News from the Air Force

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Pentagon Releases New National Military Strategy

The Defense Department released its 2015 national military strategy on Wednesday, which calls for "greater agility, innovation, and integration," while also acknowledging the United States' "comparative military advantage has begun to erode." It is the first such strategy to be released since 2011. "Today's global security environment is the most unpredictable I have seen in 40 years of service," wrote Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in the foreward. The United States now faces "multiple, simultaneous security challenges from traditional state actors" and non-state actors—"all taking advantage of rapid technological change," added Dempsey. "Future conflicts will come more rapidly, last longer, and take place on a much more technically challenging battlefield." In addition, such conflicts will "have increasing implications to the US homeland," wrote Dempsey. The strategy notes Russia's continued disrespect for the "sovereignty of its neighbors" and its "willingness to use force to achieve its goals." It acknowledges the "strategic challenges" Iran's nuclear ambitions pose to the international community and calls the country a "state-sponsor of terrorism that has undermined stability" in "Israel, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen." North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons also threatens its neighbors, specifically Japan and the Republic of Korea. And, while the US supports "China's rise," the report cites regional tensions created by its actions in the South China Sea.

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Give Back the Helos

Maj. Gen. Jack Weinstein, commander of 20th Air Force, told House legislators that appropriators who cut a new helicopter from his budget are worsening a bad situation. "These are 1960s, 1970s helicopters," he told a House Armed Services panel Thursday of his fleet of UH-1s. "They don't meet DOD requirements for payload, capacity, and range," and they can't get where they're going at the requisite speed, especially if a missile silo was under attack. "Any delay" in replacing the helos that support the nuclear mission "is a real danger" to security forces being able to perform their mission, he said. He also noted that 20th AF needs a new ground vehicle because the Humvee is ill-suited to the mission. It travels on US roads, "has no anti-lock brakes," and at idle can't keep passengers warm when a North Dakota winter throws "minus 40 degrees" at the crew, Weinstein said.

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Upgraded AWACS Tested at Northern Edge

Airmen recently got a chance to test the Block 40/45 E-3G Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft during Northern Edge 2015 in Alaska. The upgraded computer platform "advances" the AWACS "old operating system by about 30 years," improving weapons and surveillance scopes, states the release. "It provides more situational awareness," said 1st Lt. Breann Hermann, an air weapons officer with the 964th Airborne Air Control Squadron at Tinker AFB, Okla. "You can personalize it, and now you can build unlimited airspaces. It's more reliable and more technologically advanced." The 964th and 966th AACS squadrons conducted some 15 command and control missions during the two-week exercise, using both the old and new systems. After each mission the crew provided feedback on the Block 40/45. "The system cuts down on [operator's] steps. The ease of use is drastically higher, and the tracking process goes faster," said Maj. Dan Sprunger, the 964th AACS mission crew commander, in a July 1 release. About 200 aircraft and 6,000 Active Duty, Reserve, and National Guard airmen, soldiers, sailors, marines, and Coast Guardsmen participated in Northern Edge.

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Strategic Reach

​Two B-52s from Barksdale AFB, LA., completed a 44-hour, nonstop mission to Australia and back, according to a US Strategic Command release. "These flights are one of the many ways the United States demonstrates its commitment to a stable and peaceful Indo-Asia Pacific region," said Adm. Cecil Haney, STRATCOM commander. During the mission, which concluded on July 2, the B-52s of Barksdale's 2nd Bomb Wing integrated with Australian airmen on the ground, dropped inert conventional weapons on the Delamere Air Weapons Range in northern Australia, and performed a low approach over RAAF Base Tindal, states the release. The base is north of the range. Since 2010, the Air Force has periodically deployed B-52s to Australia for short training stints. B-52s have been frequent world travelers this year. For example, in June, three B-52s from Minot AFB, N.D., operated for a while from RAF Fairford, Britain, supporting NATO training exercises in the Baltic Sea area.​

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McCain: We are Not Winning Anti-ISIS Campaign

