Category: Aviation

Source: United States Air Force

To meet the Air Force’s growing demand for spectrum effects, the 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing recently reactivated two historic squadrons, the 563rd Electronic Warfare Squadron, in San Antonio, Texas, and the 388th Electronic Warfare Squadron, at Eglin Air Force Base. 

The 563rd EWS’ history dates to World War II, and the unit most recently served as the Air Force’s electronic warfare and navigation officer training squadron. It provided undergraduate training to newly commissioned officers as the 563rd Flying Training Squadron until its deactivation in 2010. 

Many officers at the 350th SWW either served in or were trained by the 563rd FTS. Multiple alumni attended the ceremony, including retired Col. Eric Paulson, former 563rd FTS instructor and former 350th SWW deputy commander. 

“I was honored to be a part of this historic ceremony and see the heritage of the 563rd continue,” Paulson said. “As a previous EW instructor at the 563rd Flying Training Squadron, we saw great capability delivered to the Air Force, and now we’ll see the 563rd Electronic Warfare Squadron deliver essential EW capability to directly to the warfighter.”

The 563rd EWS’ new mission is to design, develop and employ software-based EW capabilities that provide modern capabilities to warfighters. The unit will focus on executing software development, exploring areas for new software initiative, and educating the 350th SWW on software integration. 

The 563rd EWS reactivated on April 25 and Lt. Col. Charles Friesz assumed command. 

“The modern threats we are facing are software defined,” Friesz said. “The 563rd will be the Air Force’s answer to combatting our challenges in the spectrum. The next generation of electromagnetic capabilities will be generated and supported at this unit.” 

One week later, the 388th EWS reactivated on May 2 with Lt. Col. Timothy West assuming command. 

The 388th EWS’ history began in World War II with an antisubmarine mission in the Atlantic before being reassigned to the Pacific in support of the Island-Hopping Campaign. It most recently operated as the 388th Electronic Combat Squadron based out of Naval Air Station Whidbey, Washington, flying EA-6B Prowlers until its deactivation in 2010. 

Previous members of the 388th ECS were in attendance for the reactivation, including Col. John Christianson, 350th SWW deputy commander, who served as a flight commander before the unit deactivated. 

“It was amazing seeing a squadron with such history reactivate,” Christianson said. “My time in the 388th during its last iteration was a formative assignment for me as a young captain, and I look forward to seeing all the amazing things are they are going to do this time around.” 

The 388th EWS will focus on weapons and tactics, intelligence, test management and education and training. The 388th EWS will evaluate & assess adversaries’ capabilities and identify their vulnerabilities, informing capability prioritization and development at the wing. 

Focusing on improving the Air Force’s EW capability and driving waveform development, the 388th EWS will ensure warfighters are integrating EW effects into operations in a way that directly increases lethality and survivability of platforms and systems. 

“There is not a single kill chain that does not inherently rely on the spectrum,” West said. “We are weaponizing the electromagnetic spectrum and will punish our adversaries for believing they can rely on the electromagnetic spectrum to achieve their objectives.” 

The 563rd and 388th EWS bring the number of new units at the wing in the past year up to five. This rapid growth reinforces the Air Force’s commitment to prioritizing electromagnetic spectrum operations and the critical role they play in military operations. 

“The 563rd and 388th will allow the wing to deliver the capabilities the Air Force needs to take on the pacing challenge in the spectrum,” said Col. Josh Koslov, 350th SWW commander. “The challenges we face in the electromagnetic spectrum are demanding and we can’t afford to be stagnant.” 

As the Air Force reoptimizes itself for a new strategic environment, the electromagnetic spectrum is the global common that unites all domains of battle. The 350th SWW serves as the Air Force’s most consequential wing in winning its battles of today and tomorrow in the spectrum. 

“If we don’t win in the spectrum, we won’t win at all,” Koslov said. “The 563rd and 388th have provided our forces with strategic excellence in the past, and that’s what we are asking of them again. We’re ruthlessly pursuing spectrum superiority over our adversaries, and the growth we’ve had in the past week is a how we achieve that.” 

Source: United States Air Force

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFNS) —  

The Air Force Materiel Command has implemented a referral bonus program to help bolster accessions for hard-to-fill vacancies across the command.

The goal of the program is to incentivize current employees who recruit individuals that are subsequently appointed to eligible positions.

