Category: United States Defense

Source: United States Air Force

BATTLE MOUNTAIN, Nev. (AFNS) —  

The Common Air Route Surveillance Radar, or CARSR, at Battle Mountain, suffered a catastrophic failure on Dec. 27, 2022, when snow accumulation caused the protective dome to collapse onto the antennas within. This radar supports several agencies and feeds into the overall National Airspace System, or NAS, picture used by the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, executing a part of their vital mission.

When the outage occurred, a team of about 100 people was formed to develop a strategy for reconstruction and reintegration into the NAS. Experts from the Federal Aviation Administration, NAS Defense Programs, the Department of Defense Joint Program Office, the Salt Lake City Air Traffic Control Center, AJW-L900 FAA Logistics Site Services, and the 84th Radar Evaluation Squadron at Hill Air Force Base, Utah comprised this team.

This 100-person team had to accomplish several significant milestones to restore radar services including clearing and restoring road access to the top of a 10,000-foot mountaintop; removing the destroyed equipment; locating and refurbishing a replacement antenna; and transporting and constructing a 60′ wide x 45′ tall replacement radome weighing 5.5 tons to the top of a 10,000-foot mountaintop.

All this activity culminated in the radar being brought online for testing and optimization prior to its return to the NAS. The 84th RADES’s CARSR experts were called in to complete the final stage of the restoration by optimizing and evaluating the radar prior to its return to service.

“Darrell McFarland, 84th RADES Radar Evaluation flight chief, oversaw the team’s efforts, ensuring that the RADES team members were staged and prepared to optimize the moment the radar was mounted,” said Lt. Col. Ryan Smith, 84th RADES director of operations.

John Birchfield led the 84th RADES optimization team, which included Staff Sgt. Quinton Montgomery, Staff Sgt. Joshua Palileo and Craig Lewis. A comprehensive radar optimization typically requires three weeks of onsite labor. The RADES team worked overtime and accomplished the task in two weeks to return Battle Mountain’s CARSR to full service.

“We wanted to get the data back into the National Airspace System as quickly as possible due to the air traffic routing commercial traffic differently than normal, air safety for the traveling public and air defense for NORAD since this radar covers all of northern Nevada and southern Idaho,” McFarland said.

The FAA recognized the hard work of everyone involved through a coining and recognition ceremony at the Air Route Traffic Control Center, or ARTCC, in Salt Lake City on July 23.

“This was a monumental collaborative effort involving multiple federal entities,” said Lt. Col. Douglas Boytim, 84th RADES commander. “On July 19, the Battle Mountain CARSR was restored to the NAS, thereby closing a critical gap in radar coverage for both the FAA and NORAD.”

Source: United States Air Force

PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. (AFNS) —  

Soldiers, Airmen and Guardians from multiple units participated in Exercise Mountain Medic 23, designed to simulate the evacuation and treatment of injured personnel in a joint-service austere battle zone throughout Colorado recently.

The two-week-long exercise began with five days of classroom training, followed by hands-on training in an instructor-led environment and in-person familiarization with the C-130 Hercules aircraft and UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters. The following week, they engaged in scenario-based air and ground medical evacuation exercises in different locations.

“This was a multi-domain, multi-component, joint environment exercise designed to test the medevac and aeromedical response to a large-scale combat operation,” said Lt. Col. Jennifer Housholder, Army Reserve Aviation Command UH-60 pilot. “We’re working together between the services to take the wounded and get them where they need to be. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters.”

Total force members shared knowledge with each other gleaned from their military experiences and expertise during the exercise. Reservists with civilian jobs in the medical field also shared what they’ve learned through their time treating patients outside of a military environment. Participants also learned about how each service operates differently and collaborated on what the best practices were for different treatments and procedures.

“There are a whole bunch of resources, other units, other entities that are looking to do the same thing we are,” said Col. James Bershinsky, 302nd Aeromedical Staging Squadron commander. “We just have to reach across the line, build a realistic training platform and innovate and adapt as we would be expected to do the next fight. We need to do a better job of resourcing and training our joint force to get the most modern techniques.”

Exercise participants formed two joint-service groups over the first week as they reviewed the basics of tactical combat casualty care, practiced how to draw and transfer blood to each other, applied tourniquets and learned about K-9 care. They also learned the procedures for carrying and transporting injured and wounded from the point of injury, whether in the field or during a mass casualty scenario.

