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Source: United States Air Force
FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. (AFNS) —
This week’s look around the Air Force highlights Gen. James Slife becoming the 41st Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Space Force and Space X launch the 7th mission of the X-37B, and two F-15EX Eagles arrive at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, for testing. (Hosted by Staff Sgt. Stephani Barge)
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For previous episodes, click here for the Air Force TV page.
Source: United States Air Force
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas (AFNS) —
It’s been called “a laboratory of human endurance,” testing the physical, mental and spiritual grit of the officer and enlisted leaders who undertake it. It’s the Army Ranger School and the Department of the Air Force is looking for Airmen and Guardians who are ready for the challenge.
Through the Air Force Security Forces Center’s Ranger Assessment Course, DAF candidates are taught, coached, tested and evaluated for nomination to the grueling 62-day Ranger School experience.
“The Air Force RAC delivers dynamic leadership evaluation and training, mirroring what a candidate will face at Ranger School, which helps drive increased success rates at Army Ranger School. Attendance to both courses ties directly into the Air Force chief of staff’s priority of strengthening joint leaders and teams by directly placing them in joint leadership school and roles which have proven to build military leaders,” said Gabriel Rodriguez, readiness training and RAC program manager at the AFSFC.
The next RAC, about a third of the length of Ranger School, is set for early spring at Joint Base San Antonio-Camp Bullis. Anyone from any Air Force or Space Force career field can attend.
“While the majority of Ranger School attendees come from combat arms career fields, individuals from other Air Force specialty codes can also attend if they meet the necessary prerequisites and requirements,” Rodriguez said. “Ranger School can provide valuable leadership and tactical skills, regardless of the individual’s primary AFSC.”
One of the many misconceptions of the RAC and Ranger School is “that you must be 100% ready before you even attend the course – but that’s where most people are wrong,” said Master Sgt. Keegan Donnelly, RAC instructor with the AFSFC.
The RAC curriculum has undergone an intense review and rewrite to craft a leadership laboratory, he said, designed to teach and coach students before assessing their abilities.
Capt. Daniel Reynolds, assistant director of operations for the 4th Test and Evaluation Squadron, Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, is the only Space Force Ranger School graduate to date. In his position, he interacts with tactical joint force warfighters on a daily basis to develop more resilient satellite communications toolkits. That warfighter-centric focus in his day-to-day job is what led him to the RAC and ultimately Ranger School.
“Ranger School, as the world’s premiere combat leadership course, expertly teaches resilience, grit and perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds,” Reynolds said. “It teaches leaders how to break down complex problems and craft decisive solutions to dynamic combat scenarios. This is incredibly relevant to any career field in any branch of military service.”
According to its website, Ranger School is a small unit tactics and leadership course that develops functional skills directly related to missions that engage the enemy in close combat and direct fire battles. It’s held at various locations in Georgia and Florida and is open to U.S. military members from all branches, as well as selected students from U.S. allied nations.
With less than 40% of those who attempt Ranger School succeeding, the Air Force developed a form of RAC, or pre-Ranger training, in the mid-1980s to send more competitive candidates forward to increase the odds of success.
Ranger students train to exhaustion, pushing the limits of their minds and bodies during three phases – Darby, Mountain and Swamp – which follow the crawl, walk, run training methodology, Rodriguez said.
With the punishing nature of Ranger School, preparation and an understanding of what attendees will encounter before they get to both the RAC and Ranger School is extremely important, he said.
“Candidates can increase their success at both RAC and Ranger School by focusing pre-training on being successful during the weeklong Ranger Assessment Phase,” Rodriguez said. “At RAC, we hone in on tasks that could hinder a candidate from being successful at Ranger School. This includes strictly executing push-ups, sustaining the mental and physical toughness to meet the time standard on the 12-mile foot march, and honing the basic navigation skills required to pass the land navigation test on the first attempt.
“A proven method to increase success at Ranger School is to take advantage of local training and attending RAC, then followed by Ranger School,” he added.
“The bar to gain acceptance to Ranger School is high, and rightfully so,” Reynolds said. “RAC allows prospective students to understand what will be expected of them if they accept the challenge to attend Ranger School. It also provides them with the tactical skillset necessary to be successful there, both in the assessment phase and in the course’s three patrolling phases.
“Developing Ranger-qualified leaders within the Space Force is critical to our continued defense of the contested warfighting regime of space,” Reynolds said.
“Every career field has a need for decisive, brave, tough and purpose-driven leaders of character. To put it simply, learning how to lead is something that Ranger School does on a world-class level. This is an invaluable resource to have for any service member in any career field,” Reynolds said.
“The RAC and Ranger School were the catalysts for some of my life’s greatest transformations,” the captain said. “The experience transformed me into a much more confident, capable and purpose-driven human being and that has affected every aspect of my leadership development for the better.”