“Bolstering accessions for hard-to-fill, mission-critical positions is a top priority for the Command as we strengthen our teams to effectively meet the mission,” said Kathy Watern, AFMC Manpower, Personnel and Services director. “Our employees are often the best recruiting tool in our arsenal, and their expert understanding of our mission and needs can often help identify strong fits for open positions. These awards reward them for their efforts.”

Department of Defense Instruction 400.25V451_DAFI36-1004, Department of the Air Force Civilian Recognition Program, authorizes major commands to employ referral bonuses for recruitment to hard-to-fill, mission-critical positions. The AFMC Referral Bonus Guide provides specific criteria and guidance for processing these bonuses within the command.

In general, referral bonuses may be distributed at the discretion of management to civilians who are eligible for awards in accordance with DoDI 1400.25, Volume 451. Civilians should consult the AFMC guidance to determine eligibility. The DoDI does limit certain individuals from receiving a referral bonus, including:

Individuals who work in human resources positions specific to recruitment.

Hiring managers or selection officials responsible for filling a position.

Individuals who are prohibited from advocating for the employment of a candidate to whom they are related as per section 3110 of Title 5, United States Code, Employment of Relatives.

Additionally, referral bonuses may not be offered when the candidate hired to a position is a current or former DoD employee or if the position is a temporary appointment of less than one year, to include student internship programs such as the Premier College Intern Program. Bonuses may be awarded if a candidate is hired to a qualifying position as a Palace Acquire or Copper Cap employee.

While there are no limits on the number of referral bonuses an individual may receive within a year, monetary awards are factored into the aggregate limitation on pay within a calendar year. Referral bonus award limits are set up to $2,000, up to 24 hours of time-off, or, when approved, a combination of both. In all cases, referral bonuses are awarded at the discretion of management.

Positions eligible for a referral bonus must be included on the DAF list of mission-critical occupations. However, hard-to-fill positions will be determined by each AFMC center, subject to geographic location, local labor market data and mission needs.

The AFMC Referral Bonus Guide is available here.

For additional information, email AFMC/A1KK here.

Source: United States Air Force

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas (AFNS) —  

The Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center’s Innovation and Improvement Division is transforming the way Airmen do business by integrating cutting-edge data-preparation and data-visualization tools across the Department of the Air Force.

The AFIMSC team is providing the resources decision makers need with platforms like the PRISM project that provides snapshots of installation support metrics, ATLAS basing and beddown tool, manpower and personnel models, and resource management allocation models, said Dan Clark, data analytics officer in the AFIMSC Studies, Analyses, Assessments and Lessons Learned Directorate, or A9.

The tools provide the holistic site picture commanders need in real time to assess performance and make decisions across multiple installation and mission support areas, he said, adding that AFIMSC offers a training program to help units use the tools effectively.

“Our program equips teams with access and the knowledge to utilize cloud-based collaboration tools like Tableau server, data analytics automation and geospatial data,” Clark said.

AFIMSC kicked off the program in 2016 and has since trained more than 3,000 Airmen across the Department of the Air Force in virtual and in-person classes. The center offers more than 20 classes each month that cover all Tableau licenses and skill levels with new training opportunities being fielded every quarter, said Stephen Tickal, instructional systems designer.

In each intermediate class, students can pick their own data from among the plethora of datasets currently used for training purposes.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to gain insights on how to attack their specific data analytics challenges,” Tickal said.

Since AFIMSC’s inception, data has been important to the center’s mission, said Jadee Purdy, AFIMSC A9 director.

 “Our superpower is the enterprise-wide ability we have to share what we’re doing and scale it across the Department of the Air Force. Our other superpower is integration. We want to take data that has historically been on one or two laptops, or maybe on a SharePoint site, and put it out there in the cloud where everybody can access it to increase transparency and communication.” Jadee Purdy, AFIMSC A9 director

She encourages Airmen and Guardians to use the predictive visualization tools AFIMSC offers, not only to enhance their job performance effectively and efficiently but also to enable AFIMSC to leverage and share the data across the installation and mission support enterprise.

Last year, a team of AFIMSC data-prep and data-visualization instructors traveled to Patrick Space Force Base in Florida, Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson in Alaska, and Kadena Air Base in Japan to deliver training on the software tools.

“Kadena has a significant number of degraded facilities. In many cases these old facilities are failing via concrete spalling, which presents a significant safety concern,” said Col. Justin Morrison, 18th Civil Engineer Group commander. “We used the training to help us model data we have collected, track facilities of concern and even predict which facilities have spalling that has not yet been discovered. We can now prioritize facility inspections to identify safety concerns and where repairs are required.”

