Category: Aviation

Source: United States Air Force

AURORA, Colo. (AFNS) —  

The Department of the Air Force’s senior civilian and military leaders, Feb. 12, unveiled sweeping plans for reshaping, refocusing, and reoptimizing the Air Force and Space Force to ensure continued supremacy in those domains while also better posturing the services to deter and, if necessary, prevail in an era of Great Power Competition.

Taken together, the changes made public Feb. 12 and endorsed by Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall, Performing the Duties of Acting Under Secretary Kristyn Jones, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin and Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman represent one of the most extensive recalibrations in recent history for the Air Force and Space Force.

“We need these changes now…We are out of time to reoptimize our forces to meet the strategic challenges in a time of Great Power Competition,” Kendall said. “We are going to turn this enterprise and point it directly at our biggest threat (China).”

Among the 24 key decisions Kendall announced was the decision to redesignate Air Education and Training Command as Airman Development Command (ADC). The ADC’s goal, true to name, will be to become the service’s enterprise-wide integrator for Airman development, training and education as part of the Department of the Air Force’s efforts to reoptimize for Great Power Competition.

The ADC redesignation will pave the way for an expanded, people-focused footprint that will help the Air Force posture to rapidly adapt training programs and curriculum, produce mission ready Airmen at an accelerated rate, and develop human capital in a holistic manner conducive to retaining talent.

The consolidation and realignment will give ADC the authority to develop Airmen from the beginning to the end of their service in the Air Force. Ultimately, the reoptimization provides ADC the agility to rapidly shift accessions and training priorities and weights of effort to deliberately develop Airmen at the speed of need.  

“The Airmen and Guardians we are developing right now will decide the outcome of this Great Power Competition, and if necessary, the next fight. There is no time to lose,” said Lt. Gen. Brian S. Robinson, commander of AETC. “We will continue to execute the core functions of AETC while simultaneously ‘following through’ by building organizational efficiencies across the Air Force.”

Allvin will establish an implementation team to execute follow-on analysis and develop an implementation plan for the execution of the Air Force-wide reoptimization.

“The Air Force has a rich history of successfully reckoning with transformational change. Since its inception in 1947, it has consistently evolved by reorienting and “reoptimizing” itself to align with dynamically changing demands at key inflection points,” Allvin said in a letter to the force, The Case for Change. “Today, a new key inflection point is upon us. We cannot afford to be complacent, holding on to outdated structures. The Air Force built for the previous era is no longer optimized for the current strategic landscape.”

Kendall’s directive to reoptimize for GPC is a major initiative that includes a comprehensive look at all aspects of how the Department of the Air Force organizes, trains, and equips the Air Force and Space Force.

“We owe it to our men and women in uniform to be as ready as we can be,” Kendall said. “We’re in a sprint to get better, but we’re also in a marathon to stay the most competitive over time.”

Representatives from AETC, Air Force Personnel Center, Headquarters Air Force, and select major commands met for a tabletop exercise at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, to analyze the authorities, responsibilities and organizational structure required to optimize the Air Force’s ability to develop Airmen.

Lead representatives at the exercise determined the creation of an ADC with the requisite authorities, and responsibilities will strengthen the required attributes to develop Airmen.

“Quite frankly, we haven’t seen change like this since the early 1990s,” Robinson said. “Just like then, today we are taking the initiative. To maintain the asymmetrical advantage, we must develop the right mix of Airmen and Guardians with the skills and competencies needed for high-end systems-of-systems combat roles and to ensure technical superiority. These changes help us streamline institutional force development responsibilities under one command, significantly improving the Air Force’s ability to produce and retain mission ready Airmen for competition and conflict.”

Source: United States Air Force

WASHINGTON (AFNS) —  

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin offered a forceful – and deeper – explanation for plans to reshape and “reoptimize” the service and for why it’s necessary during an appearance Feb. 28 at the Brookings Institution.

“The strategic environment compels us to do this. Otherwise, we find ourselves in a situation next year, then the year after, and the year after that, where we fall further behind,” he said.

Allvin’s session at the influential think tank was his first since becoming the Air Force’s highest ranking military officer and two weeks since the service’s leadership unveiled a broad and ambitious plan to reconfigure the Air Force and Space Force to better confront China.

“We assessed that we are really optimized for an era that has bypassed us,” Allvin told the Brookings audience. “There are still threats from around the world but the pacing threat, the one that could have an existential impact to our nation and our way of life, is one we need to get after.

“When we look at the environment we find ourselves in, we say ‘Ok, if we’re going to build the U.S. Air Force from scratch, what are the attributes you’d want in that air force?”

