Air Force World By Aaron M. U. Church, Associate Editor Airman Killed in Afghanistan Lackland BMT Commander Fired Maj. Walter D. Gray, 38, of Conyers, The training commander at JBSA- Ga., died from injuries suffered during a Lackland, Tex., relieved the head of basic screenshot suicide bomb attack in Kunar province, military training operations at Lackland in Afghanistan, Aug. 8, the Pentagon an- the wake of rampant sexual misconduct nounced. by military training instructors under his Gray was assigned to the 13th Air charge. Support Operations Squadron at Fort Col. Eric Axelbank sacked BMT com- Carson, Colo., a detached element of mander Col. Glenn E. Palmer, citing “lost ANG photo by A1C John Pharr D. III the 93rd Air Ground Operations Wing at confidence” in his ability “to maintain a Moody AFB, Ga. safe and secure training environment “Major Gray’s ultimate sacrifice is a for our newest airmen,” the Los Angeles tragic loss for the 93rd Air Ground Op- Times reported, citing a 37th Training erations Wing,” said Col. Samuel Milam, Wing spokeswoman Aug. 10. The Air wing commander. Force appointed Col. Deborah J. Liddick Milan added, “[Gray] was a tremendous as Palmer’s replacement. officer and leader. Our most heartfelt Axelbank commands the 37th TRW; sympathies are with the Gray family and Palmer had led the 737th Training Group the airmen of the 13th Air Support Opera- since July 2011. tions Squadron during this difficult time.” Despite the firing, the spokeswoman Army Maj. Thomas E. Kennedy and emphasized, “Palmer did not create Command Sgt. Maj. Kevin J. Griffin also the environment that resulted in the died in the attack. misconduct.” The Air Force is investigating 15 former JASSM-ER Good To Go MTIs for alleged sexual misconduct with The AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface trainees dating back to fall 2009. As of Standoff Missile-Extended Range suc- August, it had convicted and sentenced cessfully completed operational flight three of them. testing, launching from a B-1B bomber Axelbank also removed the com- Aug. 30. mander of the 331st Training Squadron, The final test shot from a 337th Test which oversaw most of the accused and Evaluation Squadron B-1B Lancer MTIs, in June. was a “significant step” toward the stealthy cruise missile’s operational employment, BUFFs To Visit Russia according to a Dyess AFB, Tex., spokes- An Air Force Global Strike Command person. delegation from Barksdale AFB, La., vis- USAF’s B-1B will be the lead type to ited Engels Air Base in Saratov, Russia, employ the JASSM-ER operationally, start- in July, paving the way for a long-range ing next year, according to the Air Force. bomber exchange program with the Rus- “As we shift our emphasis from the sian Air Force. Middle East to the Pacific, as heavily “We’re going to fly B-52s to Russia defended as that region is, the JASSM, and they’re going to fly Tu-95 Bears to combined with the B-1, presents a top Barksdale,” said 2nd Bomb Wing Com- choice for combatant commanders,” said mander Col. Andrew J. Gebara, who led Capt. Philip Atkinson of the 337th TES. the Barksdale group, in an Aug. 8 AFGSC The B-1B—as well as the B-2, B-52, news release. F-15E, and F-16—are already cleared to “It’s a tremendous opportunity for our carry the baseline JASSM, which is nearly two nations to learn from each other to identical, externally, to the ER model. The improve aviation technology and skills Lancer is capable of carrying 24 of the in our respective air forces,” he added. missiles in its three internal bays—twice The seven-member US delegation, the number carried by the next largest including a US Embassy attaché and platform, the B-52. interpreter, evaluated Engels airfield’s The extended-range JASSM can strike suitability to host B-52H operations. targets from more than 575 miles away, “One of the big takeaways from our trip greatly expanding on the baseline JASSM’s is that while we fly different aircraft and 230-mile flight radius. are from opposite ends of the globe, our 14 AIR FORCE Magazine / October 2012 objective is the same,” said Lt. Col. Michael The declaration of initial operational An ACC spokesman said Hostage Thompson, 2nd Bomb Wing director of capability means USAF now has enough declared the baseline MALD variant staff, who was with the delegation. “We all MALDs in stock for wartime use, and operational on July 26. want to have a safe and credible deterrent enough pilots and maintainers trained Raytheon builds the MALD. force,” he said. to operate and support it in combat operations. So Shall Ye Reap MALD Cleared for Combat MALD is a small jet-powered decoy that The first class of remotely piloted Air Combat Command chief Gen. G. the B-52H bomber and F-16 fighter can aircraft operators trained from scratch Michael Hostage III has declared the use for self-defense or strike augmenta- to fly the MQ-9 Reaper received their Miniature Air Launched Decoy operational tion. After launch, the