Airmen and Guardians who qualify to attend RAC, and ultimately the Army’s Ranger Course, should be prepared for the monumental experience, Reynolds added, with “feeling drawn to attend” being the most important component to possess in preparation for it.
“A significant proportion of people who fail the course do so because they arrived without deciding that the experience was something that their life needed,” the captain said. “Take the time to decide for yourself what your reasons for Ranger School are, and how important joining the community is to you. When you’re more cold, wet, tired and hungry than you’ve ever been in your life, those reasons will be what you will lean on to carry you through.”
“Regardless of their recommendation to move onto Ranger School or not, [RAC attendees] are still returning to their units better trained, more lethal and adaptable leaders in the joint arena,” Donnelly said.
To apply for RAC attendance or more information on the program, go to the Air Force Portal under Air Force Forces Generation Connect or email AFSFC.S3T.AFSFC_RAC_Program@us.af.mil.
Source: United States Air Force
ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) —
The Department of the Air Force has established documentation requirements for Airmen and Guardians planning to request reimbursement pet travel expenses due to permanent change of station moves.
The Defense Travel Management Office announced a new policy to cover pet travel expenses, including pet transportation and quarantine fees, in June 2023.
Starting Jan. 1, 2024, service members can be reimbursed up to $550 in the continental U.S. for one household pet, either cat or dog, and up to $2,000 for moves to or from a location outside the continental U.S. to cover costs related to the transportation of a pet which is defined by the Joint Travel Regulations as a cat or dog.
Members can request reimbursement along with their PCS travel voucher, but they must meet eligibility requirements and include all required documentation. Documentation requirements include:
• Service members must be on PCS orders, and all travel and expenses must take place on or after Jan. 1, 2024.
• Members must provide receipts for all costs.
• Receipts must be itemized, indicate they are for one pet and include the name of the pet if possible (especially for specialized care the pet receives, such as vaccinations).
• If the pet is flying cargo because it exceeds the weight limit to travel via government or government-procured transportation, the receipt must include the weight of the pet.
• If a member self-procures a ticket at a location serviced by the Patriot Express, they must have a non-availability letter and appropriate remarks on their orders. Otherwise, the transportation portion of the reimbursement will be limited to the cost of shipping the pet via the Patriot Express. All documentation used to obtain a non-availability letter must be included when the member files their PCS travel voucher.
Costs eligible for reimbursement include mandatory microchipping, boarding fees, hotel service charges, licensing fees at the new primary duty station (PDS), and pet shipping fees if the member flies rather than drives or if the pet is shipped separately from the member.
For PCS to or between OCONUS moves, additional costs eligible for reimbursement include quarantine fees and testing titer level (antibodies) for entry.
For more information, visit the DTMO FAQs webpage. In addition, please contact your local finance office if you need assistance with requesting reimbursement.
Source: United States Air Force
DAYTON, Ohio (AFNS) —
The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force has completed installation of a new exhibit highlighting the Department of the Air Force’s enlisted personnel.
The Enlisted Force Exhibit is the museum’s newest permanent exhibit. Itand honors the highly skilled, trained, and talented enlisted force that has been the backbone of daily operations of the U.S. Department of the Air Force throughout its 76-year history.
To mark the exhibit opening, the museum hosted a private ceremony to honor exhibit contributors, museum staff and volunteers, and other special guests including Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass, Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John F. Bentivegna, and former Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force and Air Force Museum Foundation Vice Chair Gerald R. Murray.
“The men and women of our enlisted corps are not merely participants in the chronicles of our nation’s defense, but they are architects of history,” Bass said. “Our heritage is rooted in the ideals of integrity, service and excellence—a tapestry woven with the threads of sacrifice and valor.”
Today, enlisted airmen and guardians represent approximately 80% of the Department of the Air Force and provide a solid foundation for operations in air, space and cyberspace.
The Enlisted Force Exhibit took more than three years to develop and contains more than 40 elements that are thoughtfully placed throughout the museum at locations near the era or artifacts that correlate to their specialty.
Elements of the exhibit include:
-A display in the WWII Gallery featuring the story of Staff Sgt. James Meredith, one of the first Black airmen to serve in an all-white squadron
-An introduction to Enlisted Maintainers who work in all conditions at all hours to troubleshoot urgent repairs, overhaul complex systems and closely inspect parts to prevent future problems in any number of areas including aerospace propulsion, electrical systems, weapons systems and more
-Insight into Musical Ambassadors who serve as musicians, arrangers and audio engineers in the U.S. Air Force bands, providing inspirational performances to honor veterans and connect the public to the Department of the Air Force through music
-The uniform worn by Sgt. Benjamin Fillinger, one of 15 airmen from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base who transferred into the U.S. Space Force in 2020. Space Force guardians are top performers in the fields of information technology, cyber security, communication systems and space systems operations
“Today’s Space Force is small. It’s just like the museum when it started as an engineering study collection—very small,” Bentivegna said. “But Guardians are creating our Space Force history each and every day. And one hundred years from now, the Enlisted Exhibit in the National Museum of the U.S. Air and Space Force will be overflowing with that history that we’re making today.”
