just the way it is.” military capability.” Despite the contractions, USAF’s James told reporters in a press confer- Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh core missions will not change, he ence later that she and Welsh have high III said USAF has been working on said, but the service will have to find confi dence the F-35 will deliver the a “30-year look” to the future that he innovative ways to do them all. The expected capability, and Welsh said he characterized as “not an Air Force core missions are air and space supe- fully expects it will achieve the planned strategy” but “a resource strategy” to riority; intelligence, surveillance, and initial operational capability date in 2016. align service investment plans with the reconnaissance; rapid global mobility; The F-35 has had teething problems, funding expected. It will be done by global strike; and command and control. but these are typical of “leap-ahead” June, he said. Perhaps as an add-on, or maybe as an technologies, which the F-35 represents, “This is a call to the future,” he said, to element of all those, USAF will also James said. “A certain amount of this is “make sure we don’t get our feet stuck in have to conduct cyber defense, he said. to be expected,” she observed, but she today” and not have a coherent view of All core missions will be performed reiterated program executive offi cer Lt. where the Air Force needs to be, relative through the employment of cyber, and Gen. Christopher C. Bogdan’s mantra that to its core missions and the future threat. he said USAF people must think of it “there’s no more time, there’s no more “It has to include our strategic priori- not as a tool but as a domain in which money” to get the F-35 up to snuff, and ties and the different lines of operation the service operates. the aircraft will have to be “produced from S&T [science and technology] to “We’re already doing ISR in and on time.” many others that keep us moving in a through the space domain, just like we Welsh said he trusts the opinions of direction that allows us to stay on the did through the air domain. Someday hard-nosed test pilots and those in the leading edge of technology, that keep we will do strike from space,” Welsh initial training cadres who’ve said of the us engaged with industry the way you predicted, but “it may be cyber strike.” designers: “They got the airplane right.” need us to be engaged with you.” This As an example of a system that will The “way it fl ies, the way it handles. ... strategy will be “reviewed every two have to adapt to a new mission, he cited They like [it]. ... Every guy I’ve talked years, and it will be completely updated the F-35. to who’s fl own the airplane will tell you every four years,” Welsh said. It will “The F-22 buy was truncated,” Welsh the same thing.” include a “violent threat assessment,” said. “Good or bad, it doesn’t matter at He told reporters that the concerns he said. this point,” but “we don’t have enough on the F-35—particularly on the main- In parallel, USAF will create a 20-year F-22s to provide air superiority for a tenance side—are “the same kinds” the strategy that will coalesce the various theater’s worth of conflict.” Therefore, service had with the F-22, F-16, and

USAF photo by SrA. Kasey Close

30 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 Below: A Global Hawk remotely piloted aircraft completes 2,000 missions and 30,000 fl ying hours in 2009. USAF, which had planned on retiring the Global Hawk in favor of continuing to fl y the U-2, has reversed positions and now plans on upgrading the RPA with U-2 sensors.

A-10, and those all were resolved. The fi ghter. Nobody wants to hear that, but person authorized to alter the LRS-B’s key now is to bring an operations men- it’s time. ... We’ve got to think and talk requirements. tality to fl ying operations, rather than about it right now.” “There’s nothing happening by ac- a test-fl ight mentality, “which is very, Welsh later told reporters that the cident in the bomber program,” he said very different.” data links are a key investment and his in the press conference. Requirements “You’ve got to be able to have pre- goal is “to make sure everything we can changes have traditionally been the dictable turn rates”—the time it takes to connect into is easily ‘connectable-to,’ if culprit when aircraft costs go up, and he service and ready the aircraft to fl y again. that makes sense.” It will be critical for said USAF is exercising tight discipline “You’ve got to be able to fi x airplanes all USAF systems to be able to talk to on that front. Secrecy is being maintained within a certain time limit.” F-35 opera- each other—and connect with the other for the moment because “we want the tions at Eglin AFB, Fla., are now tracked services. AirSea Battle, he said, is “about program to keep moving and not have this way, he said. extending ranges” and thus being able the distractions that many other programs Though service leaders have vacillated to take advantage of data from forward have as they get closer to fi elding.” about whether they can afford to upgrade deployed Navy sensors on ships, aircraft, At a different symposium, a week later, legacy fi ghters like the F-15 and F-16 and submarines, and vice versa. James said a draft request for proposal with new gear and still buy new F-35s, Welsh announced to conference at- for the bomber is now “out for com- Welsh said in his speech that there’s a tendees that the offi cial name of the ment,” and a fi nal RFP will be issued by plan to do both. KC-46 aircraft is Pegasus, and “it’s a real the end of the year. Lt. Gen. Charles R. “Anything that’s a nice-to-have up- thing, now.” Boeing and USAF have “a Davis, USAF’s top acquisition offi cial, grade on a platform over the next 10 great team” effort on the program, but it told Air Force Magazine the bomber years is out,” Welsh warned. However, only calls for 179 aircraft. When the last source selection will be completed by certain core upgrades must go forward, one is delivered in 2028, “we’ll still have early 2015. such as active electronically scanned 200-plus KC-135s that are 65 years old Welsh also said USAF has “got to get array radars to replace analog systems; or older. So KC-Y and KC-Z also have serious about recapitalizing” nuclear infrared search-and-track gear; and new to become programs, and we’ve got to weapons and facilities. data links. “We can’t opt out of those get on that now,” he said. James and Welsh explained that they things or we will put our people at risk,” The Air Force is “standing strong” on have reversed course on the issue of the he said, nor can new missile or weapon the absolute need to start recapitalizing U-2 versus the RQ-4 Global Hawk. In upgrades be deferred. They’ve “got to its aging bomber fl eet with the Long- the last couple of years, USAF leaders happen” to ensure USAF’s combat vi- Range Strike Bomber, he said. “We planned to retire the Block 30 Global ability in 10 years. have to have that capability. We need Hawk and continue fl ying the U-2, He added, “And folks, it’s time to to deliver it in the mid-2020s.” Welsh because operating costs pointed toward start working on a sixth [generation] later told reporters that he is the only that solution as the most cost-effective

USAF photo by Bobbi Zapka

AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 31 Photo by Richard VanderMeulen Illustration by Erik Simonsen one. However, since then, Congress has press conference. “So we have got to topher J. Bowie, director of Northrop balked at retiring the Block 30s—many pay a lot of attention to S&T.” Grumman’s Analysis Center, said “ad- of them quite new—and Welsh said that The challenge, he said, is “prioritizing ditive” manufacturing—better known due to “negotiations” with Northrop it properly over time and making sure as “3-D printing”—could “completely Grumman, operating costs on the Global we’re taking a long-enough-range look.” disrupt and enhance the manufacturing Hawk have come down signifi cantly. It’s necessary to have that discussion economy.” He noted that Boeing is USAF is also fi guring out how to put with industry partners “so we’re not already using 3-D printing of parts and the U-2’s unique sensors on the Global duplicating S&T funding on something is fl ying some 200 of them on 11 types Hawk and make the RQ-4 capable of that’s already being done.” He said the of aircraft. Northrop Grumman is doing operating in weather. Air Force is looking for ways to save 3-D printing of parts using titanium—not However, “the driving reasons” for money on S&T through collaboration just plastic. choosing one platform over another with the other services. The use of 3-D printing could obviate are not just about cost, but “sensor the need for expensive tooling in many quality,” Welsh told the press. Even Swarm Operations cases, Bowie said. Moreover, it could so, “either one of them could work,” James added that while “everything is truly speed up the process and lower the he said. “We clearly think one is the coming down” in terms of spending, “I cost of aircraft particularly. Imagine, he right answer over the other, but if the think you’re going to fi nd there was an said, how much touch-labor and inspec- decision is to go a different direction, effort to protect these accounts vis-à-vis tion could be eliminated if, instead of we’ll make it work.” some of the others, precisely because it laboriously threading wiring bundles With regard to research, development, is so important to the future.” through an endless series of aircraft science, and technology accounts, James Some of the old bugaboos of intro- bulkheads, “you could theoretically and Welsh provided assurances that nei- ducing new weapons—namely, higher print the wiring loads into the structure.” ther will be slashed in the coming budget. costs and longer development timetables Other “printable” items could include “S&T funding is absolutely essential with each generation—may be turned on “apertures, radar, and so forth”—again, to a service that prides itself on being their heads in the coming years because potentially reducing aircraft costs sub- fueled by innovation. It was born of of emerging technologies. stantially. technology and must stay ahead of the Speaking during a panel discussing the In fact, “a whole new force posture” technological curve,” Welsh said in the “Revolution in Modern Weapons,” Chris- could result because “if a 3-D printer can

Above left: A KC-135R under maintenance in Meridian, Miss. Even after the last KC-46 is delivered in 2028, USAF will have some 200 KC-135s, many more than 65 years old. Above right: In an artist’s concept, a future bomber muscles into posi- tion under a tanker. 32 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 USAF photo by Samuel King Jr.

print an airplane, it can print itself,” with However, Bedke issued a stern warning able amount of damage, at just a dollar profound ramifi cations for the speed of that technology is no longer an imperme- per shot, Lewis said. manufacturing. able shield guaranteeing safety for the US. He noted that hypersonics research is Bowie said that unmanned aircraft Competitors “will be able to strike well along in India, Russia, and China, will see greater use, and they will the United States homeland, even if they and that China recently tested a hyper- cost “one-third to one-half” as much don’t reach our level” of technological sonic glide weapon not unlike USAF’s as manned platforms because they prowess, Bedke said, and the US has done own Common Aerospace Vehicle. These won’t need to provide life support or relatively little to build air defenses for developments are coming “in parallel” an escape mechanism for an aircrew. itself. Enemies will use their newfound with efforts in the US, and he stated that At the same time, they would not be technological options “in their own foreign competitors “are more familiar constrained by the limits of human ways,” and the US is well-advised not to with ... our literature than we are” in the endurance and be able to pull many assume that competitors “will fi ght the subject area. more than nine Gs and fly far more way we do.” The US military “is living Asked what the US can do to prevent than the 11 hours that seem to be the on borrowed time,” he cautioned. high technology from being stolen, par- upper limits for a human pilot. Former USAF Chief Scientist Mark J. ticularly by computer hacking, Bedke said There will soon be a new science of Lewis urged continued robust investment it’s “foolish” to attempt a perfect defense. “swarm” operations involving large num- in S&T, because many technologies sim- “We can’t keep everybody out,” he bers of unmanned aircraft having some ply don’t follow a prescribed timetable said, and pointed to the hubris of the degree of autonomy and automatically for maturity. Lasers were invented in Titanic, the Maginot Line, and the Great working together, he said. 1960, he said, and at fi rst were a “solution Wall of China as barriers that were easily Retired Maj. Gen. Curtis M. Bedke in search of a problem.” Today, nearly compromised. “We have to expect that said weapons and manufacturing tech- 60 years later, and after tremendous in- although you do all you can” to safeguard nology is moving so fast in competitor vestments in research, lasers and other information, “you won’t be completely nations that for some time to come—per- directed energy weapons are on the cusp successful. We ought to take that into haps from now on—“sometimes we’ll be of providing real operational capability account” in deciding whether to fi eld ahead, sometimes even, and sometimes as weapons themselves, not merely as technologies incrementally instead of behind” competitors, and often “we won’t weapon enablers. The Navy has fi elded in huge, one-fell-swoop deployments, know ... for sure” where we stand. its fi rst attack laser at sea, with a select- he said. ■

Above: TSgt. Russ Fontaine maneuvers a bomb into position to be loaded onto an F-35 in August 2013. It was the first time airmen loaded weapons onto a Light- ning II. That the F-35 will perform some air superiority duties is “just the way it is,” said Welsh. AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 33 Are RPA Pilots the New Normal? By Aaron M. U. Church, Associate Editor ,

emotely piloted aircraft have spawned a new breed of professional aviator that the Air Force says is here to stay. The next challenge is to cement a viable career path for the young pilots who cut their teeth guiding these vehicles over Afghanistan. The remotely When airplanes were still strange new weapons in World War I, a piloted aircraft group of pilots came back from Europe who “understood airplanes,” Rsaid Col. William M. Tart, RPA Capabilities Division director on the Air Staff. “Those are the people who started the airlines; those are the people career fi eld, which who started the Air Corps Tactical School.” Airmen coming back from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya are a new cut its teeth controlling generation “with great ideas” and experience “that will propel the future of RPA” given the right opportunities, said Tart. Predators and Reapers Building a new career field—and in many ways a new weap- on—in constant combat hasn’t been easy. Airmen who had in the skies over Iraq and never flown before trained from scratch to fly RPAs in the Air Force’s new training pipeline, alone a major success. Afghanistan, is fi nally settling They have been flying missions “delivering combat ef- fects right out of the gate,” said Col. James Jinnette, into normal operations. Combat Air Forces Division chief at the Pentagon. Combatant commanders have been exceedingly pleased.

34 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 , USAF photo by 2nd Lt. Logan Clark

In Afghanistan, the RPA aviators are “proving their value and they’re proving USAF photo by SrA. Jack Sanders the quality of the training that they’re getting,” said Jinnette. Left: An 18X student with the 6th Reconnaissance Squadron at Holloman AFB, N.M., trains on an MQ-1 Predator simulator. USAF guidance frequently prohibits Like all new ventures, there are issues the release of RPA pilots’ and sensor operators’ names due to operational secu - to address, notably manpower shortages rity. Above: SSgt. Tyler Groff, a crew chief with the 451st Expeditionary Aircraft and advancement and promotion oppor- Maintenance Squadron, checks the propeller of an MQ-9 Reaper before a flight at tunities in a career field still arguably Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. under construction. “We’ve identified shortcomings and challenges to work on not understood, because it didn’t really to man a joystick. With a mandate to and we’re getting after them. That’s the exist yet,” said Jinnette. “In the decade of mount 65 combat air patrols—that many bottom line up front,” said Jinnette. war we’ve had since then, it has become simultaneous orbits flying around-the- The job of flying remotely piloted more recognized as a platform that has clock—by 2013, the old feeder system aircraft came of age amidst two wars immense value and capability in combat proved insufficient. with a voracious appetite for RPA eyes operations.” Even today, “at the most, we end up on the battlefield. When war began over So much so, it has grown up in constant filling 66 percent of all combatant com- Afghanistan, RPA pilot was not a formal- surge mode while undermanned and in manders’ [intelligence, surveillance, and ized career, and no standardized pipeline the thick of combat. Demand grew so reconnaissance] requirements,” said Tart. existed to train pilots. quickly that the Air Force initially pulled To give Air Education and Training “When this RPA enterprise began, it was pilots and combat systems officers from Command breathing room to stand up a novelty. It was something different and the cockpits of fighters and tankers alike an RPA pilot training program, the Air

AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 35 USAF photo

Force took officers straight from under- them their promised opportunity for a it will probably take seven to eight years graduate pilot training to temporarily fly manned cockpit, backfilled by 18X air- to reach. Even without enough bodies, RPAs before continuing to their assigned men graduating from the schoolhouse the Air Force expects to finally hit 65 conventional aircraft. “Since 2009, we’ve at Holloman. CAPs in May, according to Tart. gone from 12 squadrons to 22 squadrons. “There is a lot of still priming-the- With today’s manpower, “the people No other community is doing that kind pump, if you will, to grow the career who are flying those continue to operate of growth,” said Tart. field and play catch-up from the many in what is effectively a surge mode,” said When it became clear RPAs weren’t years of surge,” however, said Shultz. Jinnette. What surge mode means is that a fad, officials knew they needed a more The goal, after more than a decade of the Air Force cannot spare RPA pilots efficient and permanent way to source operations, is to finally “normalize” the for the kind of training and professional pilots. The brand-new 18X Air Force career field with the dedicated structures, development “we would like them to take specialty code was born and AETC set to personnel, and training of a normal Air if they were in another career field or on work building a pipeline to train operators Force mission. “Understand that we never another aircraft,” said Jinnette. In most from zero. “It’s more expensive to send got to a full crew complement across the cases, RPA pilots can’t take normal leave someone through UPT and then over enterprise,” said Tart. Despite the war to recharge. “It takes more [manpower] to the RPAs,” explained RPA Specialty winding down in Afghanistan, “there’s than we have available per CAP to get Manager Lt. Col. Theodore J. Shultz. no lessening in the demand.” Right now, the mission done. ... What’s going to give “It’s much faster and cheaper to create “we’re not even up to the full 65 CAPs’ is personnel development and leave,” he straight-up RPA pilots.” complement of guys” yet, he said. explained. This is exactly what the Air Force is Officers need more than just flying to now doing. With the undergraduate RPA Normalizing be competitive for promotion and com- training pipeline, and now the MQ-1 The Air Force is working several man- mand slots, and more than combat hours Predator/MQ-9 Reaper formal training power studies to evaluate the long-term to remain proficient aviators. “That’s unit up and running at Holloman AFB, need, but to fully man the current CAP stunted right now because of the surge N.M., “we’ve put out about 168 brand- mandate takes 1,600 Active Duty RPA mode that we’re still in,” said Jinnette. As new 18X [personnel] per year” not only pilots, according to Shultz. “A lot of that quickly as demand wanes in Afghanistan, to backfill those departing but also to growth is in the staff, ... normalizing the combatant commanders are jostling to begin alleviating the burden on airmen, [USAF] Weapons School and FTUs and snap up CAPs. “People want these things said Shultz. some of the other non-direct operational in the [Mediterranean], they want them in By the time the first class of pilots units,” he said. the Pacific, they want them in the Persian trained from scratch in the new pipeline The pool stands at 1,300 pilots, about Gulf,” and pretty much everywhere US graduated from Holloman as qualified 30 percent of them organically trained forces are engaged. Predator and Reaper pilots in 2012, the 18X. The rest are reclassified or cross- Paradoxically, the surge that compli- Air Force had snatched 245 UPT-direct trained pilots or aircrew. “There is still cates attaining equilibrium is “part of pilots to fill the void. The service has growth to be done to reach that final what’s driving our normalization,” said already offered roughly two-thirds of enterprise size,” said Shultz, noting that Jinnette. “We’ve now accepted that the

