South Carolina Air Guard F-16s Deploy to Saudi Arabia

South Carolina Air Guard F-16s Deploy to Saudi Arabia

April 15, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

About 300 Airmen and F-16s from the South Carolina Air National Guard’s 169th Fighter Wing deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, recently for an expeditionary force deployment.

The F-16s, deployed to the 378th Air Expeditionary Wing, will “increase defensive capabilities against potential threats in the region,” the wing said in an April 14 release. The deployment is the largest for the wing since 2018, and will last “several months.”

“Swamp Fox Airmen are once again honored to deploy in support of our great nation’s national security objectives,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Akshai Gandhi, 169th Fighter Wing commander, in the release. “Our Citizen-Airmen are fully integrated with our active component brothers and sisters to partner with our allies in the Central Command area of responsibility to deliver air power where and when needed.”

The deployment is the second from South Carolina in the past 18 months. South Carolina F-16s and Airmen from the 77th Fighter Squadron at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., deployed to Saudi Arabia in October 2020.

The Air Force built up Prince Sultan Air Base in 2019 as tensions rose with Iran, deploying fighter aircraft and U.S. Army Patriot missiles at the time.

Senators Seek Answers for Deterring Cyber Threats

Senators Seek Answers for Deterring Cyber Threats

April 15, 2021 | By Amanda Miller

Adversaries may not yet fear a U.S. response to cyberattacks, but they no longer think America is standing idly by.

Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) pressed Army Gen. Paul M. Nakasone, commander of U.S. Cyber Command, on the issue during a Senate Select Committee on Intelligence hearing April 14. “Do our adversaries fear our response in cyberspace?” King asked. “Are they deterred to the point of changing their calculus as to whether or not to launch a cyber intrusion or an attack against us? Is there an adequate deterrent or is this something we still need to establish as a matter of policy?”

Nakasone said he was “not sure” adversaries feel deterred. “But here’s what I know that our adversaries understand that’s different today than it was several years ago,” he said: “We are not going to be standing by on the sidelines, not being involved in terms of what’s going on with cyberspace and cybersecurity.”

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines testified along with Nakasone and the directors of the CIA, FBI, and Defense Intelligence Agency. All agreed that China poses the biggest threat, from its practice of “vaccine diplomacy” to building influence with countries in need, Haines said, to its ability to hack infrastructure and steal intellectual property from industry, universities, and government labs.

At a hearing following the release of the 2021 Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community, the intel chiefs elaborated on threats ranging from cyberattacks on water systems, power grids, and other critical infrastructure to cybersecurity “blind spots,” such as hacking operations run from inside the U.S., which are harder for the CIA and other internationally focused agencies to monitor.

FBI Director Christopher Wray said no other nation “presents a more severe threat to our innovation, our economic security and our democratic ideas” than China. “The tools in their toolbox to influence our businesses, our academic institutions, our governments at all levels, are deep and wide and persistent,” he said.

After China, the intel chiefs idenfied the next greatest threats, in order:

  • Russia. Russia will continue to use its “technical prowess” try to erode U.S. influence and western alliances, Haines said. She said Russia employs mercenary operations, assassinations, arms sales, and malign influence campaigns, such as interfering in U.S. elections. Such techniques are increasingly bold and make little effort to mask the activities.
  • Iran. Iran aims to “project power” in its region, Haines said, and to “deflect international pressure” by using Iraq as a battleground for influence. “Iran will also continue to pursue a permanent military presence in Syria, destabilize Yemen and threaten Israel,” Haines said.
  • North Korea. The Kim Jong Un regime will try to “drive wedges” between the United States and its allies and could resume testing nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles, the chiefs surmise.

Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho) said global cyber trends are “worrisome,” with state actors involved in cyber activity that threatens us. Then, pressing on the issue of response and deterrence, he spoke for a number of his panel members: “I think, probably, the reason is there doesn’t seem to be that much of a price they pay for this.”

