News from the Air Force

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Allen Lays Out ISIS Strategy for Gulf Allies in Kuwait

Retired Marine Gen. John Allen, who was appointed as the President's special envoy for the anti-ISIS coalition, spoke at a conference of Arab and Gulf allies in Kuwait City, Kuwait, Tuesday, to detail the US' counter ISIS strategy. Allen said both the Iraqi security forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga are targeting ISIS militants in Iraq and Syria, and over this last weekend the Lebanese military conducted raids against ISIS sympathizers in Lebanon. "Many of the countries here today are already playing a critical role in these military efforts, and the United States strongly welcomes your contributions," Allen said. In addition to the physical space ISIS occupies and the military campaign against the militants, the financial space and the information space are of great concern and focus as well. Allies must work to target money and resources through targeted sanctions, stopping oil smuggling, and ending the group's access to global finance. The third piece, the information campaign, is where working to "deny the legitimacy of [ISIS'] message," will truly defeat the group, he added. Allen said meetings with the Arab League in Cairo several weeks ago discussed ways to strengthen moderate voices in the Arab world, and enlist prominent religious scholars to speak out against ISIS' acts and organization.

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21-Day Monitoring for Troops Returning from West Africa

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel signed a new policy Wednesday that requires US service members returning from Ebola-affected areas in West Africa to undergo 21-days of controlled, supervised monitoring, according to an Oct. 29 release. The new policy—a recommendation from the Joint Chiefs of Staff—is intended to provide a "safety valve" for the families of US troops participating in Operation United Assistance, said Hagel. The Joint Chiefs now have 15 days to "provide operational specifics" and 45 days to "review the new regimen," states the release. A team of 20 USAF medical trainers arrived in Monrovia, Liberia, "to train non-US medical personnel as part of Operaiton United Assistance," announced Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren on Wednesday. The airmen will train at the National Police Training Center in Monrovia, he added. Members of the 633rd Medical Group at JB Langley-Eustis, Va., recently returned from Liberia where they delivered and set up a modular medical treatment center. Members of the Kentucky Air National Guard's 123rd Contingency Response Group are still in Senegal where they are facilitating the flow of supplies from the intermediate staging base at the Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar into the affected region. Several USAF aircraft also have delivered supplies and humanitarian relief equipment to the region.

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Two Nuke Officers Fired, One Disciplined

The Air Force on Monday fired two commanders and disciplined a third at two of its three ICBM bases, reported the Associated Press. Col. Carl Jones, the vice commander of the 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo., was relieved of command "for a loss of trust and confidence in his leadership abilities," reported AP. An internal investigation found that "in four separate instances, Jones acted in a manner that degraded his status as a senior officer and wing leader, including maltreating a subordinate," Air Force Global Strike Command spokesman Lt. Col. John Sheets told the AP. Also on Monday, Lt. Col. Jimmy Brown, 741st Missile Squadron commander at Minot AFB, N.D., was fired for a "loss of confidence" in his "ability to lead his squadron," reported AP. An investigation found that Brown "engaged in unlawful discrimination or harassment" and "made statements to subordinates that created a perception within his squadron that pregnancy would negatively affect a woman's career," states the AP article. Col. Richard Pagliuco, commander of the 91st Operations Group, which oversees the 741st as well as two other missile squadrons, received administrative punishment for failing "to promote and safeguard the morale, well-being, and welfare of the airmen under his command," states the article. Sheets told Air Force Magazine, "We have a demanding mission that requires everyone from the airmen in the field to the teammates and leaders supporting them back at the base to give their personal best. We won't accept a command climate that detracts from that effort. Our people must treat each other with dignity and respect—and that applies up and down the chain of command."

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Body of Missing F-16 Pilot Recovered in Gulf of Mexico

Rescue crews recovered the body of a missing F-16 pilot in the Gulf of Mexico, according to a base release. Matthew J. LaCourse, 58, was an Air Force civilian pilot assigned to the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron at Tyndall AFB, Fla. LaCourse, a 1978 Air Force Academy graduate, retired as a lieutenant colonel after more than 22 years of service. The base lost contact with his F-16 around 9 a.m. on Nov. 6 and search and rescue crews immediately were dispatched to the aircraft's last known location. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family members of our fallen teammate as they struggle through this extremely difficult time," states the release. The cause of the crash is not yet known, but an investigation is underway.

