Aerospace World By Suzann Chapman, Managing Editor Bush Proposes Major Increase for Defense The Fiscal 2003 defense budget unveiled Feb. 4 calls for a $48 billion boost over last year, with a sustained five-year increase of $120 billion. President Bush called it the largest USAF photo by Steve Zapka increase since the 1980s. He announced his intention during the State of the Union address Jan. 29, saying, “While the price of free- dom and security is high, it is never too high. Whatever it costs to defend our country, we will pay.” Bush stated that it cost more than a billion dollars a month to fund op- erations in Afghanistan. He added, “Afghanistan proved that expensive precision weapons defeat the enemy and spare innocent lives, and we need more of them.” He also said that the US military Col. Chris Seat, from Edwards AFB, Calif., fires an Advanced Medium-Range must replace aging aircraft and be- Air-to-Air Missile from an F-22, destroying a subscale drone over a military come more agile. range in California, in a test of the Raptor’s look-down, shoot-down capability. “Our men and women in uniform deserve the best weapons, the best equipment, the best training, and they we can ascertain where it’s coming The coalition war on terrorism has also deserve another pay raise,” the from, we’ll react to those threats to crippled the terrorist network by chok- President emphasized. our patrolling aircraft.” ing off funds and arresting nearly Bush has asked for a 4.1 percent 1,000 al Qaeda members. “The group increase in military pay for Fiscal Bin Laden Network Is Still Most has been denied its safe haven and 2003. Serious Threat strategic command center in Afghani- Other details of the budget pro- CIA chief George J. Tenet told a stan,” stated Tenet. “We are uncov- posal will appear in the April issue. Congressional committee Feb. 5 that ering terrorists’ plans and breaking Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda up their cells.” Iraq Continues to Engage network still pose “the most immedi- However, he said that al Qaeda Coalition Aircraft ate and serious threat” to the US. may have cells or infrastructure in After almost two months of relative Despite the progress in Afghani- more than 60 nations. quiet, Iraq again began firing on coa- stan, where some al Qaeda leaders Tenet said bin Laden underestimated lition aircraft enforcing United Na- have been killed, bin Laden’s terror- the US, believing it would not invade tions resolutions in the no-fly zones. ist network has not been destroyed. his sanctuary. The US must not under- In a late January attack, Iraqi forces “Al Qaeda leaders still at large are estimate bin Laden, he added. directed gunfire and radar targeting working to reconstitute the organiza- “I must repeat that al Qaeda has on coalition aircraft patrolling the no- tion and to resume its terrorist opera- not yet been destroyed,” Tenet cau- fly zone over southern Iraq. tions,” Tenet emphasized to the Sen- tioned the Senators. “It and other In retaliation, US fighter airplanes ate Select Committee on Intelligence. like-minded groups remain willing and dropped precision guided munitions He said newly discovered docu- able to strike us.” on Iraqi anti-aircraft artillery and mis- ments from al Qaeda facilities in Af- “We must be prepared for a long sile sites on Jan. 21, 23, and 24. ghanistan “show that bin Laden was war, and we must not falter,” he main- Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, pursuing a sophisticated biological tained. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, weapons research program.” told reporters that it was basically In addition, Tenet said, intelligence Jumper Looks to New Task Force what Iraq had been doing for some pointing to bin Laden’s efforts to ac- Approach time in both the southern and north- quire or develop a nuclear device Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John ern no-fly zones. revealed that “al Qaeda may be pur- P. Jumper plans to create several “Sometimes it’s triple-A and some- suing a radioactive dispersal device— new task forces to handle counter- times it’s missiles,” he said. “Any time what some call a ‘dirty bomb.’ ” terrorism and other missions. 