This training is worth the investment, he added. The Kadena AB team is using its installation data in ways not possible even a few years ago to help inform decisions.

The Air Force Civil Engineer Center, a subordinate unit of AFIMSC, also saw improvements by using the data preparation and visualization tools.

“AFCEC eliminated a six-week data collection effort by applying the power of robotics process automation,” Clark said. “The task to receive, edit, collate and report has been scripted into computer language and runs behind the scenes. Now, AFCEC can conduct this six-week data call in a few hours.”

The program and tools are also helping base teams advocate for resources in a fiscally challenging environment.

“The facilities sustainment, restoration and modernization, and demolition/degradation program applied these tools and demonstrated the entire built infrastructure of the DAF could be modelled onto a single screen,” Clark explained. “With the financial data applied, we were able to show a time-driven analysis of how poor the entire DAF infrastructure would become at current fiscal realities, with a total of over 55,000 buildings and all their subcomponents visualized on one screen.”

The result was a $1.7 billion increase to facilities sustainment, restoration and modernization funding levels that year, he added.

The program anticipates growing a presence in other cloud-based collaborative platforms, such as ADVANA, ENVISION and BLADE, and pursuing the increasing momentum in the MS365 app spaces.

AFIMSC aims to equip Airmen with the necessary tools, training, and support to foster continuous growth in data literacy and provide leaders at all levels with insightful dashboards and installation health assessments to enable informed decision-making and improve installation and mission support health, Purdy said.

“The ‘what’s in it for you’ is a lot fewer manual updates and no more data calls to installations or individuals,” she said. “This really is an opportunity for Airmen and leaders at every level to increase efficiency and spend less manual time manipulating the data if we got it all in one place.”

For more information about AFIMSC’s data-prep and visualization training, email afimsc.innovation@us.af.mil.

Source: United States Air Force

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) —  

Dressed in the bright whites, deep blues and dense blacks of their service uniforms, Airmen, Marines, Sailors and Soldiers returned this year to honor and remember their fallen explosive ordnance disposal brethren May 4.

The annual memorial ceremony, in its 55th year, took place at the Kauffman EOD Training Complex on Eglin.

The schoolhouse’s commandant, Navy Capt. Steven Beall, welcomed guests and explained why they return to the memorial on the first Saturday of May each year. This specific Saturday is designated National EOD Day. 

“We’ve been guided here from different places, different generations and services, united in purpose, driven by conviction and a promise that we remember,” said Beall. “We will never forget those who gone before us. We will never forget their bravery, courage and sacrifice.” 

The significance of the Memorial brought the Department of the Air Force’s top leadership to the event.  Air Force Chief of Staff David W. Allvin and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David Flosi were in attendance. Allvin was the keynote speaker.

Moved by the reverence of the ceremony, Allvin said instead of delivering his planned speech, he’d rather speak from the heart about the honor he felt to be there.

Allvin said he didn’t feel right sitting in the ceremony’s place of honor but would rather be among those currently wearing the EOD badge and hearing their stories. He also said he’d rather be among the gold star families and understand the hardships that came with their loss. 

“You have a wound that never really heals. Every first Saturday in May it opens up again,” said the general. “You may dread this, but you do it because it’s a commitment to the memory and honor of those whose names are on this wall.” 

Allvin continued saying even if he’d attended the ceremony and sat by himself, he would not have felt alone. He said there’s a shared experience among those in attendance of reverence, honor, commitment and selfless service.

“I could be sitting anywhere, and I’d have the same sense of gratitude, respect, and absolute admiration for those in the EOD profession,” Allvin said. “Ceremonies like this remind us we have something in this country worth fighting for and we should recommit ourselves to the effort.

Each service then presented a wreath with the banner “We Remember” in front of their specific memorial as each name is solemnly read aloud. This year, no new names were added to the Memorial Wall. The all-service total stands at 344.

At the ceremony’s conclusion, the area around the Wall got very quiet. The only sounds came from the sandy grit beneath the joint-service color guard’s tapped shoes as they marched toward the Memorial to retire the colors. The next sounds blasted away the quiet as Eglin’s honor guard performed a three-round rifle volley. As the rifle echoes settled and the smell of gun powder filled the air, Taps played to end the ceremony.

