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B-1 Comeback 34 | Paying For NATO 48 |Advantage: RPAs 52 SPACE FORCE RISING The Birth of the 6th Service | 44 January/February 2020 $8 Published by the Air Force Association WHEN INNOVATION STRIKES, THE MISSION SUCCEEDS. JOINT STRIKE MISSILE Powered by 5th-generation technology, Joint Strike Missile (JSM) delivers proven performance and precision against today’s evolving threats. JSM’s stand-off range of up to 350 miles keeps pilots out of harm’s way, accurately engaging adversaries and enabling the mission. RAYTHEON.COM/JSM © 2020 Raytheon Company. All rights reserved. 19RMS586_Raytheon_JSM_AFMag_012720_.indd 1 1/6/20 5:38 PM STAFF Publisher January/February 2020. Vol. 103, No. 1 & 2 Bruce A. Wright Editor in Chief Tobias Naegele Managing Editor Juliette Kelsey Chagnon Editorial Director John A. Tirpak News Editor Amy McCullough Assistant Managing Editor Chequita Wood Photo: A1C William Rio Rosado A1C William Photo: Senior Designer Dashton Parham DEPARTMENTS FEATURES An MQ-9 Reaper Pentagon Editor Brian W. Everstine 2 Editorial: 8 Q&A: Reconstruction and Resiliency on the line at Launching the Creech AFB, Digital Platforms Space Force An exclusive interview with John W. Henderson, assistant Nev. Remotely Editor By Tobias Naegele secretary of the Air Force for installations, environment, piloted vehicles Jennifer-Leigh are changing the Oprihory 4 Letters and energy. way the US and its allies wage Senior Editor 6 Index to 34 The Bone is Back asymetrical war. Rachel S. Cohen Advertisers By Brian W. Everstine See “The Unique Production Advantages of Manager 12 Strategy & Policy: A surprise deployment sent a message to Iran—and DOD: The End of Nuclear Remotely Piloted Eric Chang Lee “Kick the Can” B-1s are fast, agile, and readier than you think. Aircraft,” p. 52. Photo Editor 14 Airframes 38 The Future of COIN Mike Tsukamoto 20 World: Growing By Rachel S. Cohen Aggressors; AFGSC How the Air Force is preparing for counterinsurgency in second decade Contributors changes; Goodbye 2030. John T. Correll, Line of the Air 44 Space Force is Here Robert S. Dudney, Force; JSTARS Lt. Col. Jeffrey W. heads home; and By Rachel S. Cohen Decker (USAF, more ... Now comes the hard part. retired), Lt. Col. 31 Faces of the Force Johnny Duray 32 Verbatim 48 Who’s Paying Their Share in NATO 63 Airman for Life By John A. Tirpak Marking the Spot After years of sinking individual investments, NATO member Where Eight Airmen country spending on defense is rebounding. But frictions Were Lost ADVERTISING: persist. 64 Namesakes: Kirk Brown Kirtland 52 The Unique Advantages of Remotely Piloted Aircraft ON THE COVER Director, Media By Lt. Col. Johnny Duray Solutions 703.247.5829 Implications for future warfare. [email protected] 58 The Euromissile Showdown SUBSCRIBE By John T. Correll & SAVE Subscribe to Deployment of the Soviet SS-20 sent tremors through Air Force Magazine western Europe. Photo/Illustration: USAF/JohnnyLindner Photo/Illustration: and save big off A photo illustra- the cover price, tion of a satellite plus get a free and planet Earth. membership See “Space Force to the Air Force is Here,” p. 44. Association. 1-800-727-3337 Air Force Magazine (ISSN 0730-6784) January/February 2020 (Vol. 103, No. 1 & 2) is published monthly, except for two double issues in January/February and July/August, by the Air Force Association, 1501 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA 22209-1198. Phone (703) 247-5800. Periodical postage paid at Arlington, Va., and additional mailing offices. Membership Rate: $50 per year; $35 e-Membership; $125 for three-year membership. Subscription Rate: $50 per year; $29 per year additional for postage to foreign addresses (except Canada and Mexico, which are $10 per year additional). Regular issues $8 each. USAF Almanac issue $18 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 material. Trademark registered by Air Force Association. Copyright 2020 by Air Force Association. JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020 AIRFORCEMAG.COM 1 EDITORIAL By Tobias Naegele Launching the Space Force he birth of the Space Force some 73 years after the Air Force What should they be called? Spaceman is uninspired. Few, if separated from the Army is rife with opportunity. Executed any, will ever actually operate in space, and the term evokes hokey T correctly, it can empower new thinking and creativity in images from ancient sci-fi movies. how space is applied to warfare and diplomacy, accelerate the Sentinel, favored by some, is not much better. By definition, a development of new capabilities, and yield unimagined strategic sentinel is a Soldier standing watch. Our new Space Force will do far advantages for US defense. more than that, deploying systems and weapons in space, enabling Yet we must not ignore the risks should