The Enlisted Force Exhibit is open to visitors daily from 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
This new exhibit was made possible by generous contributions from the Air Force Museum Foundation (Federal endorsement not implied).
The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, is the world’s largest military aviation museum. With free admission and parking, the museum features more than 350 aerospace vehicles and missiles, and thousands of artifacts amid more than 19 acres of indoor exhibit space. Each year thousands of visitors from around the world visit the museum. Visit www.nationalmuseum.af.mil for more information.
Source: United States Air Force
JOINT BASE ANACOSTIA-BOLLING, D.C. (AFNS) —
Air Force Gen. Jim Slife formally received his fourth star during a ceremony celebrating his promotion and new position as the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Dec. 29 at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, D.C.
In an event attended by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., Department of the Air Force leaders, Slife’s wife Gwendoyln, and their four children, Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David Allvin praised Slife as someone who has “seen all parts of the business and has done it with excellence.”
“The idea of leaving things better than when you found it, that is one of his hallmarks,” he said. “I could not be happier to be able to have this ceremony, put these stars on and get to work with Jim.”
In his remarks, Slife thanked numerous family members, friends, mentors, and colleagues to whom he attributes his success.
“I have such a sense of gratitude, and I wish every Airman had someone in their life who believed in them unconditionally,” he said.
Commissioned through the ROTC program at Auburn University, Slife has spent most of his Air Force career in special operations aviation assignments, including Hurlburt Field, Fla., RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom, and Cannon Air Force Base, N.M.
Slife is a command pilot with more than 3,100 flight hours in the MH-53 and MQ-1 among others. He most recently served as the Air Force’s deputy chief of staff for operations, leading the development and implementation of policy directly supporting global operations, force management, training, and readiness.
He has commanded Air Force Special Operations Command and held numerous joint leadership positions including vice commander of U.S. Southern Command, chief of staff for U.S. Special Operations Command, and chief of staff for United Nations Command and U.S. Forces Korea.”
As the Vice Chief, Slife will guide the Air Staff and assist Allvin with organizing, training and equipping 689,000 active duty, Guard, Reserve, and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas. Like Allvin, he steps into his new role with an understanding of the challenges facing the force and a sense of urgency to address them.
“We stand at the precipice of a different strategic environment,” Slife said. “Gen Brown called on us to accelerate change. Secretary Kendall has empowered us to actually think about… what we need to have to be competitive for the next several decades.”
Allvin emphasized the value Slife will bring to that problem set.
“[It’s] the hardest thing we’ve done in a long time and maybe the hardest thing we do together,” he said. “So having someone on the team who knows that and has done that… couldn’t be better now for our force.”
Source: United States Air Force
ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) —
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin, Gina Allvin, the CSAF’s spouse, Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass, and Rahn Bass, the CMSAF’s spouse, wish the U.S. Air Force and its Airmen happy holidays.
Source: United States Air Force
ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) —
Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall provided remarks to Airmen, Guardians and civilian teammates for the remarkable work they’ve provided during 2023. Through the incredible challenges over the course of the year, Kendall offered his thanks and gratitude. One Team One Fight.
Source: United States Air Force
The U.S. Department of Defense and the Japanese Ministry of Defense signed a project arrangement for joint research on Overwhelming Response through Collaborative Autonomy, Dec. 22.
The project’s objective is to revolutionize airborne combat by merging state-of-the-art artificial intelligence and machine learning with advanced unmanned air vehicles and is a direct result of the December 2022 MoD-DoD joint statement on cooperation for Japan’s future aircraft.
The AI developed in this joint research is expected to be applied to UAVs operated alongside Japan’s next fighter aircraft.
Japan MoD and the U.S. DoD will continue to coordinate and expand bilateral cooperation on UAVs. Japan-U.S. efforts in this endeavor are beneficial for maintaining the interoperability and technological advantages of the Japan-U.S. alliance.
Source: United States Air Force
KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. (AFNS) —
On Dec. 19, Keesler Air Force Base welcomed a familiar face, Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force JoAnne Bass, who explored the base to gain a firsthand perspective on how the 81st Training Wing is executing its mission.
Bass represents the highest enlisted level of leadership, as her position includes offering guidance to the enlisted force and advocating for their interests as necessary, both to the American public and across all government levels.
Accompanying her was the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs Honorable Alex Wagner and Chief Master Sgt. John Alsvig, Air Force first sergeant special duty manager, also known as Diamond 1.
