Category: Defence Intelligence

Source: United States Air Force

NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. (AFNS) —  

The first-ever iteration of Bamboo Eagle, a U.S. Air Force Warfare Center-led exercise, kicked off in earnest at Nellis Air Force Base and various locations across the southwestern United States and parts of the Pacific Jan. 26.

The exercise is the first of its kind from the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center, which conducts warfighter-centric live and virtual operational test and evaluation, tactics development and advanced training to optimize Air Force capabilities and prepare Airmen for joint, all-domain combat operations.

“This is our opportunity to see our 3rd Air Expeditionary Wing command-and-control force element, a C2 team made of members from the 3rd Wing and 673rd Air Base Wing, in a combat representative training environment,” said Col. Kevin Jamieson, commander of the AEW commander. “We’ll be practicing the hub-and-spoke concept along with agile combat employment to sustain operations across four spokes for the duration of Bamboo Eagle. The team has already done phenomenal work in getting us prepared to start this exercise, and now it’s time to see what we can do.”

As the host wing for four different spokes, also known as forward operating stations, the 3rd AEW acts as the mission command center, planning, directing and coordinating the four fighter units and one airlift unit at the operational level. The four spokes, all different locations closer to the airspace designated for the exercise, established operational capabilities for secure communications, ground refueling, air mobility teams and aircraft security measures leading up to the official start of the exercise as a facet of the Agile Combat Employment concept.

These small, lithe teams are learning how to quickly and efficiently set up these spokes to ensure they are operationally capable.

Lt. Col. Terry Fregly, 525th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron commander, led the squadron through Red Flag 24-1 operations at Nellis AFB, which also serves as the hub for BE 24-1, and is now leading the 525th EFS operations at Naval Air Station North Island, California, which serves as one of the spokes for BE 24-1.

Fregly said BE 24-1 is crucial because it exercises concepts of distributed control, mission planning, and operations, which enable multiple fighter squadrons dispersed among various installations to complete missions on their own, at the direction of a geographically separated wing operations center.

Distributed control allows subordinate commanders to respond to changes in the operational environment and exploit emergent opportunities. This concept does not dilute the authority of the commander; rather, it proliferates that authority across a command.

“This is a new skillset for the U.S. Air Force and the joint force as a whole,” Fregly said. “The things we’re learning here are how to execute the agile combat employment mission set and how to take the lessons learned here and apply them in operations at home station, so we can train the way we fight.”

Fregly said executing distributed mission planning, execution and debrief drive an opportunity to learn from one mission, or vulnerability period, to the next, while executing these concepts across multiple fighter squadrons and various types of aircraft, simultaneously, for 24 hours a day, over an extended period of time.

Success in future conflict depends on how well U.S. forces combine with the broad range of allied and partner capabilities and expertise to secure common interests and promote shared values. Working closely with sister services to align and synchronize efforts improves joint interoperability and increases timely data-sharing while unifying command and control across all warfighting domains.

“Working with allies and partners is incredibly important,” Fregly said. “We can’t execute any operation across the globe without seamless integration with our allies, joint partners and government agencies. Getting to integrate, train and learn together strengthens our relationships now and will be vital to success for when we have to execute like this for real.”

Source: United States Air Force

WASHINGTON (AFNS) —  

The highest-ranking enlisted leaders across the Department of Defense told Congress Jan. 31 that ensuring sufficient pay, health care, housing, education and other “quality of life” factors for active-duty personnel is essential to preserving readiness, maintaining the Total Force, and attracting the talent necessary to protect the nation’s security.

Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass and Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John F. Bentivegna told the Quality-of-Life Panel of the House Armed Services Committee that for all the attention on hardware, doctrine, and command structure, none of those can be maximized unless service members and their families are properly cared for and paid.

“The availability of childcare, health care, suitable housing and spouse employment are not solely quality of life issues,” Bentivegna told the House Armed Services Committee. “For Guardians with a 24/7 employed in place operations, these are not just benefits, these are readiness issues. In order to develop the combat ready, space-minded warfighters, our service is not seeking to buy end strength. Our aim is to reward talent and propensity to serve.”

Bass made a similar point at the hearing that also included comments from the senior enlisted leaders from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

“One of our lines of efforts is specifically focused on people,” Bass emphasized. “We know that the strategic environment has changed. As such there is a race for talent across our nation, and we must recruit and retain the best that America has to offer. We can’t have service members distracted by whether or not they’re able to live in safe and affordable housing, whether or not they have access to childcare and health care, or any other challenges unique to serving our nation to include pay and compensation.”

Bass and Bentivegna also noted that while both services must address a list of similar quality of life issues and at times coordinate efforts and strategy, each service also faces a distinct and different subset of issues. Both highlighted the need to ensure competitive pay since both services rely on people with specialized training and skills that also are in high demand in the civilian world.

