News from the Air Force

[BubbleGumTiger]

Cody Takes the Enlisted Reins:

CMSgt. James Cody accepted the responsibility of leading the Air Force's enlisted force, donning a blue jacket with the eagle, stars, and stripes of the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force during a ceremony at JB Andrews, Md., on Thursday. "Like Chief Roy, Chief Cody's love of airmen is what leaps off the pages of his record," said Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh at the Jan. 24 event in introducing Cody to the airmen whom he will shepherd. "Cody delivers the Air Force message with passion and he inspires airmen to take ownership of their work, their professional development, and the environment around them," added Welsh. He said people describe Cody "as smart, talented, articulate, poised, and it won't take you long to figure out why they feel that way." Cody and his wife, retired CMSgt. Athena Cody, are both career air traffic controllers and "will be an incredible addition to our Air Force team," said Welsh. "This is your Air Force and all of us are now your airmen. Lead us well," he told Cody, who became the 17th CMSAF. Welsh said that selecting a new CMSAF to replace CMSAF James Roy, who is retiring (see below), was one of the most difficult and important decisions of his tenure. Addressing the force for the first time in his new role, Cody said he "will focus on strengthening relationships, taking care of one another, and holding each other more accountable for measuring up to the high standard demanded of every airman."

[BubbleGumTiger]

Air Mobility Command Investigates Airman's Death:

Air Mobility Command has convened the ground accident investigation board that will look into the death of SSgt. Emily Elizabeth Clayburn earlier this month at MacDill AFB, Fla., according to a command release. Clayburn died on Jan. 14 in a mishap on the supply loading dock at the base. The 29-year-old airman from Palatine Bridge, N.Y., was a member of MacDill's 6th Logistics Readiness Squadron. "There is not yet enough evidence gathered to draw any conclusions as to the cause of this accident. Additional information will be released as it becomes available," states AMC's release. Lt. Gen. Robert Allardice, AMC's vice commander, convened a safety investigation board immediately after the accident to determine the cause and recommend measures to prevent a recurrence. The SIB will not produce a publicly releasable report, according to AMC. There will be a publicly released version of the GAIB report after Allardice approves it and AMC officials have personally presented its findings to the Clayburn family, states the release. Clayburn was laid to rest on Jan. 21 at Evergreen Cemetery in Fonda, N.Y.

[BubbleGumTiger]

Legislation Presented to Curb Sex Assaults at BMT:

Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) introduced legislation that would prevent a consensual relationship between a trainee and a military training instructor at Basic Military Training from being used as a defense for sexual assault. H.R. 430, cosponsored by Rep. Joe Heck (R-N.V.), focuses on the "power imbalance" between an instructor and trainee during basic training. "All sexual advances by a training instructor toward a trainee are indefensible because consent is impossible in this power dynamic," stated Speier in a Jan. 28 release. She referred the bill to the House Armed Services Committee on Jan. 25. Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh said he would have to seek legal counsel on the "technicalities of the legislation" when asked if he would support such a bill during his appearance before the House Armed Services Committee on Jan. 23. However, he said, "An individual who is serving as a military training instructor who has a relationship like this with a trainee has no place in our Air Force, and there should be a presumptive sanction under some mechanism to discharge them."

[BubbleGumTiger]

China's Heavy Airlifter Prototype Flies:

China's Y-20 military transport prototype flew this past weekend from its development base in central China, according to press reports. The strategic airlifter, which bears a striking likeness to Boeing's C-17, took off on Jan. 26 from a base near the city of Xi'an, reported the Associated Press on Jan. 28 (via ABC News). AP cited Chinese state-run media. The Y-20 addresses China's need for long-range, heavy-lift aerial transport to extend its global reach. Aging Russian IL-76 aircraft currently serve in this role. Russian turbofan engines will initially power the Y-20 until indigenously developed powerplants are available, according to AP. Xian Aircraft Industry designed the airlifter.

[BubbleGumTiger]

Combat Controller Awarded Silver Star:

SSgt. Adam Krueger received the Silver Star Medal from Air Force Special Operations Command chief Lt. Gen. Eric Fiel during a ceremony at JB Lewis-McChord, Wash. Fiel recognized Krueger, a combat controller with McChord's 22nd Special Tactics Squadron, for his gallantry in action against the enemy during a 12-hour firefight in Afghanistan in 2010, states McChord's Jan. 29 release. An entrenched enemy ambushed Krueger's special forces team during a foot patrol. Krueger, then a senior airman, repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire to direct close air support to allow his colleagues to reach safety and to enable life-saving evacuation of wounded members of his team via helicopter. Fiel said during the Jan. 24 ceremony airmen like Krueger tell you they're just doing their job when they are recognized for such gallantry. What Krueger did, asserted Fiel, was "more than just doing [his] job." The Silver Star is the third highest combat decoration in the US military. Krueger's award marks the 32nd Silver Star presented to special tactics airmen since September 2001, states the release.