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Kowalski Inducted Into Order of the Sword

Lt. Gen. James Kowalski, US Strategic Command's deputy commander, became the first inductee of Air Force Global Strike Command's Order of the Sword during a ceremony at Barksdale AFB, La., according to a release. Kowalski served as AFGSC commander from January 2011 to October 2013. The major command activated in August 2009 to oversee the Air Force's nuclear-capable bomber force and Minutemen III ICBMs. The Order of the Sword is the highest honor and tribute the command's enlisted corps can bestow upon an officer or civilian counterpart in recognition of their contributions to the welfare of the enlisted airmen. "It's hard for me to receive this and hear all of the accolades because I honestly was just very lucky," said Kowalski during his Nov. 6 induction ceremony. "I was lucky to end up in the Air Force and to end up being in positions where I was taught and mentored by great [noncommissioned officers] and senior NCOs," he said. CMSgt. Terry West, AFGSC command chief, called Kowalski "truly a leader among leaders, an airman among airmen."

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Fewer Troops Needed to Fight Ebola


Less than 3,000 total US military personnel will deploy to West Africa as part of the international effort to eradicate the Ebola epidemic, some 1,000 fewer than mentioned in the original request for forces. "There's a lot of capacity here that we didn't know about before, so that's allowed us to decrease the forces that we're bringing in," said Operation United Assistance Joint Force Commander Army Maj. Gen. Gary Volesky during a Pentagon briefing via telephone Wednesday. Volesky said the number of troops in the region now is "just under 2,200," and that "we will top out in the middle of December just short of 3,000, and that's the most we'll bring into the country." US Ambassador to Liberia Deborah Malac said the work is nowhere near done. "We are really still very much at the beginning of this effort," she said during the same briefing. Although the number of Ebola reports has decreased since the US began assisting in efforts to counter the disease, "We are not out of the woods by any stretch of the imagination," Malac said. "We need more treatment units, more personnel to help treat patients, and so we still have a long way to go," she added.

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Russia Expands Long-Range Flights Near US

Not long after a series of large and complex air exercises across the European continent, the Russian defense ministry declared Wednesday it will expand its long-range aviation patrols in the Western Hemisphere to include international airspace in and around the Gulf of Mexico. In an announcement in Moscow, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu declared long-range aviation units, such as Tu-95 strategic bombers, would expand their exercises to include areas over the Arctic and the Western Hemisphere. Shoigu declared previously that Russia is negotiating basing and refueling access rights to airfields in Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua to support such exercises. The announcement comes on the heels of sharp criticism of Russia's activities in the Ukraine, as well as criticism over recent exercises involving strategic bombers over Europe, which NATO Supreme Allied Commander USAF Gen. Philip Breedlove called overt acts attempting to message the US and its allies on Russia's military reach and influence.

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Russia Expands Long-Range Flights Near US

Not long after a series of large and complex air exercises across the European continent, the Russian defense ministry declared Wednesday it will expand its long-range aviation patrols in the Western Hemisphere to include international airspace in and around the Gulf of Mexico. In an announcement in Moscow, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu declared long-range aviation units, such as Tu-95 strategic bombers, would expand their exercises to include areas over the Arctic and the Western Hemisphere. Shoigu declared previously that Russia is negotiating basing and refueling access rights to airfields in Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua to support such exercises. The announcement comes on the heels of sharp criticism of Russia's activities in the Ukraine, as well as criticism over recent exercises involving strategic bombers over Europe, which NATO Supreme Allied Commander USAF Gen. Philip Breedlove called overt acts attempting to message the US and its allies on Russia's military reach and influence.