decoy is designed wings at Holloman AFB, N.M., Aug. 16. on the F-16 and B-52, ACC revealed in to fool enemy air defenses by mimicking Most pilots cross-train to operate RPAs, August. the flight characteristics of strike aircraft. but the new graduates of the RPA basic A California Air National Guard MC-130P Combat Shadow refuels two HH-60G Pave Hawks during a rescue operation for two seriously ill fishermen off the coast of Mexico. Airmen from the 129th Rescue Wing parachuted into the Pacific on Sept. 3, boarded the Ecuadoran fishing 09.05.2012 vessel, and treated the sick men. The next day, the rescue airmen and the sick fishermen were transferred to a US Coast Guard vessel, where on Sept. 5 they were picked up by 129th crews and transported to a hospital in Cabo San Lucas. AIR FORCE Magazine / October 2012 15 Air Force World Senior Staff Changes course had no prior experience flying manned aircraft. RETIREMENTS: Gen. Gary L. North, Gen. Norton A. Schwartz. “There’s extra time built into the syllabus to allow the students to get more practice, PROMOTIONS: To General: Mark A Welsh III. because they have to learn techniques they’ve never used before,” said Lt. Col. NOMINATIONS: To be Lieutenant General: Christopher C. Bogdan. To be Major General: Nathan Hansen, commander of the 29th Richard M. Clark, Andrew M. Mueller. To be ANG Brigadier General: Edward E. Metzgar. Attack Squadron, charged with training To be AFRC Brigadier General: Jon A. Weeks. operators. Candidates underwent rudimentary CHANGES: Brig. Gen. Balan R. Ayyar, from Cmdr., AF Recruiting Svc., AETC, JBSA-Randolph, Tex., to Rule of Law Dep., US Forces-Afghanistan, CENTCOM, Kabul, Afghanistan ... Lt. screening in light aircraft at Pueblo, Gen. (sel.) Christopher C. Bogdan, from Dep. Dir., Jt. Strike Fighter Prgm., OSD, Arlington, Colo., before progressing to simulators Va., to Dir., Jt. Strike Fighter Prgm., OSD, Arlington, Va. ... Brig. Gen. Richard M. Clark, from at JBSA-Randolph, Tex., during the six- Commandant of Cadets, USAF Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo., to Defense Attaché, DIA, month basic course. Cairo, Egypt ... Brig. Gen. John L. Dolan, from Dep. Dir., LL, OSAF, Pentagon, to Cmdr., Because the curriculum trains opera- 451st AEW, ACC, Kandahar, Afghanistan ... Brig. Gen. John P. Horner, from Dir., Intel., tors to fly RPAs over the target zone—but Surveillance, & Recon Capabilities, DCS, Intel., Surveillance, & Recon, USAF, Pentagon, not take off or land—the course is signifi- to Cmdr., AF Recruiting Svc., AETC, JBSA-Randolph, Tex. ... Lt. Gen. Stanley T. Kresge, cantly shorter than manned undergradu- from Cmdr., 13th AF, PACAF, JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, to Vice Cmdr., PACAF, JB ate flight training. Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii ... Lt. Gen. Michael R. Moeller, from US Security Coordinator, Israel-Palestinian Authority, Tel Aviv, Israel, to DCS, Strat. Plans & Prgms., USAF, Pentagon The operators designated under ... Maj. Gen. Stephen D. Schmidt, from Cmdr., NATO, Airborne Early Warning and Control USAF’s new 18X specialty code ad- Force Command, Casteau, Belgium, to Spec. Asst. to the Cmdr., USAFE, Ramstein AB, vanced to mission qualification training, Germany ... Gen. (sel.) Paul J. Selva, from Vice Cmdr., PACAF, JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, where they will integrate with sensor Hawaii, to Cmdr., AMC, Scott AFB, Ill. ... Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, from Cmdr., USAFE, operators for the first time to train for the Ramstein AB, Germany, to C/S, USAF, Pentagon. operational mission. COMMAND CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT CHANGE: CMSgt. Craig A. Adams, to Command Vertigo Fatal in F-15E Crash Chief Master Sergeant, USAFE, Ramstein AB, Germany. Air Combat Command investigators SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE RETIREMENT: Marlin U. Thomas. determined that spatial disorientation was the principal cause of a fatal F-15E SES CHANGES: Timothy K. Bridges, to Dep. Asst. SECAF, Instl., Office of the Asst. SECAF, accident during a training exercise in Instl., Environment, & Log., Pentagon ... Terry G. Edwards, to Dir., Comm., Instl., & Mission Southwest Asia March 28. Spt., AFMC, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio ... Gerald F. Pease Jr., to Dep. Asst. SECAF, Environ- The pilot in the accident lost his ment, Safety, & Occupational Health, Office of the Asst. SECAF, Instl., Environment, & Log., bearings on a nighttime descent to the Pentagon ... Anthony P. Reardon, to Dep. Dir., LL, OSAF, Pentagon ... Joe Sciabica, to Dir., runway at the crew’s deployed base. As AF Civil Engineer Ctr., DCS, Log., Instl., & Mission Spt., JBSA-Lackland, Tex. ... Stephen H. a result, the pilot executed a series of Walker, to Dir., Tactical Tech. Office, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, erratic maneuvers, inverting the aircraft Va.