36 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 Left: An MQ-1 Predator flies over Creech AFB, Nev., in 2011. Below: Airmen move a Reaper at Kandahar in preparation for an Operation Enduring Freedom mission in 2013. The Predator/Reaper training unit at Holloman is putting out some 168 new 18X personnel per year.

required,” said Shultz. This aimed not rates were already beginning to pick up, only at professionalizing the enterprise according to Shultz. but also opening suitable advancement New RPA tracks at the Weapons School opportunities for RPA operators. at Nellis AFB, Nev., and the USAF Test Pilot School (TPS) at Edwards AFB, Building Viable Careers Calif.—combined with other normalizing Congress and academics alike have efforts—have helped. criticized the inadequate opportunities Pilots who’ve graduated from the Weap- and low promotion rates within the RPA ons School or TPS are “looked at differ- force. Both are areas the Air Force is ently” by promotion boards, compared to working to improve. those who haven’t, said Tart. Before RPA Lawmakers inserted language into tracks existed at these schools “you never the Fiscal 2013 defense authorization had that check mark on your block.” Now legislation tasking the Air Force to study that there’s a formal training unit at Hol- and report on the cause for RPA officers’ loman, pilots can up their competitiveness “persistently lower average” career de- by instructing, too. Until recently, “you velopment and promotion rates. didn’t have all the benefits of a normalized Lt. Col. Lawrence Spinetta, then an career field from which to have an officer Air University fellow, penned an equally who looks good on paper,” said Jinnette. critical assessment in a 2013 Air & Space It’s getting to the point where “now it’s a Power Journal article, citing a slew of system” to advance and promote within factors inhibiting RPA officers’ progres- the RPA career track, which is already demand is not going to go away just sion and command opportunities. pushing up officers’ promotion rates to because of any change in Afghanistan.” Neither is a simple problem, but “if major and beyond. This is solidifying the importance of I were to say it properly, the career RPAs and guaranteeing a long-term place path is in definition,” said Tart. “All the A Chance To Command for them in the Air Force. leadership understands that RPAs are Manning and operations tempos still One of the first actions taken to “nor- a major aspect of the future” and are make it difficult to send pilots away malize” the RPA enterprise was to recode working within manpower and budgetary for activities such as Squadron Officer flying and staff billets as 18X, effectively constraints to resolve these issues. “We School, needed to move up the chain. preventing non-RPA pilots with conven- see it as a normalized career field that Even when fully manned, though, Tart tional flying experience from filling the needs to be more normalized. ... It’s not pointed out that the Air Force isn’t about RPA slots. This includes flying slots in there yet, but we’re working that way,” “having a lot of fat so that people can operational units clear up to the division said Jinnette. résumé-build.” Pursuing an advanced chief level on the Air Staff. “Those billets By the time the Air Force reported to degree on top of a day job isn’t easy for are now hard-coded to be RPA-expertise Congress in summer 2013, promotion any officer, RPA pilot or not, he said.

USAF photo by SrA. Jack Sanders

AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 37 USAF photo by Lt. Col. Leslie Pratt Leslie Col. Lt. by photo USAF

The upside is that RPA operators on he said. “It’s not like this is a special An MQ-1 Predator armed with Hell- the whole are young. The bulk fall in boutique problem.” fire missiles flies a combat mission rank between second lieutenant and The Air Force is at least looking at over southern Afghanistan captain; this gives leaders a chance to all options, up to and including force build the pathway out ahead of them as structure changes, to breach barriers. they progress. With billions of dollars cut from the lines of effort that we’re getting at, one “I’m the only colonel 18X, and then defense budget, Jinnette said the real is staff, one is command opportunities: the next 18X is a major,” stated Tart. problem is money. “The idea of growing ... There’s a whole list of things we all The enterprise is new enough that the number of units to allow command have to dial up,” he said. last summer it produced its first RPA- opportunities is something that has to qualified wing commander: Col. James be carefully considered. ... There’s an Happy Ending Cluff, a former fighter pilot-cum RPA overhead cost,” he said. “It might make Clearly, airmen do see a rewarding operator. He commanded an RPA squad- more sense to support the warfighter and future in the RPA business. Of the 245 ron at Creech AFB, Nev., and now heads have more units in different places. ... I pilots pulled directly from flight school, 37 the 432nd Wing there. don’t want it to sound at all like we’re percent turned down a guaranteed fighter, “Those are the successes” that build moving out that way, but we’re not bomber, or airlifter slot to continue flying momentum and pave the way for young ignoring it.” RPAs, noted Shultz. Tart highlighted a officers coming up behind them, Tart Getting back to RPA officers’ average young UPT-direct pilot he’d known during said. age, though, creating staff and squadron his time as operations group commander RPAs are quickly becoming one of the level billets is more pressing—and ar- at Creech as an example. Air Force’s largest flying communities. guably easier at present. “We’ve got to “She was the No. 1 lieutenant out of 200 As Spinetta, now 69th Reconnaissance work on the squadron commander piece pilots” at UPT, he said. After her three-year Group commander at Grand Forks AFB, and the ops group piece … before we assignment was up, she said, ‘Absolutely, N.D., noted, a single wing manages the can really get there,” said Tart. I want to stay here and do this,’ ” recalled bulk of regular Air Force RPA forces. Most RPA pilots right now are look- Tart. “She went on to Weapons School,” The remaining operational and training ing at what it takes to make captain or became an RPA instructor, and will be “a squadrons are nestled under non-RPA major, to command a squadron, or serve future leader in RPA for sure,” he said. wings dominated by fighters, bombers, or on a major command staff. All this will “The current ops group commander at special operations. The result is a career prepare them for higher level command Holloman was a squadron commander bottleneck at the wing command level, when leaders are able to create billets at Creech,” he added. severely limiting RPA pilots’ chances down the road, said Tart. “Finding guys “I would not say that it’s all solved to lead a major command, joint-service who can fit that mold to be a squadron and it’s all good, but we know what combatant command, or even the Air commander” and helping them along is we’re getting after and we’re starting Force later down the road. the task at hand, he said. Whether 18X, to develop lines of effort as a service to “Every Chief of Staff during the last or officers who chose to permanently resolve those,” said Jinnette. 50 years commanded a wing” as part of cross over, Shultz said, “we’ll continue He noted that the RPA community has his career development, wrote Spinetta. to proactively return and look for op- had to answer critics before, such as when While the Air Force is concerned about portunities” to make certain that billets it set up a schoolhouse to quickly train the issue, it’s not unique to RPAs, said exist “once they do reach those ranks.” operators without sending them through Jinnette. “If you look at some of our Jinnette said the Air Force has made traditional flight training. The Air Force big-wing ISR, you’ll see very limited great strides normalizing the RPA career views this as a monumental success that wings associated with a lot of people,” field. “If you think about 20 different many initially doubted was possible. n

38 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 Books Special: CSAF Reading List 2014

Compiled by Chequita Wood, Media Research Editor

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III released his 2014 reading list in February. Twelve books form the centerpiece of the list, but it also includes fi lms, photographs, and art. In introducing the list, Welsh said, “I hope they inspire you to tell your Air Force story.”

The Art of Signifi cance: Crucial Conversations: Tools The Doolittle Raid: America’s Fearless: The Undaunted Achieving the Level Be- for Talking When Stakes Are Daring First Strike Against Courage and Ultimate Sac- yond Success. Dan Clark. High. Kerry Patterson, Joseph Japan. Carroll V. Glines. rifi ce of Navy SEAL Team Penguin Group, New York Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Schiffer Publishing, Atglen, PA SIX Operator Adam Brown. (212-366-2000). 256 pages. Switzler. McGraw-Hill, Black- (610-593-1777). 272 pages. Eric Blehm. Waterbrook Press, $12.99. lick, OH (877-833-5524). 256 $29.99. Colorado Springs, CO (800- pages. $18.00. 603-7051). 290 pages. $14.99.

A Higher Call: An Incredible House to House: An Epic On Combat: The Psychology Sticking Points: How To Get True Story of Combat and Memoir of War. David Bel- and Physiology of Deadly 4 Generations Working To- Chivalry in the War-Torn lavia with John R. Bruning. Confl ict in War and in Peace. gether in the 12 Places They Skies of World War II. Adam Simon & Schuster, New Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, USA Come Apart. Haydn Shaw and Makos with Larry Alexander. York (800-223-2336). 336 (Ret.), and Loren W. Chris- Stephen M. R. Covey. Tyndale Penguin Group, New York pages. $7.99. tensen. Warrior Science Publica- House Publishers, Carol (212-366-2000). 400 pages. tions, Milstadt, IL (618-476- Stream, IL (800-323-9400). 285 $26.95. 3200). 403 pages. $16.45. pages. $17.99.

Switch: How To Change Undaunted: The Real Story The Unseen War: Allied Air Worm: The First Digital Things When Change of America’s Servicewomen Power and the Takedown of World War. Mark Bowden. Is Hard. Chip Heath and in Today’s Military. Tanya Saddam Hussein. Benjamin Atlantic Monthly Press, Jack- Dan Heath. Random Biank. NAL Caliber, New York S. Lambeth. Naval Insti- son, TN (800-343-4499). 288 House, New York (800- (212-366-2000). 369 pages. tute Press, Annapolis, MD pages. $15.00. 726-0600). 320 pages. $16.00. (800-233-8764). 480 pages. $26.00. $59.95.

AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 39 he Air Force is working to en- will “make important investments to Nuclear readiness has some similari- sure its nuclear forces maintain preserve a safe, secure, reliable, and ties to the fl ying mission, but is unique their high state of readiness. effective nuclear force,” Hagel said in and entails practicing for the mission Perhaps no Air Force mis- a February briefi ng to preview the 2015 without being employed in combat. “In sion has received more scrutiny defense budget request. NDO, we are pretty clear as to how we in the past six years than the On the Air Force’s side, upholding do that: If you are a unit, you are evalu- Toperation and maintenance of the na- its nuclear standards will mean the ated for traditional readiness, ... with tion’s nuclear-capable bombers and service is paying close attention to [operational readiness inspections], ... intercontinental ballistic missiles. airmen’s professional development and then compliance with nuclear surety Big changes began in June 2008 investments in equipment—to ensure inspections,” Harencak said. when the Air Force Chief of Staff and nuclear readiness rates do not suffer. A nuclear operational readiness in- Secretary were fi red by then-Defense spection, or NORI, provides the metrics Secretary Robert M. Gates for high- Defi ne Readiness to measure performance and is the profi le nuclear security lapses. This effort comes at a time when the standard the Air Force should hold its The Air Force placed considerable Air Force’s nuclear deterrence opera- nuclear units to, Harencak believes. new attention on its nuclear mission. tions, or NDO, are undergoing a transi- “Fundamentally, that’s how I would This included activating Air Force tion. Maj. Gen. Garrett Harencak, who defi ne readiness,” he said. “Can you do Global Strike Command to oversee oversees the A10 said USAF is working your wartime mission now, right now? the service’s B-2A and B-52H bomb- to protect its nuclear readiness accounts How we determine [that] is through ers and its Minuteman III ICBMs. The from the effects of budget volatility. inspections.” Air Force also established an offi ce on “Everybody took some cuts. ... There One hard-to-balance issue is the the Air Staff for overseeing nuclear was some underfunding, some un- nuclear mission’s need for expertise matters, the A10. derinvestments,” he said in a January and specialization versus the need to The challenges did not end there, interview. The concern is “these bills expose NDO airmen to the wider Air however. Late in 2013 came a series are going to come back due again.” Force. The missile and bomber units of reports on new mishaps and morale The Pentagon’s guidance to the are located at just a few bases, and both problems within the ICBM force, which services on readiness refl ects this view. internal Defense Department studies is being reduced (as is the nuclear-ca- “Readiness of an individual unit is and RAND reports indicate that career pable bomber fl eet) to meet the ceilings the result of a series of time-intensive advancement is a concern of airmen in imposed by the New START agreement programs that train qualifi ed people the nuclear mission. with Russia. and prepare working equipment to be Since standing up AFGSC, the Air In light of all this, Air Force and deployed, operated, and ultimately Force has placed a “laser focus” on DOD leaders are working to improve recovered,” states a 2013 fact sheet on nuclear operations. “That meant that the service’s nuclear force. Defense readiness impacts. For example, it takes there are parts of the Air Force that Secretary Chuck Hagel said the nuclear three to six months for a given unit to don’t have exposure to the nuclear enter- triad of land-, air-, and sea-based de- regain lapsed profi ciency qualifi cations prise,” said Harencak. “When you just livery systems will be preserved, and in a fl ying mission, according to the centralize into a few places, that has an the mission will not be neglected. DOD fact sheet. advantage. But one of the disadvantages

USAF photo by A1C Joshua Kleinholz Nuclear Readiness

40 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 is that the pride and professionalism twofold: first evaluating for traditional passing score the second time around. [of the NDO community] is not always readiness via NORIs, then measuring Harencak said the setup with NORIs exposed to the general population of compliance via nuclear surety inspec- and NSIs is, by and large, working. the Air Force and the DOD.” tions, or NSIs. Every 36 months, each “I have not met anyone who has ever This balance is one the Air Force is ICBM and nuclear-capable bomber had to experience an NSI [who] does working on, together with its partners unit undergoes a NORI, with inspec- not believe it is the toughest inspec- in the Navy’s nuclear community, as it tors scrutinizing operations from top tion the US military gives to itself,” seeks to retain a skilled and specialized to bottom. They grade a unit in four he said. “It is very intrusive, it is very workforce but also give it exposure and areas: force generation, employment, detail-oriented, and it uncovers every opportunity for advancement across the reconstitution, and surety. They rate a rock and opens every door.” US military. unit as being outstanding, excellent, While there are different metrics for The dual-capable bomber force also satisfactory, marginal, or unsatisfac- missile wings than for bomber units, provides conventional capabilities, tory. the underlying principles are the same. and the Air Force routinely rotates Missile operations are “fundamen- heavy bombers to Guam as part of the The Toughest Inspection tally different” from flying operations, continuous bomber presence in the The Air Force has conducted nine and so the Air Force maintains a set Asia-Pacifi c region to provide stability NORIs since 2010, resulting in two of metrics to measure performance in there. In 2012, AFGSC moved to six- outstanding ratings, four excellent the NORIs and NSIs. Most are classi- month rotations instead of four-month scores, and three satisfactory marks, fied, and commanders rarely discuss rotations for its B-52 deployments to according to Harencak. This set of specifics of NSI failures. But failure Guam. This change cut logistical costs results is historically higher than the is part of the system, said Harencak. and added greater mission stability, average operational readiness inspec- It is the human capital aspect of while allowing crews to practice tasks tion rate, he said. But they go the extra readiness that attracts as much time and related to both conventional and nuclear step with NDO; they also evaluate the attention as sorties and missile tests. deterrence operations. unit’s ability to comply. “Our people will make mistakes,” said The Air Force is now well-versed in This involves a separate inspection, Harencak. “We don’t make excuses how to manage pilots, weapon systems the NSI, carried out by inspectors ev- for it.” offi cers, and other aircrew members, ery 14 months. The inspections cover “If everyone were passing all the said Harencak, and in how to oversee safety, security, and storage issues time, there would be something to the “seeds and weeds” tasks that airmen pertaining to how a unit handles its por- worry about,” he said. “Some people must accomplish before the service can tion of the nuclear deterrence mission. will fall short.” declare a unit combat-ready. “Many of The NSI is an exhaustive inspection The Air Force has made progress the skill sets are reasonably transfer- and there are only two results possible: in the last 10 years in managing the rable,” he said. But “one of the things pass or fail. Last summer, the 341st human capital side of the nuclear we have to juggle is how do we measure Missile Wing at Malmstrom AFB, enterprise, but work remains. Reports readiness to do both those missions Mont., garnered attention for failing emerged detailing morale problems simultaneously?” an NSI. Inspectors later retested the inside the ICBM cadre, along with a For nuclear units, the answer is unit. It redeemed itself by earning a perceived lack of career advancement

Despite the recent distractions, USAF’s nuclear bomber and ICBM forces must keep focused.