The President's strategy to defeat ISIS demonstrates "a disturbing degree of self-delusion," said Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Tuesday. "It's right, but ultimately irrelevant, to point out, as the President did, that we have conducted thousands of airstrikes, taken out many ISIL fighters and much equipment, and pushed it out of some territory," said McCain. "None of the so-called progress that the President cited suggests that we are on a path to success." The terrorist organization continues to gain ground in Iraq and Syria, it has been successful in radicalizing people across the globe, and is expanding across the Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia, noted McCain. "Our means and our current level of effort are not aligned with our ends. That suggests we are not winning, and when you're not winning, you are losing," said McCain. Ranking member Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) acknowledged the threat posed by ISIS, but said the American people are "wary" about "being thrown deeper into a seemingly intractable conflict." Carter stood by the President, saying the strategy "integrates all the nation's strengths and instruments of power."

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Are We There Yet, Are We There Yet

The Air Force will announce who won the Long-Range Strike Bomber competition soon, but not until all the questions have been answered, service acquisition executive William LaPlante said Thursday. Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., LaPlante said he's determined that the contract won't go forward until "we get it right," and he won't refuse any part of his organization that wants to "check one more thing." Speaking broadly about his philosophy of acquisition, LaPlante said "to go fast … you have to go slow," meaning that requirements, terms, and contracts must be set correctly at the outset of a big program, and if they are, the rest will flow smoothly and without delays. As for the bomber, "nothing has changed," he said. The only time forecast he alluded to was that "for a couple of months" he's been saying the announcement is "two or three months away."

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SBIRS GEO-3 Delivered

The third Space Based Infrared System geosynchronous Earth orbit satellite was recently delivered to prime contractor Lockheed Martin where it will be stored in the company's Sunnyvale, Calif., facility, according to an Air Force release. SBIRS is primarily used for early missile warning, but it also can support weather missions and civil applications, states the release. "This delivery represents a major milestone for the SBIRS program," said Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves, program executive officer for space and commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center. "It represents seven years of hard work and dedicated performance by Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, the Aerospace Corporation, multiple support contractors, and my government team. It's yet another instance of SMC delivering on our promises." Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems is the payload provider and the 460th Space Wing at Buckley AFB, Colo., operates the system, states the release. (See also SBIRS Payload Clears On-Orbit Checkout.)

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AIB: F-15C Pilot Incapacitated Before Crash

An F-15C pilot killed when his aircraft crashed into a Virginia forest on Aug. 27, 2014, was incapacitated minutes before impact, preventing him from recovering from a rapid descent, according to an accident investigation board report, released Monday. Lt. Col. Morris Fontenot, the inspector general for the 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes ANGB, Mass., was ferrying the jet to NAS New Orleans, La., for a radar upgrade. Just over 30 minutes into the flight, the aircraft began descending about 12,000 feet per minute. "At some point during the mishap flight, the [pilot] received an environmental control system warning light indicating higher than normal temperature in the avionics bay," states the report. Investigators could not determine that was the reason for the aircraft's decent, but at 8:56 a.m., Fontenot responded to a call from air traffic control declaring an emergency. The center requested his status and seconds later Fontenot responded, "Affirm. Standby" as his aircraft passed 36,000 feet MSL. The aircraft reached supersonic speed before it impacted the ground at 8:58 a.m. It was inverted between 60- to 70-degrees at the time, states the report. Fontenot "did not attempt to eject" even though there was "sufficient altitude to recover [the aircraft] after declaring an emergency," states the report. The reason he was incapacitated "could not be determined." The loss of the aircraft was valued at $45.2 million.