The changes, grouped under four broad categories – Develop People, Generate Readiness, Project Power, and Develop Capabilities – are designed to make the services more modern, more integrated, more agile, and more likely to adapt as needed to new threats without delay.

That means, Allvin said, putting the changes in place as quickly as possible even if it means questions are not fully answered and every possibility understood.

“It may be unsatisfying to some because we are rolling this out without having a national, signed official document stating what everything will look like,” he said. “But I do believe that is something we need to embrace as an institution — as a government — to be able to solve for agility. Don’t confuse precision … with accuracy.

“If you know you’re headed in the right direction and adjust along the way, you get to a better destination,” he said.

Like other senior leaders, especially Department of the Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, Allvin agreed that there is an urgency surrounding putting in place the most substantial change in the recent history of the force and that action must be taken without delay.

“We feel very confident in the general direction. But we don’t have the final answers and that’s ok. We feel very confident in the direction we’re going,” he said.

Allvin said the changes are designed to ensure the Air Force has an integrated organization, adaptability, and agility and that it can, “seize new technologies rather than contemplate them as they go by,” he said.

“You want a mission over function focus to understand what’s the best for a true, single air force design. That’s how we came up with these four areas for how we want our Air Force reoptimized,” he said.

Allvin noted that the changes are for the most part “budget neutral” so they can be designed and put into action without delay.

That reality reflects concerns by Allvin and other senior leaders that budget delays and disruptions by Congress are worrisome.

“The one thing we really lose is time and our ability to be able to spend our precious resources on things that we depend on in order to keep pace,” Allvin said in response to a specific question about delayed and uncertain budgets.

Despite unanimous agreement among Kendall, Allvin and other senior leaders for the changes and ambitious pace of change, unexpected events are unavoidable.

Allvin experienced that firsthand during his session at Brookings when demonstrators repeatedly interrupted his remarks protesting U.S. policy in Gaza. In several cases they mentioned by name the active-duty Airman Aaron Bushnell who set himself on fire at the Israel embassy in Washington and later died.

Allvin ignored the demonstrators as they were removed but later, in response to a question, called Bushnell’s death “a tragedy” and stated, “we lost one of ours,” while noting the incident is under investigation.

Source: United States Air Force

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) —  

Headquarters Air Force hosted an Agile Combat Employment Interoperability and Integration conference with seven allies and partners at the Pentagon, Feb. 27-28.

ACE is an Air Force doctrine outlining operational schemes of maneuver to increase asset survivability while generating airpower in a high-threat environment. Combat employment experts from Australia, Canada, France, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the U.S. gathered to strategize ways to improve integration of airpower.

The event began with opening remarks from Lt. Gen. Adrian Spain, U.S. Air Force’s deputy chief of staff for operations.

“I’m really proud of the evolution that ACE has taken, in how we’ve evolved the concept itself and in evolving our way of thinking,” Spain said. “We’re acknowledging that this only works with allies and partners. We can certainly do ACE in the continental U.S., but that’s just not where it’s going to be.”

Various country leads offered their perspectives on how to best utilize ACE in speaking sessions and brainstorming sessions. The ACE concept shifts airpower generation from large, centralized bases to a network of smaller, dispersed bases. It shapes the way Airmen are trained and how resources are allocated, providing flexible forces that commanders can utilize for a wide variety of missions.

“Proactive maneuvers involve moving forces and assets between main operating bases and potential dispersed sites to assure allies and partners and to alter adversary understanding of our intentions and capabilities,” said Dr. Sandeep Mulgund, senior advisor to the Air Force deputy chief of staff for operations. “It allows us to posture ourselves to deter aggression or to gain advantage.”

By utilizing smaller teams of mission ready Airmen dispersed over many locations, the U.S. Air Force and its partners can multiply force advantages. These mission ready Airmen are trained in expeditionary skills and capable of accomplishing tasks outside of their core Air Force specialty.

“The first step of practicing ACE is by getting together like this to figure out what aspects come into play whenever our forces operate together,” Mulgund added. “We can better identify locations from which we can operate in an integrated, synchronized manner and what policies that we need to have in place to allow collaborative operations at these locations.”

The ACE concept is maximized by sharing resources for forces, basing, logistics, and more.

“When we work together with our allies and partners, our relationships and cooperation give us an advantage no adversary can match.”Dr. Sandeep Mulgund, Senior Advisor to the Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations

“Events like this conference provide a forum to create common understanding of the military challenge, our collective approach to it, and how we’re going to bring our national military instruments of power to the effort in a way that complicates our adversaries’ calculus,” Mulgund said.

