The Air Force has formed a task force to address one of the biggest deficiencies in its space force structure—intel, said Lt. Gen. David Buck, commander of 14th Air Forces and the joint functional component command for space on Friday. Air Force’s Space Command has just 550 intelligence professionals, compared to 5,000 in Air Combat Command. A typical combat wing has 30 intel specialists, with at least two per squadron. AFSPC wings have 10, with just a “sprinkling” in squadrons, Buck said. Space intelligence has “atrophied” and it is time to “hit the gym and gain muscle mass.” Headquarters Air Force has formed a task force to get at this problem, but it will take time to get the billets approved and then to grow the expertise. However, “the good thing is we’re starting the conversation,” Buck said at an Air Force Association-Mitchell Institute event in Washington, D.C.
The Air Force displayed all the firepower it has amassed on Okinawa in an unusually diverse show of force this week. IIn a May 6 “Elephant Walk,” Kadena Air Base showcased 24 F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters, eight F-15E Strike Eagles; two U.S. Army Patriot anti-missile batteries near the runway; and…