Afterward, families and EOD technicians both past and present descended upon the Wall for pictures, to touch the engraved brass name or just remember a fallen hero.

 

 

Source: United States Air Force

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFNS) —  

Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall flew in the front seat of the X-62A VISTA at Edwards Air Force Base, May 2, to experience firsthand the unique aircraft, which incorporates machine learning and highly specialized software to test autonomous flying and other cutting-edge capabilities.

The most potent feature of the X-62A – called VISTA for Variable In-flight Simulation Test Aircraft – is its new capability to develop and test flying capabilities in real-time using machine learning and live agent integration. This technology was successfully tested through a collaboration with Defense Advanced Research Project Agency’s Air Combat Evolution program. The team was a finalist for the 2023 Robert J. Collier Trophy as an acknowledgement for their breakthrough efforts.

“The potential for autonomous air-to-air combat has been imaginable for decades, but the reality has remained a distant dream up until now. In 2023, the X-62A broke one of the most significant barriers in combat aviation. This is a transformational moment, all made possible by breakthrough accomplishments of the ACE team,” Kendall said.

The research division of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School leads overall program management responsibilities for the X-62A. The division’s primary focus is to lead research that accelerates multidomain capabilities for the warfighter, while embracing challenges to rapidly test novel technologies.

About four years ago the team set out to improve VISTA’s already unique test-training capabilities, which historically allowed it to simulate another aircraft’s flying characteristics, but they didn’t stop there. They created a new capability altogether – one that did not yet exist in the Department of Defense. They saw the possibility to transform VISTA into a vehicle for incorporating and testing artificial intelligence theory through real-time use of live agents.

VISTA’s initial capabilities were reimagined, reworked and fundamentally expanded, culminating in an upgrade that was completed in 2022 and featured three new highly specialized software suites with significantly more computing power to make it all work.

“AI is really taking the most capable technology you have, putting it together and using it on problems that previously had to be solved through human decision making. It’s automation of those decisions and it’s very specific,” Kendall said.

During Kendall’s flight, the X-62A conducted a variety of tactical maneuvers utilizing live agents that responded in real-time to a simulated threat. He completed a series of test points, which were parts of an aerial dogfight within an operation that validated the models and tested its performance. Sitting in the front seat, the controls of the X-62A remained untouched by both Kendall and the safety pilot in the backseat throughout the entire test flight.

Source: United States Air Force

FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. (AFNS) —  

In this week’s look around the Air Force, Airmen can now submit applications to become warrant officers in information technology and cyber career fields, two industry partners are awarded contracts under the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, and the Five and Thrive initiatives expand to include Reservists and their families. (Hosted by Staff Sgt. Milton Hamilton)

Watch on DVIDS | Watch on YouTube
For previous episodes, click here for the Air Force TV page.

Source: United States Air Force

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) —  

When Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin looks closely at the service he leads, he sees plenty to like.

“The U.S. Air Force remains the best, most capable and lethal in the world,” Allvin said. “But that status is not guaranteed into the future and will only be realized if we adapt and shape the Total Force more precisely to meet the challenges we face today.”

One challenge that particularly draws Allvin’s attention is the “fragmentation” of effort and organization across the Air Force.

“Over the last three decades, our Air Force has incrementally become more fragmented across the four focus areas of our reoptimization effort – developing capabilities, developing people, generating readiness and projecting power. This gradual diffusion was the result of decisions made in the context of a different strategic environment. After some deep introspection, we know we cannot let this continue. Reoptimization will align our force to best compete, deter and if required, win in today’s volatile strategic landscape.” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin

The Air Force’s recently announced reoptimization initiative is designed to attack fragmentation and better align the force. As the pace of change accelerates and the threat posed by the pacing challenge grows, a fragmented force slows the Air Force enterprise down, hampers modernization and limits integration, Allvin says. He also acknowledges change can be difficult but knows it is nothing new to the service.

“The twenty-two chiefs of staff who proceeded me all shaped our Air Force to meet the rising challenges of their time,” Allvin said. “They and their contemporaries never blinked in the face of an adversary, and neither will we. They led change to ensure our Air Force was always the strongest in the world – now it is our turn.”

In making the “Case for Change,” Allvin highlighted the need to solidify the service’s currently splintered approach and unify the fragmented nature of planning and operations.

“To forge ahead, we must prioritize organizational alignment, streamline decision-making and place mission outcomes above narrow functional competence,” he wrote.

