103 Notices Federal Register Vol. 84, No. 8 Friday, January 11, 2019 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER Procedural Provisions of the National pilot full-rate Basic Course. Hurricane contains documents other than rules or Environmental Policy Act provide for Michael’s subsequent devastation of proposed rules that are applicable to the situations when emergency Tyndall AFB further aggravated public. Notices of hearings and investigations, circumstances make it necessary to deficiencies in the F–22 pilot committee meetings, agency decisions and make a decision and take action with production pipeline by rendering many rulings, delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency potentially significant environmental of the FTU’s facilities unusable for the statements of organization and functions are impact without observing the provisions foreseeable future. The production of examples of documents appearing in this of the CEQ Regulations (40 CFR trained and qualified F–22 pilots section. 1506.11). Specifically, the agency completely stopped for two months, should consult with CEQ about exacerbating the current pilot shortage alternative arrangements for actions that the Air Force is facing. This DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE necessary to control the immediate situation will worsen unless the Air impacts of the emergency. Force can restart F–22 FTU full-rate Department of the Air Force F–22 Raptor: The F–22 is the United training by January 2019, because all States’ premier fighter aircraft, which is student pilots are currently unable to Decision Memorandum Accepting essential to national security. It is a perform qualifying flights. As current F– Alternative Arrangements for the U.S. specialized ‘‘Fifth-Generation’’ fighter 22 pilots retire or separate from the Air Force’s Interim Beddown of the which introduces a large array of Service, the Air Force needs to produce F–22 Formal Training Unit at Eglin Air sensors that can detect both air and the same numbers and more to maintain Force Base, Florida ground targets and share that data with its combat readiness. AGENCY: Department of the Air Force, other U.S. and Allied aircraft. The F–22 When Hurricane Michael struck DoD. possesses a sophisticated sensor suite Tyndall AFB, the F–22 FTU had 14 ACTION: Notice of Decision allowing the pilot to track, identify, Basic Course students, two Track 2 Memorandum. shoot and kill air-to-air threats before students, and one Track 1 student being detected. Significant advances in enrolled in training. Track 2 is for SUMMARY: The Department of the Air cockpit design and sensor fusion previously qualified F–22 pilots who are Force announces its decision to accept improve the pilot’s situational no longer current, and Track 1 is for alternative arrangements approved by awareness. It is also ‘‘Low Observable,’’ current fighter pilots who have not the Council on Environmental Quality which makes it a stealth platform that flown the F–22. The Track 1 student (CEQ) for the Air Force’s interim can be extremely difficult to detect. This had completed a majority of his training beddown of the F–22 Formal Training combination means that F–22 pilots can and returned to his operational unit to Unit at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. see the enemy, but cannot be seen. The complete his transition. The two Track ADDRESSES: For further information F–22’s characteristics provide a 2 students were returned to their contact: Mr. Jack Bush, 703–614–0237 synergistic effect ensuring F–22 lethality gaining operational units without or [email protected] against all advanced air threats. The accomplishing any training. The gaining SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The text of combination of stealth, integrated operational units will assume the the entire Decision Memorandum is avionics and supercruise (traveling resource burden and risk to train the provided as follows: faster than the speed of sound without one Track 1 and the two Track 2 using afterburner) drastically shrinks students. The 14 Basic Course students Decision Memorandum—Alternative surface-to-air missile engagement were approximately 90 days into their Arrangements for Interim Beddown of envelopes and minimizes enemy 160 day course. On average the students F–22 Formal Training Unit capabilities to track and engage the F– had completed only 8 of the 38 total On December 21, 2019, the 22. The combination of reduced syllabus flying sorties. The F–22 FTU Department of the Air Force (Air Force) observability and supercruise restarted limited student flying at Eglin sought Council of Environmental accentuates the advantage of surprise in AFB on December 6, 2018, after nearly Quality (CEQ) approval of alternative a tactical environment. Maintenance of two months of no flying. Flying was arrangements pursuant to 40 CFR these advantages is vital as the Air Force limited so that operations