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Protecting Troops from Predatory Lenders

The Defense Department on Tuesday issued the final rule of the Military Lending Act, a move intended to protect service members from predatory lending practices, said President Barack Obama during a speech at the 116th Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention​ in Pittsburgh, Pa. The "final rule" covers all forms of payday loans, vehicle title loans, refund anticipation loans, deposit advanced loans, installment loans, unsecured open-end lines of credit, and credit cards, according to July 21 DOD release. "There's already a lot to protect our troops and families against unscrupulous predatory lenders, but some of the worst abusers—like payday lenders—are exploiting loopholes to trap our troops in a vicious cycle of crushing debt," said Obama. The new rule goes into effect on Oct. 1 and will have staggered compliance dates, according to a separate DOD release. The announcement closes out a three-year study conducted by DOD, the Department of Treasury, the Federal Trade Commission, and financial regulators. "This new rule addresses a range of credit products that previously escaped the scope of the regulation, compromising the financial readiness of our troops," said Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work.

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Piecing Together Unseen Tragedy

The F-16 pilot involved in a fatal midair collision with a Cessna 150 on July 7​ was actively looking for and maneuvering to avoid the civilian aircraft before impact, according to civil investigators. Air traffic control at JB Charleston, S.C. notified the F-16 pilot, who was on a practice instrument approach, to look for the light aircraft two miles directly ahead and below the fighter, according to the National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report. The F-16 pilot responded that he was searching for the aircraft, and was directed to "turn left heading 180 [degrees] if you don't have that traffic in sight," according to the report. The F-16 pilot initiated the turn and was told that the traffic should be passing below him, just before impact. The Cessna was not in radio contact with controllers but was following established guidelines. Recovered debris indicates the aft fuselage of the F-16 struck the Cessna head-on, grazing the civil aircraft's upper wing surface left to right, and obliterating the forward fuselage, which was largely unrecovered. The aircraft collided at approximately 1,400 feet altitude and debris—including large portions of the Cessna's wings and aft fuselage—was contained within a relatively concentrated zone. Both people aboard the Cessna were killed, but the 20th Fighter Wing pilot from Shaw AFB, S.C., ejected without significant injury. NTSB stressed that the report findings are preliminary and subject to later change.

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Two Air Commandos Died After Training Accident

Two special tactics airmen assigned to the 24th Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Fla., died from injuries sustained during an Aug. 3 military freefall training mission at near​by Eglin Air Force Base. TSgt. Timothy Officer, a tactical air control party airman, and TSgt. Marty B. Bettelyoun, a combat controller, both assigned to the 720th Operations Support Squadron, were rushed to nearby hospitals but later died from their injuries, according to an Aug. 4 Air Force Special Operations Command release. Officer and Bettelyoun "were the epitome of a special tactics airman: professional, dedicated, and prepared to give their lives in service to their country," said Col. Wolfe Davidson, 24th SOW commander. "Our community has taken a huge loss with their deaths, and they will be sorely missed." Both air commandos were experienced combat veterans with multiple deployments in "combat zones and sensitive areas around the world," states the release. Officer received multiple medals for his "bravery against armed enemies" in Iraq and Afghanistan, including a Bronze Star Medal with Valor. "They were respected by their peers for not only their ability on the battlefield, but also for their incredible commitment to friends and family," said Davidson. "In the face of this tragedy, we will honor their service and their sacrifice, and we request others respect their family's privacy as they take it one day at a time."

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Pilot Error Caused Creech Predator Crash

An MQ-9 Reaper assigned to the 432nd Wing at Creech AFB, Nev., crashed on Dec. 11, 2014, when an instructor pilot directed a student to pitch the nose of the aircraft down on a training sortie, increasing the rate of descent over elevated terrain leading to its crash, according to an Air Combat Command accident report, released Aug. 4. The Reaper was flying a launch and recovery mission at the time of the incident. The crew performed 10 practice approaches to a landing, but on the final approach the pilot pitched the nose down. Neither the instructor nor the student accounted for an increased descent rate or the aircraft's relative location to high ground. Neither pilot was able to prevent the crash despite several failed attempts to pull the Reaper up and out of its descent. The remotely piloted aircraft, valued at $11.3 million, was destroyed on impact, according to ACC officials. Earlier this week, the Air Force released a report on another MQ-9 crash, which took place in US Central Command just one day after the Creech crash. In that incident, investigators determined a malfunctioning starter-generator and lack of battery power prevented the landing gear from ​lowering, causing the aircraft to crash.

