Aerospace World By Peter Grier 339 Raptors Enough, Says Peters Current plans call for the Air Force to buy 339 production F-22 Raptor fighters to equip 10 Aerospace Expe- ditionary Forces—and that seems to be fine with Air Force Secretary F. Whitten Peters. “Three hundred thirty-nine is about the right number for 10 AEFs,” the Air Force leader told reporter Frank Wolfe USAF photo by 2nd Lt. Christina N. Dunn of Defense Daily, a defense newslet- ter in Washington, D.C. Peters explained that each AEF will have 24 F-22s, for a total of 240 fighters. The extra 99 will be used for training, maintenance pipeline, and replacement. Original plans called for procure- ment of 750 of the stealthy, super- cruising aircraft. Various defense re- views during the 1990s have more than cut the program in half. Dale Zimmerman (right), fantasy contest winner (see item at left), accompanies In recent months, contractor Lock- Lt. Col. Jerry Kerby as he completes an F-15 pre-flight at Tyndall AFB, Fla. heed Martin has been promoting an Zimmerman said the flight was “the best experience I’ve had in my life.” Air Force purchase of 572 production F-22s, with the additional 233 Rap- tors used to bulk up each AEF, ac- than 3,300 entries. Each service Air Force Wants More Minority cording to Lockheed officials. picked one winner. Airmen Peters admits that the Air Force is Zimmerman will soon graduate The Air Force will take its pitch to not planning to buy enough F-22s for from Embry–Riddle University with traditionally African–American col- a one-for-one replacement of front- a bachelor’s degree and hopes to go leges and high schools in an effort to line F-15s. “The counter-answer is to Officer Training School. He has woo more minority recruits, Deputy the F-22 is a more competent air- already been a private pilot for five Secretary of Defense Rudy de Leon plane, and you’ll be using AEFs, not years. said in San Antonio on Aug. 11 dur- wings,” he said. “This is going to show me what ing the annual meeting of the Tus- happens behind the scenes. It will kegee Airmen and the Organization Fantasy Contest Winner To Fly in keep inspiring me to pursue my dream of Black Airline Pilots. F-15 of becoming an Air Force pilot,” he More than 50 years after the famed Dale E. Zimmerman, a 22-year- said. Tuskegee Airmen broke the color old customer service representative Other winners will train with an barrier in the cockpit, minorities are for United Airlines in Junction City, Apache helicopter crew, fly to an still under-represented among Air Ore., spent two days shadowing an Atlantic Fleet carrier, and spend time Force pilots. Only 226 of the service’s F-15 pilot and flying in an F-15D, at the Basic School of the Marine 12,000-plus pilots are African–Ameri- thanks to an innovative online con- Corps. The Defense Department con- can. Only 200 are Hispanic. test sponsored by the Department of sidered the contest a huge success “Our surveys have found that over Defense. and has launched a new Web site— a seven-year period from 1990 to The “Yahoo! Fantasy Careers in todaysmilitary.com—as a follow-up. 1997, there was an increase in the Today’s Military Contest” was run in The contest showed that the In- percentage of minorities moving into conjunction with Yahoo! Inc. and ternet is a viable recruiting medium, careers in aviation,” said de Leon. lasted from May 20 through July 4. according to Cmdr. Yvette Brown– “But overall, the numbers need much Eligible US candidates were invited Wahler, Defense Department assis- improvement.” to register on Yahoo, submit a ré- tant director for recruiting plans. The military has made more ad- sumé, and write a short essay on “Forty percent of the contestants re- vances toward racial integration than their fantasy military career through quested additional information from the private business at large, de Leon the Career Track Web site. respective service regarding career insisted. But it still has far to go, he Overall the Pentagon received more opportunities,” said Brown–Wahler. admitted. 