Source: United States Air Force

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFNS) —  

U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force senior leaders participated in a senior leader panel during the National Character and Leadership Symposium held at the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Arnold Hall, Feb. 23.

The cadet-moderated panel welcomed Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin, Vice Chief of Space Operations Michael A. Guetlein, the Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Joanne S. Bass and the Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John Bentivegna to the stage to answer a series of questions sent in by NCLS attendees.

Academy Cadet 1st Class Ruben Banks posed the questions to each panel member in turn, with queries spanning the spectrum of their responsibility.

U.S. prepares for the Great Power Competition
Following Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall’s debut of upcoming changes to better posture the Air Force and Space Force in an era of Great Power Competition during a conference held in Denver on Feb. 12, 2024, it is no surprise it remained a prominent theme of the discussion.

“There has been more change in the past 24 months than I have seen in my whole career,” said Guetlein, whose 34-year-long career has spanned two services and several conflicts. “We are in the midst of pivoting the entire Department of the Air Force 180 degrees.”

According to Bass, Airmen and Guardians can expect even more change in the next four to six years as the Defense Department shifts from the military she joined in the early 1990’s, which focused on the warfighting domains of air, land and sea, to now maintain dominance in the additional warfighting domains of space, cyberspace and information.

“We’re really just accelerating to meet the environment where it is,” Allvin said.

Recruiting and keeping talented Airmen and Guardians are key to help reshape, refocus and reoptimize the Air Force and Space Force.

Mission command and leveraging diversity
In preparation for the Great Power Conflict, the Department of the Air Force announced in August 2023 its shift toward mission command, the practice of conducting military operations through decentralized execution.

The shift to mission command is now being incorporated into the Academy’s curriculum and trained at all levels of the Department of the Air Force.

“I grew up in the waning days of the Cold War, and I remember; I was in Germany when the [Berlin] wall came down,” said Allvin, a 1986 Academy graduate. “That is not the future conflict. Your communications will likely be disrupted; you’ll move around in a small team.

“You have to understand the overall concept of the mission because there may be times you have to deviate from what you were told because the situation has changed.”

The key to this, all agreed, is to develop team dynamics, problem-solving and mental agility.

“I don’t need the Academy and ROTC detachments to build me robots,” said Guetlein. “I need you guys to be thinking adversaries. I need you to be agile, I need you to be risk takers, I need you to know how to operate as a team. I need you to operate with unity of effort because you may not have unity of command.

“Each person must bring value to the fight,” Guetlein continued. “I need you to figure out how to leverage the diversity of your team: diversity of thought, diversity of education, diversity of background, diversity of opinion.”

Bass, who credits her uniquely diverse background to growing up a military child in Department of Defense Schools, encouraged audience members to consider the high-performing teams they had been on.

The key to this, all agreed, is to develop team dynamics, problem-solving and mental agility.

“I don’t need the Academy and ROTC detachments to build me robots,” Guetlein said. “I need you guys to be thinking adversaries. I need you to be agile, I need you to be risk takers, I need you to know how to operate as a team. I need you to operate with unity of effort because you may not have unity of command.

“Each person must bring value to the fight,” Guetlein continued. “I need you to figure out how to leverage the diversity of your team: diversity of thought, diversity of education, diversity of background, diversity of opinion.”

Bass, who credits her uniquely diverse background to growing up a military child in Department of Defense Schools, encouraged audience members to consider the high-performing teams they had been on.

A highlight of the discussion for Nunez was the response from Allvin and Bass following a question from a fellow attendee about the challenges of mental health care in the military. Both leaders highlighted the spectrum of resilience and posit that it is the answer to alleviating mental health struggles in both the military and the nation.

“When I talk to our mental health providers, they tell me that out of every 10 Airmen that come to mental health, only two need clinical mental health support; the other eight just need to know someone cares,” Bass said. “There is a shortage of mental health providers, but there is not a shortage of leaders and wingmen. We have to embrace community and talk to one another.”

“It’s not just a military crisis; it’s a national mental health crisis,” Allvin continued. “But the military has a history of leading the way on social change and I think we can on this as well. Between the two people who need clinical care and the eight people who need someone to care, we need to bridge that gap.”

NCLS is the Academy’s flagship event and is open to the public. Each year, the forum welcomes speakers and participants from all walks of life. The three-day conference features presenters that include international scholars, military leaders, corporate executives and world-class athletes. The senior leader panel offered perspectives on leadership to all those in attendance, local and visiting students; business and community leaders; and current and former cadets alike.