New General Officer Nominations Announced for Air and Space Forces

New General Officer Nominations Announced for Air and Space Forces

April 15, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

The U.S. Space Force will get a new two-star general, and several USSF and USAF colonels have been nominated to receive their first star, in a slate of nominations announced April 15.

Air Force Brig. Gen. David N. Miller Jr. has been nominated to the rank of major general. He is serving as the assistant deputy chief of space operations for operations, cyber, and nuclear for the Space Force at the Pentagon, according to a Defense Department release.

The following colonels have been nominated to the rank of brigadier general:

  • Col. John R. Andrus, who is serving as the command surgeon at Headquarters U.S. Transportation Command at Scott Air Force Base, Ill.
  • Col. Robert K. Bogart, who is the command surgeon for Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
  • Col. Gail E. Crawford, who is the staff judge advocate at Headquarters Air Combat Command at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.
  • Col. Alfred K. Flowers Jr., who is the surgeon general, U.S. Space Force, at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.
  • Col. Thomas W. Harrell, who is the deputy director, medical operations and research, Headquarters U.S. Air Force Surgeon General in Falls Church, Va.
Jolly Green II Finishes Developmental Test

Jolly Green II Finishes Developmental Test

April 15, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

The Air Force’s next combat rescue helicopter, the HH-60W Jolly Green II, concluded 23 months of developmental testing on April 13.

Since its first flight in May 2019, a joint Air Force and Sikorsky team has flown more than 1,100 test hours in six aircraft, with the final test focused on the aircraft’s weapons systems, according to an Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., release.

“The timely completion of this test program represents an amazing accomplishment by the HH-60W Integrated Test Team,” said Joe Whiteaker, the 413th Flight Test Squadron HH-60W flight chief, in the release. “The team consistently overcame tremendous adversity through a mix of innovation and sheer determination.”

Test areas included the aircraft’s performance, communications systems, environmental testing, aerial refueling, data links, defensive systems, cabin systems, rescue hoist, and live-fire of three weapons on the aircraft, the release states.

Next, the aircraft that were at Eglin will be modified and then move on to their units. Follow-on testing begins next year at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., under the direction of the Combat Search and Rescue Combined Test Force.

Sikorsky in February said it had delivered eight Jolly Green IIs and plans to deliver one helicopter per month beginning this summer. Steven Hill, the company’s Combat Rescue Helicopter program director, said then it was too early to tell how well the helicopters were performing in the tests.

Sikorsky is under contract to deliver 22 helicopters, with the potential for a follow-on award for 19 more that could come as soon as this summer. The Air Force ultimately wants at least 100 of the aircraft to replace its HH-60G Pave Hawk fleet, at a total cost approaching $7.5 billion. 

Space Force Announces 12 Outstanding Airmen, Guardians, and Civilians of the Year

Space Force Announces 12 Outstanding Airmen, Guardians, and Civilians of the Year

April 15, 2021 | By Amy Hudson

Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond and Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force Roger A. Towberman announced the 2019 USSF Outstanding Airmen, Guardians, and Civilians of the year in a video posted to social media on April 13.

Raymond said each of the winners have “gone above and beyond,” and “demonstrated incredible agility, innovation, and boldness.” He thanked each of them for their service, leadership, and contributions to the service, noting they have all “made history.”

“The 12 of you form the very best of our nationally critical service. Your actions deliver advantages every day to the nation, to the joint force, and to the American people,” Raymond said. “… Thank you for pushing the limits of what’s possible, for changing the status quo, for challenging us to rethink our assumptions, for orienting our actions in a warfighting domain. Each of you live our motto, you ensure our nation is ‘Always Above.’”

The winners were originally going to be recognized during an event in 2020, which was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Space Force leaders posted the video to “give the winners the recognition they deserve,” the service said in a statement.

The Air Force Association will shine a spotlight on each of the 12 winners over the next few weeks.