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Mueller Takes Reins as Air Force Safety Chief

Maj. Gen. Andrew Mueller assumed his new role as the Air Force's chief of safety from Maj. Gen. Kurt Neubauer during a July 24 ceremony at Air Force Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Mueller, who has more than 4,000 hours in the E-3 Sentry, previously served as commander of NATO's E-3A component in Germany. In his new role, he oversees the development, execution, and evaluation of the Air Force's aviation, ground, weapons, space, and system mishap prevention and nuclear surety programs. He also serves as commander of the Air Force Safety Center at Kirtland AFB, N.M. "Safety is integral to every task necessary for the Air Force to fly, fight, and win in air, space, and cyberspace," he said in a release. "Not only does safety touch every task ... safety is key to the combat readiness of our Air Force." Neubauer is slated to retire in September.

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Aviano F-16s Land at Incirlik to Begin Combat Strikes on ISIS

​After months of negotiations between the US and Turkey over allowing anti-ISIS air strikes from Turkish soil, six F-16s from the 31st Fighter Wing at Aviano AB, Italy touched down at Incirlik AB, Turkey on Sunday Aug. 9 in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, according to a brief announcement from US Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa, and are expected to begin combat strikes imminently. Th​e deployment, some 300 personnel as well as support equipment, marks the first manned US combat aircraft to deploy to Incirlik to support strike operations in Iraq and Syria. Though Incirlik has played a supporting role in OIR for some time, such as aiding intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance collection, the base has been at the center of intense discussion with Turkish officials who until recently resisted the US request to allow airstrikes to be staged from Incirlik, and select other bases. In the aftermath of ISIS linked attacks on Turkish forces in late July, the Turkish government announced it would allow US and coalition forces to use its bases to stage strikes. The Turkish Air Force has subsequently performed airstrikes on both ISIS elements and the PKK, a Kurdish group identified as a terrorist organization by the US State Department.

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'Hammer' Time in Utah Desert

​Seven Air Force units are dropping bombs and firing air-to-air missiles this month in combat training exercises at the Utah Test and Training Range at Hill AFB, Utah, and the White Sands Missile Range, N.M., through Aug. 21 as part of two combat training and weapons evaluation training events. The exercises, Combat Hammer and Combat Archer, are designed to mimic combat to help USAF evaluate how precision guided air-to-ground munitions, air-to-air missiles, other advanced weapons, aircraft, and airmen perform under fire, according to an 75th Air Base Wing news release. As part of the Combat Hammer exercise, the 37th Bomb Squadron dropped two Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles from B-1B bombers—the first time the squadron had fired JASSM​s in almost a decade. The exercise was also the first time some airmen were able to drop the GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bomb or fire an AGM-114 Hellfire missile, according to an exercise weapons officer. The 86th Fighter Weapons Squadron from Eglin AFB, Fla., organized the exercises, with support from the 388th Fighter Wing and 75th Air Base Wing at Hill. F-16s from Hill, Eglin, and Spangdahlem AB, Germany; F-15Es from Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., and A-10s from Moody AFB, Ga., along with B-1Bs from Dyess AFB, Texas, and MQ-1s and MQ-9s from Creech AFB, Nev., are participating in the exercises.

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B-2s Deploy to Guam

​A trio of B-2 bombers have deployed from Whiteman AFB, Mo., to Andersen AFB, Guam, Pacific Air Forces announced, on a "familiarization training" rotation in the Asia-Pacific. The three B-2s deployed Aug. 7 with approximately 225 airmen from Whiteman to support operations on the US territory. The deployment demonstrates a continued US commitment to "regular, global strategic bomber operations throughout the Indo-Asia-Pacific region," the PACAF announcement declares. The B-2s are not assigned to the regularly scheduled Continuous Bomber Presence (CBP) bomber rotation, but are regular visitors to the island as part of Air Force Global Strike Command's support for extended deterrence and assurance operations in US Pacific Command. Last summer, B-2s returned to Guam for a similar training deployment for the first time since January 2012, according to AFGSC officials. Crews use the deployments to train and hone skills in bomber operations such as practicing command and control procedures, weapons loading, and aerial refueling