[BubbleGumTiger]

Missing F-16 Pilot's Body Recovered:

An Italian vessel on the Adriatic Sea on Thursday recovered the body of F-16 pilot Capt. Lucas Gruenther, announced officials at Aviano AB, Italy. Gruenther had been missing since Monday when contact was lost with his F-16 during a nighttime training mission over the water. He was chief of flight safety for Aviano's 31st Fighter Wing. "Captain Gruenther was an outstanding officer who epitomized what it means to be an airman," said Brig. Gen. Scott Zobrist, 31st FW commander, in the Jan. 31 release. "He was not only a first-rate pilot, he was an exceptional leader whose presence will be sorely missed," added Zobrist. Gruenther was an Air Force Academy graduate and flew numerous combat sorties during a six-month deployment to Afghanistan in 2011, states the release. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the Gruenther family during this difficult time," said Zobrist. The family issued a statement on Thursday. "We will never fully recover from our loss, but take heart in the knowledge that during [Lucas'] all-too-short time in this world, he made a significant difference in the lives of all whom he met," it reads. An Air Force board will investigate the incident.

[BubbleGumTiger]

The KC-46A's Nuclear Support Mission:

When the Air Force's KC-46A tankers enter the fleet, they will be equipped with electromagnetic pulse protection that will allow their electronics to survive a nuclear blast, a service official told the Daily Report. The KC-46s, which will replace the service's oldest KC-135 tankers, will be tasked with "nuclear operations support" as one of their primary missions, states the Fiscal 2012 report to Congress from the Pentagon's director of test and evaluation. (The others are: global strike, air bridge support, aircraft deployment, theater support, and special operations support, according to the report.) KC-46s will have another nuclear-related mission as a secondary responsibility: air sampling, Air Force spokesman Ed Gulick told the Daily Report on Jan. 25. This entails "equipment to collect air samples downwind from areas where nuclear explosions have occurred," said Gulick in a written response to questions. This ancillary role will support the US Atomic Energy Detection System, he said. It is a global network of monitoring for nuclear events.

[BubbleGumTiger]

Rescue Operations Wind Down at Kandahar:

The Air Force's combat rescue mission at Kandahar Airfield in southern Afghanistan is coming to a close after 11 years, announced officials there. On Jan. 30, airmen at Kandahar came together to mark the inactivation of the 46th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron. This Guardian Angel pararescue unit was based at Camp Bastion northwest of Kandahar but also operated a detachment at Kandahar, according to a Feb. 1 base release. The ceremony also recognized the forthcoming departure of the 59th ERQS, an HH-60 helicopter unit, from Kandahar. There is no planned replacement for these rescue helicopters at the base, states the release. "Because of Guardian Angel efforts in Afghanistan, many lives have been saved, even more enemies have been deterred," said Maj. Joseph Barnard, 46th ERQS commander. "Now, coalition troops' need for advanced access to sophisticated care under fire is lessoning," he noted. Rescue forces at Kandahar have saved nearly 1,200 lives, evacuated nearly 1,800 additional personnel from the battlefield, and stood alert for 97,000 hours since they began operating from there in February 2002, states the release. "You have aced every test and crushed every challenge," said Lt. Col. Andrew Smith, 59th ERQS commander.

[F-4 Phantom]

February 5, 1918
Lt. Stephen W. Thompson became the first American to earn an aerial victory while substituting as a gunner with the French squadron. He shot down a German Albatross D. III.

[F-4 Phantom]

February 5, 1974
Lt. Col. James G. Rider, lightweight fighter program test director, became the first U.S. Air Force pilot to fly the F-16.

[BubbleGumTiger]

Air Force Showcases C-17 at Aero India 2013:

Pacific Air Forces' C-17 demo team is participating in the Aero India 2013 air show this week in Bangalore, India. The team departed JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, on Jan. 31, according to a Feb. 1 base release. The team is scheduled to perform for the more than 250,000 expected attendees during the show, which runs from Feb. 6 to Feb. 10. The airmen will showcase the C-17's capabilities, executing high-angle takeoffs, high-speed passes, low-speed configured passes, 360-degree maneuvers, and an assault landing, states the release. A media flight and ground static display will round out the team's participation. "Ultimately, we attend Aero India to show support for India," said Maj. Kenneth Kirkpatrick, PACAF demo team lead from Hickam's 535th Airlift Squadron. "However, it doesn't hurt to show our enemies what we can do and that the Air Force is present. I think seeing our aircraft capability in action is definitely good for deterrence," he added. The United States has been participating in Aero India since 2005; it's the largest tradeshow of its kind in India, states the release.

