Daily Report

Feb. 21, 2013

Cross Domain the AirSea Battle Way

Speaking with the audience on Thursday at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Fla., Lt. Gen. Burton Field and Rear Adm. Bruce Grooms emphasized that the Air Force-Navy AirSea Battle concept is not just a pet project of “the Washington...

All Battles to All People

Those involved with the Air Force-Navy AirSea Battle concept are trying to run a public relations campaign to educate the general public as well as the concept’s critics within the Pentagon on what the initiative is and isn’t, said senior...

Absolute Numbers

The figure of 1,763 F-35As needed by the Air Force remains the procurement objective, sequester or no sequester, said Lt. Gen. Burton Field, deputy chief of staff for operations, plans, and requirements. Speaking with reporters at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium...

Tiered Readiness at Air Combat Command

Regardless of whether sequestration kicks in on March 1, a solution is reached, or the budget issue is simply delayed yet again, Air Combat Command is likely to move to a state of tiered readiness, ACC boss Gen. Mike Hostage...

Dwindling OCO

Air Combat Command boss Gen. Mike Hostage said he already has spent “a significant portion” of the overseas contingency operations funds that support forces fighting overseas in this fiscal year. “My annual OCO budget for ACC for the combat air...

Libya Model for Syria?

One of the drawbacks of NATO’s air intervention in Libya in 2011 is that it helped provide victory to a fractious coalition with elements whose interests don’t line up with those of the United States, according to panelists at AFA’s...

Lessons From Libya

Two years after Operation Odyssey Dawn started, a flurry of lessons-learned reports is in, and these reports have some significant observations about the Air Force and possible future such interventions. Among them, the Air Force’s involvement in the campaign proved...

Breedlove for SACEUR/EUCOM?

The word on the ground at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Fla., on Thursday is that Gen. Philip Breedlove, US Air Forces in Europe commander, is emerging as a leading candidate to become President Obama’s new nominee to be...

Time and the Family Business

After talking about his family’s long service to the Air Force during his address at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Fla., on Thursday, CMSAF James Cody noted that many other airmen and their families have similar experiences. The balance...

The Family Business of Airpower

The Air Force has been on a high operations tempo for deployments dating back years before 9/11 all the way to the 1990 Gulf War, CMSAF James Cody told the audience at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Fla., on...

Modernization Hit

Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh said Thursday, “we’re not sure what the impact will be” on modernization accounts if the sequester kicks in next month. Broadly, he told AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Fla., “the F-35 program will...

This is Going to Hurt

The 22-day furlough of 180,000 Air Force civilian employees in Fiscal 2013 if the sequester goes through will have a huge impact on the service’s readiness, said Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh. Addressing AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando,...

Downhill from March 1

The Air Force has set its priorities if the sequester kicks in on March 1, Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh told AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Fla., on Thursday. Starting on March 1, “we’ll continue to support Afghanistan...

Pentagon Notifies Congress of Potential Civilian Furloughs

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Wednesday formally notified Congress that furloughs of DOD’s civilian personnel could occur under budget sequestration. “Should sequestration occur and continue for a substantial period, DOD will be forced to place the vast majority of its...

Virtual Orlando

Follow Air Force Magazine on Twitter (@AirForceMag) on Thursday for live coverage of AFA’s 2013 Air Warfare Symposium (hashtag #AWS2013) in Orlando, Fla. Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh will address the symposium on Feb. 21 at 8:35 a.m. East...

Recruiting Remains on Track

The Air Force’s active and reserve components met their numerical accession goals through the first quarter of Fiscal 2013, according to the Pentagon’s newest recruiting statistics. Through December, the Air Force’s Active Duty component accepted 6,516 accessions, matching its fiscal-year-to-date...

U-2 Tweaks Aim to Avert Pilot Bends

Technicians at Beale AFB, Calif., are modifying U-2 reconnaissance aircraft to nearly double the airplanes’ cockpit pressure, thereby lessening Dragon Lady pilots’ risk of decompression sickness, according to base officials. “What we’re doing is beefing up the structure and pressure...

The Tail End of B-52 Tail Enders

CMSgt. Francis Dailey, one of the last former B-52 tail gunners serving on Active Duty, retired from the Air Force after more than 27 years in uniform in a ceremony at Hurlburt Field, Fla., announced base officials. Dailey enlisted in...

Upgrade for Battlefield Airmen’s Gear Kit

The Air Force has tasked Boeing to develop and deliver a lightweight, compact laser targeting system called Line of Sight-Short to help improve the effectiveness of battlefield airmen performing close air support missions, announced the company on Wednesday. “LOS-S provides...

Pentagon Defends Precedence of New Medal

Pentagon officials justified the precedence of the new Distinguished Warfare Medal, which ranks above the Bronze Star Medal. “We are not diminishing at all the importance of the Bronze Star—that remains an important award for our combat troops,” explained Pentagon...

Senate Committee Announces Member Assignments

The Senate Armed Services Committee leadership announced the members who will head the panel’s six subcommittees during the 113th Congress. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) will chair the airland subcommittee and Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) will serve as the panel’s ranking...