The tour kicked off with the senior leaders having a sit-down breakfast with Airmen across the wing. Hitting on the 81st TRW’s priority of empowered Airmen, the breakfast provided opportunity for Airmen of all ranks to have open discussion on topics such as the benefits of transitioning from bullet format to narratives for evaluations, capitalizing on military benefits, managing a work life balance and staying motivated.
“Never forget where you came from, why you do what you do and never quit learning,” Bass said.
After breakfast, they witnessed how the 81st TRW is focusing on training through going on tour of the 333rd Training Squadron’s schoolhouse, where officers and enlisted service members go for cyberspace initial and advanced skills training. They surveyed the Cyber Escape Room, designed to challenge students’ skill sets from decoding cyphers and packet tracing to programming and networking. Additionally, the tour highlighted the 334th TS’s air traffic control study room that gives students greater access to radar and tower static tables and Max Sim ATC simulators which has proven to reduce the elimination rate of the course by 4%. Providing study rooms give students more opportunities to absorb and retain information outside of classroom hours, further enhancing dorms as a weapon system.
Following a peak into the 81st Training Group, Bass hosted an all call for approximately 400 Airman across the installation, providing them insight and discussion of our evolving force and answering questions with the support of Wagner and Alsvig.
Bass’s time at Keesler AFB wrapped up with a final formation of all five training squadrons, where she motivated Airmen and Guardians in training and conducted an ‘End of Watch’ retiring of the aiguillette ceremony for two military training leaders.
The tour to Keesler AFB marks the last time Bass will visit the installation as the chief master sergeant of the Air Force. Immediately before her CMSAF assignment, Bass was stationed at Keesler AFB as the Second Air Force command chief making the base an unofficial homecoming tour.
Source: United States Air Force
WASHINGTON (AFNS) —
The Department of the Air Force announced the six Spark Tank 2024 finalists Dec. 14 following the announcement of the 15 semifinalists Dec. 5.
The Spark Tank team presented the top 15 ideas identified through pairwise voting and subject matter expert evaluations from this year’s pool of submissions. DAF senior leaders convened to review and discuss the merits of each idea, reaching consensus to identify Spark Tank 2024’s six finalists.
Out of 138 submissions from across the U.S. Space Force and U.S. Air Force, the following were selected for the semifinals round:
Air Traffic Control Situational Awareness Mobile Network – a man portable combination system that provides a RADAR-like capability in austere environments
CLEAR skies, safe eyes: Protecting aircrews from laser strikes – technology to triangulate locations of ground-based laser attacks directed at aircrews
COMMERCIAL CHECK – Pioneering the Path to Eradicate Acquisition Delays – harnessing automated intelligence and machine learning to securely expedite acquisitions
Enterprise Digital Credentialing Service – a user-centric integration of credentials from both DAF and external systems to provide a wholistic view of Airmen’s knowledge, skills, and abilities
Increasing USAF Air Dominance Lethality and Survivability through M&S – an application for advanced framework for simulation, integration and modeling for rapid tactics evaluation tool
Project Spectrum Shield – a network of connected devices that detect and locate intrusion by unauthorized devices collecting against air bases and sensitive operating locations
Revolutionize the PCS Process–Bring Transportation of HHG from 1975 to 2023 – an application that fully automates household goods shipping management
Secure Agile Communications System – a self-contained fly-away kit that establishes secure communication channels for forward operating bases
Unmanned Flight Interface – a unified dashboard that provides a reliable, seamless integration of all software tools utilized by unmanned vehicle pilots
The following were selected as the finalists from the top 15:
Autonomous Vehicles for Flightline Resupply* – automated delivery vehicles to provide supplies to maintenance crews working on aircraft on the flightline
CyberAssess – like TurboTax for your Authority to Operate* – an application that simplifies the steps and automates the paperwork required to introduce new technology into the Air Force information architecture
F-16 Collapsible Cockpit ACE Ladder* – a collapsible ladder that can be carried inside the cockpit thus removing the need to preposition bulky legacy ladders
Flyways Defender for Airspace Awareness and Defense* – an artificial intelligence-enabled to provide air defense situational awareness and aid decision making
Load Plan+* – an interactive load plan application that allows medevac crews to label patients, select equipment needed for the mission, and optimize placement within the aircraft
Project Lavoy (formerly Project Lifesaver)* – advanced technology for contingency blood transfusions
The six finalist teams will travel to Arlington, Virginia, in January 2024 to refine their pitches and stage presence in preparation for their presentation to the secretary of the Air Force, chief of Space Operations, chief of staff of the Air Force, chief master sergeant of the Space Force, and chief master sergeant of the Air Force next year at a yet-to-be-announced location.
Spark Tank is DAF’s flagship competition in which innovators from across the department pitch their ideas to a panel of top leadership and industry experts in pursuit of sponsorship to realize their idea.