They are:

  • Capt. Deborah B. Kim, Space and Missile Systems Center
  • Senior Master Sgt. Cory L. Shipp, 50th Force Support Squadron, 50th Space Wing
  • Master Sgt. Shannon M. Brady, 721st Operations Group, 21st Space Wing
  • Tech Sgt. Jacob A. Frierdich, 460th Force Support Squadron, 460th Space Wing
  • Tech Sgt. Gregory W. Johnson, 460th Force Support Squadron, 460th Space Wing
  • Staff Sgt. Akia D. Carter, 30th Force Support Squadron, 30th Space Wing
  • Senior Airman Cassidy B. Basney, 50th Operations Support Squadron, 50th Space Wing
  • Aaron M. Solano, Space and Missile Systems Center
  • Justin C. Hensley, 460th Space Control Squadron, 460th Space Wing
  • Nina R. Charlier, 45th Force Support Squadron, 45th Space Wing
  • Christopher L. Dodson, 614th Air and Space Operations Center
  • Jennifer L. Connot, Space and Missile Systems Center
NORTHCOM’s Budget Priority: Longer Warning Time

NORTHCOM’s Budget Priority: Longer Warning Time

April 14, 2021 | By John A. Tirpak

Sensors and longer warning time, the ability to deter, and joint all-domain command and control are the top budget priorities for U.S. Northern Command, its commander, Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, told the House Armed Services Committee on April 14.

In a hearing on military activities affecting North and South America, VanHerck was asked what his top three budget priorities are in the fiscal 2022 budget.

“Domain awareness is at the top,” he said, “and that would include over-the-horizon radar capability to see beyond where our legacy systems do today.” Second on his “integrated list” would be undersea surveillance to “ensure we know what’s going on” when underwater craft approach North America, “and then obviously that domain awareness and information” that will “give us options” before having to defeat an attacking system with kinetic weapons.

VanHerck said new sensors will “allow us to see further than we have in the past.” He wants to fuse those data with that generated by existing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems, as well as machine learning and artificial intelligence capabilities to assess open-source, social media, and personal traffic. This will “move decision-space left” and buy time to let national leaders engage in “deterrence … and messaging” activity that can stop a kinetic attack before it begins.

Much of the data VanHerck wants in the mix already exists, but is in “stovepipes … where there may be laws or policies that don’t allow us to share that data and information.” He views data and information as “a strategic asset that will enable us to … win” in a future conflict “if we have to, but more importantly, take us further left in the competition to deter and de-escalate in a crisis.”

He said the Pentagon is now talking about “all-domain command and control,” which, “If you put a bow around [it, is] what I’ve been talking about.”

It will be crucial to have policies in place that remove restrictions on critical information sharing before the new JADC2 system is fully developed, to avoid investing in a system that can’t be used, VanHerck said.

“We have to move forward with machine learning and artificial intelligence from a policy perspective and get our arms around this,” he said. “What we can’t do is field capabilities and then wait until the end, and [not] have … the policy and laws that go with it to enable us to support it.” JADC2 needs to be focused on giving leaders from the tactical to national level actionable information, he said. At the operational and strategic level, VanHerck said he, “as an operational commander, could posture forces to create deterrence or the President or the Secretary of Defense could use messaging to create deterrence as well.”

VanHerck also sees “tremendous value in looking at the possibility of an underlayer” of missile defenses to bridge the gap until the next-generation missile defense system arrives circa 2030. It would enhance the ability to defeat incoming missiles “and give us options to create deterrence during competition.”

If the U.S. does create such an “underlayer,” then “it should not be focused on a single threat, such as a ballistic missile. It should focus on everything from small unmanned aerial systems all the way to ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, everything in between. We can’t afford any longer to build stovepiped systems with capabilities for only one threat.”

Asked about defenses against cruise missiles, VanHerck allowed that he’s “trying to get a policy on what must we defend kinetically in our homeland.” The list likely includes “continuity of government, nuclear capabilities, command and control, ability to project power forward, and our defense industrial base.”

