Category: Defense

Source: United States Air Force

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. (AFNS) —  

Emphasizing themes that are now familiar, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. said in a Sept. 12 speech to an influential audience that the service must continue to change to meet the challenges of today’s complex security environment or “risk losing the certainty with which we have defended our national interests for decades.”

Highlighting efforts that have been his focus since becoming the Air Force’s highest ranking military officer, Brown’s remarks to the Air & Space Forces Association’s 2023 Air, Space & Cyber Conference carried an air of nostalgia given his nomination to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

“Today I want to reflect on the journey of the last three years, on our accomplishments (and) how we are accelerating change,” Brown told an overflowing conference hall filled with several thousand Airmen, Guardians, industry leaders, elected officials and others.

He thanked “my wife of 34 years,” Sharene Brown, and his two sons. “They never raised their right hand to take an oath but like many family members, they have sacrificed more than we probably realize.”

He credited his parents for providing the “inspiration to join the Air Force,” saying, “four years in the military wouldn’t hurt me.” He added, “Mom and Dad, you were right.”

Most of the speech, however, was dedicated to detailing progress on Accelerate Change or Lose, Brown’s 2020 blueprint for the Air Force, which has been characterized by four ‘action orders’ aimed at developing Airmen with the attributes needed for a high-end fight, reducing bureaucracy and streamlining decision-making processes, reshaping the service’s culture and mindset to address strategic competition, and designing the force required for the future.

“Throughout my tenure as Chief of Staff of the Air Force, I’ve been focused on accelerating change,” he said. “Change is a journey, and the journey must continue to ensure we remain the most respected Air Force in the world.”

The goals are to infuse speed, innovation, and efficiencies while fostering collaboration, he said. By example, Brown offered that the service’s official doctrine was re-written and condensed.

“We took the old doctrine and slashed the length to 16 pages,” he said. “We included mission command as a key tenet. But a culture of mission command doesn’t just happen because it’s in our doctrine. Airmen and leaders must practice mission command daily, using simple scenarios to build confidence ahead of complex challenges found in combat.”

Brown also emphasized the importance of collaboration.

“We must collaborate across the Joint Force, interagency, with industry, with our allies and partners. We must be integrated by design, starting at the beginning with the end in mind,” he said.

Brown itemized successes to help Airmen, such as evolving “command and leadership selection processes” and changing “enlisted promotions to better value experience,” among others.

“We have the best Airmen in the world, and we must continually focus on creating an environment where all Airmen can reach their full potential,” he said.

On efforts to reduce bureaucracy, Brown noted that the service’s tattoo policy was relaxed, leading to an average of 1,300 more Airmen a year. And, ongoing efforts to make acquisitions more rapid and maximize multi-year procurement will provide benefits by “making sure we can seize opportunities when we see them and giving clear demand signals to industry.”

Of his focus on “competition,” Brown said the definition needs to be applied broadly. “Competition isn’t just about orders of battle, operations, activities, and investments. It is how we accelerate our understanding of our adversaries, how they make decisions through an emphasis on competitive thinking and comparative analysis so that we can better deter and be prepared for conflict.”

In the real world, that means emphasizing Agile Combat Employment, or ACE, which uses smaller, nimbler, and multi-capable forces and tactics, and conducting more challenging exercises.

Brown harkened toward the implementation of the Air Force Force Generation model, publication of the Air Force Future Operating Concept, and establishment of the Department of the Air Force’s seven Operational Imperatives as evidence of the service’s transition from the present-day force to the force required.

Those achievements are important and necessary but not sufficient, Brown said.

“Today, with the convergence of security challenges impacting the current and future geostrategic environment, change must continue. We’ve changed before, and we can do it again. We know Airpower is the answer, and that we are the most capable, most respected Air Force in the world,” he said.

“Change is a journey, and the journey must continue to shape our future.”

Source: United States Air Force

WASHINGTON (AFNS) —  

Gen. David W. Allvin told a Senate committee Tuesday that, if confirmed as the next Air Force Chief of Staff, he will press hard to follow through on modernizing and reshaping the service to meet current and emerging threats, conceding that the effort will require tough choices.

“The opportunity to be the next Air Force Chief of Staff comes at a very important time in history and I fully appreciate, and embrace, the weight of what is at stake,” Allvin told the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing.