The Air Force’s ambitious plan to “reoptimize” the service in the face of Great Power Competition was released in February. It recognizes the need for a more holistic approach.

For example, the plan establishes Integrated Capabilities Command. ICC fuses disparate modernization efforts from across the Air Force into a centralized structure and process to produce capabilities aligned with a single force design.

“We do not have the time or money to keep designing and building the pieces of our Air Force separately, hoping we can solve the integration challenges after the fact,” Allvin said. “ICC will ensure deliberate integration of mission systems and that the platforms we engineer and operate align with those systems.”

ICC will be formed largely by aggregating the expertise resident in the current major commands and Air Force headquarters that are charged with modernizing elements of the force within their individual portfolios.

“We currently develop capabilities largely within our major commands, and as a result don’t build our Air Force in an integrated manner from the start,” Allvin said. “Years ago, the direction to reduce the size of management headquarters staffing increasingly drove decision-making down to MAJCOMs who are not designed to have an enterprise perspective. That will not cut it in today’s strategic environment. We must eliminate the stovepipes and integrate across the enterprise to be one Air Force.”

In addition to establishing ICC, reoptimization will solidify how the service trains and develops Airmen.

One specific goal is refocusing training to produce what the Air Force is calling, “Mission Ready Airmen.” This approach, the Air Force “Case for Change” document states, will emphasize “the need to transcend syllabus-driven, technical training for specialized roles with an appreciation of their overarching role in a challenging environment and as empowered members of small teams tasked with anticipating and solving complex, undefined problems under contested conditions.”

“Airmen are multi-capable by design,” Allvin said. “To make them ‘Mission Ready Airmen,’ we owe them development policies and programs with an enterprise view, plus a common competency baseline, so our force develops evenly across career fields. Currently, we see uneven development and skewed mission alignment across functional communities – that is not what the Joint Force nor the mission demands.”

The scope of reoptimization extends to readiness as well. Under the new approach, the priority will be on mission readiness rather than a narrower functional competence.

“We must be ready to face tough, complex combat scenarios,” Allvin said. “To be as prepared as possible, we are taking a hard look at ourselves so we know what we truly can and cannot do as an entire service, not just in one or two functional areas. The mission-focused assessments and inspections we are instituting will help us do this, as will the large-scale exercises we are implementing as part of reoptimization.”

Operationally, the Air Force says reoptimizing will “create coherent, standardized and well-defined “Units of Action” to present a clear and cohesive structure for effective combat operations and force presentation … These wings will prioritize readying whole units that can be combat effective on Day One of a conflict. They will train together and, as applicable, deploy and fight together — enhancing their ability to provide direct support to combatant commanders.”

“For 20 years, we piecemealed forces into the counter-violent extremist organization fight because that is what the Joint Force required. Crowdsourcing to deploy and fight is a losing proposition against the pacing challenge,” Allvin said. “It is also unfair to Airmen. They need to know and train with the team they are going to fight alongside. Reoptimization addresses that by assembling units of action and aligning training to focus on mission, not function.”

In presenting the plan for reoptimizing and its 24 major actions, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall acknowledged the same problem. “Over more than two decades, we have optimized to support post-9/Il conflicts and demands; this is not what the nation needs for the coming decades of strategic competition,” he said.

Reoptimization is also designed to prevent the all-too-common problem of “pieces” available to commanders not being able to work together because each was developed and deployed largely in a vacuum. This problem is not unique to the Air Force. Commanders across the Joint Force cope with this dynamic.

While China is the main driver to depart from fragmented decision-making, development and operations, senior Air Force leaders say bringing in a more aligned, comprehensive perspective will have clear benefits across the entire service.

“I think that is just going to help warfighting capability be developed more holistically in the future,” Lt. Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich told Air and Space Forces Magazine on April 3. “That’ll be a benefit, no matter where the conflict is. So, even though it’s optimized for China … we’re pretty bad at predicting where we’re going to have a conflict. If we end up fighting somewhere else in the world, whether it’s the Middle East or elsewhere, I think it’ll have a benefit.”

Source: United States Air Force

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) —  

In an open area of the Eglin Air Force Base range known as B-70, a group of Air Force field grade officers and black-shirted innovators huddled together above an eight-pound model aircraft as they raced against their deadline to build it.

