Air Force Promises Biggest Building Boom in a Decade for Child Development Centers

Sept. 13, 2023 | By Patrick Reardon

The Air Force is planning to pour $205 million into building 19 new child development centers over the next five years, the service’s largest investment in CDCs in over a decade and part of a larger $1.6 billion in infrastructure funding for dorms and child care, an Air Force official announced Sept. 12.

Dr. Ravi I. Chaudhary, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for energy, installations, and environment, said the package will include the Air Force’s first net-zero CDC.

“This is your DAF doubling down on your quality of life,” he said at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference.

Five of those CDCs are either under construction or will receive contract awards in fiscal 2024.

Chaudhary was on one of four panels at the conference that were focused on improving the quality of life for personnel and families across the Air and Space Forces. He sat beside his colleague Alex Wagner, assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs, who said the Department of the Air Force has made huge strides in improving on-site child care over the last 15 months.

Wagner reported that as of August 2023, the DAF’s child development centers are 80 percent staffed on average across all installations, up from 65 percent in June 2022. CDCs, which provide hourly to full-day care for Airmen and Guardians’ children at installations around the world, have experienced lingering staffing shortages since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wagner attributes the boost to a new incentive that offers direct-care employees a 100 percent discount on childcare fees for their first child enrolled in an Air Force CDC, and a 25 percent discount for every additional child.

“I’m looking at the trends every single month, and we’re making progress,” Wagner said. “Our CDCs are the gold standard. Everyone wants in. Everyone is not available to meet the CDCs during their opening times, and so we’re incentivizing a whole host of other options, including family child care homes, including fee assistance, and we’re focused on that to fill those gaps.”

“If you are worried about your kids, you are not focused on the mission,” he added, calling his own mission to improve quality of life for Airmen, Guardians, and their families a matter of improving total force lethality.

Chaudhary and Wagner also highlighted the need for unit commanders and bipartisan community leaders to work together to produce the resources that will alleviate quality-of-life problems like staffing shortages at CDCs.

“We’re in an era of strategic competition,” Chaudhary said. “That means our entire economy, our entire community, our entire installations, and the communities surrounding them are part of this.”

Learning to Cope: USAF, USSF Leaders and Spouses Share Struggles of Military Families

Sept. 13, 2023 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

With Pentagon data showing declining satisfaction with military life among military spouses, leaders of the Air and Space Forces and their spouses discussed the challenges and importance of work-life balance Sept. 13 at AFA’s Air, Space, & Cyber Conference.

The chiefs and top enlisted members from both services and their partners also shared insights on how to seek support and prioritize self-care.

Back in February, the Department of Defense announced the results of a survey revealing troubling trends in the satisfaction of partners of those who wear uniforms with their spouse’s military life. Only 49 percent of military spouses were satisfied in 2021, down from 56 percent in 2019, and the percentage in favor of their spouses remaining in service decreased to 54 percent, a notable dip from 68 percent in 2012.

A central theme of the panel discussion was how to maintain quality time when the demands of military service never seem to end. Sharene Brown, the wife of Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., talked about reaching out to the community and stressed the importance of connecting with other military spouses to cope with the inevitable hardships of military life.

“Military spouses connecting, creating a safe space, and expressing any resentment they may have is crucial. We understand each other. Often, they feel they can’t voice their concerns, but that’s not a healthy approach,” she said.

Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr., Chief of Staff of the Air Force and Sharene Brown, wife of CSAF at the Air, Space & Cyber Conference on September 12, 2023, at National Harbor, Maryland. Photo by Mike Tsukamoto/Air & Space Forces Magazine

Rachel Rush, the spouse of Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force Roger Towberman, talked about resentment that spouses can feel. Rush, who is also a nurse, shared her experiences of self-doubt, and said she sometimes felt like a “plus one” in her husband’s life; she emphasized that military spouses should have their own identity and purpose.

“Although you share this journey with the person you love, it’s important to pursue your own passions as much as you support each other,” Rush said. “I love him, but I also love myself, and he allows me to be selfish at times, which enriches our life together.”

Towberman echoed this, saying that serving the nation is a team effort, and the family is an integral part of that journey. He also discussed the challenges of balancing family time, preferring the term “harmony” to “balance.”