Again, though, he wants to be able to deter cruise missiles from being fired, which requires more exquisite knowledge and prioritization of that knowledge by machine systems.

“I don’t want to be shooting cruise missiles down in our homeland,” he said. “Endgame defeat is not where I want to be.” The same will be true of hypersonic missiles, especially since they can strike in half the time of ICBMs, he said.

VanHerck said there’s been a significant uptick of Russian activity in the Arctic, re-activation of a dozen Russian Cold War bases in the region, and a greater need to observe that activity. He supports building more Navy and Coast Guard icebreakers—only one is active, versus dozens in Russian service—and supported a greater operating tempo for U.S. forces in the region.

Asked about difficulties imposed by climate change, VanHerck said it is making Arctic waters more navigable for competitors, while thawing permafrost threatens some U.S. facilities, makes reaching others more difficult, and makes it harder to build new ones.

Biden: ‘It’s Time to End the Forever War’

Biden: ‘It’s Time to End the Forever War’

April 14, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan will begin on May 1 and finish before the 20th anniversary of 9/11, to allow the American military time to focus more on global terror and increasing threats from China, President Joe Biden said.

During an April 14 address formally announcing the planned end to America’s longest war, Biden said, “We can’t continue the cycle” of keeping troops in Afghanistan and “hoping to create the ideal conditions for withdrawal. It’s time to end the forever war.”

Biden spoke from the White House’s Treaty Room, the same room where former President George W. Bush announced the first strikes on the Taliban in Afghanistan in October 2001. Biden said he is the fourth U.S. President to oversee the war in Afghanistan, and “I will not pass this responsibility on to a fifth.”

Unlike previous announcements on the U.S. presence in the country, the new September deadline is not “conditions-based.” Biden said that would be a “recipe” to stay in the country forever. Instead, the American focus needs to be on global threats of terror in other places, including in the Middle East, Africa, and beyond.

“The terror threat is now in many places, and keeping thousands of troops grounded and concentrated in one country at the cost of billions each year makes little sense to me and our leaders,” Biden said.

CIA director William J. Burns told members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence earlier in the day that after years of “sustained counterterrorism pressure” neither Al-Qaida nor ISIS in Afghanistan have the “capacity today” to target the homeland, but there are other terrorist groups, such as Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, that pose a “much more serious threat.”

The decision extends the deadline laid out in the February 2020 deal with the Taliban, which called for all U.S. troops to leave by May 1.

The withdrawal will start in weeks and will not be done in a “hasty” manner. Biden warned the Taliban that if the group conducts attacks, the U.S. will use “all the tools at our disposal” to respond.

U.S. and international NATO forces will draw down inside the country together. During a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said allies have agreed together to the same drawdown timeline.

“We face a dilemma,” Stoltenberg said. “Because the alternative to leaving in an orderly fashion is to be prepared for a long-term, open-ended military commitment with potentially more NATO troops. This is not the end of our relationship with Afghanistan, but rather the start of a new chapter.”

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III, speaking alongside Stoltenberg, said U.S. forces have accomplished the mission they set out to do—to “greatly diminish” the threat to the homeland and make possible civil and political progress.

There is still “too much violence to be sure,” Austin said, noting the Taliban will likely seek to reverse this progress. The U.S. will continue its support for the Afghan Air Force and special mission wing, along with paying the salaries of Afghan security forces to maintain their capability. Additionally, the U.S. will maintain counter terrorism capabilities in the region, he added.

“It is also a fact, however, that after withdrawal, whenever that time comes, the CIA and all of our partners in the U.S. government will retain a suite of capabilities—some of them remaining in place, some of them that we’ll generate—that can help us to anticipate and contest any rebuilding effort,” Burns said.

The new mission, however, is to “responsibly draw down forces and transition to a new relationship with our Afghan partners,” Austin said.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said in a statement that he spoke with Biden on April 14 about the decision. Afghanistan “respects the U.S. decision and we will work with our U.S. partners to ensure a smooth transition,” he said.