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Russia Expands Long-Range Flights Near US

Not long after a series of large and complex air exercises across the European continent, the Russian defense ministry declared Wednesday it will expand its long-range aviation patrols in the Western Hemisphere to include international airspace in and around the Gulf of Mexico. In an announcement in Moscow, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu declared long-range aviation units, such as Tu-95 strategic bombers, would expand their exercises to include areas over the Arctic and the Western Hemisphere. Shoigu declared previously that Russia is negotiating basing and refueling access rights to airfields in Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua to support such exercises. The announcement comes on the heels of sharp criticism of Russia's activities in the Ukraine, as well as criticism over recent exercises involving strategic bombers over Europe, which NATO Supreme Allied Commander USAF Gen. Philip Breedlove called overt acts attempting to message the US and its allies on Russia's military reach and influence.

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Airmen Awarded Second Silver Star

MSgt. Thomas Case, a Tactical Air Control Party airman with the 18th Air Support Operations Group at Pope Field, N.C., received a Silver Star for his heroic actions in Afghanistan in June 2009. Maj. Gen. ​Harry Polumbo, 9th Air Force commander, presented Case with the medal during a ceremony at Pope on Nov. 13, according to a rele​ase. This was the second Silver Star the Air Force has awarded Case. The medal is the third highest military decoration for valor. "Master Sergeant Case answered his nation's call and defended his country with his life. He is the embodiment of our legacy of valor and will always be part of our proud heritage," said Polumbo. Case accompanied a team of Army rangers that went into the high mountains of Afghanistan to destroy enemy camps. During the ensuing firefight, Case frequently exposed himself to enemy fire to ensure he knew the enemy's position to call in air strikes and could see where the friendly munitions were hitting. He called in gunship support dangerously close to his position, stepped forward into danger to protect his ground force commander, and climbed a steep incline under direct fire to help fend off approaching insurgents from close range.​

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A Hanger Queen No More

An Oregon Air National Guard F-15C assigned to the 142nd Fighter Wing in Portland recently returned to flight after some 17 months of downtime and $1.4 million in complex repairs. The Eagle's right main tire exploded in the wheel bay, distending the engine inlet duct, sending some 50 rivets through the engine, and ripping the bay-door from the aircraft on May 14, 2013, according to a unit release. "The motor ingested all those rivets and kept working," said Lt. Col. Bill Kopp, 142nd FW safety officer. A Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex depot team from Georgia removed both of the aircraft's wings early this year to allow a second team of structural repair technicians to rebuild the area surrounding the intake. Air Guard and depot specialists fabricated components, but ultimately had to work with F-15 manufacturer Boeing to secure the new intake skin from a different model F-15 from a production batch for Saudi Arabia, states the release. The F-15C, serial number 84-0007, returned to flight on Oct. 23.

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Kwast Takes Charge of Air University

Lt. Gen. Steven Kwast assumed command of Air University at Maxwell AFB, Ala., during a ceremony. He replaced Lt. Gen. David Fadok, who led the university since August 2011. Gen. Robin Rand, head of Air Education and Training Command, presided over the Nov. 10 change of command. He said Kwast "has the strategic and academic credentials" to lead AU, according to a Maxwell release. "I am excited about the vision and leadership [he will] provide," said Rand. Kwast is now responsible for graduating more than 50,000 resident and 120,000 non-resident officer, enlisted, and civilian students each year, states the release. He most recently served as AU's vice commander and head of Maxwell's Curtis E. LeMay Center. Fadok is retiring from the Air Force, effective Jan. 1, 2015, after some 32 years in uniform. Rand characterized him as a "brilliant senior leader," who has increased AU in its standing as an academic institution.

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New Tanker Schedule

Boeing made a progress report to top Air Force acquisition officials on the KC-46A tanker program last week, and there may be some schedule delays coming, said Lt. Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski, military deputy in the Air Force's acquisition shop, on Wednesday. The company reported it expects to have a new schedule prepared "in the February timeframe," she told defense reporters in Washington, D.C. Although she believes the date at which the Air Force expects to have required assets available for an initial operating capability—August of 2017—"is achievable," a recently discovered issue with wiring bundles that have to be re-strung through the airplane "has proven to be more challenging for them to overcome than I think they originally anticipated." As a result, "We are continuing to see them be challenged by schedules," said Pawlikowski. The first "provisioned" aircraft, a KC-46 without military and refueling gear, is running late, but she said she thinks it will get airborne "by the end of the calendar year." There's schedule margin in the program for the unexpected, but if it gets used up early, there's little room left for unexpected setbacks at the back end, she said. "We have a pretty good idea of what the risks are in the schedule," she said.