CMSSF Roger Towberman and Rachel Rush, wife of CMSSF, at the Air, Space & Cyber Conference on September 12, 2023, at National Harbor, Maryland. Photo by Mike Tsukamoto/Air & Space Forces Magazine

Making Time for Each Other

While setting aside time for communication in any relationship can be a struggle, in military families, this challenge is even more pronounced, panel members said. Not only does the military member have issues such as classified information they can’t share with their partners, but they also grapple with irregular work hours and frequent relocations. Often, they find it difficult to leave work behind because the weight of their duties lingers on their minds even after they return to their families.

Jennifer Saltzman, the wife of Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, shared her approach to coping with these challenges. She said that she and her husband haven’t quite achieved the ideal work-life balance yet, but they are working toward it.

“It’s challenging to separate the demanding work, especially when you can’t always share it. So, you must intentionally set aside time for each other and take care of one another as much as possible.”

This deliberate allocation of time for each other is particularly demanding for dual military families like Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass and her husband, retired Army 1st Sgt. Rahn Bass. JoAnne Bass discussed the importance of community involvement, such as engaging with neighbors and having friends nearby to help alleviate these challenges.

“Often, our military bases were located far away, so we learned that communication between us was vital, even when it came to the kids, their homework, or the local community. Neighbors and wingmen are willing to offer assistance. Reach out and be open to their support.”

Rahn Bass added that finding a supportive church community and cultivating friendships with civilians and other couples have also contributed positively to their relationship. He emphasized that the need for humility is a shared sentiment, whether one wears the uniform or not.

CMSAF JoAnne S. Bass and Rahn Bass, husband of CMSAF, at the Air, Space & Cyber Conference on September 12, 2023, at National Harbor, Maryland. Photo by Mike Tsukamoto/Air & Space Forces Magazine

Growing Community and Resources

Throughout the decades, there have been some major policy changes that have been implemented for service members and their families. Beyond the expanding options and resources for therapy, networking, and veteran care, Charles Brown underscored the crucial role that the community and neighbors play in the lives of those undergoing a permanent change of station (PCS). He noted that many individuals find solace in making friends and connecting with civilians who have experienced similar situations, reaching out beyond the military community.

In this context, Sharon Brown shed light on the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP), which provides services for family members with special needs. She shared how programs like EFMP and School Liaisons went the extra mile to locate the appropriate resources for one of her sons who had been diagnosed with autism.

Gen. Saltzman described the PCS process as a ‘blessing and a curse.’ Relocating is never an easy task, but he said he appreciates the opportunity to witness his children relishing unique experiences in each location they’ve lived in. He went on to talk about how local individuals, from neighbors to his children’s school friends, have played a crucial role in helping the family adapt to new environments.

Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations, and Jennifer Saltzman, wife of CSO, at the Air, Space & Cyber Conference on September 12, 2023, at National Harbor, Maryland. Photo by Mike Tsukamoto/Air & Space Forces Magazine

In This Together

In May, Jennifer Saltzman and Sharene Brown shared their insights on the “5 keys” to life as a military spouse during the United Forces & Families event hosted by the Air & Space Forces Association. These five principles, including cherishing family moments, engaging with the local community and building connections beyond the military sphere, resonated strongly at the Sept. 13 panel discussion. And what appeared to impress the audience were the moments when the military leaders and their partners candidly spoke about the challenges they’ve faced. As Gen. Brown emphasized, maintaining a family’s resilience and bonds is a formidable task, regardless of one’s rank. His departing message was straightforward: Appreciate those who are near and dear to you.

“We’re just regular people, like you. Our families either embraced this lifestyle through marriage or were born into it. We chose this path, but they had no say in it. So, let’s show them appreciation and say thank you.”

Allies Eager to Develop, Collaborate with US on New Space Programs

Sept. 13, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

The creation of the U.S. Space Force in 2019 helped spark a wave of new military space organizations around the globe and opened the door to more collaboration and discussion with allies, leaders said Sept. 11 at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference.

Hurdles remain, though, from classification to the development of new programs that involve international partners—with one top official pointing to the F-35 program, which included nine international partners in development, as a potential model.