Source: United States Air Force

Luleå, SWEDEN (AFNS) —  

U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancers assigned to the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota launched from their deployed location at Luleå-Kallax Air Base, Sweden, to train alongside Swedish air force aircraft Feb. 26.   

Source: United States Air Force

JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. (AFNS) —  

Airmen from across the nation convened for a two-day Black History Month aviation heritage event held in Charleston, Feb. 16-17.

Hosted by Joint Base Charleston personnel, the fourth annual Accelerating the Legacy event honored the esteemed legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen by cultivating today’s aviators and empowering the next generation of Airmen. 
 
On the first day of the event, Airmen gathered for various panel discussions and professional development seminars. The event featured retired Lt. Col. Theresa Claiborne, who spoke on her trailblazing career to becoming the first female, African American pilot in the Air Force.

During the event’s culminating banquet, keynote speaker Lt. Gen. Richard Clark, U.S. Air Force Academy superintendent, highlighted the Tuskegee Airmen, their resilience in the face of discrimination and their valor, serving their country with unwavering dignity, courage and determination. 
 
“Stay focused on your purpose, regardless of the negativity or mistreatment from others, and let the resilience of the Tuskegee Airmen inspire you,” Clark said. 
 

Following Clark’s remarks, Dr. Eugene Richardson Jr., a Documented Original Tuskegee Airman, and retired Gen. Charles “Fig” Newton, the first African American Thunderbird pilot, joined each other on stage to participate in a fireside chat. 
 
Newton highlighted the importance of creating an inclusive environment. 
 
“At any level of leadership, it’s essential to foster an environment where everyone feels they belong,” Newton said. “Achieving this marks progress in closing the gap.” 
 
This event honors the lasting impact of the Tuskegee Airmen in the Air Force, by celebrating their achievements and ensuring their legacy inspires future generations. 
 
“I’m extremely proud to be a member of the group known as Tuskegee Airmen, who through our actions actually help change our country for the better,” Richardson said. 

 

Source: United States Air Force

F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. (AFNS) —  

The Honorable Kristyn Jones, performing the duties of Under Secretary of the U.S. Air Force, the Honorable Peter Beshar, assistant secretary of the Air Force General Counsel, Lt. Gen. Andrew Gebara, deputy chief of staff for strategic deterrence and nuclear integration, and several other leaders visited F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Feb. 19-20.

The visit provided Jones an opportunity to gain more in-depth knowledge of how Airmen execute the nuclear deterrence mission at missile alert facilities and launch facilities and what changes are needed with ICBM modernization efforts.

In addition to Jones, Maj. Gen. John Newberry, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center commander, Brig. Gen. Colin Connor, director of ICBM modernization for the site activation task force, and U.S. Space Force Brig. Gen. Brian Denaro, senior military assistant to the under secretary, also visited the 90th Missile Wing.

“It was a great visit with the Honorable Jones; she and other key leaders came to F.E. Warren to learn more about what we do,” said Col. Johnny Galbert, 90th MW commander. “I am grateful for the opportunity to show firsthand the importance of modernizing the Minuteman III weapon system and the hard work of our Mighty Ninety Airmen in accomplishing our mission every day.”

Jones and the visiting team members went to 20th Air Force headquarters for a mission brief before transitioning to the missile field. They visited Alpha-01, one of 15 MAFs in F.E. Warren AFB’s 9,600 square-mile missile field. In the underground launch control capsule, Jones talked with the on-alert missileers and learned how they monitor and control their 10 assigned launch facilities. The team also visited and toured a launch facility. There, they spoke with missile maintenance team Airmen about their frequent transit and work to maintain the MMIII weapon system across the missile complex.

“I am inspired by the steadfast dedication exhibited by our Airmen 24 hours a day, seven days a week as they operate on the front lines of our strategic deterrence,” Jones said. “The opportunity to observe their diligence in sustaining the Minuteman III while executing the Sentinel transition has provided me with critical insights, and I am committed to delivering the mission capabilities and quality-of-life improvements they need for continued success.”

To end the day, the team flew back to the installation on a UH-1N Huey from the 37th Helicopter Squadron, learning how vital the helicopter is in supporting the mission here and the positive change expected with the arrival of the new MH-139A Grey Wolf in the coming years.

The flight also provided an overhead perspective of the missile field, as well as an understanding of challenges pilots face in transit due to wind turbine farms throughout the flight area. Recently, the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act provided some assistance to ICBM bases facing this concern.