8 AIR FORCE Magazine / October 2000 “We’ve got to find everybody who death if they’ve been exposed to an- rience in the Gulf War is that the has the tools and the skills and give thrax,” he emphasized. “It does pro- Department of Defense has not been them the training and the opportunity tect them.” well structured to deal with any un- to sit there in the cockpit and take He added, though, that they “should usual issues—particularly health is- that F-16 or that F-22 or that Joint not get sick, but can I tell you beyond sues—that arise after deployment. Strike Fighter to the top of the pyra- a matter of question that somebody As a result, on Aug. 8 the Pentagon mid,” he said. wouldn’t get sick? No.” announced the establishment of a “The journey to opportunity does new position: special assistant to the not have a finish line,” de Leon added. What If Anthrax Shots Are Secretary of Defense for Gulf War Interrupted? illnesses, medical readiness, and Anthrax Vaccine Works Well, Will interruptions in the prescribed military deployments. DoD Insists six-shot anthrax vaccination regimen The new job is an expansion of the US troops vaccinated against an- lessen its effectiveness? special assistant for Gulf War illnesses thrax would not sicken in large num- That is a question some critics of post. Its first occupant will be the bers in the wake of a bio-terror an- the program are asking in the wake of current holder of the Gulf War posi- thrax attack, Department of Defense the Pentagon’s recent decision to slow tion, Bernard Rostker. medical experts insist. its mandatory immunization program “We need to remain vigilant, to The officials were responding to a because of a vaccine shortage. make sure the mistakes DoD made in series of recent media reports which More than 455,000 members of the Gulf War aren’t repeated,” said indicated that vaccinated monkeys the military have received one vac- Rostker. exposed to anthrax in an Army test cine shot but have not completed the Among the specific lessons learned became ill for up to two weeks. program, according to Pentagon offi- in the Gulf were the need to maintain The animals in question did not cials. current medical records on all ser- appear to be sick, said Col. Arthur “Does the military view that they vice members, the need to properly Friedlander, senior military scientist have a right to ignore medical proto- train troops in simple safety precau- for the US Army Medical Research col on their soldiers?” asked Rep. tions when using depleted uranium Institute of Infectious Diseases at Ft. Christopher Shays (R–Conn.) at a munitions, and the need to keep per- Detrick, Md. July 13 Congressional hearing on the sonnel informed about the vaccines “Their activity appeared to be nor- subject. they receive. mal,” said Friedlander. Delays in receiving additional “We want to always be ready to It is true that extrapolation from shots will not affect the health of respond to individuals who have con- animal studies to humans is not fool- service personnel, insisted Marine cerns about potential force health proof when it comes to determining Corps Maj. Gen. Randall West, se- related issues,” said Rostker. vaccination efficacy, said the Army nior advisor to the deputy secretary The office is not going to abandon scientist. But the danger of anthrax of defense for chemical and biologi- its Gulf War–related work, he noted. rules out studies with human volun- cal defense. Since 1994 the US has committed teers. Instead, delays will simply “defer more than $160 million to more than There is no way of running a hu- the additional protection,” West told 150 research projects in an attempt man anthrax vaccine test “unless a the hearing. to understand more about the group cloud appears over Washington, D.C., Department of Defense policy state- of illnesses among veterans that is and the people in the Pentagon sur- ments issued in 1998 hold that some- popularly known as “Gulf War Syn- vive and others don’t,” said Fried- one who had received the first shot drome.” lander. would have to restart the series only Ten years after the war it is becom- Army records obtained by Mark if more than two years had elapsed ing clear that no one solution to the Zaid, an attorney representing sev- since the administration of the initial puzzle of these ailments will be found, eral service members who oppose dose. according to the Pentagon. Defense the vaccination program, hinted that At a Pentagon briefing July 11 an- officials had initially hoped to identify the military’s anthrax vaccine might nouncing the slowdown, West said patterns of Gulf–related illnesses. not provide complete immunity. Lab the program is about a year behind They say they have not found any. notes, obtained by Zaid, from one schedule. Following one sick veteran who 1991 test on 10 rhesus monkeys Meanwhile, the civilian federal had served in a company of 200, for reportedly stated that although all agency charged with overseeing the instance, investigators found none of the vaccinated animals survived they nation’s food and drug safety at- the other 199 reported the same ill- appeared to be sick over the course tempted to distance itself from the ness.