the launch fail to go as complex communications and intelligence gathering, and ultimately planned. Increased tribalism, underfunding for necessary resourc- operating offensively and defensively from among the stars. es, insufficient personnel, lack of integration of the multitude of Astro or Astron are also options. Meaning “of or relating to the agencies with a role in space, and the associated loss of synergy, stars,” Astro derives from the Greek Astron, meaning star. These trust, and coordination, could all undermine the intent of the new relate directly to space and check all the other boxes: just two military service. The entire Defense Department must unite to keep syllables (like Sailor, Soldier, Airman, and Marine); gender neutral; that from happening, as all of DOD will depend on the capabilities self-explanatory; without significant secondary meaning. They are a strong and effective Space Force brings to the fight. unique and relatable. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein and the new Chief of Uniforms will be another matter. Clothes make the person. While Space Operations, Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond, clearly understand some will inevitably cry out about waste, uniforms matter to recruit- the stakes. They’ve seen their share of interservice and interagency ing and retention; how one looks relates to how one feels. The Space dysfunction over their 30-plus years of active service, and both are Force will have a unique opportunity to design uniforms for precisely respected for consistently rising above that parochialism to form the kind of work its members do and for the times in which we live. high-performing cross-functional teams. Their Think of dress uniforms for the information age, experience as joint operators will inform the Culture change is a no neckties, and performance fabrics. decisions they make now and into the future. Uniform envy poses risks, of course. In the For the thousands of Airmen affected, how- leadership issue. Time is of utilitarian 1970s and 80s, the military adopted ever, the risks and challenges may not be fully the essence. common camouflage utilities. When Marine apparent. The rush to declare independence and Commandant Gen. James L. Jones wanted to the power that results could be dangerously intoxicating for some. create a uniquely Marine camouflage pattern in the late 1990s, the Unity of effort and joint force thinking can easily collide with the Marines’ eagle, globe, and anchor logo was designed into the pat- natural drive to settle old scores, create new power bases, and form tern to ensure the other services would steer clear. In the resulting new fiefdoms. How leaders respond, and what they do to ensure arms race of camouflage patterns, the Navy created a uniform that perpetual affinity between the Air and Space forces will go a long perversely made Sailors stand out on the decks of ships but hid way toward defining how we look back at Dec. 20, 2019, the day the them in the waves if they fell overboard. The Army wasted $1 billion Space Force was born. before it dropped its universal camouflage pattern because it was The Department of the Air Force, in which Space Force lives, putting troops at risk in Afghanistan. Such is what happens when must evolve. To make clear its full role and responsibility, it should tribalism reaches illogical extremes. become the Department of the Aerospace Forces. The Air Force and Nomenclature and uniforms are symbolic touchpoints. They Space Force can and should coexist within that single framework, mask the more contentious struggles to come over roles, missions, a nod to the inextricable ties between air and space warfare and and resources. the hazy line that separates the two domains. There is no reason to For the Space Force to be successful, Congress and the Pentagon create a new secretariat to oversee space. will have to consolidate space assets, capability, know-how, and This is not to say, however, that it is not essential for the new budgets from the other services. Simply renaming Air Force Space Space Force to develop and establish its own identity and culture. Command “Space Force” won’t get us anywhere. Just as critical, they Doing so will communicate what the new force values and what will have to finally address the fate of pass-through funding that has kind of leaders it develops in the future. If today’s leaders do not for years masked the true size of the Air Force budget. begin to define those cultural touchpoints and values now, others That so-called “non-blue” pass-through amounted to $38 billion will do so for them, and not necessarily with the best vision or intent. in 2019 and will top $39.1 billion in 2020, money that funds the space General Raymond won’t do it all on his lonesome, but he will have to assets of the National Reconnaissance Office.