“The balance of risk over time to ensure sufficient readiness today and tomorrow demands constant attention. If confirmed, I pledge continued collaboration with this body as the Air Force analyzes and develops courses of action to best pursue our national security objectives,” said Allvin, who, if confirmed would succeed Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. as the Air Force’s highest ranking military officer.

In the course of the hearing, Allvin praised Brown, saying, “It has been an honor to be his wingman.” He also alluded to Brown’s separate and still pending nomination to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “I look forward to continued service alongside him as a member of the Joint Chiefs,” he said.

Allvin’s appearance before the Committee marked a notable – but natural – step in his journey from his current position as Air Force Vice Chief of Staff to Chief of Staff.

In a polite and mostly cordial session, he answered questions ranging from the analysis used to decide which platforms to retire, to how best to maintain a robust industrial base and the status of the KC-46 tanker. Allvin also addressed questions on the risks if Congress fails to pass a full budget, development of the LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile, and protection of cyber systems, among others.

“General, you are extremely well qualified to serve as Chief of Staff of the Air Force,” Committee Chairman Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island said. “If confirmed, you will lead at a momentous time. Air power is key to our strategic competition with China and other adversaries.”

Allvin told the committee he is aware of the stakes and complexity that come with the job.

“Our nation is coming to grips with the rapid pace of change that is upon us, and with those intending to act out against our national interests while aggressively seeking the means to do so. America’s national security focus is crucial as we navigate this new global landscape with our Allies and partners, especially as opportunities for distraction and confusion are increasingly exploited,” he said.

In addition to the dynamic geo-security environment Allvin will confront if he is confirmed, he also must navigate an unprecedented circumstance closer to home – a senator’s blockade on all military confirmations that has been in place for six months.

Responding to a question about the stalled nominations, Allvin said there is “anecdotal” evidence that the Senate’s refusal to confirm more than 300 general officers and flag officers is having a negative impact on recruiting and retention.

No matter when he becomes Chief of Staff, should he be confirmed, Allvin has a deep and accomplished record as an Air Force officer with 37 years of experience in a wide variety of important and demanding roles.

A 1986 graduate of the Air Force Academy, Allvin is a command pilot with more than 4,600 flight hours in over 30 aircraft, including 800 test flight hours and 100 flight hours in combat.

He has commanded at the squadron and wing levels, which included serving as the commander for the 97th Air Mobility Wing and 618th Air and Space Operations Center. He also held major command staff assignments and served in several Joint Staff positions, including as commanding general for the NATO Air Training Command – Afghanistan and NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan/Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan, and commander for the 438th Air Expeditionary Wing.

Allvin has served as the director for Strategy and Policy for Headquarters U.S. European Command and vice director for Strategy, Plans, and Policy at the Joint Staff. More recently, prior to his current assignment as Air Force vice chief of staff, he was the director for Strategy, Plans, and Policy, Joint Staff.

Source: United States Air Force

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) —  

In a landmark event poised to reshape the future of air combat operations, U.S. Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations Lt. Gen. Jim Slife and Royal Air Force’s Air and Space Commander Air Marshal Harv Smyth came together to sign a Combined Vision Statement on Agile Combat Employment Sept. 12 in National Harbor, Maryland, during the Air and Space Forces Association 2023 Air, Space and Cyber Conference.

The collaborative endeavor signifies a pivotal moment in the evolving partnership between the U.S. Air Force and RAF, highlighting their commitment to adopting a new, strategic approach to the employment of combined global airpower.

The term Agile Combat Employment, or ACE, represents a strategic shift in how air forces operate in the modern era. Traditionally, large main bases have served as hubs for projecting airpower. However, adversarial advancements in reconnaissance and weapons capabilities have necessitated a change.

“Effective ground-up interoperability between our Air Forces as allies is a linchpin of the ACE vision,” said Slife. “While historically combined force tactics to deliver airpower are well-established, ACE demands a higher degree of interoperability across various critical activities.”

ACE introduces a paradigm shift, emphasizing the launch, recovery and maintenance of aircraft from dispersed operating locations in coordination with allies and partners. This approach enhances resilience, complicates adversary planning and broadens the spectrum of options available to joint and combined force commanders.

Crucially, ACE recognizes the vulnerability of aircraft on the ground, offering an approach to mitigate potential losses through maneuver and dispersal. These areas include command and control, engineering and logistics, base defense, intelligence sharing, and more.

“This continues and reinforces our exciting journey towards an even more agile, interoperable and interchangeable future for air operations,” Smyth said. “We are committed to maximizing our combined strengths, learning from one another and pioneering new approaches to ensure air superiority in an ever-evolving security landscape.”

