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Blending In
I think the U.S. military is supreme when it comes to large drones and CCAs.
I think the U.S. military is missing the boat when it comes to small drones. I think small drones have made the tank as obsolete as the battleship was made obsolete by aircraft.
The U.S. has an Air Force, Army, Navy. Ukraine has an air force, army and unmanned Force … just a different way of thinking.
I really think the USAF air bases are not adequately protected against a small drone attack such as the Ukrainian Spider Web attack. The first thing I think we should do is some passive defense. If planes aren’t kept in hangars, we should at least have some netting or fencing around them. With fiber optic drones, we can’t count on EW to do the job 100 percent of the time.
William Thayer
San Diego
Pros and Cons
Why don’t we charge each foreign country the total investment the U.S. spends to train these pilots [See, “Air Force Looks to Cut Squadrons that Advise Foreign Militaries,” Daily Report, Sept. 2]. It should be at least the $8 million the program is cutting to save money. If so, problem solved!
Plus, these foreign countries won’t go to Russia or China. It’s a win-win for the USAF and U.S.’ future worldwide security and air superiority.
Mike Dean
Gordonville, Pa.
Watchmen
The article “Experts Warn of Pacific Threats” [World, July/August, p. 23] reads like it was written in the 1980s.
I was assigned for 20 years of Active duty and 24 more years as a DAF civilian in the Pacific at all levels of command from PACOM, PACAF, NAF and Wing, including several joint and Air Force intelligence agencies during the 1960s until I retired in 2012.
Besides being an all-source intelligence threat analyst, targeting officer, geospatial analyst, cartographics officer and HUMINT (human intelligence) collector, I provided inputs, if not completely wrote, the related annexes for all levels of defense operations, support and execution plans. I also provided inputs to many related joint and Air Force regulations and doctrines.
The threats addressed in the article have been well known since the 1960s and most have been considered, if not resolved, by alternate solutions. I believe we are beyond considering passive defenses, hardening shelters, and alternate basing in response to these threats.
As for base defense, force protection and anti-terrorism, the Air Force needs an active HUMINT function that can surveil potential threats around the bases through human sources, radio and TV communications, and other social media activities.
From my experience in working base defenses, it is often determined that local nationals find out about potential base threats through word of mouth which are reflected in reduced attendance of base workers.
Finally, we should be performing 24/7 surveillance of enemy missile and drone threat locations. Local overseas-based commanders should be given authority to launch tactical counter missile/drone attacks on warning of imminent enemy war operations. National-level commanders in CONUS should be given authority to launch global strategic assets upon notification of enemy attacks on U.S. forces in overseas locations.
Simple as that. Enemy commanders should be forewarned not to cause false impressions of attacks, or suffer the potential consequences.
Lt. Col. Russel A. Noguchi,
USAF (Ret.)
Pearl City, Hawaii
Years of Training
I respectfully disagree with the Secretary of Defense [regarding downgrading USAFE and NATO Air Commander jobs to 3-stars], as the USAFE Commander was always a 4-star slot as he/she is also the Commander Allied Air Forces Europe, and that Africa was added as this is way too much responsibility for a lieutenant general. I do agree with what he had to say to bring the service to the way it used to be before all the changes in the ‘90s which I went through.
We had way too many commanders, first sergeants, and supervisors not meeting standards yet they received many privileges—as I had to work hard and fight to go to school. I have seen many get away with actions that should have been given punishment.
SSgt. Dean R. Martinez,
USAF (Ret.)
Fort Mohave, Ariz.
Too Many Cooks
I’m a retired Command Chief for the Air Force Reserve Command and read with interest David Roza’s article about “Airmen Injured on Duty—Why Isn’t the Air Force Paying?” [September/October, p. 52]. The Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard are handicapped for Veterans Administration (VA) and other service-connected issues because their unique medical personnel records are held at their unit of assignment. Our Active-duty colleagues have a Central Personnel System for medical records.
When I applied for VA disability, I learned that as a Reserve or Guard member, if I was treated when away from home station my record of that visit was not forwarded to my unit of record in the Air Force Reserve. I have a copy of a VA letter that denied my Agent Orange disability because “I was on Active duty for training orders.” It took me several years of persistence and congressional help to get that approved.
In this digital age, I’m not sure why we’re not “Total Force” with one central depository for all Air Force organizations, Active duty, Reserve, and National Guard. If we are “total” associate or otherwise affiliated, one central location would make more sense for all medical and personnel records.
Command CMSgt. Richard E. Russell,
USAF (Ret.)
Holt, Fla.
Sticky Landing
Still another unusual aspect of U-2 operations [See, “World: Last Hurrah for the Storied U-2,” September/October, p. 32] was flying from aircraft carriers. Even with a maximum range of some 3,000 miles, there were some areas of interest to the U.S. Intelligence Community that could not be reached by U-2s flying from “safe” land bases. Accordingly, in mid-1963 the Central Intelligence Agency initiated Project Whale Tale to adapt the U-2 for carrier operation.
Subsequently, several U-2s fitted with arresting hooks flew several flights from aircraft carriers in addition to one operational mission: The only operational U-2 carrier mission—Operation Seeker—occurred in May 1964, when the USS Ranger launched one or possibly two U-2G spyplanes to monitor the French nuclear tests at Murora Atoll in French Polynesia.
The U-2G photographs indicated that the French would be ready for full-scale production of nuclear weapons within a year.
Norman Polmar
Author, “Spyplane: The U-2 History
Declassified”
Alexandria, Va.
