Gen. Kevin P. Chilton, head of Air Force Space Command, described his new command as the “invisible force” and labeled 20th Air Force’s ICBM force as the President’s “biggest hammer,” on a recent visit to F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo., home to the 90th Space Wing and 20th AF. He says the command’s challenge is two-fold: to be experts in the application of the in-the-background, but increasingly essential, space capabilities and to fathom ways to provide “ever greater support.” Chilton called the big hammer ICBM force “just as much or more relevant today … as we see other nations seek to develop nuclear weapons.”
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.