After Biden finished his speech, he visited Arlington National Cemetery to pay tribute to those killed in the war. The whole country is “forever indebted to them and their families” for their sacrifices, he said.

“We owe them. They’ve never backed down from a single mission that we’ve asked of them,” Biden said of U.S. troops who fought in Afghanistan. “They’ve never wavered in their resolve. They’ve paid a tremendous price on our behalf, and they have the thanks of a grateful nation.”

Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 7:32 p.m. to include comment from CIA Director William J. Burns and again at 8:30 a.m. to correct a date.

Air Force Magazine correspondent Amanda Miller contributed to this report.

AMC Addressing Lavatory Problems on the KC-46

AMC Addressing Lavatory Problems on the KC-46

April 14, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

Air Mobility Command is modifying the palletized lavatory and galley systems to avoid possible “spillage” as KC-46s take off and land, after issues arose with the system during operations.

The Air Transportable Galley-Lavatory is a palletized combination lavatory and galley that provides additional toilets, beverage production, and refrigeration for multiple mobility aircraft on long-distance missions with additional passengers. The system is not a part of the KC-46 itself. It has been in service since the 1980s and has been used extensively on various platforms, though the KC-46’s cargo loading layout has caused some problems.

The Pegasus has “unique floor cargo loading restrictions” that require the system to be flown on a narrow axis, instead of the wider axis that can be used in other aircraft, such as the C-17 and C-130. This has caused spillage problems “during steep ascents and descents,” AMC spokeswoman 1st Lt. Emma Quirk said in an April 14 statement.

In response, AMC is testing a potential solution to fix the problem. The KC-46 program office will modify six of the ATGL systems over the next 12 weeks, and the systems will be evenly divided between three KC-46 bases—McConnell Air Force Base, Kan.; Pease Air National Guard Base, N.H.; and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C.

The redesign comes as AMC plans to begin flying the KC-46 in limited operational roles. In the meantime, crews will use the aircraft’s built-in lavatory, AMC said.

USAF also is addressing two more problems with the ATGL system. First, since the system has been in use for about 40 years and is used extensively, many of the units are “unserviceable or partially mission capable,” Quirk said. AMC and the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center are working to continue a sustainment contract. Secondly, the systems require a restraint modification upgrade to ensure they remain safely attached to their floor pallet, according to AMC.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) raised the issue with U.S. Transportation Command boss Gen. Stephen Lyons, after multiple groups of lawmakers flew on the aircraft from nearby Joint Base Andrews, Md. Lyons said he was not aware of operational impacts arising from the issue.

F-15C Records Longest Air-to-Air Shot in Test

F-15C Records Longest Air-to-Air Shot in Test

April 14, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

An F-15C Eagle set a record for the longest air-to-air kill, but we won’t know what the record is.

In March, an F-15C fired an AIM-120D Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile at a BQM-167 targeting drone in the longest known air-to-air missile shot to date, resulting in a “kill” of the target from the farthest distance recorded, the 53rd Wing said in a release. However, the wing would not release the length of the shot, or the previous known record.

The 28th Test and Evaluation Squadron and 83rd Fighter Weapons Squadron partnered for the test, which took place out of Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., as part of Weapons Systems Evaluation Program-East.

“This test effort supported requests from the [Combat Air Forces] for ‘long-range kill chain’ capabilities,” said Maj. Aaron Osborne, with the 28th TES, in the release. “Key partnerships within the 53rd Wing enabled the expansion of capabilities on a currently fielded weapons system, resulting in warfighters gaining enhanced weapons employment envelopes.”

The 53rd Wing said since the event took place with WSEP and in partnership with the 83rd FWS, the 28th TES conducted the test “at a relatively low-cost.” The test also “exercised existing long-range weapons testing infrastructure and laid the ground work for modernizing range capabilities in support of future long-range weapons testing” at the Eglin Gulf Test and Training Range.