Nuclear ReadinessBy Marc V. Schanz, Senior Editor

AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 41 USAF photo by SSgt. Jonathan Snyder

Left: USAF personnel transport a re-entry system to be installed at an ICBM facility near Malmstrom AFB, Mont. Above: Capt. Arthur Jones (l) and Capt. Jared Bishop during missile launch procedures

USAF photos by SSgt. Jonathan Snyder training at Vandenberg AFB, Calif. opportunities, staffing shortages, and Equipment investments, from B-52 The Air Force and DOD will have burnout, according to a preliminary upgrades to missile alert facilities, are to make some “tough choices” about RAND study briefed to AFGSC leader- intertwined with how the Air Force nuclear force structure in the coming ship in 2013. measures its nuclear readiness. years, said Harencak. “DOD and our Air How we educate and motivate war- A 2013 RAND study on nuclear sus- Force [are] going to have to come to grips riors “matters as much today, and tainment refl ects Harencak’s perspec- with the fact we are living in 2014, not probably matters more, simply because tive. “Foremost among these unique 1974,” he said. “How we operate may we are smaller than we once were,” aspects [of NDO] is the nature of the need to change: how we acquire, how said Harencak. The nuclear mission mission itself: deterrence and extended we train, how we procure.” comprises five percent of the Air deterrence, which are as much about In November, USAF Chief of Staff Force’s force structure and takes up political effects as military effects,” Gen. Mark A. Welsh III said nuclear less than one percent of the budget states the report. “These objectives deterrence strategy is something “we for operations. are relevant to sustainment because should be thinking and talking about all As a result, USAF is tweaking profes- sustainment is ultimately the long-term the time.” The daily cost of operating sional military education within nuclear maintenance of a capability, and the the ICBM fl eet, for example, “is not deterrence operations to give airmen degree to which that effort is success- that signifi cant compared to the cost of the training and tools to perform the ful depends on whether these mission running other things; in fact, it’s actually mission. This includes classes ranging objectives are met.” fairly small.” from Nuclear 100 to Nuclear 400 to The possible modernization bill, how- placing funding priority on what are Honest Debate ever, is not small and will get close deemed “key nuclear billets.” The mission, the report notes, is only examination. This will lead to “a very The Air Force develops key personnel as effective as its credibility. Testing honest debate about where we can afford who have nuclear expertise and now fi lls ICBMs at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., is an to invest, where we must invest, and the billets to 100 percent in a given unit example of highly visible sustainment how does that relate to a strategy going before others. “That [billet] becomes a efforts that could also be classifi ed as forward for the nation,” said Welsh. “I force multiplier,” said Harencak. a mission-readiness activity. think it’s a fair debate and the Air Force The Air Force’s nuclear readiness The reverse is true as well. “If an needs to be in the middle of it.” has a much tighter relationship with entire fleet of dual-capable aircraft Harencak, for his part, believes modernization and sustainment than were grounded, ... it would be a vis- discussions about the mission’s fu- some other missions. USAF really can’t ible indication of a lack of a credible ture should be separated from cost write any sustainment and moderniza- deterrent in one portion of the nuclear debates. “The numbers are not what tion off, said Harencak of investment triad,” states RAND. This is why matter. What matters is what we can cutbacks in O&M accounts. “We are sustainment and readiness factor into control, is the mission at hand,” he supposed to fl y a certain number of resource decisions together in a manner said. “Doing things the right way, and sorties and do a certain number of “that differs from most conventional doing that thing right, that is what we continuous training events.” capabilities.” should focus on,” he said. I

42 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 Air Force Association’s

CONFERENCE and technology exposition 2014

SEPTEMBER 15-17, 2014 GAYLORD NATIONAL HOTEL & CONFERENCE CENTER NATIONAL HARBOR, MD emotely piloted aircraft of human control alters the concept of University team sponsored by the Offi ce of such as the MQ-9 Reaper legitimate action. Naval Research. These robots could even and RQ-4 Global Hawk are Discomfort persists. “Drones are a “act as objective, unblinking observers manned by squadrons of technological step that further isolates the on the battlefi eld, reporting any unethical pilots and sensor operators on the ground. American people from military action,” behavior back to command,” they said in RFive or 10 years from now, however, law professor Mary L. Dudziak said, the report “Autonomous Military Robotics: that may no longer be the case, as full according to The New Yorker in a 2009 Risk, Ethics, and Design.” autonomy for air vehicles is well within article. The release of the November 2012 Taken to the extreme, autonomy theo- the Air Force’s technical reach. guidelines stirred calls for an executive retically enhances legitimacy. “Future According to USAF offi cials, artifi cial order stating that lethal and nonlethal generations may come to regard tactical intelligence and other technology advances attack with fully autonomous weapons warfare as properly the business of ma- will enable unmanned systems to make violates the law of war. chines and not appropriate for people at and execute complex decisions required Intriguingly, there is a vocal group on all,” noted Thomas K. Adams in a 2001 for full autonomy sometime in the decade the other side, too. These scientists see article for the US Army War College’s after 2015. autonomy as a means to reduce error journal Parameters, reprinted in 2011. Advances in information management, and enhance the legitimacy of the use of A consensus on the proper roles for vehicles, and weapons have opened the force. While some decry the growth of autonomy is lagging behind the techni- door to highly complex applications of autonomy, others have pointed out it can cal possibilities. For example, most in autonomy with far less human intervention subtract human weaknesses from combat. the debate agree that weapon autonomy in the mission timeline. Threat is a driver, Full-scale robots “would be unaffected by is more acceptable for self-defense of a too: Technical advances in autonomy can the emotions, adrenaline, and stress that fi xed air base or a platform such as an improve reaction time and chances for cause soldiers to overreact or deliberately aircraft carrier at sea. Automated close-in mission success in contested or denied overstep the rules of engagement,” hy- defensive fi res systems like the Phalanx 20 airspace. pothesized a California Polytechnic State mm gun were designed to search, track, The Pentagon says full speed ahead. In November 2012, then-Deputy Secre- tary of Defense Ashton B. Carter issued new guidelines on autonomous weapons development. The guidelines authorized combatant commanders to incorporate more weapon systems with autonomy into operational missions. The The intent was to pursue operational advantages and “allow commanders and operators to exercise appropriate levels of human judgment in the use of force,” according to the policy directive. Two more thumbs up came from the Autonomy undersecretary of defense for acquisition, By Rebecca Grant technology, and logistics, Frank Kendall III, and the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. James A. Winnefeld Question Jr., when they released an updated un- manned systems roadmap in 2013. “Autonomy in unmanned systems will Where should humans step aside be critical to future confl icts that will be fought and won with technology,” the and let the machines take over? roadmap noted. Autonomy refers to what a machine can do by itself. The concept started out as a way to reduce the workload of human operators by transferring partial operations to a machine process—e.g., an airplane’s autopilot mode.

Dark and Light Autonomy technologies stand to make a major difference in the contested bat- tlespace—but they will be contested in public debate, too. Increasing levels of autonomy stir controversy when they touch on deep-seated fears and values surrounding the use of force. At issue is whether repositioning the elements

44 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 Question Autonomy The AIR FORCE Magazine cannot be avoided. employment of autonomous weapons a fig leaf. Questions about offensive defensive weaponwillsoonbetoosmall is that sanctioning autonomy only as a a specified period of time? The point does the input have to take place within parameters skate under the barrier, or human commanderssetthemission system fit the criteria? Would having missile launch site by an autonomous blur. Does pre-emptive attack against a life are considered well within bounds. self-defense systems to protect human installations. In other words, automated critical or saturation attacks on manned Phalanx whenthey areusedtothwart time- supervised semiautomatic weapons like rent DODpolicy explicitly approves more than 100 intercepts by 2010. Cur- forward operating bases in Iraq recorded Phalanx systems deployed extensively at and engage automatically. Land-based Problems arisewhenthosedistinctions By RebeccaGrant / April 2014 before it, autonomy puts USAF again at nologies. As withmany technologies policy issues surrounding autonomy tech- engaged with both the operational and efficiency in the loop. There’s every chance to keep ethics and force commander’s mission and intent. a larger framework of the human joint Autonomous operationswillremainwithin Force. But the team’s insight is broader. act) Loop as an obvious choice for the Air the OODA (observe, orient, decide, and for metrics?” The AFRL team pointed to look atthehumaneffectiveness community Machines replace humans—so why not will, to replace pilot decision functions. are designing algorithms, agents if you metrics. “The great insight was this: We on the challenge of setting up autonomy Air Force Research Laboratory team took ation and discipline. Writing in 2002, an autonomous systems to blue-suit evalu- Expect the Air Force tobeclosely One way ahead could be to subject

USN photo by Mass Communications Spec. 3rd Class William Weinert fi nding the appropriate cognitive level DOD Systems.” the report, “The Role of Autonomy in their value to DOD operations,” stated autonomous capabilities,have proven vehicle technologies, even with limited autonomy is here to stay. “Unmanned of defense. The starting point was that commissioned by the deputy secretary Board completed a study of autonomy the mission timeline. decrease the human crew intervention in applications of autonomy could greatly to fully autonomous systems. The next be seen as just a waypoint on the road notoriety, the Predator/Reaper family can level of autonomous systems. For all their operations. MQ-1 Predator reliable enough for routine guidance that made systems such as the the wide availability of precision satellite the mid-1990’s advances in software and and during the Vietnam War, but it was Autonomous aircraft were flown prior to of autonomy developed quite recently. again today. reasoning, and judgment—as most would the advantage in improvisation, inductive today. However, Fitts also gave humans would probably be awarded to machines light and faint sounds. Both categories periods of time and in perception of dim humans the edge in storing data for long technology of the early 1950s, Fitts gave “Machines Are Better At.” Based on the ing “Men Are Better At” and five more as and machines.” of dividing responsibility between men list as “a general answer to the problem air traffic control when he developed his and machine head-on. Fitts was studying addressed the distinction between man ogy professor Paul M. Fitts in 1951. It on autonomy was proposed by psychol- mans at many tasks. An early guideline machines may be more skillful than hu- or phase of mission.” of autonomy as appropriate for the type will retain the ability to change the level Flight Plan 2009-2047” put it: “Humans Air Force’s “Unmanned Aircraft Systems art of warfare. the leading edge of major changes in the USS Monterey. Phalanx’s 20 mm gun is test-fired from and destroy incoming threats. Here, a Phalanx systems autonomously track The study thenraised the issueof In summer 2012, the Defense Science The real dilemma is not the current Military operations with higher levels Fitts grouped six tasks under the head- Researchers have long understood that Thus, humans remain in control. As the 45 for handoffs between human control and would make it possible to filter out hu- but added restrictions against targeting software autonomy. The DSB report also man control through most or all mission humans. The guidelines also built in a acknowledged that “allocations may vary segments. safeguard by mandating that autonomous by mission phase as well as echelon.” Why push for more autonomy? It may systems “complete engagements in a Notably, all current DOD unmanned be essential to completing missions in a time frame consistent with commander systems are remotely operated; they can contested environment. and operator intentions, and if unable default to true automation only briefly Reapers over Afghanistan operated in a to do so, terminate engagements or seek and “in extreme circumstances, such relatively permissive environment under additional human operator input before as a lost link condition,” as DOD puts full control of human operators using satel- continuing the engagement.” it. Making the distinction “is important lite links. Full autonomy in various types Programming in the commander’s because our community vernacular often of air vehicles may be needed if satellite intent could extend a long leash to autono- uses the term ‘autonomy’ to incorrectly links between unmanned aircraft and mous missions. Under broad interpretation describe automated operations,” the their remote operator crews are hacked or of this concept, human input sets param- report chided. disrupted. Remote operators can maintain eters but hands off final task execution The debate on autonomy is likely to near-constant contact with unmanned decisions to autonomous systems. heat up. The near future holds both tech- systems in a permissive environment. That may seem a bold step. But grow- nological advances and mission require- However, rapid, autonomous execution ing threats could urge it along. ments that will keep the spotlight on this of part of a mission could be invaluable The US is not the only nation pursu- development. against anti-access systems. ing autonomy. According to the DSB, it Just what does increased performance In the case of an unmanned aircraft is also time for the US to plan explicitly of autonomous flight technology portend switching to autonomous mode in denied for adversary use of autonomous systems. for the Air Force? Autonomy could spread airspace, independent operation might Likewise, the 2012 directive on autonomy in several ways and USAF is poised to be also permit the aircraft to make onboard stipulates that systems “function as antici- at the center of it. decisions about its sensor operations based pated in realistic operational environments The first application will be greater on weather, mission priorities, etc. The against adaptive adversaries.” autonomy for individual vehicles. More fusion of intelligence and surveillance than a decade ago, researchers at AFRL information has made this a near-term Forming Up led by Bruce T. Clough defined a fully prospect. Another step in autonomy goes beyond autonomous system this way: “The UAV Under this concept, speed improves what one single aircraft can do. In the [unmanned aerial vehicle] receives goals as autonomous systems detect, process, near future, autonomous systems could from the humans and translates that into and act on the information. Additional also engage in collaboration. Passive, tasks, which it does without human inter- autonomy would be an advantage. A con- line-of-sight links have been explored vention. The UAV has authority to make tested, denied access environment could by researchers as a means to control un- all decisions.” require more autonomy just to complete manned formations either from a manned Systems are close to employing dy- the kill chain. “lead” aircraft or from another unmanned namic tasking where the vehicle itself can It’s possible that unmanned aircraft may vehicle. The goal is for followers to select its next move. The most advanced be tasked to acquire targets and release maintain relative range while the leader vehicles like Global Hawk already have weapons. The Pentagon’s 2012 policy left maneuvers. Software in the loop deter- programmed in subroutines that can cover the door open for autonomous targeting mines the guidance inputs. significant portions of their missions. Gen- eral Atomics Aeronautical Systems notes the Predator B can be flown as remotely piloted or “fully autonomous.” Recognizing this, the Air Force laid out goals for full mission autonomy for air vehicles in the 2009 UAS flight plan. Milestones such as autonomous flight, automatic target engagement, and com- mand of autonomy were anticipated for the 2015 to 2025 time period. Dynamic tasking would permit au- tomatic selection of flight and mission profiles by the aircraft itself. Crucial steps in the autonomy chain include avoiding collision, detecting other air vehicles, in- flight diagnostics, and mission replanning. While the choice could be monitored, the decision inputs would be carried out onboard the aircraft. Doing more onboard

Airmen move an MQ-9 Reaper at Kan- dahar Airfield, Afghanistan, in prepara- tion for a mission in 2013. Autonomous flight and automatic target engage- ment may be coming.

46 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 Success in automated air refueling is a and Navy future air dominance project, Dealing with data faster has obvious harbinger of more autonomy. However, the said Defense Advanced Research Projects military advantages. The Air Force has trick in recent tests has been for software Agency Director Arati Prabhakar in April been hinting at this revolution for quite to grasp and react correctly to the many at the Pentagon. some time. minute inputs generated by two vehicles Similarly, the Obama Administration’s Former Chief of Staff Gen. John P. in close flight. The next step is formation concept for a new long-range strike family Jumper spoke often of the need for a self- flight of two, four, or more air vehicles. of systems includes teaming between a forming, self-healing network to maximize All of this is within reach. The Air manned or optionally manned bomber and command of data. In 2004, he described Force’s 2009 unmanned aircraft systems an unmanned strike or electronic warfare the value of data as seen in Operation flight plan summed up specific projections platform. As the manned–unmanned in- Iraqi Freedom in March 2003. “Now, that for progress on technologies such as “see terface moves into the mainstream, MUM networking was crude,” said Jumper. “It and avoid.” raises second-order issues. Long segments was machine-to-machine interfaces, but “The same technologies that keep UAS of flight in collaborative formation with it was crude.” Airmen did it “on the chat from any airborne collision will also enable profile changes would practically consti- networks at the speed of typing, not the UAS formation flight,” the report said. tute an autonomous mission fleet. speed of light.” Teams of multiple vehicles coordi- So far, the autonomy discussion has Part of the answer, of course, is more nating movements without the constant centered on vehicles. However, operating autonomy. The requirement for autonomy intervention from human controllers is an a platform with no crew on board is not in information stems first from the sheer alluring concept of operations. Research the only mode for autonomy. It also holds mass of data—which, coincidentally, was laboratories have already tested autono- possibilities further up the command and generated in large part by the plethora of mous formation flight of small, unmanned control chain—specifically, in autonomous unmanned systems. vehicles, for example. adaptive planning. Sensor and intelligence Rapidly making sense of this data Of course, a group of autonomous data processing may need to increase re- requires more automated processing. vehicles has to stay in sync—one of liance on autonomy routines to perform Referring back to the Fitts criteria, there the most difficult technical hurdles. The operations at a faster pace. is little question that the machine can system as a whole will have to verify that The capability for such an application perform data matches more quickly than the vehicles are receiving a single set of isn’t in doubt. Machines have long since human analysts. Then there is the un- commands and executing them correctly. demonstrated their prowess as logic tools. structured information generated as text, Tactical mastery might come first as The computer Deep Blue beat champion video, social media, and more. The key is a partnership between manned and un- Garry Kasparov at chess way back in 1997. to add automated layers of data process- manned systems. The first application It would not be far-fetched to assign to ing that conform to mission needs and for fully autonomous vehicles could be a machine the flow of forces, logistics, present actionable information as quickly within the manned-unmanned interface initial shaping operations, and even de- as possible. often abbreviated as MUM. The interface cisive operations in the campaign plan. This could be the second source of is already part of plans for next genera- (Computers already handle primary joint demand for more autonomy. In the 2000s, tion systems. logistics processes.) The reason for doing faster data processing enabled counterter- For example, “we’re talking about so could be speed of planning, eliminating rorism operations—but they unfolded over how manned and unmanned systems fatigue, or even just spitting out dozens of long periods of time in permissive airspace might work together” on an Air Force campaign plans for possible comparison. and uncluttered electronic environments. To be sure, there are still many technical hurdles to clear as autonomy advances. Certain key enablers must USAF photo USAF be available in order to realize the full benefits of autonomy, according to DOD. The list includes mission planning that is easy to change, guaranteed precision navigation, and timing; better cross- cueing by sensors both on an offboard; and the major issue of how and when to disseminate data from autonomous systems to others engaged in a battle. Efficient use of bandwidth for data transmission is another major concern. Add in contested environments, false targets, and an information-savvy foe and the need for autonomous informa- tion processing could grow by leaps and bounds. n

Rebecca Grant is president of IRIS In­ dependent Research. Her most recent article for Air Force Magazine was “How Many Aircrew?” in the January issue.

AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 47 The California Air National Guard’s 129th Rescue Wing has saved more than a thousand service members and civilians at sea, over land, and in Afghanistan.

One Thousand (and Three) Rescues By June L. Kim, Associate Editor

Pararescuemen—“Guardian Angels”—from the 129th Rescue Wing carry an injured fi sherman away from an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter in March 2012. The crew rescued two fi shermen burned by a fi re aboard a Chinese fi shing vessel hundreds of miles off Mexico’s Pacifi c coast.