One of the biggest challenges for the Space Force is providing quality-of-life support that allows Space Force to recruit and retain highly educated, highly specialized personnel that the Space Force requires.

“Guardians entering the service today are more educated, digitally literate, and hungry not just for a job but for opportunities to solve hard problems and assume greater responsibilities in a professional environment that stretches into the far reaches of space,” Bentivegna said.

And much the same as Air Force pilots being lured away by lucrative airline salaries, Bentivegna said the Space Force’s highly trained Guardians need a value proposition to reward talent needed to retain the experience and their expertise.

“Our commitment and actions to care for them and their families protects and ensures their focus, resolve, and willingness to continue their journey in the Space Force,” he said. “This is the value proposition we offer; continuing to make their experience meaningful and fulfilling amidst lucrative options from other sectors that seek Guardians for their skills and talent.”

Bass also stressed the importance of prioritizing the quality of life of Airmen linking to readiness, recruitment and retention.

“We have an opportunity today to pull some levers that don’t increase the top line,” Bass said. “And so, I hope that we take an opportunity to look at pay and compensation, especially when you consider we have not done a targeted pay raised for your military service members since 2007.”

Focusing on improving the quality of life for Airmen and Guardians are essential as the Department of the Air Force takes a complete look at re-optimizing for great power competition.

“Every dollar invested in a service member pays dividends for the Space Force, Department of Defense and our nation,” Bentivegna said. “This investment is vital to retaining the experience required for great power competition.”

Both service leaders saw the HASC panel as an opportunity to represent Airmen, Guardians and their families and provide insight into the quality of service and quality of life of service members that affects the force.

“To that end, we have the opportunity now to make some real impact on the quality of life of our service members,” she said. “America’s sons and daughters are key to our national security and continuing to ensure our military is a place where people want to serve will take all of us.”
 

Source: United States Air Force

JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. (AFNS) —  

Joint Base Andrews hosted the cast and creative team of AppleTV+’s “Masters of the Air,” along with World War II veterans, Department of the Air Force senior leaders, and service members for a reception and special screening of the series’ first episode, Jan. 27.

Based on Donald Miller’s 2007 book of the same title, “Masters of the Air” follows Airmen of the Eighth Air Force’s 100th Bomb Group, commonly referred to as the “Bloody Hundredth,” as they conduct bombing raids over Nazi-occupied Germany and grapple with the frigid conditions and lack of oxygen during combat conducted at 25,000 feet in the air.
 

Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall expressed his gratitude to everyone for taking part in this historic event at Joint Base Andrews, especially noting the three senior living B-17 Eighth Air Force officers in the room, as well as Tuskegee Airmen and other WWII veterans and family members.
 
“We got a lot of great participation today,” Kendall said. “We’re extremely grateful to have our veterans here today. These men fought in the most difficult air environment in history. They built a legacy that our current Airmen and Guardians hope to live up to every single day.”
 
Retired Air Force Maj. John “Lucky” Luckadoo shared his own moment of recollection. After serving in WWII as a B-17 pilot in the 100th BG, he flew a total of 25 combat missions earning multiple honors, including the Distinguished Flying Cross presented to recipients for acts of heroism while in aerial flight.
 
“I cannot tell you what a privilege it is to be in the august (dignified) company of brass,” said Luckadoo, the 101-year-old who remains active in WWII remembrance events today. “I was extremely fortunate to have been a member that is being memorialized in the film that you’ll be seeing, “The Masters of the Air.” It’s indeed an honor and a privilege, to be here – actually, it’s an honor to be anywhere!”
 
The Air Force’s top leaders attended the reception and screening, such as Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin, Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass and commanders of Air Force major commands around the globe. Airmen of all ranks were also afforded the opportunity to experience the special screening.

“I thought the ‘Masters of the Air’ show was outstanding,” said Senior Airman Ernst Motte, audience member of the special screening with the 1st Helicopter Squadron Aviation Resource Management office at JB Andrews. “It was really great to meet all the cast members and a couple of the retired WWII pilots. The film really spoke to the severity of the war and made me really proud of our history.”
 
Kirk Saduski, Playtone producer and executive, closed the evening by addressing WWII veterans and active service members in the crowd.
 
“It is too awful to contemplate a world in which the Allies didn’t win WWII,” said Saduski, who previously worked as executive-in-charge of the HBO series of “Band of Brothers” and co-producer of “The Pacific.”
 
“It is impossible to conceive of an Allied victory without the United States Air Force in Europe, and the Pacific, and the CBI (China-Burma-India) Theater,” Saduski said. “We draw the applause of the crowd. You earn the affection and admiration of our country. In the name of Playtone, Apple, and, if I may, our country – thank you.”
 
*The appearance of Department of Defense personnel does not imply endorsement by the DoD, nor the Department of the Air Force.