“Seeing everybody engage from every branch, it doesn’t matter what rank you are,” said 1st Sgt. Jens Pietrzyk, 7-158th Aviation Regiment critical care flight paramedic. “Everybody’s in there sharing knowledge, and everyone’s putting hands on the training, really wanting to learn. It’s always amazing to see that whenever everybody comes into a room, we’re here to learn.”

Guardians also taught the group what Space Force assets are capable of and what they bring to the fight in a joint combat environment, ensuring that air and ground teams could communicate effectively by providing GPS capabilities.

“The space domain cuts through all other domains, whether it’s land, air, sea or cyber,” Housholder said. “Everything we do is predicated on the capabilities that the Space Force affords us. We have to train within that integrated context because that’s how we’re going to fight in the future.”

After the instructor-led training concluded, each team reported to their respective duty locations the following Monday to begin the scenario-based training.

United States Air Force Academy cadets, Airmen, Soldiers and Guardians were selected in advance to act as patients. Fabricated wounds were created using moulage intended to recreate the likeness of real injuries. Some simulated patients were outfitted with open wounds on their limbs and neck, while others had facial trauma or disfigured appendages.

The live role-players were given a character to act out, complete with fake names and sources for each of their injuries. Some role-players were directed to act out specific behaviors, including psychological injuries, asphyxiation, blindness and deafness.

“It’s going to be a crescendo,” Bershinsky said. “We’re going to start with smaller levels of patients getting through, and as that system gets busier, we’re going to find breakpoints and weaknesses, overload that system and pile onto those weaknesses. Over the course of the week, that tempo will rapidly build to a point where we purposely break aspects to find better ways to do it.”

An Air Force medical team arrived Monday at a predetermined location and stayed overnight at the end of each day. Their task was to set up an expeditionary medical treatment facility with an en route patient staging squadron mission. On an empty patch of dirt, the Airmen worked together, putting up tents staged with medical and communications equipment. Each tent served a specific purpose depending on the severity of the patient’s condition and the needs of the medics manning it.

At the same time, a surgical team set up a working area at the original classroom training location equipped with tools to receive patients in need of a higher degree of care. Nearby, a fleet of UH-60s was prepared to be crewed in response to patients in need of aerial extraction.

Army aviators touched down at the Air Force expeditionary medical treatment facility with the first round of patients on board picked up from a location on Fort Carson. While in route, the crew on board treated, assessed and documented the extent of the patient’s injuries.

“When there’s an injury on the field that can’t be transported by ground or needs faster care, usually they need a trauma surgeon within an hour,” said Spc. Adam Diefendorf, 5-159th General Support Aviation Battalion UH-60 flight paramedic. “We have an idea of what we go into, but even when we get on the ground, we have to launch quickly per medevac doctrine. We get a report from the medic that’s on the ground and then we load them up quickly because there’s potential enemies in the area and we need to get them where they need to go within that hour of injuries sustained.”

The flight medic opens the side door and motions for ground medics to approach the aircraft as a team of four. Airmen positioned themselves on each corner of the litter and carried the patient off the helicopter toward one of the tents for further treatment.

During the second day, a 302nd Aeromedical Staging Squadron team set up a simulated treatment facility in a hangar at the Pueblo Memorial Airport. There, they practiced offloading patients from UH-60s, securing them into the back of a medevac truck and driving them to the hangar for further treatment and evaluation.

They also trained how to receive patients from a UH-60 and transfer them into the cargo bay of a C-130H outfitted for aeromedical evacuation and personnel transport. When a helicopter landed with a patient on board, their engines remained operational. A team approached the helicopter with the blades spinning overhead, offloaded the patient and carried them to the nearby C-130 with its engines also running. They were guided aboard by 34th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron Airmen in the cargo bay.

“I’ve never loaded patients onto a Blackhawk before,” said Senior Airman Taylore Araki, 944th Aeromedical Staging Squadron aerospace medical technician. “Just seeing how it’s done, then actually getting to do it and realizing that there was more to it than I thought was really good practice. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as difficult as I assumed it was going to be.”

Patient transfer training occurred again at Fort Carson when a C-130 landed on a dirt runway close to the expeditionary treatment facility. Participants used an ambulance bus provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs to load patients for transport, drive them to the C-130 on the dirt runway and reverse the vehicle close to the cargo ramp of the aircraft. 34 AES Airmen directed the transport of the patients into the bay from the rear of the bus.

During flight, the patients were treated and monitored by the medics on board. A Critical Care Air Transport Team augments the standard aeromedical evacuation crew aided by Army UH-60 flight medics training alongside them. These specialized teams care for critically ill or injured patients during flight while they’re transported to a higher level of care.