48 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 ANG photo by A1C John D. Pharr III

he pararescue jumpers knew the limit” on this rescue, recalled Capt. From the Beginning they were up against Mother Tristan Grell, a combat rescue offi cer on The men who saved his life come from Nature and time as they jumped the mission. “A lot of things [were] out a unit with a federal mission to provide out of a Coast Guard C-130 and of our control.” personnel recovery in military operations, Tparachuted into the dark stormy waters of The waves were swelling at 12-to- as well as crisis response—like this—at the Pacifi c on April 1, 2010. The California 14-feet and within an hour, the PJs were the state and national level. Air National Guard’s 129th Rescue Wing, seasick. The medics kept having to go This elite group of airmen come from based at Moffett Field, and the US Coast below deck, “do [the] treatment, come all walks of life with the same desire to Guard were responding to a call about a back up, throw up over the side, and go rescue those in need. In the close-knit severely injured civilian on the sailboat do treatment again,” Grell said. Still, the USAF rescue community, the PJs are Wind Child some 1,400 miles off the coast rescuers performed flawlessly, he said, known as “Guardian Angels.” of Mexico. and the rescue mission was ultimately PJs go through nearly two years of train- Just before dawn, a gust of wind sent the successful. ing, starting with a 10-week indoctrination sailboat’s boom across the boat, entangling The PJs set up Kalahar with an IV to selection course at JBSA-Lackland in Michael Kalahar in the heavy lines of the keep him hydrated and bandaged him, but Texas, where the dropout rate is 90 per- mainsheet. Kalahar, from Port Angeles, after they’d been on Wind Child for nearly cent. Capt. Darren Pon, a combat rescue Wash., fell backward and struck his head 12 hours, the sailboat lost power when a offi cer with the 129th RQW, graduated on a winch, biting his tongue in the process. line got caught in the rudder. in the early 2000s. “I think we started Crew members rushed to his aid but the By that time, though, a Liberian cargo with 86 to 90 guys and then graduated injuries to his head and neck called for a ship had come to their rescue and the PJs [with] 14,” he said. more sophisticated plan. were able to transfer the patient aboard and After indoctrination, PJs spend four The Coast Guard called the pararescue bring him closer to shore. The team spent to six weeks at the Air Force Combat jumpers (PJs) to help with the rescue. After three days on the cargo ship until HH-60 Dive Course in Panama City, Fla. Next, parachuting down, the PJs found their way Pave Hawks could fl y out and pick them they spend three weeks at the US Army’s onto their Zodiac boat and motored toward up, transporting Kalahar to a hospital in Airborne School at Fort Benning, Ga., Wind Child. “Everything was pushed to San Diego where he recovered. and five weeks at the Military Free Fall

AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 49 Photo courtesy of SSgt. Andrew Gibson Andrew SSgt. of courtesy Photo

School at both Fort Bragg, N.C., and the 130th RQS has the MC-130 Combat pickup. Anything beyond that line, we’ll Yuma Proving Grounds, Ariz. Though Shadow crew and maintainers; and the [fly out in a C-130], parachute in, and this is the primary military free fall 131st RQS holds the PJs. we’ll steer whatever boat we happen to school, some PJs attend the Navy’s The wing’s rescue mission dates to be on toward that imaginary line, and school in San Diego. 1975 when it was designated the 129th then the helicopter can come pick us up.” PJs then spend three weeks at the Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Group. Air Force Survival School at Fairchild In March 1977, the group saw its first Help at Sea AFB, Wash., approximately six months rescue when it picked up a downed In August 2012, the 129th RQW in a paramedic course at Kirtland AFB, A-10 pilot who crashed during a Red received a call that two Ecuadorian N.M., and another six months in a para- Flag exercise. fishermen on the fishing boat Mirelur, rescue recovery specialist course, also The wing now uses MC-130P Combat 1,600 miles off the coast of Cabo San at Kirtland. Shadow aircraft and HH-60G Pave Hawks. Lucas, Mexico, were in need of emer- Even after a PJ completes the pararescue The two aircraft work in concert; the gency care. One man had gastrointes- pipeline, he continues training for the rest C-130s drop off PJs where Pave Hawks of his career. They train “quite a bit” offsite, can’t fly, and the Pave Hawks come in to said TSgt. Christopher Klaftenegger, a PJ pick them up. Sometimes, if the rescue since 2005. “Just to stay current, we’ve site is close enough, the Pave Hawks got 70 days of training” a year, he said, will fly in for a drop off. “Helicopters can but “to be proficient is a whole ’nother refuel, … but they can only fly [for] so animal, so we’re constantly looking for long,” explained Pon, the 129th combat ways to stay sharp.” rescue officer.

PJs have to keep up with all kinds of For example, in water rescues, “there’s Saldukas Scott SrA. by photo USAF training because they never know what an imaginary line that we draw in the ocean scenario they’ll be in next. “Whether that between that line and closer [to the it be alpine, swift water, earthquakes, coast], we’ll go out and do a helicopter combat search and rescue, open ocean rescue, [or any] major hurricane, we’ve A combat rescue officer assigned to the 26th Expeditionary Rescue Squad- been on standby for that,” said Capt. ron from the 129th Rescue Wing runs Lejon Boudreaux, a 129th RQW combat through a preflight inspection on a rescue officer. Pave Hawk in 2013 at Camp Bastion, The wing of 900 airmen comprises three Afghanistan. Air National Guardsmen rescue squadrons: the 129th, the 130th, and recorded the wing’s 1,000th save May 18, when members of the unit rescued the 131st. The 129th RQS is made up of an Afghan national wounded by gunfire HH-60 Pave Hawk crew and maintainers; in southern Afghanistan.

50 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 Far left: An HH-60 Pave Hawk from Cali- fornia’s 129th Rescue Wing maneuvers toward a container ship during an offshore rescue mission in 2010. Left: Guardian Angels from the 129th transfer a patient to land-based medical facilities after a long-range overwater rescue mission 1,400 miles off the coast of Acapulco, Mexico. They saved the lives of two Ecuadorians. ANG photo by A1C John D. Pharr III Pharr D. John A1C by photo ANG printed his account of the harrowing rescue. Medranda went into surgery the following day, recalled Finney, who had taken care of the patient with the back pain. If the boat had taken the normal time to get back, Medranda “definitely would have died on the way. He was kind of a ticking time bomb,” Klaftenegger said. About a week after the rescue, Me- dranda’s wife wrote to the 129th RQW a heartfelt email thanking the crew members and praising them for playing a crucial part in saving her husband.

Oceans and Deserts As of early March, the 129th RQW is credited with a remarkable total of 1,003 cumulative saves. Of those saves, 414 are combat-related and 589 are civilian- related. Since 2001, the wing has deployed nine times to Kuwait, Turkey, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The last deployment was in tinal problems and the other had been The patient with the stomach prob- January 2013, to Afghanistan. More than hit by a 400-pound tuna and hurt his lems, Francisco Daniel Bravo Medranda, 200 airmen from the 129th RQW deployed back. The wing dispatched PJs to help. was treated by Klaftenegger. “His belly to Camp Bastion for operations there and Mirelur was too far for a helicopter was super rigid and tight and he was in in the Horn of Africa. Once in Afghanistan, pickup so Capt. Bevan Hart, MSgt. a lot of pain,” he said. Medrandra was the 129th flew as the 26th Expeditionary Seth Zweben, TSgt. Mark Finney, and “big-sick,” as Klaftenegger put it. Rescue Squadron. Klaftenegger flew in and parachuted “We took care of [the patients] for three On one notable mission last May, a small down. They reached Mirelur and began days,” Klaftenegger said, both on Mirelur Marine Corps unit was on an early morning assessing the situation. The captain and then on a Coast Guard cutter, which ground patrol in Helmand province when spoke a little English but the rest of the picked them up and traveled quicker than the rear patrolman, Pfc. Duncan S. Mathis, crew didn’t, Finney said, so the rescue the fishing boat. Once they got within range slid down an embankment and fell into a team got by with high school Spanish for Pave Hawks to fly out and pick them 60-foot-deep dry well. and basic sign language. up, the PJs hoisted them up and transferred The marine landed on his feet, crushing the patients to a hospital in San José del his legs, said SSgt. Nick Plummer, a PJ Cabo in Mexico. who participated in the rescue. Mathis Medranda was diagnosed with gan- suffered an open fracture to his left tibia grenous appendicitis, according to El and fibula, which went straight “through Mercurio, an Ecuadorian newspaper that his boot,” said Plummer. Mathis also had Lost in Line of Duty

During its 40-year history with more than a thousand successful saves, the 129th Rescue Wing lost seven of its PJs in mission-related situations. They are:

• Sgt. Lawrence Zimmerman, who died in a 1977 parachute accident during a training jump. • Lt. Col. Les Spencer, Maj. Terry Nelson, SSgt. Steven Courtney, and SSgt. Steven Carlyle, who perished in a 1988 HH-3E helicopter accident. • SSgt. Kevin McKenna died from natural causes while deployed in 1993. • MSgt. John Horton died in a 2002 training accident.

AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 51 USAF photo by SrA. John D. Pharr III Pharr D. John SrA. by photo USAF

a compound fracture on his left femur like a purple watermelon. Despite his An HH-60G hoists a patient from a Chi- and a dislocated right shoulder. “He was injuries, “he was a great patient,” said nese fishing vessel in 2012. The rescue pretty messed up,” said Boudreaux, the Plummer. When he wasn’t being moved, saved the lives of two fishermen. team commander on the mission. Mathis “he was laughing and joking the whole was able to make a loose tourniquet for time. ... I’ll remember that kid for the 1,000th save because the PJs knew one his leg but couldn’t do much else but rest of my life.” of the shifts was going to get it. wait until rescue arrived. The PJs loaded Mathis into a special The call came in midday, toward the The area where Mathis had fallen was litter called a Skedco, and Plummer and end of Boudreaux’s shift on May 18, 2013. a previously contested area, so when PJs another PJ, SSgt. Jacob Garel, placed him Near Lashkar Gah, an Afghan Na- reached the scene, the marines on-site in a Pave Hawk and medevaced him to tional Army individual had suffered remained alert and watchful, making the a hospital. By the time Mathis arrived life-threatening injuries to his lower PJs more aware of their situation. Plum- at the hospital, the entire mission had extremities from a gunshot wound. He mer helped construct an anchor nearby taken 30 minutes. “That was honestly was considered a Category A patient—in that would be used to take SSgt. Nathan one of the few times where I was like, danger of losing his life, limb, or eyesight Schmidt, another PJ, down the well to ‘Man, I really feel like my training paid and immediate response was needed, reach Mathis. Once Schmidt reached the off’ and I wasn’t just a flying ambulance explained Boudreaux. bottom of the well, there was no space [or] taxi service,” said Plummer. “We did a minimal brief time inside for him to move around. “The civilian mission is obviously the alert facility, got all the pertinent “The well was probably the size for very important and very gratifying; information,” and then within five min- someone more like five feet tall,” Plum- however, being out with your troops in utes, the Guardian Angels spun up and mer said, and both Schmidt and Mathis the military, supplying them with per- flew to a forward operating base in were taller than six feet. Schmidt “had sonnel recovery and [combat search and southern Afghanistan to pick up the to straddle the patient” since there was rescue] is a great privilege and something patient, he said. no leg room. Basically “we [had] two to be proud of,” said Capt. Kyl Wells, a When they landed at the FOB, there of the biggest people” down this well, CRO with the wing. “It just ties in more were a couple of small little one-story said Plummer. Mathis couldn’t move to our jobs as pararescue and combat buildings surrounded by barrier walls with without pain. Schmidt gave the patient rescue officers.” an Afghan flag, said Plummer. Because 50 milligrams of ketamine and “he was the patient was an Afghan national, the still screaming,” said Boudreaux. The Thousandth Save PJs took him to an Afghan-run airfield “I’ll never forget the sounds that he In the days leading up to the wing’s inside Lashkar Gah, where the local hos- was making as we were raising him, 1,000th mission, someone had set up a pital staff could easily communicate with because there [was] really no good way big placard with the number of rescues him. On the helo ride to Lashkar Gah, the around bringing him up out of the well. made so far, Boudreaux said. It sat in PJs dressed his wound, gave him an IV So he was screaming at the top of his the alert facility in Afghanistan where to keep him hydrated, and administered lungs. My guys on the surface were tell- they had their morning briefings. The painkillers, Boudreaux said. ing him, ‘This is going to be probably the unit operated as two shifts, a morning On their return to Camp Bastion, the worst minute or two minutes of your life shift and a “p.m.” shift. “It would be PJs threw a mini celebration in honor of right here. You just gotta be tough and like 996 that day, and then the next shift their 1,000th mission, he said. push through it,’” recalled Boudreaux. would get two rescues and then it would Seven months later, in January 2014, When Mathis reached the top of the be 998,” he said. There was a “kind of the 26th ERQS inactivated and returned well, Plummer noted his femur looked competition” to see who would make the to Moffett Field. n

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Rev2_AFA Benefits Ad.indd 1 1/14/14 12:37 PM The Air Force sprang into action to support the storm-ravaged Philippines after the devastating Typhoon Haiyan. Operation Damayan By Carlo Muñoz ir Force units based in the Asia-Pa- cifi c region played an integral but overlooked role spearheading ini- tial rescue and relief missions into the Philippines, mere days Aafter the worst typhoon in the country’s history crashed onto its shores. Less than 24 hours after Typhoon Haiyan ravaged large swaths of Visayas province in the central Philippines last November, washing away entire coastal villages and cities, aircraft and command and control units from USAF’s Pacifi c Air Forces were in the skies and on the ground in the hardest hit areas. While airmen assessed which airfi elds and landing zones would be best suited to handle the infl ux of C-17 Globemas- ter III and C-130 Hercules transports heading into the disaster zone, long- range, remotely piloted aircraft based at Andersen Air Force Base on Guam fl ew reconnaissance missions over Tacloban City, Leyte island, Roxas City, and other locales, surveying the damage and search- ing for survivors. Once the joint disaster relief mission, dubbed Operation Damayan, reached full swing, USAF cargo aircraft were among the fi rst US air assets to get wheels down in Manila and elsewhere in the Philippines, to begin ferrying tons of food, water, and supplies into the vast areas devastated by the typhoon. While the humanitarian mission exem- plifi ed the rapid response capabilities of the Air Force and US military, Operation Damayan also stoked debate in Wash- ington, D.C., and Manila on whether American air assets should return to the Philippines on a permanent basis. Regionally, no US military assets have been based at the former Clark Air Base or at Subic Bay Naval Base since Wash- ington handed over both installations to Philippine control in the early 1990s. But USAF photo by 2nd Lt. Jake Bailey

54 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 An image of the Philippines is displayed during a briefi ng for C-130H aircrews at Clark AB, Philippines, prior to a relief mission to Tacloban on Nov. 18, 2013. The monster storm devastated the island nation. Operation Damayan

AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 55 Some 670 refugees from Tacloban pack a C-17 during evacuation to Manila. The aircraft and its crew deployed from JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, for Operation Damayan.

Damayan’s success has come at a time when US-Philippine military coopera- tion is increasing, and the likelihood of the country hosting larger deployments of rotational forces in the near future is Brockington Ramon SSgt. by photo USAF growing as the US continues to press engagement with allies and emerging partners in Southeast Asia.

Rapid Response Before Typhoon Haiyan cut its path across the Philippines, top Air Force commanders at PACAF knew the killer storm would be a big one—possibly the biggest ever to make landfall in the island nation. Tracking the storm from various PA- CAF outposts scattered throughout the region, US officials began drafting plans on Nov. 7 for the massive disaster relief mission that was sure to come, according to a command spokesman. Haiyan would hit the Visayas Islands the next day. PACAF began spinning up its airlift and command and control systems in anticipation of a huge logistical challenge. The command’s first move was to put on ready alert elements of 3rd Wing from JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, 15th Wing from JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, and the 374th Airlift Wing from Yokota AB, Japan. As Damayan kicked off, three addi- tional C-130 airlifters attached to the joint US-Bangladesh military exercise Cope South were redeployed to the Philippines, joining the growing Air Force presence in the country. On the personnel side, Air Force com- mand and control units from the 109th Air Operations Group and contingency operations specialists from the 36th Con- tingency Response Group were on the ground in Manila 24 hours after Haiyan passed through the country. The main job for those units was to conduct damage assessments on the vari- ous landing strips and airfields closest to the hardest hit areas in the Visayas, determine which ones could handle the heavy air traffic, and set up the critical logistics chain to ensure supplies and aid got to the areas most in need. “This is a 24-hour-a-day operation and our guys are motivated,” said Col. Thomas Livingston, 36th CRG com- mander, according to a news release. “As we assist the Philippine forces in getting

56 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 Capt. Dominique Haig briefs C-130 aircrews at Clark before a nighttime airlift mission in support of Damayan. USAF photo by 2nd Lt. Jake Bailey Jake Lt. 2nd by photo USAF

people on the planes, you can really see used to collect battlefield intelligence Under the command of Marine Corps the partnership building between forces on potential targets in places such as Lt. Gen. John E. Wissler, PACAF units to alleviate further human suffering.” Iraq and Afghanistan, were now being and assets joined the Marine Corps and Aside from spearheading the airlift used to find, fix, and track victims of the Navy units already ordered into the portion of the crisis response mission, the typhoon. Airborne imagery was used to Philippines. More than 1,000 marines airmen on the ground were responsible assess damaged infrastructure and locate from 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, for finding a way to get the thousands of potentially suitable helicopter landing backed by the USS George Washington survivors scattered throughout Haiyan’s zones. These rotary wing aircraft picked carrier strike group on station in Philip- path to safe ground. An integral part of up survivors and delivered supplies into pine waters, linked up with Air Force the mission was PACAF’s unmanned the most isolated regions of the islands. units on the ground in Tacloban less than intelligence, surveillance, and recon- With the air logistics chain and evacua- two weeks after Haiyan made landfall. naissance ability. Several RQ-4 Global tion strategy in place, and with Air Force Over the approximately three-week Hawks based at Andersen took to the fixed wing aircraft inbound, PACAF ele- span of Operation Damayan, which ended skies above the Visayas. ments were folded into Joint Task Force in early December, nearly 300 PACAF The aircraft’s electro-optic and in- 505, the US military force assigned to airmen logged more than 2,000 flight frared sensor packages, traditionally carry out Damayan. hours, conducting a total of 239 airlift missions and ferrying more than 2,000 tons of food, water, and medical supplies into the Visayas, according to a PACAF after-action review of the operation. The US and allied militaries involved in the mission deemed it a great success and a template for handling military- to-military humanitarian operations in the future. Despite its success, some observers USAF photo by SrA. Marianique Santos Marianique SrA. by photo USAF claimed the US response might have been faster and possibly more effective if American forces had maintained a siz- able military footprint in the Philippines.