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Spang F-16 Crashes in Germany, Pilot Safe

​An Air Force F-16 pilot is safe after ejecting from his jet during a training flight the morning of August 11 over the Bavaria region of Germany, according to 52nd Fighter Wing offici​als. The pilot, assigned to the 480th Fighter Squadron at Spangdahlem AB, Germany, ejected around 9:38 a.m. local time near Engelmannreuth, Germany, while on a training flight to a range near US Army Garrison Bavaria in Grafenwoehr, Germany, according to the officials. The pilot jettisoned his fuel tanks over an unpopulated area before ejecting. The F-16 was not carrying live ordnance, but was flying with six 25-pound, unarmed training munitions at the time of the crash. "Our pilots go through extensive emergency procedure training, preparing them for a variety of crises that may occur," said Col. Steve Horton, the 52nd FW vice commander. "We are thankful that our pilot was able to put his training into action." The pilot experienced non-serious injuries and was undergoing treatment at a local German hospital shortly after the incident. The 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem canceled flying operations for 24 hours following the mishap, and the crash is under investigation.

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US Pulling Patriot Batteries From Turkey

​The US will pull its Patriot air and missile defense batteries out of Turkey this October when the current rotation is completed, a joint US-Turkish statement released by the US Embassy Aug. 16 declares. The missile defense units first deployed to southern T​urkey in January 2013 to support the NATO Patriot deployment mission, but the US said the removal from Turkey follows a "review of global missile defense posture," according to the joint statement. The Patriots will return to the US for modernization upgrades. While the systems will no longer be deployed to Turkey, the US will maintain an in-theater ability to redeploy missile defense capabilities, and is able to sustain the current deployment site at Gaziantep, Turkey, in a "cold-basing" status where the US could redeploy the Patriot system within one week. US Navy Aegis cruisers will also remain in the eastern Mediterranean to support NATO air and missile defense, US and Turkish officials said. The decision to pull out the US Patriot system comes seven months after the Netherlands ended the deployment of its own Patriot systems to Turkey.

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Carter: Turkey Needs to Do More in Battling ISIS

While the US welcomes Turkey's decision to open its airfields to coalition aircraft for combat operations against ISIS, Turkey needs to do more in the fight against the terrorist group, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in an Aug. 19 Pentagon briefing. The country's involvement in Operation Inherent Resolve was overdue when it began flying airstrikes in July, and now Turkey needs to work more on securing its border with Syria, he said. ISIS recruits use the porous border to join the group in Syria, and Turkey needs to step up to block these routes, said Carter. Turkey, just last month, agreed to let the US Air Force begin flying combat flights from Incirlik Air Base, and the Pentagon has said its agreement with the country leaves open the possibility that additional bases could be used for airstrike sorties and other missions, such as search and rescue.

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Seeking "Intelligent Commonality" in New Ballistic Missiles

Faced with similar requirements to modernize their aging strategic ballistic missiles, the Air Force and Navy are working on an "intelligent commonality" program to find ways to reduce the cost of replacements for the land- and sea-based nuclear-armed missiles, said Vice Adm. Terry Benedict, director of the Navy's Strategic Systems Programs, on Sept. 17. The silo-based Minuteman III and the submarine-launched Trident D5 both use decades-old technology and the services are struggling to keep them operating as parts of the nuclear deterrent triad, Benedict said. But both will have to be replaced by new missiles, he added. With an expected high cost for new missile and constrained budgets, "we need to do something different, smarter." The two services "have an obligation to present to national leaders ways to make that modernization affordable," Benedict said at a conference sponsored by Task Force 21, the Minot, N.D., chamber of commerce, and AFA. Benedict said members of his staff are working with similar Air Force personnel to study "what components can be made common" in the future missiles. The staffs have been told that any replacement missiles must fit in the existing silos and submarine missile tubes without major adjustments, he said.