“I realized how much the CCAT teams are capable of because they have so many people on the team providing care versus myself in the back of a Blackhawk,” said Diefendorf. “When we’re turning and banking, I’m getting thrown around and there’s only so much I can do in 15-20 minutes. Whereas the CCAT teams have more people with more hands-on, they’re able to do so much more in the same amount of time.”

On the final day of the exercise, participants were faced with a mass casualty training scenario.

Medics and 10th Special Forces Group Green Berets located role-players in dark rooms, assessed their injuries and evacuated them to the expeditionary treatment facility for further care. Panicked role-players were comforted, and combative ones subdued while the team cleared obstacles keeping them from providing care to the injured.

“It was very chaotic,” said Araki. “I was stressed but I just remembered these are our patients and they need to get treated immediately. These are people’s loved ones. I think that was the pusher to get through it. These people need help, and they want to go home and see their families.”

They brought in litters to transport those who couldn’t walk. If a litter wasn’t available, patients were carried or shoulder-dragged to safety. When they finished securing one patient, they returned to the building to find another, working amidst the screaming in the darkness until all injured were removed and en route to the expeditionary treatment facility.

“For my injuries, I had facial trauma,” said Senior Airman Zadok Dean III, 34 AES aeromedical evacuation technician, who role-played during the mass casualty exercise. “The way I played it, I was crawling around, asking for help. It was really cool to see the mass casualty being the patient, getting dragged out by one of the medics and then going to camp and getting taken care of. Being a part of that process really put into perspective how a patient feels. We have some really good people who know what they’re talking about taking care of us.”

As patients from the mass casualty were evacuated by C-130 or UH-60, the exercise came to a close shortly afterward.

Looking forward, Airmen and Soldiers from junior enlisted up to leadership expressed the need to expand the scope of the scenarios, involve more missions, invite other organizations to participate and accomplish the training on a more frequent basis.

“It’s not just medevac and aeromedical,” said Housholder. “Anything we do will cross into multi-domain, multi-component and joint environments. Even as an air assault Blackhawk pilot, I’m not doing it outside of a joint environment, not in today’s world. We need more integration. We have to get after training and exercising in an integrated way because that’s the only way we fight.”

Housholder introduced the idea of integrating the Navy into future exercises, suggesting training with the capabilities of their rotary and fixed-wing aircraft included in their air ambulance detachments. She also cited hoist operations the Coast Guard performs over water as another possible component of training.

“I thought this was the best training I have genuinely ever received in my aeromedical evacuation career,” said Dean. “Mountain Medic should 1,000% not be a once-a-year thing. We don’t get to work with other branches, and we don’t get to see how other people operate in an environment like this. Getting this type of training builds so much confidence in myself as a medic and I know several of my other coworkers feel the exact same way.”

The Air Force ground medical team gathered for an after-action discussion at the end of the exercise, highlighting successes and pitfalls throughout the field portion of the training. Bershinky addressed the multi-squadron team directly.

Source: United States Air Force

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

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. and his spouse, Sharene Brown, visited F.E. Warren Air Force Base Sept. 6.

Brown visited with members of the 90th Missile Wing to engage with and hear from Airmen, as well as to have an in-depth immersion of the LGM-35A Sentinel ICBM weapon system, especially modernization efforts unique to F.E. Warren AFB.

“The Mighty Ninety is excited and honored to host General and Mrs. Brown,” said Col. Johnny Galbert, 90th MW commander. “We appreciate when senior leaders like General Brown take the time to visit our base, meet our outstanding Airmen and learn about the critical mission they perform every day.”

To begin the visit, Brown had breakfast at the Chadwell Dining facility with 10 junior enlisted Airmen from different groups and squadrons around base. Brown also coined two Airmen during this time for their dedication and hard work toward the mission.

He then went to the 20th Air Force headquarters where he participated in local Sentinel discussions and was briefed on the arrival of the new helicopter, the MH-139A, during a one-on-one meeting with Maj. Gen. Michael Lutton, 20th Air Force commander. Brown also toured the Weapons Generation Facility, a modernized building designed to house the Sentinel weapons system. During the tour, he was briefed on the building’s construction progress and future operational capabilities.

Brown also hosted 13 squadron commanders from the wing for lunch at the Trail’s End Event Center. Following lunch, he went to the 253rd Command and Control Group and received an immersion into their mission before departing for the Peacekeeper High Bay for an all-call with 90th MW and 20th AF Airmen and leaders.