The group of officers and innovators, known as Black Phoenix, created a goal for themselves to design, create, build, and fly an unmanned aerial system within 24 hours. Around the 22.5-hour mark, the team secured the tail pieces and lastly, the propellers. The final step on a journey, that started more than six months prior, was to put the UAS in the air.

The officers began the project as part of their Blue Horizons fellowship. Blue Horizons is an Air Force Center for Strategy and Technology mission that is part think-tank, part incubator that promotes unconventional thinking and processes to Air Force problems with strategic impact.

The Black Phoenix crew is one of five teams wrapping up those projects after year-long fellowships.

Their three-person team took on the task of evaluating how to rapidly adapt small UASs, their technology and payloads based on the need and environment.

“Small UASs are becoming a new warfighting capability,” said Col. Dustin Thomas, a Blue Horizons fellow and Black Phoenix team member. “However, the Air Force can’t rapidly change these aircraft based on the threat environment or quickly use new technologies to meet the needs of a specific mission. Our project aims to find ways to change that.”

To take their project from the theoretical to practical, the team turned to Titan Dynamics, a small aerospace company focused on rapid and cost-effective UAS designs and development.

“We went in search of a young, smart, new start-up company, who was willing to take on a big risk,” said Lt. Col. Jordan Atkins, Black Phoenix member. “We couldn’t be more impressed with their ability to yield a miracle like this in only two months.”

The team used Titan’s software automated design software to create an aerodynamic UAS body based on weight, power, dimensions, and payload in less than 10 minutes. That design code gets fed into 3D printers to create the lightweight UAS body parts. Once all the pieces are printed, the team builds the newly created UAS designed specifically for its mission parameters.

Black Phoenix took this method and first tested it in Southwest Asia in March with Task Force-99 with some success. Then, they brought that test data and lessons learned to Eglin for their final in-the-field tests. They sought out the Air Force Chief Data and AI office’s Autonomy Data and AI Experimentation proving ground, which aims to accelerate development and experimentation in programs like the Black Phoenix project.

“Eglin is trying create a space to test small UASs and new technological capabilities very quickly,” Thomas said. “Historically, the Air Force is relatively slow in adapting and testing these technologies, and Eglin is trying to change that paradigm. We wanted to partner with them and be a part of that paradigm shift.

In support of the ADAX proving ground, the 413th Flight Test Squadron’s Autonomy Prime flight flies autonomous UASs regularly, and new aircraft and autonomy customers come to Eglin AFB to test their technologies.

During Black Phoenix’s week at Eglin AFB, the team tested six autonomous aircraft using the quick create, build, fly method for various missions including an eight-pound personnel recovery UAS that would deliver supplies to a simulated Airman behind enemy lines.

Sometimes the aircraft flew successfully and other times, when the team pushed the boundaries, the aircraft crashed. The successes and failures were all part of Black Phoenix’s goal to gather research on the feasibility of the rapidly created UASs idea.

What they did discover was regardless of flight or crash, the internal autonomy hardware and the payload within were virtually unharmed. To build back and try again meant only reprinting the outer UAS structure at a cost of around $20 to $50.

“We’ve taken big risks this week in flying so many new aircraft for the first time, but the risk is also low because these entire aircraft are built from commercial off-the-shelf items, so the financial investment is small,” said Lt. Col. Peter Dyrud, Black Phoenix team member.

After the test, the Black Phoenix team will put together their findings and present their study evaluation to the secretary of the Air Force Secretary and Air Force chief of staff in May.

Source: United States Air Force

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AFNS) —  

On Jan. 28, 2022, Gen. Mike Minihan, commander of Air Mobility Command, tweeted, “Warrior Heart. No Stigma.” with a screen shot of his calendar revealing an upcoming mental health appointment, thus beginning a movement within AMC to eliminate stigma, lower barriers and increase access and options to support Airmen mind, body and craft.

It also inspired the establishment of AMC’s Warrior Mental Health working group, which focused their effort on establishing pathways to care, strengthening command teams, and reviewing where necessary, advocating for updates to mental health policy based on current standards.

In a major step forward in lowering barriers, the Air Force’s mental health waiver policy in both the Air Force’s Medical Standards Directory and Aerospace Medicine Waiver Guide has been updated to allow for Airmen to receive 60 days of treatment for mental health concerns before a return to duty waiver to fly is required. This change benefits Airmen across the Air Force seeking treatment for stress, post-traumatic stress and other mental health-related maladies.