The Combined Vision Statement includes several key objectives:

• Common terminology and concepts: Adoption of shared terminology and concepts to describe ACE.
• Common tactics, techniques, and procedures: Development and evaluation of ACE-supporting TTPs, including cross-servicing and other combat support requirements.
• Combined exercises: Execution of bilateral and multilateral ACE exercises, with a focus on testing and improving interoperability.
• Materiel capability: Identification of common materiel capability gaps and the development of shared solutions, moving away from unique platform support equipment toward generic interoperable options.

The signing of this Combined Vision Statement marks a significant step forward in the long-standing relationship between the U.S. Air Force and RAF. It underscores a commitment to future collaboration and the security of both nations to maintain air superiority by presenting a combat-credible coalition that enhances deterrence, defense and power projection through proactive and reactive maneuver.

Source: United States Air Force

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. (AFNS) —  

Source: United States Air Force

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. (AFNS) —  

Lt. Gen. Brian S. Robinson, commander of Air Education and Training Command, shared his perspective on developing 21st-century Airmen and Guardians who are ready for the future fight during an Air and Space Force Association’s Air, Space and Cyber Conference panel in National Harbor, Sept. 11.

Robinson joined senior leaders from the Air Force Reserve, Space Training and Readiness Command, and the Joint Force staff on the main stage, sharing his message to the force about why building an innate warrior mindset within Airmen and Guardians is critical for peer-to-peer competition in the context of the National Defense Strategy.

“Empower your Airmen at every level, starting with the why,” Robinson said. “Our company grade officers, junior field grade officers, noncommissioned officers, and senior noncommissioned officers are far more capable than we often give them credit for, for doing an exercise untethered with the commander’s intent in their pocket, and the right authorities. We must support and coach them. That is part of how we, collectively as an Air Force, develop our Airmen.”

According to Robinson, it all comes down to Airmen and leaders at all echelons developing their critical thinking skills, being multi-capable and ready for great power competition.

“We want someone who’s biased for action, someone who can respond with what they understand is the right thing to do just based on their commander’s intent, which we see as mission command,” Robinson said.

Noting the embedded and frequent touch points AETC has with both uniformed and civilian Airmen during initial or advanced skills training, as well as formal education, the command is developing methods to inculcate the warrior mindset into an Airman’s DNA from a competencies-based perspective.

“We want to make (the warrior mindset) part of your core foundational competencies,” Robinson told the standing room only audience. “What are the right areas, in the right dose, to introduce Airmen into the idea of the warrior mindset and agile combat employment, and how to think about problems differently?”

The general also talked about how Airmen already apply the mission command concept and its agile relationship to Air Force doctrine.

“It’s frustrating for our competitors that we will step away from doctrine in a heartbeat if it’s not working on a tactical battlefield and find a different way,” Robinson said. “But in the end, we wind up having the agility to understand the commander’s intent…and we figure out a way to get the mission done.”

While discussing how training is evolving at basic military, technical and flying training, as well as at Air University, Robinson referenced operations-based feedback from the force as a driver to the training environment of tomorrow.

“One of the main feedback items from the force on Operation Allies Refuge was ‘if we had only known what this was going to be like, we think we would have been better prepared,’ and that gets back to the readiness piece,” Robinson said. “So we owe touch points on that. Our goal is to make sure we have objectives at the right level, at the right pace and the right quantity.”

When asked about what types of training that the service could do more or less of, Robinson discussed focusing on more “thoughtful” training in the context of strategic competition.

“At a tactical and operational level, I think we can do more training, which obviously comes with the time to do it,” Robinson said. “The training I’m talking about is thoughtful training; thinking about the adversary number one, and number two, concerns that are in the National Defense Strategy. We all know who they are, how they’re going to fight, how they see the battlespace, so think about that from an all-domain perspective and how you’re going to get to the fight.”

Squadron commanders and higher shouldn’t wait for higher headquarters direction to get that thoughtful training started, Robinson said.

“We should all be synchronized and aligned to the six fights and the (SECAF) operational imperatives,” Robinson said. “The information is out there … the white papers are published. There’s lots of research available at the right levels to figure out what you want to train your organization to at the wing, group or squadron perspective. No one should have to tell any squadron commander or senior enlisted leader what to train to specifically. Use your imagination, understand where your force is and go get after it.”