“We are grateful to Congress for protecting the safety of our helicopter crews and the security of our nuclear operations by enacting a 2-mile buffer around ICBM facilities against new construction,” Beshar said. “While this doesn’t affect current encroachment, it will prevent additional risks to our crews who provide vital security and flight operations around our nation’s ICBMs.”

Source: United States Air Force

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) —  

A T-7A Red Hawk, the Air Force’s new trainer aircraft, completed a month-long trial of extreme weather inside the McKinley Climatic Laboratory, Feb. 23. 
 
The Boeing test aircraft endured real temperatures ranging from 110 degrees to minus 25 degrees Fahrenheit as well as heavy humidity conditions. All of those scenarios created within the lab’s 55,000 square foot test chamber.

The goal of these punishing tests was to verify the new aircraft’s sustainability in any operational environment.

“We need to know the T-7A can operate in the environmental conditions it will encounter at pilot training bases around the country,” said Dr. Troy Hoeger, chief development tester for the T-7 with the Air Force Lifecycle Management Center. 
 
Once the lab technicians created the extreme environments, Boeing and Air Force aircrew performed system operations and engine runs to evaluate the aircraft’s reactions in those scenarios.

A significant amount of the test schedule was dedicated to preparing the chamber for the extreme conditions. McKinley’s lab professionals create, break down, and recreate again each new test environment. Technicians worked continuously to go from a superheated 100-degree desert condition to a below freezing icebox in only a few days.

“McKinley Climatic Laboratory maintains quickness and technical proficiency by retaining our own staff of highly experienced welders, machinists, electricians, instrumentation experts, test assembly personnel and refrigeration operators,” said Melissa Tate, the lab’s flight chief. “Our main mission is to support the warfighter and to ensure any environment they encounter in the field; their equipment has already been proven in those extremes.” 
 
With every new aircraft or piece of equipment, the lab crews accommodate and sometimes find new ways to support the specific requirements that may arise. The T-7 was no different. The maintenance and logistics teams ensured things ran like clockwork, according to Tate.

After testing in the climatic lab tests, T-7A will return to Boeing to ensure the aircraft’s technical orders are safe and accurate for the operators and maintainers that will interact with it. 
 
“The T-7A will replace the T-38C Talon, drastically improve training for the next generation of fighter and bomber pilots and will better prepare student pilots to advance into fourth and fifth generation fighter and bomber aircraft,” said Hoeger. 

 

Source: United States Air Force

ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam (AFNS) —  

While the Air and Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium was taking place in Colorado, Pacific Air Forces Airmen were already implementing the vision – more large-scale exercises with allies and partners in the region. 
 
Cope North 24 is aggressively practicing multinational combat and mobility Air Force employments, focusing on interchangeability between U.S., Royal Australian Air Force, Japan Air Self-Defense Force, Royal Canadian Air Force, Republic of Korea Air Force and French Air and Space Force mobility assets. 
 
“This Cope North we focused on getting all our allies and partners locked in on a common goal to tackle this massive lift operation together,” said Capt. Marko Popovich, 18th Wing logistics officer and Cope North USAF logistics lead. “Our goal was to make mobility aircraft across the region interchangeable. Maximizing space utilization on the various aircraft, with U.S. cargo on French jets, Australian passengers on U.S. Marine KC-130s and Airmen on JASDF aircraft.” 

 
 
No easy feat, each country has their own procedures for passengers, cargo and flights that could slow down a multinational effort during a real operation. Cope North’s goal is to overcome that. 
 
“We just made it work. Each nation came to the table, able and willing, to make this happen and that’s exactly what we did,” Popovich said. “I think we became a more integrated, lethal force by working together.” 
 
This exercise showed what is possible when the allies and partners in this region come together for a common goal. 
 
“The accomplishments of Cope North are massive, dispersing over 1,000 servicemembers across six locations with their aircraft, equipment and survival supplies for two weeks and then bringing them all home to Andersen is huge,” Popovich said. 
 
Servicemembers practiced Agile Combat Employment by rapidly ‘flushing’ to Andersen Air Force Base, after a simulated attack, from remote and isolated airfields on Tinian, Saipan and Guam, where they were operating as a combined force projecting airpower across the Pacific. 
 
“Those relationships, alliances and partnerships can only be envied in Beijing, Moscow and Pyongyang and they could never replicate anything near that,” Gen. Kevin B. Schneider, PACAF commander, said at the AFA symposium. “Our ability to come together as teams, and work together as teams for a purpose, is an amazing strength and one that we continue to enjoy. That’s why my predecessors and I pay tremendous focus into maintaining the building and increasing the capability of our alliances and relationships at all levels.”