12 AIR FORCE Magazine / March 2002 Jumper revealed his concept during an interview with Inside the Pentagon and Inside the Air Force on Jan. 29. Rumsfeld: Now Is Time to Transform The first new task force Jumper plans to create is a Global Response Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld believes that now—in the midst Task Force. It would probably include of “a difficult and dangerous war on terrorism”—is exactly the time to strike aircraft on alert at deployed transform the US military. locations to respond to events as “The impetus and urgency added by the events of September 11th they emerge and could go beyond a powerfully make the case for action,” Rumsfeld told an audience at the regional commander’s boundary to National Defense University at Ft. McNair, D.C. deal with terrorist situations. He said that every day the Pentagon faces “urgent near-term require- Another task force would feature ments that create pressure to push the future off the table. ... Our command, control, intelligence, re- connaissance, and surveillance as- challenge is to make certain that, as time passes and the shock of what sets—essential to any operation. befell us that day wears off, we do not simply go back to doing things the The Air Force is still developing way we did them before.” the concept and plans possibly up to The challenges of the new century are not as predictable as those of 10 task forces, including one for hu- the Cold War, stated the defense chief. manitarian relief operations. “An ability to adapt will be critical in a world where surprise and Jumper said he also intends to uncertainty are the defining characteristics of the new security environ- marry the concept to weapons devel- ment,” he said. opment and acquisition. As the events of Sept. 11 emphasized, the challenge is “to prepare to defend our nation against the unknown, the uncertain, the unseen, and Teets Announces Two New the unexpected,” added Rumsfeld. Positions for Space “And, let there be no doubt: In the years ahead, it is likely that we will The Pentagon’s new top space be surprised again—by new adversaries—who may also strike in unex- leader, Peter B. Teets, took his first official steps toward a new look for pected ways,” he cautioned. “And as they gain access to weapons of space Feb. 7 when he announced increasing power, these attacks could grow vastly more deadly than creation of two new offices. those we suffered September 11th.” The offices are a Deputy for Mili- Potential adversaries know that “challenging our armed forces head- tary Space and a Directorate of Na- on is foolhardy,” he said, “so, they will challenge the US asymmetrically, tional Security Space Integration. looking for vulnerabilities and building capabilities to exploit them. Teets, whose official title is under- “Our job is to close off as many of those avenues of potential attack as secretary of the Air Force and direc- possible,” said Rumsfeld. tor of the National Reconnaissance DOD must prepare for new forms of terrorism, attacks on US space Office, was just confirmed last De- assets, cyber-attacks, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and nuclear, cember. He has the lead for the en- chemical, and biological weapons. At the same time, he said, the tire military space program since Pentagon must build up its areas of advantage—the ability to project Defense Secretary Rumsfeld named the Air Force as executive agent for military power, precision strike weapons, and space, intelligence, and space. undersea warfare capabilities. Teets declined to name the indi- Transformation is not just about developing new capabilities; it in- vidual who would be the military space cludes rethinking and rebalancing existing forces and capabilities, stated deputy, saying, though, that he had Rumsfeld. For example, the Pentagon must add more low-density, high- “in mind an extremely qualified and demand assets, which he explained is a euphemism that in plain English competent individual.” He did say the means “our priorities were wrong and we didn’t buy enough of the things person would be a civilian. we now find we need.” For the NSSI position, Teets named Maj. Gen. (sel.) Michael A. Hamel. Questioned about why he needed a deputy for military space, Teets replied that he needed two individu- what that individual will be doing The Guard has carried the brunt of als who could focus on day-to-day “frankly, [is] fighting acquisition fires.” duty for Combat Air Patrols over US operations, leaving him free to focus cities, taxing both aircrews and main- on the big picture. ANG Wants Troop Increase tenance personnel. It has also called “Frankly I’m doing this in an effort Air National Guard officials are up 5,000 Guardsmen to serve as se- to allocate time better,” said Teets. “I working with the Air Force to get a curity forces. find I’m pretty busy these days, and I boost in the Guard’s end strength. Although no funds for additional would like to have time to reflect on The number they would like to see is personnel are included in the Fiscal the overall issue of national security an additional 6,400—raising the level 2003 budget request, officials said space.” to 113,000. funds could be added to either the Teets explained that he already The reason for the increase, the Fiscal 2004 request or as a supple- has an NRO deputy director, Dennis Guard’s deputy director, Brig.