[BubbleGumTiger]

Schwartz Initiated into AFSOC's Order of the Sword:

Air Force Special Operations Command's enlisted force inducted retired Gen. Norton Schwartz, former Chief of Staff, into the command's Order of the Sword, recognizing his dedication to the command's enlisted airmen. "Sir, this is the very least we could do for you, after all you've done for us," said AFSOC Command Chief CMSgt. William Turner during the Feb. 1 induction ceremony in Ft. Walton Beach, Fla., east of Hurlburt Field, AFSOC's headquarters. "You are a leader among leaders, an airman's airman and most surely worthy of the greatest honor the enlisted force can bestow," added Turner. Recalling the failed 1980 Tehran hostage rescue, Schwartz accepted the honor on behalf of the airmen who ensured AFSOC never experienced the "crushing disappointment" of failing at a "mission of singular national importance" again, according to Hurlburt's Feb. 4 release. He saluted the "generation of leadership that propelled special operations from the searing experience in Desert One to the exhilaration of Abbottabad" in taking down Osama bin Laden. Schwartz was nominated for induction into the order in November. It's the highest honor that enlisted airmen can bestow upon a senior officer or civilian.

[BubbleGumTiger]

Back to Guam:

A brace of B-2 stealth bombers is back on Guam after a long absence, and that's exactly why they're there, Air Force Global Strike Command chief Lt. Gen. James Kowalski told defense reporters in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. "It's been a long break" since two B-2 accidents on Guam—which resulted in one airplane destroyed in 2008 and one heavily damaged in 2010—and Kowalski said it's time to get B-2 pilots back up to speed on operating in the Pacific. "We wanted to get healthy again" after the accidents, and allow time for the B-2 Radar Modernization Program to refit on most of the aircraft before resuming the Guam deployments, he said. The deployments will be different, though: the aircraft will probably stay put while crews rotate in and out for two-week training periods, he said during the Feb. 6 roundtable.

[BubbleGumTiger]

Missileer Magnetism:

The new attention put on the ICBM mission is paying dividends in terms of the seasoning of the ICBM cadre, said Lt. Gen. James Kowalski, head of Air Force Global Strike Command. Speaking with reporters in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 6, Kowalski said the Air Force used to have to press missileers into service; the missileers would then put in for transfer to space operations as soon as they were allowed. Lately, however, "we no longer have to non-volunteer people for the ICBM business," he noted. In fact, "we're actually turning them away," he added

[BubbleGumTiger]

Sequestration Blues:

Profound readiness decay, billions in unexpected costs, an unrecoverable maintenance backlog, and potential large-scale reductions in force are among the many predictable problems awaiting the Air Force if Congress fails to stop the looming budget sequester from taking effect in March and/or pass a budget for Fiscal 2013, said senior service officials on Thursday. At a press roundtable in the Pentagon, Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Larry Spencer said: "As things stand today, we don't know how much money we will have to operate the Air Force, and we don't know when we will find out. But we do know sequestration will mean Air Force people will not be adequately trained, and will lack the equipment they need." Acting Air Force Undersecretary Jamie Morin said the Air Force's share of the Fiscal 2013 sequester hit would be $12.4 billion—not including another $1.8 billion in shortfalls from the overseas contingency operations accounts—and the Air Force would have to reduce spending that much in just six months. Flying hours would plummet; only those units in or going to war would get their requisite hours, leaving many units idle for as much as three months, said Morin during the Feb. 7 roundtable. After just 30 days of inactivity, "essentially all" functions in a unit—pilots, maintainers, loaders, fuelers, etc.—would be "non-mission-capable." and it would take a long time to get them back up to par, he pointed out. Spencer noted that the sequester problem just starts in Fiscal 2013; more years of sequestrations could come, and that would compel the Air Force to start thinking about a reduction in force to "balance" people with the equipment and funds available. Meanwhile, Morin said, the American people haven't signaled they want their Air Force to do fewer missions.

—John A. Tirpak

[BubbleGumTiger]

High Flying with the High Rollers:

Active Duty airmen from the 41st Airlift Squadron at Little Rock AFB, Ark., tackled Nevada's mountainous terrain in their C-130Js during a training visit to Reno Air National Guard Base. The January trip was in preparation for the airmen's upcoming deployment to Afghanistan, according to a Feb. 4 release from Nevada's 152nd Airlift Wing, an Air Guard unit that operates C-130Hs at Reno. "The mission and terrain here in Nevada is similar to what we'll see overseas, and we can't get this kind of training at home," said Lt. Col. Jim Burgess, 41st AS commander. The Arkansas Super Hercs flew mixed training sorties with Reno's legacy C-130s. "We have experience flying in a mountainous environment in our H-model C-130s" that proved valuable to the visiting crews, said Lt. Col. Caesar Garduno, commander of Reno's 192nd AS. Airmen of the 570th Contingency Response Group from Travis AFB, Calif., set up and ran several austere forward bases to give the crews practice in operating from high-altitude unimproved airstrips, according to the release.