Maj. Jane Marlow, a C-130J Super Hercules pilot and the Warrior Mental Health working group lead, was motivated by personal experience.

“Like so many of my peers, I delayed seeking care until I was in a non-flying assignment because I knew that, as a pilot, the moment I picked up the phone to schedule that appointment, I would be grounded for an indefinite period,” Marlow said. “The trauma care I went through was life changing. I knew that I was, without a doubt, a safer pilot, a better leader, and a stronger wingman because of the care I received – yet I was still required to spend months in a non-flying status because of my diagnosis.”

Thanks to Marlow, her cohort, and medical experts, that has now changed.

Prior to the updated MSD, special-duty Airmen faced significant amount of time in a non-flying status while undergoing evaluation, treatment, and mandatory stabilization periods prior to being able to submit a waiver for return to duty. These long periods could have harmful impacts on careers, including delaying upgrades, formal training, and eligibility for developmental programs and opportunities.

Now, for mental health diagnoses, there is no longer mandatory stabilization timelines. In addition, flight surgeons can submit a waiver for an Airman seeking mental health treatment to return to flying status without a waiting period.

“If you want to look at a pilot with PTSD, you’re looking at one right now,” Minihan said to his command teams during the Spring 2024 Phoenix Rally. “This policy affects me and if it affects me, it affects someone in your unit—they have it, haven’t sought help for it and suffering in silence. It is incredibly powerful work by this team to lower the barriers to mental health care for our Warrior Airmen.”

The Warrior Mental Health working group included more than 50 aircrew members, 12 aviation psychologists, a pilot physician, flight surgeons across the Joint Force, and a specialized doctor from NASA.

Two of the key contributors were Lt. Col. Sandra Salzman, C-130J pilot and Lt. Col. Carrie Lucas, AMC behavioral health branch chief.

They were warned it could take 5-10 years to achieve the policy changes they sought, but through passionate leadership and by presenting sound evidence, they inspired change within a year.

“As a pilot-physician, I have the unique opportunity to advocate to the policy-making leadership as a subject matter expert.” Salzman said, “In this capacity, I presented new considerations based on mental health medical research and operational truths. Based on these new considerations, [the working group] suggested portions of the mental health policy be amended, considering our evolving understanding of human responses to stress and development of resilience through early treatment.”

“From a mental health perspective, this precedent-setting policy change is exactly what we need and is in line with General Minihan’s charge to reduce stigma and allow for Airmen to seek help when needed,” Lucas said.

Source: United States Air Force

COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. (AFNS) —  

The auditorium was filled to capacity with instructor pilots, students and support personnel from across the 14th Flying Training Wing. The loud competing conversations were suddenly silenced by the entry of Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David Flosi, as they walked onto the Kaye Auditorium stage.  

“What do we have now?” asked Allvin to the room full of Airmen. “And how do we make it as ready as possible for the potential threat that is out there?”  

Allvin and Flosi visited Columbus Air Force Base on April 25-26 to meet with Airmen and discuss their vision of tomorrow’s Air Force.   

 

During an all-call, Allvin and Flosi addressed great power competition and the importance of a rapid mobile networked response to emerging threats while capitalizing on the effectiveness of existing resources.  

“We have to change our mindset of how we’re optimizing in this era of great power competition,” Allvin said.  

Allvin then opened the floor to Airmen to share their areas of focus for mission readiness, quality of life and advancements in training.  

Allvin and Flosi were asked how the Air Force can target areas for improvement while executing the new vision of reoptimization.   

 

“There are always things we can improve,” Flosi said. “We want to re-instill a warrior ethos and a sense of purpose. We are asking leaders across the Air Force to look at ways to articulate the ‘why.’ What does it mean to be an Airman in the Profession of Arms?”  

Columbus Airmen contribute daily to the strategic importance of agile combat employment through the production of new pilots and deployment ready forces.   

“Find ways to make us more lethal and ready today,” Flosi said. “The time is now.”  

Through innovations in training such as the Fighter/Bomber Fundamentals course, Task Force 14, mid-tier device simulators and joint exercise training for the 14th Medical Group and 14th Security Forces Squadron with local, state and federal agencies, the 14th FTW is able to produce mission ready Airmen as envisioned by the principals of agile combat employment.   

“We have to start moving forward and adjust on the fly,” Allvin said. “The pace of change is something we need to remind ourselves that we need to stay on the cutting edge of, because whoever can adapt to that fastest will win.”