would fall 1506.11 for implementing the prepares for conflicts with near-peer within the parameters of an existing Air procedural provisions of the National nations, and would also be invaluable Force Categorical Exclusion (CATEX), Environmental Policy Act, 42 U.S.C. against others emerging threats. CATEX A2.3.31 in 32 CFR part 989, 4321, et seq. (NEPA), for the beddown Nature of the Emergency: In October Appendix B, which covers relocating a of the Air Force’s F–22 Formal Training 2018, Hurricane Michael displaced the small number of aircraft that does not Unit. This memorandum documents the Air Force’s only F–22 Formal Training significantly increase flying hours or Air Force’s decision to accept the Unit (FTU), which consists of the F–22 number of operations. The Air Force alternative procedures. aircraft in the 43rd Fighter Squadron will be unable to rely on this CATEX and its associated T–38 Talon aircraft, a beyond January 31, 2019. The delays in Background two-seat twinjet supersonic jet trainer in F–22 FTU student training will delay NEPA: NEPA requires the Air Force to the 2d Fighter Training Squadron, from the Basic Course pilots arriving at their undertake an assessment of the its home at Tyndall Air Force Base operational units, negatively impacting environmental effects of its proposed (AFB), Florida, to Joint Base Langley- unit manning. actions prior to making decisions. The Eustis in Virginia. This temporary The F–22 is a niche fighter CEQ Regulations for Implementing the relocation disrupted the current student community due to the small number of VerDate Sep<11>2014 15:54 Jan 10, 2019 Jkt 247001 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\11JAN1.SGM 11JAN1 amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1 104 Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 8 / Friday, January 11, 2019 / Notices primary mission aircraft inventory simulators and low observable The Air Force has preliminarily (combat-coded aircraft), just 123 total maintenance facilities, coupled with identified noise as the only projected jets. There are less than 250 Regular Air other factors such as the substantial significant environmental impact from Force F–22 pilots plus an additional 40 instructor and maintenance workforce the proposed action under the full-time Air Reserve Component F–22 made up of contractors, civilian alternative arrangements. A preliminary pilots actively serving. These numbers employees, and Air Force Reserve and noise analysis of adding the F–22 FTU include all F–22 student pilots, Guard personnel who are unable or to Eglin AFB revealed potentially operational pilots, pilots on staff and at unwilling to relocate, in part because significant impacts. The increase in school. The goal for active component they need to attend to the repair of their operations from the FTU’s aircraft will Air Force manning in operational units own homes, make nearby Eglin AFB the create a measurable increase in the 65 by June 2019 is 100%. In fiscal year (FY) only near-term alternative to quickly decibel (dB) Day-Night Average Sound 2018, the Air Force lost 19 F–22 pilots reestablish and resume the F–22 pilot Level (DNL) noise contour on the south, due to retirement, separation, or production pipeline. Further, the Air east, and west side of Eglin Main. promotion to Colonel (O–6). Force Reserve and Guard personnel Additionally, operations from the FTU’s Additionally, only 6 of the 11 F–22 make up twenty-five percent of the F– aircraft will increase the 65 dB DNL pilots (54%) eligible for the initial pilot 22 FTU’s instructor pilots. Nearby Eglin contour to the southwest and northeast bonus in FY18 accepted the bonus, AFB’s main airfield (Eglin Main) has which will impact populated areas and indicating 5 more F–22 pilots will be existing ramp and operating capacity for other noise sensitive environments leaving the Air Force soon. The small the F–22 FTU. Relocating the F–22 FTU including residential homes, schools, size of the F–22 community, combined to Eglin AFB also enables the F–22 FTU churches, recreational facilities, and with the number of pilots either lost or to use the same Special Use Airspace in other community facilities. The DNL uncommitted, demands the continued the Gulf of Mexico that it is accustomed noise contour increases suggest that the full-scale production of F–22 Basic to training in and access to its Air Force mission will have the potential to cause Course students. Reserve/Guard, civilian, and contractor significant impacts to the areas to the Purpose and Need for Agency Action: personnel in the region. Joint Base west and southwest of Eglin Main due The purpose of the proposed action is Langley-Eustis has no F–22 FTU to increases of 5 dB in the 65 dB and to enable the Air Force to quickly get instructors and lacks the robust above DNL noise contours from back to full-rate Basic Course Student, simulators that are available at Tyndall proposed F–22 operations.