A C-130 transporting airmen and equipment takes off from Andersen AFB, Guam, headed toward the Philippines to join the disaster relief efforts. Mobility aircraft were quickly on the scene.

AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 57 MSgt. Derontae Spencer examines release paperwork that will allow a mobil - ity aircraft to deploy from Andersen to Tacloban, on of the hardest hit cities in the Philippines.

The Clark Question In 1991, the last permanently stationed Air Force assets left Clark Air Base in the Philippines, shuttering USAF’s largest base in Southeast Asia. Santos Marianique SrA. by photo USAF The Navy followed suit a year later, handing over Subic Bay Naval Base to the Philippine government. The closure of the two facilities ended a large US military presence in the Asia-Pacific. While Washington and Manila have continued to maintain strong military- to-military ties, engaging in numerous joint exercises and operations throughout the region, American forces have yet to re-establish a significant profile in the Philippines. Currently, the only active US military in the Philippines have been a special operations task force supporting the Armed Forces of the Philippines in a campaign against the Abu Sayyaf Group and affiliated extremists in the southern part of the country. Even a counterterrorism role creates controversy. A group protesting the US counterter- rorism mission, Patriotiko Mindanao, has been a vocal critic of the US-Philippine military engagement in the southern ar- eas of Palawan and Mindanao. But that public outcry did not stop Washington and Manila from initially reaching a deal in 2012 to open up both Clark and Subic Bay to American air and naval forces rotating through the country, according Force’s return to Clark. “I’m not sure I In recent years, US military planners to Philippine Undersecretary for Defense would draw a direct linkage between our have eyed deployment options in the Affairs Honorio S. Azcueta. [increased] presence in the region and Philippines and elsewhere in the region The agreement would not allow per- our ability to respond to these kinds of as part of the White House’s plan to shift manent basing in the Philippines, but crises,” George Little, then the Pentagon the military’s focus from the wars in Iraq would grant US warships and military press secretary, said last November. aircraft access to those facilities, as part DOD already has “thousands of of increased temporary deployments. forward deployed American service If forces had been stationed at Clark members” scattered across the Asia- or nearby facilities during Damayan, Pacific region, Little told reporters USAF, in theory, could have saved valu- shortly after the first American units able time and fuel costs getting assets to arrived in the Philippines. “I would the Philippines from Hawaii, Alaska, and not draw a direct causal connection Japan. DOD leaders sought to downplay between” the US-led disaster relief the relationship between the operation mission and bolstering American troop and basing discussions, however. numbers there, he added. At the height of Damayan, DOD The Pentagon and Manila have slowly dismissed any notion the disaster relief explored the possibility of increasing the mission would open the door to the Air Air Force’s presence in the country.

Airmen from Yokota AB, Japan, offload equipment from a C-130 at Clark. PACAF officials across the region began tracking Haiyan early in November, in anticipation of the mas - sive relief effort that would be required.

58 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 Quick Contingency Reaction and Afghanistan to increased attention to the Asia-Pacific. Weeks after Pacific Air Forces wrapped up its air operations in the Philippines, In December, US Secretary of State a similar portfolio of American airpower deployed to Africa, this time to help John F. Kerry announced $40 million in French and African Union forces quell violence in the Central African Republic. As in the Philippines, the familiar force package of Air Force airlifters and military funding to the Philippines. The intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets stepped up for another island nation received $30 million in support operation. The Pentagon deployed a pair of Air Force C-17 cargo foreign military funding from the United airplanes, accompanied by small teams of airmen, into the strife-torn African States in 2012, according to news reports, nation late last year. Aside from the aircraft, an Air Force team was deployed to and $11.9 million in 2011. neighboring Burundi, tasked with coordinating logistics and transportation for Not all accounts are growing, however. roughly 800 Burundian troops headed to the Central African Republic. As the Air Force continues to cope A second Air Force team went into the CAR to assist French and African Union with smaller budgets and massive force forces in their efforts to secure the main airfield in the country’s capitol of Bangui. structure cuts under sequestration, service Those American and Burundian troops joined the nearly 1,000 French troops leaders have been forced to rebalance in the on the ground, as part of the international peacekeeping force sent to the African Pacific region while doing more with less. country. The US officially ended military support for operations in the CAR on The Air Force has had to sacrifice Dec. 30, 2013, but continued logistical support through January. operations and readiness accounts, the While the mission in CAR was not in response to a natural disaster as in Op - coffers that finance missions like USAF’s eration Damayan, the Air Force’s expeditionary approach to the scenario was contribution to Damayan. similar—a small footprint tasked with aerial supply, logistics, and intelligence. As a result, Air Force and Pentagon leaders are embracing a supporting and enabling role in emerging conflicts and crises, allowing partner nation forces to take the lead—whether it be disaster relief or combat support missions. In the Philippines, the US gradually handed off operations to its Philippine Air Force counterparts as Damayan wound down. Closer cooperation with allies in these scenarios is all but assured in the long term. “Future joint forces will routinely employ more such combinations than ever before, with [international] partners as well as within ... to achieve efficiencies and synergies not previously feasible,” stated the 2012 “Capstone Concept for Joint Operations: Joint Force 2020,” by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey. The success of Damayan sprang from cooperation at the highest levels of the SrA. Dylan Porras, a loadmaster with American and Philippine militaries. In- the 535th Airlift Squadron, guides SrA. deed, on Oct. 16—more than three weeks pines—Lt. Gen. Lauro Catalino G. Dela Christopher Follett, an air transportation before Haiyan made landfall in the Philip- Cruz, commander of the Philippine Air specialist, as he loads equipment into a Force, visited Joint Base Pearl Harbor- C-17 on the flight line at Andersen. Hickam for a meeting with PACAF’s commander, Gen. Herbert J. “Hawk” Car- DOD’s Asia-Pacific shift, and fostering lisle, and discussed bilateral and regional these relationships is a priority for both military cooperation issues. PACAF and the Air Force as a whole. The two leaders conferred about future Negotiations continue between the Phil- engagements between the two air services, ippine government and State Department with Carlisle noting USAF and PAF have representatives about possible bilateral a well-developed working relationship. deployments and exercises. Leaders on The ties and cooperation were in no small both sides have indicated the relation- USAF photo by Capt. Raymond Geoffroy Raymond Capt. by photo USAF part critical to the success of Damayan. ship between the US and the Philippines Regional alliances, such as those with has only grown closer in the aftermath the Philippines, have helped enable of the storm. n

Carlo Muñoz is a defense and national security correspondent for Buzzfeed.com in Washington, D.C. He has covered US military operations in Afghanistan, South America, Cuba, and the Asia-Pacific. His most recent article for Air Force Maga- zine, “The JTAC Imperative,” appeared in November 2013.

AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 59 The Global Positioning System, a staple for the military and in daily life, is getting a facelift. What’s Next for GPS? USAF photo by SMSgt. Denise Johnson By Marc Selinger

60 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 orty years after the US government awarded a unpredictable conditions, such as solar fl ares that can degrade contract to build the fi rst Global Positioning Sys- electronics. But based on computer modeling and a pipeline tem navigation satellite, GPS is the Department full of new satellites, the Air Force projects it will have enough of Defense’s largest satellite constellation and is spacecraft for the foreseeable future, Cooley said. as integral to modern warfare as aircraft or ships. Boeing is fi nishing the last of 12 new Block IIF satellites The heavy responsibility for keeping the system at its factory in El Segundo, Calif. On Feb. 20, the Air Force Fup-to-date rests with the Air Force. launched the fi fth IIF satellite from Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., This is no easy task. The ongoing modernization effort will aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV booster. run to billions of dollars and includes potentially dozens of Assembly of the initial batch of Block IIIs is underway at a new satellites, an updated ground control system, and new Lockheed Martin plant in Denver. GPS receivers. The large-scale, long-term modernization initiative has “a lot Looking Forward of moving parts,” said Air Force Col. William T. “Bill” Cooley, Both new satellite series have had their share of glitches. The the government’s GPS program director. And there are “lots of fi rst Block IIF satellite launched in 2010, four and a half years challenges with making certain that … all of those segments late, due to development problems—what GAO attributed to are going to work together.” the use of “immature technologies.” Key tests this spring will help determine whether GPS Another setback occurred when the second IIF satellite, modernization is on the right track. But failure is not optional. launched in 2011, experienced a failure of its Cesium clock, GPS is vital to national security today and to the conduct of the one of three atomic clocks that ensure the accuracy of the global economy. spacecraft through redundancy. GPS is best known for sending out signals that help people The Air Force concluded the chamber surrounding the Ce- and machines determine their location on Earth. The system was sium clock did not release air quickly enough once the satellite created to serve military purposes, from guiding troop move- was placed in space, causing an electrical short. Satellites three ments to directing precision guided munitions. Today, the civil through seven had the same problem, so a hole was drilled in and commercial sector is dependent on this free service, from the chamber to allow more gas to escape. The Air Force believes tracking trains to providing directions to car drivers. the issue is resolved. Equipped with precise atomic clocks, GPS satellites also play “That’s behind us,” Cooley said. an important “timing” role. Their signals include time data that The Block III series, which Lockheed Martin is developing allow communication, fi nancial, and electric-power systems to under a $1.5 billion contract awarded in 2008, is supposed to synchronize their operations. “We’re providing a global capabil- deliver signals that are several times more accurate and resistant ity that not just the Air Force, not just the other services, but the to jamming than existing GPS spacecraft. Block III satellites are entire world depends on, and it’s intricately linked to the way also designed to last 15 years, or 25 percent longer than Block our society functions, quite frankly,” Cooley said. IIFs, and they will be the fi rst GPS spacecraft with a new L1C The fi rst GPS satellite, part of the Block I series built by civil signal to make them interoperable with comparable foreign Rockwell International, was launched in 1978. Block I was systems, such as Europe’s Galileo. followed by fi ve series of Block II satellites that expanded, To help avoid the kinds of problems that plagued Block IIF, the replenished, and updated the constellation. More than 60 GPS GPS III program built the GPS III Non-Flight Satellite Testbed satellites have been placed in orbit in all. (GNST), a full-sized, fl ight-equivalent prototype of a Block III As of mid-January, a total of 36 functioning GPS satellites satellite, and put it through a series of exercises in the summer were in orbit about 12,500 miles above the Earth. Of those 36 and fall of 2013. For a dress rehearsal, GNST was physically spacecraft, 31 actively contribute to the constellation and the handled like an actual satellite, from the way it was loaded onto other fi ve serve as backups. Although the minimum requirement a C-17 aircraft in Denver to the way it was unloaded at Cape for coverage stands at 24 satellites distributed around the Earth, Canaveral for testing. the Air Force prefers to have more satellites available to provide At the Cape, the test bed communicated successfully with better coverage. The larger the constellation, the more likely a the GPS program’s new ground-control system and with fl ight- GPS receiver on the ground will have a clear view of satellites. like hardware simulators for the IIR, IIR-M and IIF satellites, In an April 2013 Government Accountability Offi ce report which make up most of the current GPS constellation. Testing to Congress on potential cost-saving options for GPS, the Air also demonstrated the receiver’s ability to track navigation Force assumed a future constellation of 30 satellites. signals transmitted by the GNST. “The efforts that we put here The Air Force has exceeded its 24-satellite requirement thanks early on the program are going to pay off in large dividends in part to spacecraft lasting much longer than planned. For on the production contract going forward,” said Mark Stewart, example, the 19 GPS Block IIAs, developed by Rockwell and Lockheed Martin’s vice president of navigation systems, who launched from 1990 to 1997, were designed to last 7.5 years and earlier helped the aerospace fi rm build IIR and IIR-M satellites. should have timed out of service by now. But as of November But in 2013 a major problem emerged in the fi rst Block III 2013, eight were still part of the active constellation, with the satellite, designated Space Vehicle 01 (SV-01). In the spring eldest now exceeding 23 years of service. and summer, the navigation payload (developed by Lockheed “The good news is that GPS is a robust and healthy constel- Martin subcontractor Exelis) experienced “signal crosstalk,” or lation because the IIAs have lived much longer than anyone interference between signals within the payload. The problem had originally projected,” said Cooley, who runs the program was caused by “insuffi cient isolation” between signals of dif- from the Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center at Los ferent frequencies and power levels and arose in the payload’s Angeles AFB, Calif. mission data unit, a 167-pound box that processes signals on Estimating how long satellites will be operational is clearly the payload, Stewart said. not an exact science. While designed to survive the harsh envi- Lockheed Martin and Exelis both expressed confi dence the ronment of medium Earth orbit, GPS satellites sometimes face payload will be fi xed and ready for delivery to Lockheed Martin’s

AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 61 United Launch Alliance photo by Ben Cooper Ben by photo Alliance Launch United

Denver facility this spring. Stewart said such hiccups are to be expected in a development phase, and the program has “a very detailed plan on hand” to resolve the matter. Exelis spokeswoman Jane Khodos said that “significant testing with flight-like engineering units and the first GPS III

satellite’s flight hardware indicates that the known technical Berenger Todd by photo USAF issues are being resolved, and GPS III will meet all mission and quality requirements.” While Cooley agreed that progress is being made, he won’t be convinced the problem is fixed until the payload success- fully completes thermal vacuum chamber testing this spring, to simulate the low and high temperatures the payload will experience on orbit. “I applaud the optimism, but I’m not going to declare that we’re out of the woods,” Cooley said. SV-01 is scheduled to arrive at Cape Canaveral in 2014 for a May 2015 launch, though there were indications in March that the launch date might slip. Exactly how many Block III satellites the Air Force will acquire is unclear. The Air Force has indicated it could buy more than 30 Block IIIs. But as of late March, it had committed funds to procure only the first six, plus long-lead items for the seventh and eighth. “We assess the health of the constellation and the resources in the department and the needs of those things on a recurring basis to decide what makes sense,” Cooley said. “So that’s a decision that has yet to be made in terms of exactly how many GPS III satellites we’re going to buy.”

Control Issues The GPS control segment consists of a global network of Top: The GPS IIF-5 satellite atop a United Launch Alliance ground facilities that monitor and command GPS satellites. Delta IV rocket launches from Space Launch Complex-37 at The Air Force and Raytheon are developing the Next Genera- Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., on Feb. 20. Above: Col. William Cooley, GPS program director, says the full buy of GPS III tion Operational Control System (OCX) “because the existing satellites is still up in the air. 62 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 Lockheed Martin photo Martin Lockheed

ground control software is not compatible” with the Block III A GPS III satellite prototype arrives at Cape Canaveral from satellites, according to the GAO. Buckley AFB, Colo., aboard a C-17. The navigational satellite Since Raytheon was awarded the OCX contract in early 2010, is scheduled for a 2015 launch. the system has made “significant progress” in meeting milestones, In a June 2013 test flight at Holloman Air Force Base in conducting exercises, and writing software, said Matthew Gil- New Mexico, an RQ-11B Raven became the first aircraft to ligan, Raytheon’s OCX program manager. But Cooley said a use M-code for navigation, according to Rockwell Collins. major uncertainty for OCX is not yet knowing how the system The Air Force hopes to make M-code available for opera- will perform until it undergoes operational-like testing scheduled tions as early as 2017. for spring. “We’re not going to know precisely where we are until we get through some of that testing,” he said. Not Immune A major requirement for OCX is meeting Department of Like the rest of the military, the GPS program office is grap- Defense information assurance standards. Preventing hackers pling with how to execute its mission amid belt-tightening in from compromising the system is part of this process. The system Washington, D.C. With defense budgets constrained and GPS also must be able to verify authorized operators and that they III satellites projected to cost $23 billion from Fiscal 2013 do not accidentally or deliberately cause harm. through Fiscal 2030, the program could be an attractive target For example, Cooley explained, “we want to make sure that for budget cutters. there’s not … a potential issue of a user clicking on the wrong Several possibilities are under exploration to lower the pro- button and resetting a clock on orbit.” Gilligan said the OCX gram’s price. For instance, the Air Force originally planned program has developed 1,800 individual information assurance to buy the last 26 GPS III satellites in two increments, but it requirements to ensure security is “baked in” throughout the now plans to streamline this buy into one large increment to system. take advantage of economies of scale. Yet another responsibility for Cooley’s office is overseeing the Some potential changes involve hardware. In addition to development of new user equipment for DOD. GPS receivers are their navigation payloads, Block III satellites carry a system widely used across all services, and it falls on the Air Force to to detect nuclear detonations on Earth. Therefore, one option design and test chips and algorithms that receiver manufacturers might be to leave the nuclear detection payload off some of can integrate into their systems. the new satellites. New features include the military signal M-code, to help The Air Force had also been studying whether a “dual-launch improve defenses against jamming. To use M-code, receivers capability,” or launching two satellites on a single rocket, need a new chip to process the signal. The Air Force hired three would save money. vendors—L-3, Raytheon, and Rockwell Collins—to develop M- Sorting through such intricacies does not appear to deter code chips, and this effort “has gone very, very well,” Cooley said. Cooley, who holds a doctorate in engineering physics from The Air Force plans to further refine the chips and then inte- the Air Force Institute of Technology. Instead he welcomes grate and test them on a lead platform for each military service the challenges ahead. to confirm the chips work as planned. The services will then be “It’s an exciting time for GPS,” he said. “That’s what makes able to buy user equipment from the receiver manufacturer they this job exhilarating.” n prefer. The lead platforms chosen are the Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, the Army Raven unmanned aircraft, the Marc Selinger is a freelance journalist based in the Washing- Air Force’s F-15E fighter, and a Marine Corps ground vehicle. ton, D.C., area. This is his first article for Air Force Magazine.

AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 63 here was a civil defense program of sorts in the United States during World War II. It included air raid wardens, fi rst aid training, and blackout curtains to foil enemy bombers. There was no real danger, though, and it was a minor aspect of life in wartime. The program was abolished Taltogether in June 1945. Interest in civil defense came roaring back when the Soviet Union exploded an atomic bomb in 1949. The young Rep. John F. Kennedy (D) of Massachusetts fi red off a letter to President Truman warning that the nation left itself open to “an atomic Pearl Harbor” by its indif- ference to civil defense planning. The National Security Resources Board called for the building of public shelters in “target areas” and private basement shelters for families and neighborhood groups. In December 1950, Truman created the Federal Civil Defense Administration with headquarters in Battle Creek, Mich. The FCDA, in cooperation with the National Education Association, produced a fi lm, “Duck and Cover,” in 1951. An animated turtle named Bert urged some New York schoolchil- dren to follow his example. “Bert ducks and covers, but he has his shelter on his back,” the fi lm said. “You must learn to fi nd shelter.” Ground Observer Corps volunteers scanned the sky for hostile aircraft. In the event of an attack, regular radio stations would stop broadcasting so enemy pilots could not use their signals for navigation. Small triangles at 630 and 1230 on the dials of AM radios marked the frequencies for CONELRAD—Con- trol of Electromagnetic Radiation—to which listeners were to tune for civil defense Hoping to survive information. Initially, the structures in which citizens were to take an atomic attack, refuge were called “bomb shelters.” The danger from fallout�radioactive particles drifting back to earth�increased families built un- signifi cantly in the 1950s with the development of hydrogen bombs, which produced much greater levels of contamina- derground shelters tion. Once the hazards were fully understood, the bomb shelters became known as “fallout shelters.” in the backyard. In The defense strategy that ultimately got the United States farm country, there through the Cold War was deterrence: maintaining suffi cient countervailing military power to forestall any temptation for were even shelters the Soviet Union to attack. However, politicians and others continued to search for a civil defense solution, their efforts for cows. reaching peak intensity in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Fear of Fallout

By John T. Correll Beyond Duck and Cover The program got off to a poor start when Truman’s civil defense administrator, Millard F. Caldwell, spoke carelessly about providing shelters for every person in the country. The cost of that was clearly impossible and it never got beyond the planning stage. As future planners came to realize, individual citizens would not have fallout shelters unless they built them for themselves. Between 1951 and 1953, Congress funded civil defense at a meager 10 percent of the level Truman requested. The program concentrated on converting public buildings and underground facilities to dual use as shelters, establishing

64 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 Photos via National Archives an attack warning system, stockpiling said that residents in most cities had only Operation Alert edition of the Buffalo supplies, and conducting a civic educa- one choice: “Stay and die, or move out Evening News in July 1956 announced tion campaign. and survive.” “125,000 Known Dead; Downtown in As with the “Duck and Cover” fi lm, Unfortunately, the strategy had several Ruins.” There was an illustration of City the messages generally predicted surviv- critical failings. Even if the public had Hall crumbling. The Grand Rapids Herald ability for those who took proper steps. time to evacuate and a place to go, the headline said, “16,200 Die as H-Bomb One of the most bizarre items to ap- road and bridge infrastructure could not Levels Grand Rapids,” but the message pear was a 1953 comic book entitled handle the multitude of refugees. Peterson was in the drop headline: “Evacuation “Picture Parade,” put out by Gilberton, was soon back to urging citizens to build Saves 136,000.” the well-known publisher of “Classics some sort of fallout shelter and stock it Today’s readers may recall a scene from Illustrated.” The cover shows a boy hug- with food and water to last for fi ve or six the 2008 movie, “Indiana Jones and the ging his dog while a mushroom cloud days. Under an “evacuation to shelter” Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” in which rises in the distance. Incredibly, the story approach, individuals were to move from Indiana is chased into a mocked-up desert inside, “Andy’s Atomic Adventure,” was target areas to shelters elsewhere. Peterson town where the clock is ticking down soothing and upbeat, geared to fourth suggested digging ditches along the roads toward a nuclear explosion test. Indy grade reading level. Teachers passed out for those who could not get to the shelters escapes by closing himself in a lead-lined copies to their pupils. in time. The National Shelter Policy for refrigerator. Expectations would become consid- 1958 put priority on home shelters instead Such “doom town” tests were actually erably darker in 1955 when the Atomic of evacuation. conducted in the Nevada desert in 1953 Energy Commission announced that after and 1955. The tests were fi lmed and shown an H-bomb attack, the radioactive fallout Doom Towns in the Desert on television to encourage the public to might kill everyone within a 140-mile Between 1954 and 1961, the govern- invest in fallout shelters. To add “realism,” radius of the detonation. ment conducted “Operation Alert” civil families of mannequins were placed in the Val Peterson, the new FCDA chief in defense exercises annually in dozens of the Eisenhower Administration, proposed major cities. Public education was one This family is calm and composed, but scaling back or eliminating the shelter of the main objectives, and newspapers, then, the picture is posed. How their composure would have held up after program in favor of evacuating the cities recruited to help, published reports of two weeks in such close quarters might on warning of attack. In 1955, Peterson the fi ctitious attacks. The headline in the have been an altogether different matter.

Photo via Library of Congress

AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 65 m

Left: This model of a fallout shelter cost $1,000, well below the average price, but there was not much room to move around. Above: Schoolchildren were urged to follow the example of Bert the Turtle and “duck and cover.”

ing enhanced nuclear weapons, destroys life in the northern hemisphere. The last survivors on Earth wait helplessly in Australia as the fallout drifts southward toward them. The bureaucrats were always more enthusiastic about civil defense than the citizens were. Offi cials often depicted the public as ignorant and reckless, but in some respects, the public may have had a better assessment of reality than the bureaucrats did.

JFK Inspires a Boom The fallout shelter campaign got a huge boost from a July 25, 1961, speech by President John F. Kennedy, generated by the latest Berlin crisis and the prospect of nuclear war with Soviet Union. It was essential, Kennedy said, for the public to know “what they should do and where they should go if bombs begin to fall.” New public fallout shelters would be identifi ed and stocked, but that would not be enough. “The lives of those families which are not hit in a nuclear blast and fi re can still targeted structures, dressed in clothing donated by J. C. Penney be saved—if they can be warned to take shelter and if that with furniture and household items all around them. Mannequins shelter is available,” he said. “In the coming months, I hope to in shelters survived. The others did not. let every citizen know what steps he can take without delay to Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts distributed millions of copies of a protect his family in case of attack. I know that you will want civil defense handbook put out by the government with instruc- to do no less.” tion on fi rst aid, air raid warnings, fallout protection, and how It was the fi rst time a President had ever spoken to the nation to build home shelters. about the need for shelters. His immediate goal was to provide In January 1959, the civil defense chief for New York state fallout shelters in existing buildings for a fourth of the nation’s predicted that within fi ve years most Americans would be liv- population. Within a few months, he set a goal of “fallout protec- ing in fallout shelters and “would see sunshine only by taking a tion for every American as rapidly as possible.” Administration calculated risk.” The Joint Congressional Committee on Atomic offi cials said that those who could not afford commercial shelters Energy estimated that 50 million Americans would die in an could dig a hole in the backyard, roof it with planks and sandbags, atomic attack, with another 20 million seriously injured, but and store emergency water and canned goods. that civil defense could cut radiation casualties from 25 percent The news media were fully aboard. A Life magazine cover in to three percent. September 1961 touted “How You Can Survive Fallout.” The If the public needed any further scaring, On the Beach—a contents included a message from President Kennedy. Another Life best-selling novel by Neville Shute in 1957, made into an even cover in January 1962 focused on “The Drive for Mass Shelters.” more successful movie in 1959—did the job. World War III, us- There was no bigger advocate of fallout shelters than Nelson

66 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 m tion’s fallout shelter program would give to the underground shelter, which included protection for substantially all Americans a dormitory with hundreds of metal beds. within fi ve years. According to Post reporter Ted Gup, there was also a television studio “from which A Hideaway in the Hills the legislators would be able to address Fallout shelters were not just for the what was left of the nation.” The facility big cities. Small towns were caught up was never used, although it was put on in the frenzy, too. Catawba County in the high alert during the Cuban missile crisis. foothills of North Carolina, far from any Most members of Congress did not know nuclear war target, had its own civil defense about the secret shelter in the mountains director who made speeches to civic clubs and mobilizing them for the 250-mile trip promoting fallout shelters. Catawba Dairy would have been a problem. They would packaged water in milk cartons marked not have been allowed to bring their spouses with the distinctive Civil Defense triangle. and children, and after the existence of the In 1962, the US Department of Agricul- shelter was disclosed, some said they would ture published Your Livestock Can Survive not have left their families to go there. Fallout From Nuclear Attack. “For animals as well as humans, shelter is the best pro- Gun Thy Neighbor tection against fallout,” the guide read. In the posed publicity pictures for Another Agriculture Department booklet the backyard shelters, the families were Photos via Library of Congress in 1964 said that such shelters “could be always neatly dressed, calm, and seem- modifi ed for use by sheep, hogs, or poultry.” ingly content with their books and knit- A. Rockefeller, governor of New York. Roberts Dairy in Elkhorn, Neb., achieved ting projects. How well their composure Since 1959, Rockefeller had been pushing a certain amount of notoriety with its un- would have held up for two weeks in for a law to make it mandatory for every derground concrete shelter for 200 Golden close quarters remained to be determined. homeowner to build a private shelter, but Guernsey cows and a couple of bulls. In In those days, many people smoked and had withdrawn the proposal in 1960 under addition to the storage space for cattle incredibly, some smokers apparently ex- an avalanche of criticism. After Kennedy’s feed, there was a 10,000-gallon water tank pected to continue indulging their habit announcement, Rockefeller returned to his beneath fi ve feet of dirt. A fan carried away while underground. original position, proclaiming that a fallout offensive odors. The dairy conducted a Whether a family would be together shelter in every home was “essential to two-week test with 35 cows and two cow- in their shelter depended on the timing national defense and individual survival.” hands. The cows were not bothered by the of the attack. Except at night, family There was money to be made from experience but the cowhands said they did members were likely to be dispersed this, and a civil defense industry sprang not want to look at another cow for a while. to work, school, or elsewhere when the up almost overnight. Forty different Only fi ve state governors had their own critical moment arrived. manufacturers sold fallout shelters, made fallout shelters, and only one member of Conversely, Rep. Martha W. Griffi ths of reinforced concrete, corrugated metal, the Kennedy cabinet, postmaster general (D-Mich.) pointed out to the Los Angeles aluminum, and other constructions. Some J. Edward Day, had a home fallout shelter. Times that most of the public shelters of them cost more than $4,000, which was However, the Army Engineers built a fallout were in downtown urban areas so “if the median US income in 1960. shelter for Kennedy at his summer home the bombs fell at night, you would save Cheaper (and smaller) shelters were in Hyannis Port, Mass., on Cape Cod, and nobody but skid row characters, drunks, available, with tiered bunks and low the Navy Seabees built another one for him a few people in hospitals, and maybe ceilings. The Pentagon furnished civil at Peanut Island off the Florida coast, fi ve the night shift on the local newspapers.” defense offi ces plans for eight kinds of minutes by helicopter from his winter home inexpensive shelters, including a sand- at Palm Beach. It had 15 metal bunks and fi lled lean-to that could be set up against room for 30 people. a basement wall. Nothing, though, ever came close to Vendors offered packaged food and comparing with the secret bomb shel- water, generators, lanterns, exercise bi- ter built for Congress in a hillside cycles, and other items. General Mills adjacent to the Greenbrier resort developed a granulated protein mix called hotel in White Sulphur Springs, “Multipurpose Food.” It came in a gallon W.Va. Construction began in can labeled “MPF” and three scoops of it, 1959 and was fi nished in the hot or cold, wet or dry, met an individual’s spring of 1962, but its existence daily requirements. Radiation-shielding was not widely known until windows from Corning Glass promised The Washington Post revealed to relieve claustrophobia during an ex- it in 1992. tended stay in the shelter. One company The big exhibit halls in took over an abandoned iron mine and the in hotel’s West Virginia rented space in it for fi rms to store copies Wing were designed to dou- of their vital business records. ble as legislative chambers. In February 1962, Steuart L. Pittman, In emergency, disguised blast assistant secretary of defense for civil doors would close to seal off defense, predicted that the Administra- the wing. A nearby corridor led

AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 67 The biggest issue was a moral one. With only space and believe I myself could stay in a shelter provisions enough for one’s own family, what to do while my neighbor had no protection.” about neighbors who wanted admission and a share The civil defense director for Jefferson of the food when the balloon went up? The answer County, Colo., near Denver, felt no such for many was to repel them, with lethal force hesitation. He equipped his personal shelter if necessary. with weapons to keep out intruders. In a Time magazine article titled, “Gun Kennedy was taken aback by the rancor. Thy Neighbor,” a Chicago suburbanite said, “He remarked ruefully that he wished he “When I get my shelter fi nished, I’m go- had never said the things which had stirred ing to mount a machine gun at the hatch the matter up and wanted to diminish the to keep the neighbors out if the bomb excitement as expeditiously as possible,” falls.” One observer, cited by Kenneth said Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., the Admin- Rose in One Nation Underground, istration’s court historian. speculated that a shelterless neighbor might retaliate by slipping a plastic bag With Enough Shovels over the air intake. The shelter boom was over. Civil de- Evangelist Billy Graham told The fense was a low priority for the Johnson New York Times, “I feel a primary re- Administration, which took offi ce in sponsibility for my family but I don’t 1963. “The topic began to fall slowly off

68 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 nal shelter at Greenbrier, Ted Gup also reported that as recently as June 1990, “the nation’s defense planners still desig- nated Greenbrier County as the place to which some 45,400 residents of Fairfax County would be evacuated in the event Photos via National Archives National via Photos of a nuclear war, under a master plan to relocate civilian populations living in key East Coast target areas.” Citizens were supposed to drive fi ve hours to a place where there would be nothing to help them once they got there. “The sudden infl ux of people would more than double the county’s population,” Gup said. “Not only is there no vast and well-stocked bunker waiting to take them in, there is no food or shelter set aside for them at all. Instead, they would be expected to show up with recreational vehicles or tents and to bring their own food, medicine, and supplies.” The Civil Defense program became part of the Federal Emergency Man- agement Agency when it was created in 1979. In 2003, FEMA was absorbed by the new Department of Homeland Far left: Life magazine for Sept. 15, Security and the program currently 1961, included an upbeat message from resides there. President Kennedy. The promise on the In 2006, the traditional civil defense cover that 97 percent could survive fall- insignia—a red “CD” inside a white out severely strained credulity. Above: triangle on a blue disk—was dropped People were advised to stock enough food and water—and, apparently, soda after 67 years. The announcement came pop—to sustain their families for two from the National Emergency Manage- weeks. Left: In “tests” in the desert, ment Association, a group representing staged for publicity purposes, manne- state emergency managers. The new quin “families” were subject to nuclear attack. Mannequins who took shelter symbol—depicting “what our profes- survived. The others didn’t. sion is all about”—was developed by a marketing fi rm and is built around the of arms control agreements and the un- letters “EM,” which focused attention willingness of the government to fund on the association. the shelter programs. The main factor, In 2010, a plan developed by a though, was lack of public interest. federal interagency committee called Nevertheless, Civil Defense managed for educating citizens to take cover to hang on. After several name changes and “shelter in place” in the event of and organizational realignments, the attack by a terrorist atomic bomb. One the public radar, and President Lyndon B. program was assigned to the Defense program offi cial said that such an attack Johnson allowed it to slip further by not Preparedness Agency in 1972 and a would be “more survivable than most pressuring Congress to pass the Shelter few pages were allocated to it each people think.” A 130-page planning Incentive Program bill, which proposed to year in the Pentagon’s annual report guide advised citizens to get inside a give every nonprofi t institution fi nancial to Congress. building or hunker down in a basement. compensation for each shelter it built,” Civil defense made the headlines Radiation dosage could be reduced by says the offi cial history of the Civil De- again in 1982 when deputy undersecre- piling up anything, such as books and fense program. tary of defense T. K. Jones declared that furniture, overhead. The total number of fallout shelters nuclear war would not be as devastating “That advice,” said Glenn Harland built is unknown. Many of them were as the nation had been led to believe. “If Reynolds, writing in the Atlantic, installed in secrecy, hoping to escape there are enough shovels to go around, “sounds a lot like what they were say- the notice of neighbors. By one estimate, everybody’s going to make it,” he said. ing in my grandfather’s day: Duck and there were about 200,000 shelters in 1965, The shovels were for digging holes, to cover.” ■ but as Kenneth Rose notes in One Nation be covered with a couple of doors and Underground, that was a tiny fraction of three feet of dirt on top. “It’s the dirt John T. Correll was editor in chief of American households—with only one out that does it,” Jones said. Air Force Magazine for 18 years and is of every 266 having a shelter. The absurdity of doomsday planning now a contributor. His most recent ar- The demise of the shelter movement was not yet over. In his Washington ticle, “Weinberger Doctrine,” appeared was partly attributable to the emergence Post article revealing the congressio- in the March issue.

AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 69 uring the Vietnam War, if a “Thud Driver” took off from either Takhli or Korat Royal Thai Air Base (the two US Air DForce F-105 bases in central Thailand), The Heart a 400-mile straight line course to the northeast would put them in the midst of downtown Hanoi’s surface-to-air missiles, of the MiGs, and anti-aircraft gun defenses. Haiphong and the Gulf of Tonkin were 130 miles farther east, and the Chinese border 140 miles farther north. Despite this, it was seldom that pilots could fl y in a straight line between any two points in Vietnam due to aerial refu- NorthBy Jack Broughton eling, weather conditions, restricted and prohibited locations, and the temperament of defenses. Those of us who traveled the area on Thud missions into North Vietnam were regular combat missions had perhaps the most amazing travel opportunity available scenic, memorable, and deadly. anywhere in the world. However, given the Thud loss rate during Operation Rolling

An F-105 attacks a bridge in North Vietnam in 1966. Supply routes and bridg- es were popular targets for Thud Drivers during the war. Right: A map shows bases and refueling “anchors”—areas where tankers would loiter, waiting to refuel fi ghter and reconnaissance aircraft on their way to or from targets in North Vietnam. 70 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 AIR FORCE Magazine constant lightning became. Excitement the darker it was, the more awesome their just trying to navigate around them, and feet. You could appreciate their menace were still boiling upward above 50,000 thunderstorms in the world, whose tops the most gigantic, persistent, and severe from thetankers over Laos,youcouldview over the South China Sea. While refueling elliptical orbitsacrossLaos,andtwo orbits tanker orbits, and you could count on five Thud fl ights were assigned to specifi c about 200 miles north of the fighter bases. designated by color codes, and orbited ing tankers. Tankers weredeployed incells, immediate concernwas theKC-135refuel- rice paddies ahead, there was a lot to see. down that long runway toward the Thai banged into afterburner, and you gazed pounds of Thud, fuel,andmunitions what yousaw. Butfromthemoment60,000 you might not be able to return to relate Thunder, therewas anever-present anxiety Once F-105 flights were joined up, the / April 2014 / April 71

USAF map and photo USAF photos

Here: A Wild Weasel takes off from Korat RTAB, Thailand, in 1971, loaded with SAM-killing missiles and a droppable fuel tank. Right: An RC-135 takes off. Recon- naissance aircraft gathered important intelligence on North Vietnamese air defense systems so pilots would know the “hot spots” to avoid. bordered on terror and demanded utmost and had trouble keeping up with fast skill when the pulse of war forced pilots maintenance turnarounds. It was a good to fi nd a tanker inside one of those storms, bet that if you could get it working at then hang on for desperately needed fuel. all, you could depend on it going belly up shortly after you left the tankers Zero Visibility but before you got to the target. Flight If you were assigned to an overwater leaders were usually forced into basic tanker cell, you could anticipate the pos- time, distance, and eyeball navigation. sibility of crowded US Air Force, Navy, The weather varied between monsoon and commercial air traffi c over the ocean. season and almost monsoon season, and An unattractive aspect of those tanker cells see-for-miles days were not common. Rice was the tendency for Air Force single- farmers burned all crop waste, and a day engine fi ghters to develop rough running without a breeze could quickly produce engines when they crossed the coastline absolutely zero visibility. Thus, the few outbound, seemingly without fail. good landmarks in an empire of rice pad- Once off the tankers, if weather was dies were very important. acceptable, the endless green jungles and Our Wild Weasels entered target areas rugged peaks along the mountains run- to hunt for and kill surface-to-air missile ning the length of Laos were spectacular sites, and their radio transmissions were to view. One could look down and easily a preamble to the action just ahead. But imagine seeing giant white elephants all the noise sort of bounced off our fl ight trooping below. leaders, whose sole task was to get them- Precise navigation was of paramount selves and their wingmen to the pop-up coming straight up. There wasn’t much importance, since everything was geared point and kill the target. to the town, but it was rumored to be the to arriving over a specifi c spot in hostile Landmarks became increasingly impor- hometown of Ho Chi Minh. They sprayed territory at your appointed target time. tant as you got closer to targets, and the the skies at any excuse, with nothing Flying at 500 mph, there was little room worse the weather the more important they resembling tracking. for error. were. Our working area stretched from the The prime marker in North Vietnam The Thud’s navigation gear included Laotian border on the west to the Gulf of was the long bony “fi nger” that ran from a navigation receiver with an omnidi- Tonkin on the east. We usually approached northwest to southeast and pointed di- rectional needle and distance to station from the west, to avoid the more intense rectly at the heart of Hanoi. It was known readout allowing pilots to monitor posi- defenses; thus our fi rst good landmarks as “Thud Ridge” since it identifi ed the tion in relation to a transmitting station. were the bends and twists of the Black unintended end destination of so many Aircrew also had a sophisticated onboard and Red rivers, feeding the rice lands of of our Thuds and their pilots. Its high- Doppler navigation system that allowed the Red River Valley. est peaks were about 5,000 feet, and its them to input their exact position when Regardless of our target, we drew heavy green foliage stood out against the they taxied onto the end of the runway, courses to steer clear of Yen Bai, located surrounding fl atlands. then steer to any selected pinpoint target. on the Red River, 120 miles west of Hanoi. If we could see Thud Ridge, despite the The Doppler system was quite allergic You could immediately tell if you were weather, we knew we could thunder along to jungle heat and humidity, however, off course and were too close to the place its sides, be protected from radar from abhorred lots of high maneuvering, if the skies lit up with all sizes of fl ak the east, and be zeroed in on downtown

72 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 Hanoi. That put the pilots in the heart of As we approached downtown, the noise to see the MiGs, sitting ducks in takeoff the North—the box bounded by Haiphong tempo was ever increasing. position on the end of their runway, and not and the Gulf of Tonkin on the east, the One of the most bothersome noise be allowed to splash them. As we passed junction of the Red and Black rivers on sources was our big four-engine headquar- them heading south, they would take off the west, Thai Nguyen on the north, and ters command and communications relay to the north and turn onto our tails. Hoa Binh on the south. That’s where the aircraft, orbiting high and far out over the US Thud drivers fought against some South China Sea. Their radio transmitters A Fiery Trap of the fi ercest defenses in the history of and onboard radar monitors were power- The lead pilot on any strike had the aerial warfare. ful, and they had an amazing capability to responsibility to make the go or no-go As we continued to descend inbound block all truly crucial chatter at the wrong call for all fl ights on that strike sortie. You to our target, our altitude dropped to moment in combat. As fl ights were des- never wanted to call off a strike just miles 200 to 300 feet, and our speed increased perately trying to exchange life-or-death from the target, but you also didn’t want to to about 620 mph. Turbulence became warnings, the C2 aircraft could be counted drag your force over an unbelievably fi erce intense, so a landmark had to be big and on to transmit an eardrum-shattering MiG storm of enemy gunfi re, if weather would easy to see to be of value. MiGs sent up warning code of the day such as “Orphan prevent them from a good attack pattern to pursue Thuds increased the urgency Annie-Orphan Annie,” then a set of map ensuring bombs on target. Sometimes you of the sortie, as well as SAMs whistling coordinates that meant nothing at the in- couldn’t make that decision until you were about and ugly blankets of white, black, stant, then, “MiGs heading 265 degrees, within visual range of the target. Thus, if and red flak greeting us. angels 20 (altitude in thousands of feet), it was a last second call, and if the target was downtown, passing Phuc Yen was a gut-check moment. You were 25 miles north of downtown, and at 620 mph that gave you 60 seconds to decide: Either attack or break away. If your target was Thai Nguyen, just north and west of the Ridge, the fl ak, SAMs, and MiGs were always there to point it out for you. If you could af- ford a glance at the massive facility you could see a huge railroad complex, with an absurd choke point diminishing four rail lines into one, a steel mill, multiple power generating facilities, a barge fac- tory, a chemical facility, and more. It was perhaps the most heavily defended spot in the history of air warfare. It was easy to see why the commander of Pacifi c forces had it high on the on the list of 94 targets he wanted destroyed. The Air Force almost certainly could have done that swiftly at the start of the war, since the North had no MiGs, no SAMs, and limited AAA. But the US decided to wait until it became a fi ery trap. Pilots were only allowed to hit it on restricted, All of our missions were complicated Orphan Annie -Orphan Annie.” They also stop-and-go strikes. by our maps of North Vietnam, full of had code words to warn those of us who We had multiple targets in the Viet seemingly endless little squares and might be approaching a restricted area. Tri-Phu Tho area. If the weather was circles representing US self-imposed As we entered the hot areas, we always anywhere near decent when we were ap- forbidden areas. The largest no-no was turned off the IFF radio transponders that proaching Viet Tri from the west, it was an irregular, 30-mile wide swath across transmitted our identifi cation code, so our an easy target to fi nd, since that’s where the entire Vietnam-China border where headquarters monitors could not tell which the Red and Black rivers came together our leaders decided we must not venture. one of us to turn in for disciplinary action. to identify a major thermal power plant. I will quickly admit when you are Imagine the frustration if the C2 aircraft If you were coming from the east, you lead man for 72 F-105s, each carrying blocked the airways in the middle of a could follow the railroad and take your eight tons of bombs and fuel, nibbling furball, with your element leader trying choice of the railroad staging area or on Mach 1, bouncing wildly at 200 feet to warn you that you had a MiG closing proceed a bit farther into the center of in the midst of a flak storm, it is very on your tail. town. The town was built around a large, difficult to see and obey those imaginary On our normal attacks against sensitive square, four-story gray building, with lines on the ground. downtown Hanoi area targets we powered rows of windows on all floors, known The earphones inside our helmets along between the green crests of Thud to us as “the hospital.” Previously it were a constant, piercing source of Ridge and the busy MiG airfi eld of Phuc was a chemical production facility, but reminders that we were involved in a Yen, located abreast of the southern tip now had huge white circles painted on complex, noisy, and violent endeavor. of Thud Ridge. It was utterly frustrating the walls, with equally large red crosses

AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 73 The Thuds did have the dubious distinc- tion of responsibility for the small portion of the northeast rail line that remained open to attack. This link between North Vietnam and Photo via Jack Broughton Jack via Photo China was protected by the prohibitive Chinese border zone to the north and the Hanoi prohibited zone to the south. That left a 15-mile middle segment that Thuds were tasked to hit with two four-ship fl ights every morning and two four-ship fl ights every afternoon. However, there was never anything at the site other than a few boxcars we had destroyed earlier—and devastating fl ak. Our directed times on target, altitude, airspeed, and direction of fl ight were al- ways exactly the same. Every morning a fl ight out of Korat and a fl ight out of Takhli would refuel over the water and cross the coastline inbound at the same spot and almost immediately be on a 15-mile run for their lives. The insane practice would Vietnamese farm workers toil in the fl ats of the Red River Delta. To the right is Thud be repeated every afternoon. Ridge, to the left is Viet Tri, a target-rich area for Thud Drivers. The North Vietnamese moved every gun they could onto that stretch, and in centered in the circles, to preserve it 10 wooden, single-story Quonset hut-like mid-1967 there was an average of one from attack. buildings spaced along the dirt road. We anti-aircraft gun every 18 feet. The Thuds If your course took you near the hospi- would bomb them and they would blow were like clay pigeons on a skeet range tal, the circle and cross were immediately sky high and burn, indicating fuel and at this point. The only thing to see was highlighted for you by solid walls of ammunition storage. The next time we how many made it out and how many relatively small-arms gunfi re coming from got weathered out and came back, they holes pilots had in their aircraft when all the windows, on all fl oors, and a solid would have rebuilt some huts, others they returned. ring of 37 and 57 mm gunfi re outlining would be under construction, and we The “get me home tankers” always the fl at, open roof. would repeat the routine. fl ew in what looked like beautiful sky to It was diffi cult to get to the power plant us as we left the heart of the North. We without lighting up the hospital. Get Me Home Tankers never could have done the job without We were always assigned three targets If we got skunked downtown, and the them, and when we came out all shot up when we went north. The primary was weather didn’t look good out at Dien Bien and desperately needing fuel, they seldom always hot, since the North knew when Phu, I’d take my guys hunting along Route hesitated to come after us. That resulted we were coming. The secondary often 5, to the southwest toward Hoa Binh. in formal, career-damaging discipline for didn’t seem very important, and the third The area seemed quiet, I never saw some tanker crews that broke rules, but if usually fell into the category of what was any people moving about on the ground, they knew we needed them, they didn’t dubbed a “suspected Vietnamese turnip but we always found a target. Once we care. The sight of a tanker, when you were patch.” If I had to scrub on the primary discovered a signifi cant supply area and close to losing it, was one of the best in target, I usually took my troops hunting got a lot of major secondary explosions. all of Southeast Asia. to either Dien Bien Phu, just a few miles When we came back the next day with If the weather was nasty, all you saw on east of the Laotian border, or to the Hoa a full strike force, we did signifi cant the way home was the inside of clouds. If Binh area south and west of Hanoi on the damage. it was clear, and if your fuel was good, you Black River. Quite logically, the Navy provided could drop down, take your oxygen mask Looking at Dien Bien Phu was always the workforce for the seaward side of off, and cruise home. The tougher the mis- a surprise, since one might expect to see the Hanoi-Haiphong complex, and they sion had been, the longer it seemed to take something of the historic battle site where didn’t often need any Thud augmentation to get past those hundreds of miles over the French were defeated in 1954. There for their missions. The prime target of nothing but scrubby trees and rice paddies. were some primitive looking shacks spread Haiphong was always off-limits, ensuring It was a neat time to think of the randomly around the crude dirt road that the North of a viable harbor, extensive ice-cold towel and the thermos of ice ran west to east. One never hung around storage facilities, and access to supply water your crew chief had waiting for to survey the area in detail, but at 500 mph routes south. you once you landed. I you could make out the bowl-shaped valley where the French were slaughtered and the surrounding higher ground from which the Jack Broughton is a retired USAF colonel and fi ghter pilot. During his time on Active Duty he was the recipient of four Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Silver Vietnamese ended French colonial rule. Stars, and the Air Force Cross. He is the author of two memoirs from the Vietnam You could depend on it for an alternate War era, Thud Ridge and Going Downtown. His most recent article for Air Force target. We almost always found six to Magazine, “The Blooding of America’s Jet Fighters,” appeared in February 2013. 74 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 AFA National Leaders

NATIONAL OFFICERS

BOARD CHAIRMAN VICE CHAIRMAN, VICE CHAIRMAN, SECRETARY TREASURER FIELD OPERATIONS AEROSPACE EDUCATION George K. Muellner Scott P. Van Cleef Jerry E. White Marvin L. Tooman Leonard R. Vernamonti Huntington Beach, Calif. Fincastle, Va. Colorado Springs, Colo. West Des Moines, Iowa Clinton, Miss.

NATIONAL DIRECTORS

Bernise F. Belcer Christopher T. Jones Gilbert E. Petrina Jr. Donald Taylor Columbia, S.C. Herndon, Va. Williamsburg, Va. San Antonio David A. Dietsch Peter E. Jones James A. Roy David B. Warner Arlington, Tex. Potomac Falls, Va. Summerville, S.C. Colorado Springs, Colo. William R. Grider Donald R. Michels Nora Ruebrook Indianapolis Lawrenceville, Ga. Honolulu Rick Hartle F. Whitten Peters Norton A. Schwartz Layton, Utah Washington, D.C. Arlington, Va.

DIRECTORS EMERITUS EX OFFICIO

L. Boyd Anderson George M. Douglas Dan Hendrickson Thomas J. McKee Jack H. Steed S. Sanford Schlitt Ogden, Utah Colorado Springs, Colo. Port Angeles, Wash. Fairfax Station, Va. Warner Robins, Ga. Former Board Chairman Sarasota, Fla. R. Donald Anderson Michael J. Dugan Harold F. Henneke Charles A. Nelson Robert G. Stein Poquoson, Va. Dillon, Colo. Greenwood, Ind. Sioux Falls, S.D. Colorado Springs, Colo. Craig R. McKinley President David L. Blankenship Michael M. Dunn* Victoria W. Hunnicutt Ellis T. Nottingham Joseph Sutter Air Force Association Tulsa, Okla. Arlington, Va. Gray, Ga. Arlington, Va. Knoxville, Tenn. Arlington, Va.

Bonnie B. Callahan Charles G. Durazo Leonard W. Isabelle Donald L. Peterson* Mary Anne Thompson William J. Dendinger Winter Garden, Fla. Yuma, Ariz. Lakeport, Calif. Fairfax Station, Va. South Yarmouth, Mass. National Chaplain Grand Island, Neb. Walter G. Vartan Dan Callahan Samuel M. Gardner James M. Keck John J. Politi Teller Junak Chicago Centerville, Ga. Garden City, Kan. San Antonio Fair Oaks Ranch, Tex. National Commander Arnold Air Society Mark J. Worrick George H. Chabbott Don C. Garrison Thomas J. Kemp Jack C. Price Boulder, Colo. Dover, Del. Easley, S.C. Crowley, Tex. Pleasant View, Utah Denver

Stephen P. “Pat” Condon Richard B. Goetze Jr. Robert E. Largent Victor Seavers Charles P. Zimkas Jr. Ogden, Utah Arlington, Va. Harrison, Ark. Eagan, Minn. Colorado Springs, Colo.