[BubbleGumTiger]

Space Not Immune from Terrestrial Challenges:

Air Force Space Command said it informed the service's budget executive that there would be significant cuts and reductions to the command's operations should budget sequestration take effect on March 1. Among them, AFSPC is bracing for a reduction in some around-the-clock missile warning and space surveillance operations to eight hours per day, states the command's Feb. 8 release. Gen. William Shelton, Air Force Space Command boss, called the current budget situation "unprecedented" in his 36 years of service. "The foundational capabilities space and cyber bring to the defense of this nation must be protected," asserted Shelton. In fact, not only protected, but enhanced to support the nation's new defense strategy, he added. "Given the current budget environment, reductions are unavoidable," said Shelton. However, "space and cyber systems have less flexibility" to reduce operations tempo since most must "operate continuously" to accomplish their assigned missions, he noted. Under the sequester, AFSPC would also have to reduce sustainment of "an older communications satellite constellation with significant, residual capability" by 75 percent; prioritize, curtail and/or cancel operational training exercises; and reduce professional military education and mission readiness training, states the release.

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DOD Inspector General Finds Fault in F-22 Accident Investigation:

The Air Force's investigation of the crash of an F-22 in Alaska two years ago failed to prove that pilot error and disorientation caused the fatal accident, according to the Pentagon's inspector general. Pacific Air Force's accident investigation board originally determined that pilot Capt. Jeffrey Haney's failure to recognize vertigo symptoms, on top of his mental fixation and visual inattention, primarily caused the Nov. 16, 2010, crash. After reviewing the investigation, the Defense Department's IG found that the board's conclusions were "not supported by the facts" in the AIB report, according to the summary of the IG's findings, dated Feb. 6. Furthermore, the conclusions were "not consistent with the clear and convincing standard of proof" set forth in Air Force regulations, states the summary. Air Force officials rejected the IG's assertion that its conclusions were flawed, but admitted there were flaws in the report, according to the service's comments included in the IG summary. The IG responded that it did "not concur with the Air Force response," reiterating that the AIB's conclusions were not "sufficiently supported by clear and convincing evidence." Air Force officials told the IG that they plan to address some—though not all—of the IG's concerns, but drew additional fire from the IG for failing to detail what measures they would take. Thereupon, the IG asked the Air Force to provide by the end of February a detailed description of the remedial action to be taken. In January 2012, at the time when the IG announced its "self-initiated evaluation" of the F-22 accident probe, then Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz called the IG's inquest "routine" oversight.

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sequestration Won't Affect RPA Flight Hours:

Flight hours for the Air Force's remotely piloted aircraft will be protected if sequestration kicks in next month, service officials told the Daily Report on Feb. 14. Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh told House and Senate defense overseers this week that the service would need to cut more than 200,000 flight hours for the remainder of Fiscal 2013 if the Pentagon must implement the sequester's across-the-board spending reductions starting on March 1. However, all of those flight-hour reductions would come from manned aircraft because the costs of RPA combat air patrols are covered by war funding accounts that are not subject to sequestration, said the officials through Air Force spokesman Ed Gulick. "The 200,000 flight hours lost will not include RPA CAPs. There are currently no planned RPA CAP reductions," he told the Daily Report. MQ-1 Predators and MQ-9 Reapers operating in Southwest Asia are flying some 59 CAPs today. The Air Force's plan has been to build up to 65 CAPs by mid-2014, although service officials have acknowledged they might have to consider whether to modify the plan based on the current budget woes.

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F-35As Coming to Nellis for Operational Testing:

Four F-35A strike fighters are scheduled to arrive at Nellis AFB, Nev., at the end of the month to begin the type's first operational tests, announced base officials. "Nowhere else in the [Defense Department's] F-35 program . . . is anyone doing any kind of operational test yet. It's all on the developmental test side," said Lt. Col. Kevin Wilson, 53rd Wing F-35 integration chief at Nellis. Under the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron, Nellis' F-35 work will primarily focus on developing F-35 combat tactics and how the aircraft will team with other Air Force assets, according to the base's Feb. 13 release. As the F-35A transitions from developmental testing at Edwards AFB, Calif., to more employment trials, Nellis' F-35 test force will grow to 12 aircraft, states the release. The Fighter Weapons School on base will also get F-35As, eventually operating 24 of them.