The all-call gave Brown the opportunity to address Air Force-wide topics and hear localized concerns from Airmen. Multiple topics were discussed, including the Air Force Force Generation deployment model, the role of information and media in the military and mental health concerns.

“It was a pleasure to be with you today to talk to you and take your questions,” Brown said. “I appreciate the questions you ask because we take them back and figure out how we can better support you. I want you to remember that you do not work for me, I work for you. My job is to make your job easier and that’s what I focus on every day — do something to make it easier for you to go execute the mission of the United States Air Force.”

Brown finished his day with a mock convoy demo put on by the 90th Missile Security Operations Squadron to demonstrate how 90th MW teams transport nuclear assets to and from sites within the 9,600 square-foot missile field. Finally, Galbert and his spouse, Audrian Galbert, hosted the Browns for a brief final meeting to share his gratitude for the visit.

Sharene also toured the 90th MW and used her day in Wyoming to speak with the spouses of senior leaders and commanders, first sergeants, the school liaison officer and key spouses and mentors, and about the Five and Thrive Program.

She listened to concerns about and gave input related to some of the top challenges military families face, including childcare, spouse employment, education, healthcare and housing. She also visited the medical clinic to talk about the Exceptional Family Member Program and mental health and followed the visit by meeting with the chaplain team.

The Air Force chief of staff is the senior uniformed Air Force officer, responsible for the training and equipping of active duty, Guard Reserve and civilian forces. In his position and as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Brown and other service chiefs advise the secretary of Defense, National Security Council and the president on military functions.

Source: United States Air Force

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) —  

In a memorandum released Sept. 8, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., issued a stark warning about a growing threat to national security – the recruitment and exploitation of current and former Air Force members by the People’s Liberation Army of China, or PLA.

Source: United States Air Force

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. (AFNS) —  

The face of aviation is changing and it’s beginning to look a lot like high school students.

It’s been five years since the first group of cadets buckled up in cockpits in pursuit of an Air Force-sponsored private pilot certificate through the Air Force Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Flight Academy program.

Since the summer of 2018, 1,089 AFJROTC cadets have pursued their dream of becoming a pilot, with 861, or 79%, succeeding. A significant achievement considering that outside of the program, the dropout rate for learner pilots is around 80%, according to research by aviation advocacy groups, such as Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

Headquarters AFJROTC first started taking Flight Academy scholarship applications in the fall of 2017, with the first aviation classes starting the following summer at six partnering universities. That number has since grown to 24 participating universities in 2023, which includes some of the nation’s leading flight programs like Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Purdue University.

The program was initially launched as part of the Air Force Aircrew Crisis Task Force with the stated goals of restoring the luster of aviation to high school students by increasing the pool of pilots for both the military and civilian aviation communities, each facing severe pilot shortages and increase diversity in the cockpit.

The AFJROTC Flight Academy accepted the challenge and the program has grown significantly since the initial class of 120 cadets took to the skies in 2018. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the program in 2020.

“All cadets are encouraged to apply for Flight Academy and to consider aviation as a profession,” said Ben Caro, Headquarters AFJROTC Program Development division chief. “It’s fantastic to see the diversity of the cadets interested in the program.”

In 2018, the percentage of underrepresented cadets participating in the Flight Academy was 41%. That number increased each year, with the years 2022 and 2023 each boasting 60% underrepresented groups. Of the 301 AFJROTC cadet participants in 2023, 40% were minorities and 37% female, with 239 receiving their pilot certificate.

“The Flight Academy has generated tremendous interest among our AFJROTC cadet corps with over 9,000 applicants expressing their desire to fly,” said Col. Johnny McGonigal, Headquarters AFJROTC director. “We believe this program meets the Air Force chief of staff’s desire to increase interest in aviation. It also provides an enduring solution for pilot production, while also impacting the diversity challenge facing both the military and civilian aviation communities.”

While the Air Force fully funds the extensive eight-week summer program, there is no requirement for graduates to pursue a military commitment. However, this program has inspired many cadets to take the next step toward becoming a military pilot. Of approximately 591 Flight Academy attendees who have also graduated high school by April 2023, 47% enrolled in the Air Force ROTC program in college to further their goal of becoming an Air Force pilot.

Even for those not pursuing a career in aviation, the academy was a very memorable and valuable experience.