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Hercules' New Flak Vest

Ohio Air National Guard C-130Hs are testing a new lighter weight and more secure cockpit armor plating system that the Air Force is looking to install across its legacy Hercules fleet. "This enhanced armor system will not only ensure our aircrews increased safety from airborne and ground threats …but [it] is lighter and easier to install for our maintainers," 910th Maintenance Group Commander Col. Davis Post said in a release. The new system replaces the old design's Velcro fasteners with mounting brackets that keep the bulky plates in place and prevent them from chafing against the C-130's nose wheel when the wheels are retracted. The mounting hardware is presently fitted to every aircraft, allowing the modular plates to be installed or removed depending on mission requirements. The Air Force awarded Macro Industries a $16.9 million contact for the kits last year, and installation work should be completed fleet-wide by early 2016, according to the Defense Department's contract announcement.

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Smarter from the Inside Out

A modified B-52H began developmental testing of the conventional rotary launcher that will enable the fleet to carry smart weapons internally and nearly double its smart-weapon warload, officials announced. "By providing smart weapons capability in the bay, the bomber can be employed in a clean wing configuration ... thus increasing its range and loiter time," Boeing Project Manager Jeff Lupton said in a release. The 419th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards AFB, Calif., installed the first CRL in December, which was developed by Boeing and a team at Tinker AFB, Okla. Edwards will conduct a series of ground trials and "after the data analysis and review is complete, we will conduct a series of flight tests to include live weapon releases," added Lupton. The first increment of software and hardware modifications will allow internal carriage of Joint Direct Attack Munitions, while future increments will expand the capability to include Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles and Miniature Air Launched Decoys, according to the release.

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SASC Chair Calls for Investigation into ACC Leader's Comments

​The fallout from the remarks delivered by Maj. Gen. James Post at a recent gathering of the Air Force's Tactics Review Board has drawn the ire of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the newly elevated chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Post reportedly told attending airmen that USAF's budgetary priorities are clear and any airman who engages with their member of Congress unilaterally on matters related to the A-10 could be committing "treason." The remarks drew condemnation and criticism, but Air Combat Command claims Post is not attempting to restrict airmen from communicating with Congress rather he was attempting to "overemphasize a serious point" regarding USAFs long-term decisions and airmen's role with regards to advocacy for policy. McCain is now calling on Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James to "conduct an investigation into this issue," McCain spokesman Dustin Walker told Air Force Magazine, though he did not elaborate on what further action the senator might take. McCain has frequently criticized USAF's plan to retire the A-10, but has also sought to highlight the damage sequestration-related cuts have incurred on military readiness and modernization. He will hold a hearing this week with the Joint Chiefs to discuss the latter.

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Friday, January 30, 2015

And Then There Were Three

Retired Lt. Col. Edward Saylor, one of the last surviving Doolittle Raiders, died at his home in Washington State on Wednesday at the age of 94. Saylor enlisted in the Army Air Corps on Dec. 7, 1939, and served as an enlisted airman throughout World War II. On April 18, 1942, he joined 79 other volunteers led by Gen. Jimmy Doolittle on a top-secret mission to bomb targets in Japan. Saylor was an engineer in the 15th of 16 B-25 Army bombers, which launched from the USS Hornet aircraft carrier, something never tried before. Though largely symbolic, the mission was a huge success in boosting American morale and wounding that of the Japanese, in that it proved Japan's home islands were not beyond the reach of US sea- and airpower. Saylor received his commission as an aircraft maintenance officer in October 1947. He served at bases in Iowa, Washington, Labrador, and England, according to his official biography. In November 2013, Saylor— along with retired Lt. Col. Richard Cole, co-pilot of crew 1, and retired SSgt. David Thatcher, engineer-gunner of crew No. 7—attended a final toast to the deceased Doolittle Raiders. The only other survivor, retired Lt. Col. Bob Hite, could not attend due to poor health. Saylor was a recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Force Commendation Medal, and the Chinese Army, Navy, and Air Corps Medal, Class A, 1st Grade, according to a Doolittle Tokyo Raiders release. (See also Mission Accomplished from the February 2014 issue of Air Force Magazine.)