O. R. “Ollie” Crawford Emlyn I. Griffith Hans Mark Mary Ann Seibel-Porto San Antonio Rome, N.Y. Austin, Tex. Las Vegas

William D. Croom Jr. Donald J. Harlin Robert T. Marsh John A. Shaud* San Antonio LaGrange, Ga. Falls Church, Va. McLean, Va.

Julie Curlin Martin H. Harris William V. McBride James E. “Red” Smith Tampa, Fla. Longwood, Fla. San Antonio Princeton, N.C.

Jon R. Donnelly Monroe W. Hatch Jr.* James M. McCoy R. E. “Gene” Smith Richmond, Va. Clifton, Va. Bellevue, Neb. West Point, Miss.

*Executive Director (President-CEO) Emeritus AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 75 AFA National Report [email protected]

By Frances McKenney, Assistant Managing Editor

Emerging Leaders The Air Force Association began an Emerging Leaders Program in 2013 as

an avenue to secure AFA’s future. Photos by Dan Higgins Emerging Leaders volunteer for a year. With guidance from a mentor, they par- ticipate on a national-level council, attend national leader orientations, and serve as National Con- vention delegates. Here’s the sixth Emerging Leader’s profile.

TSgt. Timothy J. Tichawa Home State: Illinois. Chapter: Robert H. Goddard. Joined AFA: 2011. AFA Offices: Member of the nation- Maj. Michael Belardo and CMSgt. Gary Brown receive ap - al-level Aerospace Education Council. plause at the Central Florida Chapter’s Gala. L-r: Tim Brock, California State VP for aerospace gala chairman; CMSAF James Cody; Gen. Mark Welsh, USAF education. Was Goddard Chapter Chief of Staff; Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James; and Bill Palmby, chapter president. Secretary. AFA Awards: State-level Meritorious Service award. Chapter-level Presidential Exceptional Service. Florida Gala Salutes the Guard and Reserve Military Service: 12 years on Active Duty. The Air Force Gala in Orlando, Fla., organized by the Occupation: Flight chief (space operations), 533rd Central Florida Chapter, honored “citizen airmen”—the Air Training Squadron, Vandenberg AFB, Calif. National Guard and Air Force Reserve. Education: A.A.S., Community College of the Air Force. Held in conjunction with the Air Warfare Symposium and B.A., Ashford University. Working on an M.S., Colorado Technology Exposition, the 30th annual gala also paid tribute Technical University. to industry partners of the Guard and Reserve. As Chapter Q&A President William G. Palmby told the audience, employers How did you first learn of AFA? I had a group com- “truly understand the importance of allowing these warriors mander, and he was asked to put together the state the time they need for training and operational duty.” convention. ... I didn’t attend the state convention, but I The chapter named seven AFA Jimmy Doolittle Educational helped plan it. I thought, “Wow, this is a great organization.” Fellows. Col. Frank L. Amodeo, commander of the 403rd Wing How is AFA of value? I’ve benefitted most from my at Keesler AFB, Miss., accepted the award for his unit, singled networking. ... Between networking and professional de- out for its unique mission of hurricane reconnaissance. Maj. velopment—that’s another big one—I’ve gotten to meet Jose Ariza accepted the honor on behalf of the 146th Airlift some of the great NCOs and leaders. Wing at Channel Islands ANGS, Calif. The award recognized How can AFA increase membership? By helping the ANG’s airborne firefighting mission. Together, Amodeo people realize that the organization is for the Total Force, and Ariza represented the homeland responsibilities of the by really telling the enlisted story. Everything that AFA Guard and Reserve. does should include the enlisted perspective to it. ... We Maj. Michael Belardo (fourth from left in the photo at top), should somehow tie in e-membership to that—that it may a B-2 weapons officer, accepted the award for the 131st be more affordable [for junior enlisted]. That was a great Bomb Wing at Whiteman AFB, Mo. It was highlighted as the move to reach out to the young. only ANG entity flying and maintaining Spirit stealth bomb -

Maj. Jose Ariza (second from left) and Col. Frank Tichawa Amodeo accept fishes from congratulations a kayak off from Welsh and California’s James. Gaviota State Park with the Jurassic Sport Fishing group.

76 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 ers. CMSgt. Gary Brown, the 310th Space Wing command Polly Morrisey (far right), the chief from Schriever AFB, Colo., joined Belardo on stage. Gen. Bruce K.

He represented the Reserve’s only space wing. Belardo and Holloway Chap- The Daily Times Brown symbolized the aerospace power projection capabili- ter treasurer, ties of USAF’s two Air Reserve Components. presents an AFA Southwest Airlines Capt. Chuck Magill and Dustin Baird matching grant were named Doolittle fellows—to underline corporate and to William Blount small-business support for reservists—as was Ronald Young, High School. executive director of DOD’s Employer Support of the Guard The funds paid and Reserve organization. for the cen- trifuge in the In a culmination of the gala, the chapter named AFA foreground. Photo by Darryl Sullivan, courtesy of President Craig R. McKinley as an H. H. Arnold Fellow. The honor served to spotlight McKinley’s 38 years of military service and his firsts: He was the first national He explained, “I know Polly Morrisey because we invite her guard officer to become a four-star general and the first every year to our banquet, and she presents the outstanding National Guard Bureau chief appointed a member of the JROTC cadet award.” Joint Chiefs of Staff. Morrisey does far more than hand out the award; she keeps in contact with the student. As a result, months after Yes, I Know Polly—Part II the medal presentation, the cadet still knows her name. (See Do you know Polly? airforcemag.com. Search: Yes, I Know Polly.) With her help, the Gen. Bruce K. Holloway Chapter put AFA Chapter Matching Grants promote science, technol- AFA on Page 1 of its local newspaper. ogy, engineering, and math and can be used for activities The Daily Times in Blount County, Tenn., declared that such as science fairs, science and technology programs, “Top Stories for Monday, Feb. 24” included AFA’s $1,300 field trips, or career days. Chapter Matching Grant to a school in Maryville. At Blount High School, the matching grant allowed Woodard Chapter Treasurer Pauline K. “Polly” Morrisey presented to buy a microhematocrit centrifuge and basic supplies. The the check to health sciences teacher Carla Woodard and centrifuge determines the ratio of red-cell volume to whole students Allie Israel and Jessica Hechevarria (left to right in blood volume and helps diagnose blood loss, anemia, and the photo) at William Blount High School. bone marrow failure, for example. Having the machine gives But the grant really originated through another chapter the students hands-on training for their future careers, com- member: retired Col. Thomas M. Shaughnessy, the AFJROTC mented Shaughnessy. senior aerospace science instructor at Blount. It’s the kind of thing that happens when you know Polly. Shaughnessy said, “We don’t even have a budget for textbooks. Our school is pretty needy.” He knew Woodard’s In This for the Long Haul vocational-technical program wanted funding help. So, When the Massachusetts-based Collings Foundation Shaughnessy said, “I hooked her up with Polly.” brought its World War II aircraft to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Shop the AFA Hangar Store

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Dress Shirts $28 to $41 Polos $28 to $32 Outerwear $27 to $59 Sport-Tek Tees $21 to $24

Apparel is available in a wide variety of colors and sizes with no charge for your choice of the AFA logo, the Air Force Memorial Spires, the CyberPatriot logo or AFA’s Wounded Airman Program logo. Add your name or other embroidered personalization for $5 more. Visit www.afa.org/store or call 1-866-860-9293

AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 77 AFA National Report

At the CAP awards night in Waukesha, Wis., Alexander Vargo (far left) was part of the color guard and also received an AFA CAP Outstanding Squadron Cadet of the Year award. Billy Mitchell Chapter President Victor Johnson made the presentation.

Gold Coast Chapter’s (left to right) Virginia Montalvo, Fran Shaw, and Ran Meriam with a photo of Fort Lauder- dale’s F-86. Standing is new chapter member Marine veteran Edward Weber.

in February, the Gold Coast Chapter INSPIRE. set up an AFA membership table at the air show. With its display, the chapter highlighted its own vintage fighter air- craft restoration effort. Chapter President Virginia Montalvo, Secretary Fran C. Shaw, and Treasurer Ransom Meriam manned the table, with a large photograph of F-86H, No. 53-1255, as the focus. This Sabre began its association with the chapter in 1970 when then-leader Robert M. Rawls persuaded Fort Lau- derdale to acquire it from the Maryland Air National Guard for display. By 1999, however, the aircraft had fallen into disrepair because of weather exposure. Chapter members then or- ganized a restoration that involved trucking the fighter jet down the coast to Homestead Air Reserve Base. Reservist volunteers worked for five years on the restoration, with the chapter HowHow many giftsgifts to to the the Annual Annual Fund Fund does does it take it take to make to make a difference? a difference? funding materials and supplies. Just one—yours. When you combine your gift with thousands of others, In 2004, the chapter dedicated the Justyou’ll one—yours. INSPIRE the When future you leaders combine of our your United gift withStates thousands Air Force. of others, F-86 at Fort Lauderdale’s Holiday Park. The next year, Hurricane Wilma knocked you’ll INSPIRE the future leaders of our United States Air Force. it off its display pedestal. The chapter The ANNUAL FUND provides needed resources for the Air Force again led a restoration and rededicated TheAssociation ANNUAL to Promote FUND Air provides Force Airpower needed as resources we Educate for the the public Air Force it for Veterans Day 2010. about the critical role of aerospace power in the defense of our nation; AssociationAdvocate aerospace to Promote power Air and Force a strong Airpower national as defense; we Educate and Support the public Silver the United States Air Force and the Air Force Family. Nation’s Capital Chapter President about the critical role of aerospace power in the defense of our nation; Bruce A. VanSkiver awarded an AFA Silver Medal to Ellen Petersen, the Advocate aerospace power and a strong national defense; and Support outstanding Aerospace Studies 300 theEvery United Statesgift Air can Force make and the Aira difference.Force Family. cadet at Det. 130, based at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Lt. Gen. David S. Fadok, commander Make yours today. of Air University, was guest speaker for Every gift can make a difference. the event and helped with the presenta- FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: tion, along with detachment commander Larry Dilworth, VP of Development & Marketing Lt. Col. Darryl Terrell. Petersen is 1.800.727.3337 • 703.247.5800 Make yours today. finishing her junior year at American [email protected] University, one of several colleges in for more information contact: an AFROTC consortium with Howard Lois S. O’Connor,OR VISIT Director US ONLINE of Development AT: Promoting Air Force Airpower University. According to VanSkiver, www.afa.org/donate she has been selected for the remotely 1.800.727.3337 • 703.247.5800 piloted aircraft career field. n [email protected] 78 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 or visit us online at: The Force Behind THE FORCE. www.afa.org/contributions How To Stand Out at the Science Fair

The Sarasota-Manatee Chapter in No need to be a judge. The chapter Florida continues to build its presence got on the radar by providing awards to at a local science fair. highlight aerospace-oriented projects, In January, Chapter President Michael not by judging entries. R. Richardson presented awards for two Stand out from the crowd. Richard- projects at the Lockheed Martin-Manatee son said, “I made an effort to provide Regional Science and Engineering Fair. distinct awards”: an AFA Certificate Anna Zimmerman, a ninth-grader that he prints on heavy card stock on from Braden River Middle School, his computer and places in a blue pre- evaluated the performance of a hybrid sentation folder; an AFA calendar; an rocket motor using beeswax versus a aerospace-related book; a medallion paraffin-based fuel. She entitled her hanging on a ribbon; and a backpack project “An Eco-Friendly Rocket Fuel.” of Air Force goodies from the local Anna Zimmerman displays her AFA (Beeswax came out on top.) recruiting station. He presents this Certificate and Recognition Medal. The science fair awarded the First Merritt Kendzior, a ninth-grader at bounty at the fair’s awards ceremony, in Class plaque on the right. Below: Southeast High School experimented where the chapter’s recipients differ Merritt Kendzior’s research produced with varying a wing’s angle of incidence from the other awardees. “They walk a project called “Wing It!” to change the speed needed to create away from me with their hands full,” a specific amount of lift. Both students Richardson said. “That makes them come from Bradenton, Fla. stand out.” His marketing background This is the chapter’s third year of taught him this technique. involvement with the science fair. How Compile a list of media contacts. “I did they do this? went around town and picked up every Ask the school system. “We knew paper I could find,” Richardson said. He we needed to do something in the looked through each newspaper’s staff aerospace education field,” recalled list to find pertinent email addresses. Richardson, so he began phoning school A web search in February revealed officials. On his second try, he reached that all of the after-action coverage of a teacher who complained, “Gee, I’m this science fair originated with Richard- really busy right now. I’m getting ready son’s emailed press releases to those for the science fair.” Bingo. He was in. on this contact list.

[email protected] 34th BS. Oct. 2-5 in San Diego. Contact: Rod Breland, 5731 Hickory Ridge Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA 70817 (225-751-2058) ([email protected]) (www.mlrsinc. com/34thbombsqd). 606th Special Ops Sq. April 24-26 at Hope Hotel near Dayton, OH. Contact: Phil French (937-287-4766) (fossilphil@ American University cadet Ellen Petersen Susan Loricchio, a New Jersey state VP hotmail.com). received an AFA Silver Medal from (l-r) Lt. (left), presented Isaac Alberto with an Col. Darryl Terrell, Nation’s Capital Chapter AFA CAP Outstanding Squadron Cadet Radar station veterans. May 18-23 in Reno, President Bruce VanSkiver, and guest of the Year Award. At right: Jersey NV. Contact: Woody Woodworth (927- speaker Lt. Gen. David Fadok, Air Univer- City Composite Squadron Commander 868-2495) (lgwdwrth@roadrunner. com). sity commander. Gilberto Sanchez. SAC. May 15-17 at Sam’s Town Hotel Sal Capriglione and Casino in Shreveport, LA. Contact: Chapter VP (318-529-3023). Anthony Devino (second from left) Pilot Tng Class 62-G, Laredo AFB, TX. and President Jo- May 12-15 in Las Vegas. Contact: John seph Capriglione Kikta (702-876-6216) ([email protected]). (third from right) presented an AFA Wheelus AB. June 27-29 in Dayton, OH. CAP Outstanding Contact: Judy Martin Moore (276-728- Squadron Cadet 5391) ([email protected]). n of the Year Award to John Glidden III Email reunion notices four months ahead (center). Glidden is of time to [email protected], or mail notices from the Teaneck, to “Reunions,” Air Force Magazine, 1501 Lee N.J., Composite Highway, Arlington, VA 22209-1198. We reserve Squadron. the right to condense notices.

AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014 79 Airpower Classics Artwork by Zaur Eylanbekov

G4M Betty

The Japanese Imperial Navy Air Service G4M Betty curate anti-aircraft fire. Despite having effective was the nation’s medium bomber counterpart to tail defense armament, the Betty was so easy to the A6M fighter. Both aircraft were designed by set afire that it was called “Zippo” by US pilots Mitsubishi and about equal in wartime prestige and “Type 1 Lighter” by the Japanese themselves. and fame. Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto, the fleet commander in chief, had called for a long-range, The Betty was used in war-opening strikes at the four-engine heavy bomber able to operate from Philippine Islands on Dec. 8, 1941. A 27-ship land bases. Japan’s naval leadership instead fleet of Bettys helped sink the British warships decided to produce an ultra-long-range twin HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse off engine aircraft, sacrificing armor and self-sealing Malaya on Dec. 10, 1941. These were the first fuel tanks. The result was the rotund Betty, which capital ships sunk at sea in wartime by airpower. achieved phenomenally long range but also suf- They then participated in every major battle of fered a stunning loss rate. the war. On March 21, 1945, the Betty fleet suf- fered heavy losses attempting to launch piloted The Betty bomber was a twin-engine, midwing, Okha rocket-powered missiles at US ships. The all metal, stress-skinned monoplane. It was easy aircraft’s most famous mission occurred on to fly and proved easy to maintain in the field. April 18, 1943: US P-38s attacked and downed Initially, its 1,100 imperial gallon wing tanks had the G4M carrying Yamamoto as it approached no protection. Its bomb bay doors were normally Bougainville Island. closed in flight but had to be remove in some —Walter J. Boyne models for bombing missions. The Betty was successful when flown against poorly defended Chinese targets but could not survive in combat against US fighter aircraft or in the face of ac-

This aircraft: Japanese G4M1 Model 11—#F-319—as it looked in 1942 when assigned to the 1st Squadron, 4th Group, on New Britain Island, now part of Papua New Guinea.

In Brief Designed, built by Mitsubishi e first flight Oct. 23, 1939 e number built 2,436 e crew of seven e Specific to G4M1: two Mitsubishi Kasei radial engines e defensive armament one 20 mm cannon (tail turret) and four 7.7 mm machine guns e load up to 1,892 lb of bombs or one aerial torpedo e max speed 265 mph e cruise speed 196 mph e max range 3,750 mi (G4M2) e weight (loaded) 28,350 lb e span 81 ft 8 in e length 65 ft 6 in e height 16 ft 1 in. Famous Fliers Notables: Hiroshi Hayashi, Joji Higai, Jun Takahashi. Test Pilot: Katsuzo Shima. Interesting Facts Nicknamed “Hamaki,” or “Flying Cigar” e carried Japanese Fleet Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto on fatal mission (shot down by USAAF in 1943) e produced in numbers greater than any Japanese bomber e flown in combat from Aleutians in north to Australia in south e served as basis for 30 heavily armed G6M “escort fighters” e suffered 182 losses (of fleet of 240) in first 90 days of war with US e relied on rubber sheets on wing outer surfaces as fuel tank protection e transported Japanese surrender-planning team to Ie Shima on Aug. 19, 1945 e operated by Indonesian air force after World War II. A formation of early production G4M1 Betty bombers.

80 AIR FORCE Magazine / April 2014

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