“I highly recommend the flight academy to anyone who is considering it. It was one of the best experiences I have ever had and wouldn’t trade it for anything,” said 2nd Lt. Adam Landry, who completed the Flight Academy program at Delaware State University in 2019. “I made amazing connections and was grateful for the opportunity to learn how to fly. Thanks for the opportunity to attend the academy, I still think back on the memories quite often even though it was four years ago.”

Landry graduated from Syracuse University’s ROTC program in 2023 with a degree in civil engineering.

“Our intent is to help regenerate interest and inspiration in our nation’s youth to pursue careers in aviation and to diversify the industry as a whole,” said Brig. Gen. Houston Cantwell, Jeanne M. Holm Center for Officer Accessions and Citizen Development commander. “With this program, we believe we are changing the face of aviation one cadet at a time.”

For more information about the AFJROTC Flight Academy Program, visit here.

Source: United States Air Force

MIROSLAWIEC, Poland (AFNS) —  

The U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa achieved a significant technological proof of concept for the MQ-9A Reaper’s Satellite Launch and Recovery Package, or SLR-P, at the 12th Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Air Base in Mirosławiec.

While various iterations of the concept have surfaced in different contexts, the SLR-P offers a compact, “wallet-sized” innovation poised to launch and recover the MQ-9A at strategic theater locations situated in some of the most rugged, remote outposts in Europe. This marks a departure from conventional practices that necessitated returning to home stations for basic level maintenance.

“We live in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world, which means it takes an innovative and motivated group of people – like what you see here – to influence change and propel us into the future,” said Maj. Philip West, USAFE-AFAFRICA project lead. “With this technology, we’re putting the ‘A’ in ‘ACE’ [Agile Combat Employment] for the MQ-9A.”

Tailored specifically for the European and African theaters, the SLR-P consists of a small, mobile container with an inventory list finely tuned to address the unique operational requirements and environmental nuances of each specific region. The container can be retrofitted with its own wheels to be towed or be carried by any means of available transportation and is designed to be highly mobile.

One of the most dramatic impacts of this concept is to reduce the “boots on the ground” needed to operate and maintain precision aircraft. Where traditional remotely piloted operations required teams of 30 to 150 personnel, the SLR-P can execute with a lean crew of just eight multi-capable Airmen.

This lean crew of multiple capable Airmen came from USAFE-AFAFRICA’s 435th Contingency Response Group.

“Empowering multi-capable Airmen is what we do every day,” said Col. Robert Rayner, 435th CRG commander. “The creation of the CRG 25 years ago aimed to extend airpower beyond our main bases. While our primary mission is supporting mobility operations, we’ve adapted our capabilities to respond to what the Air Force, and specifically what USAFE, needs.”

“Today, we’re launching and recovering MQ-9As, but tomorrow it could be F-16s, and the next day, C-17s. Whatever the requirement, the 435th CRG remains light, lean and lethal to support,” he added.

The SLR-P’s integration with satellite technology also ushers in a new era of connectivity and maintenance efficiency. This capability facilitates rapid power-up of the MQ-9A and seamless satellite link establishment, minimizing pre-mission preparations.

By simplifying maintenance functions, the SLR-P allows the maintenance team to focus solely on essential tasks, leading to reduced downtime and heightened mission readiness.

This successful proof of concept not only marks the emergence of a new era in remotely piloted operations, but it also highlights the steadfast dedication of both the U.S. and Poland to shared security goals and technological progress.

“Hosting this first-ever proof of concept underscores Poland’s commitment to protecting not only Polish sovereignty but also fulfilling its obligation as a pivotal member of the NATO alliance,” said Col. Marcin Szubiński, Polish Air Force’s 12th UAV Air Base commander. “We are proud to contribute to testing this capability, building on our five-year history of implementing cutting-edge ISR technologies within EU airspace by prioritizing interoperability with our NATO allies while refining procedures and capabilities as needed.”

This proof of concept notably commenced amidst challenging weather conditions. Under typical circumstances, the mission for the day might have been canceled; however, the weather in Poland proved to be favorable for testing the system’s resilience, prompting the team to make a pivotal choice – executing a weather diversion to this new field or returning the MQ-9A back to its home station.

Airmen stationed with the Pennsylvania Air National Guard undertook a task unprecedented at this airfield, achieving a milestone that holds immense significance. In the process, they officially designated this location as a future alternate launch site, particularly in periods of adverse weather.

Poland now stands as destination for America’s most powerful, capable aircraft, ready to serve as an alternate launch location during times of inclement weather. This development further emphasizes the adaptability and resilience that characterize this transformative proof of concept.