On a visit to Hickam AFB, Hawaii, Air National Guard leaders—enlisted and officers—saw firsthand how the Pacific Air Forces base has tackled Total Force Integration, deciding it is a program to emulate. Brig. Gen. Mike Edwards, chairman of the Air Directorate Field Advisory Council, said, “Hawaii happens to be the leading edge in my opinion for all of the total force initiatives.” The ADFAC and its enlisted counterpart, the Enlisted Field Advisory Council, meet quarterly to discuss Air Guard issues. At Hickam, they got to see active and Air Guard working the beddown of the new C-17 airlifter and see how Hickam is applying the same sort of structure to its next acquisition, the F-22A stealth fighter.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.