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Please, Please, Mr. Congressman


​The Air Force has a long laundry lists of items that would fall out of its Fiscal 2016 budget request if the Budget Control Act-mandated sequester is not repealed. Among bulleted items in its budget explanations, the Air Force said it would lose a whole squadron—14 aircraft—of F-35A fighters. Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capability worldwide would take a hit, as the service would have to divest the Global Hawk Block 40 fleet and eliminate modifications to the Global Hawk Block 30 force. Remotely piloted aircraft combat air patrols would be reduced by 10; that's equivalent to the level of effort operating over Syria and Iraq today. The KC-10 fleet would have to be retired early, eliminating 13 percent of the Air Force's refueling capability. The sequester would "degrade" the service's worldwide capabilities by deferring needed military construction and maintenance. There would be cuts in flying hours as well as range operations and munitions buys, hurting readiness. Space, cyber, and nuclear enterprise improvements would be reduced, and the Air Force would have to defer or eliminate its new engine program, which offers a fuel use improvement of as much as 25 percent over current powerplants. It would also cause the service to have to defer replacing the 27-year-old Air Force One fleet until after the next two Presidential terms. Even without the sequester, the Air Force said it still needs to divest the A-10 fighter and EC-130H electronic warfare platform to live within proposed budgets, and must have a base closing and realignment round in Fiscal 2017 to get rid of at least 20 percent of its facilities.

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Jordan Vows "Earth Shattering" Response After Pilot's Execution

​ISIS terrorists reportedly executed the Jordanian pilot the group captured in December, drawing a ferocious response from Jordan on Tuesday. Royal Jordanian Air Force 1st Lt. Moaz al-Kassasbeh was captured after his F-16 crashed near Ar Raqqah, Syria, during a mission. His status has been unknown since, but a video released by ISIS allegedly shows the pilot being burned alive. Amman's reaction was swift, with Jordanian Information Minister Mohammed Al Momani declaring the country's response would be "Earth shattering," reported Agence France-Presse. The news wire also reported that Sajida al-Rishawi, the failed suicide bomber ISIS sought to trade for the pilot, would be executed Wednesday. Jordan's King Abdullah cut short his visit to the United States, and was returning to Jordan as of Tuesday evening. The pilot "gave his life defending his faith, country, and nation," Abdullah said in a statement, in which he also urged all Jordanians to unite. Statements from several Middle Eastern governments expressed solidarity with Jordan, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, and others. President Barack Obama and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel also released statements expressing condolences to Jordan. "This act of despicable barbarity only strengthens our shared resolve," Hagel said. US Central Command boss Army Gen. Lloyd Austin spoke with Jordanian Gen. Mashal al Zaben, the chief of staff of the Jordanian Armed Forces, on Tuesday "and assured him that we stand with our Jordanian partners and together we will fight this barbaric enemy until it is defeated," according to a Pentagon release.

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Why A-10s in Iraq?

​Critics of the Air Force's plan to retire the A-10 have pointed to the airplane's use in the battle against ISIS as proof the jet is still relevant, but optics had no influence on its deployment, Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh said. Speaking Feb. 3 with Air Force Magazine, Welsh noted that while Congress denied USAF's request to retire the A-10 on the service's desired schedule, "they funded us to keep them in the inventory. Which is great. As long as we have the airplane, we'll use the airplane." Welsh said US Central Command did not specifically request the A-10 enter the ISIS fight. "They requested capability in ... strike aircraft, [close air support], personnel recovery," he said, and the A-10s "were originally deployed to the theater to serve ... specifically in the personnel recovery role as the (Combat Search and Rescue) flight leads over in the theater." He added, "We have to use our whole fleet." The new Air Force budget plan calls for phasing the A-10 out completely by 2019. "It's very clear the world has not gotten more stable in the last year. If there's a way to hedge our bet a little bit in that regard, why wouldn't we?" he asked.