“I think what’s unique here is, because it’s relatively new, at least as a domain, we have an opportunity to take those decades of experience and try to build something completely different,” Lt. Gen. Eric Kenny, commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force, said in a panel discussion. “In other words, something that’s allied by design, right from the get-go that is integrated, at least amongst the key partners.”

For decades, said Space Systems Command boss Lt. Gen. Michael Guetlein, the U.S. was the preeminent power in space but did not share much information on the domain with its allies.

“Everything was too highly classified to have a conversation about,” Guetlein said. “We knew about the threat and we couldn’t talk about the threat because it was too highly classified and we kept all that information to ourselves. As a result, we never really built the partnerships that we should have been building from day one to get after this. We weren’t exercising together. We weren’t doing war games together. We didn’t have common [tactics, techniques, and procedures].”

The Space Force has changed that, Guetlein said, as has the stand-up of organizations like RCAF’s 3 Canadian Space Division, U.K. Space Command, and Australia’s Defence Space Command. Now, leaders are talking like never before, but classification remains a “huge challenge.” Even so, compared to years’ past, Guetlein and other leaders agreed there has been some progress.

“When we start talking about allied by design, that’s really where we’re making the most traction, because even if I can’t talk to them about a system that I have in development, we’re getting at it behind the scenes through allied by design,” said Guetlein, pointing to the importance of standards for data and interfaces.

Beyond interoperability, the next step is for the allies to work together to develop and field a common system, suggested Royal Air Force air and space commander Air Marshal Harvey Smyth—not simply wait for the U.S. to produce and then export it through the usual Foreign Military Sales process.

“I think that idea of a properly collaborative and cooperative program of capability development, we just don’t see that in space,” Smyth said. “We’ve not got there yet. With that normally is more of ‘well, we’ve got these things, would you like to buy some,’ and then it’s, you get what you buy, and it comes off the shelf under certain restrictions.

“I think it would be really rather interesting if we were bold enough to choose a capability set that we’re all interested in, and then we look at what could an F-35-type model be? A collaborative model of capability development, where we all bring money, we all bring requirements, we look for at least some compromise, but we look for an 80 to 90 percent solution that meets everyone and we take it forward together collaboratively. That would be really interesting.”

The U.K., Canada, and Australia were all partners in the F-35 program and are participants in the Combined Space Operations Center, which has been the springboard for discussions about collaborative programs through a “capability and architectures working group,” Smyth said.

Thus far, that working group has held discussions but not made progress on picking any capabilities to work on, Smyth said.

Guetlein, for his part, predicted one area ripe to “explode,” either with FMS or collaboration between partner nations.

“We all need to know what’s going on in up in space, what we call space domain awareness or battlespace awareness,” Guetlein said. “And there’s just not enough data to go around out there. So we’ve got to share that data back and forth to get a common operating picture with our allies. And we can’t buy enough data just as the U.S. alone. We’re going to have to go into it with our partners.”

Those partners are also eager to develop capabilities of their own that they can share.

“Australia has built one of the best small-to-medium air forces in the world off the back of FMS sales, off of cooperative programs, with some exceptions like the E-7 Wedgetail, which we’ve done largely on our own. But it’s also demonstrated our ability to play in that space and to add value. So that’s our history with the Air Force,” said Air Commodore Angus Porter, air and space attaché for the Australian Embassy. “And our future in the space domain, we see as a mix of those of those three: FMS sales, cooperative program, and also some aspects that we will do on our own.”

“One of our projects that we have is a polar SATCOM, narrowband/wideband SATCOM, that we’re looking to have up in the early part of 2030s as one of our big projects that we’re putting forward,” added Kenney. “I think that provides a SATCOM capability from [the 65th to the 90th North parellels] in the Arctic, which we don’t currently have, which will allow us to better share information with all those that fly up there, whether that be on the North American side or on the European side with NATO, as well.”

First T-7A Red Hawk Trainer Ready for Air Force Delivery

Sept. 13, 2023 | By David Roza

Boeing submitted paperwork to deliver the first T-7A Red Hawk trainer jet to the Air Force on Sept. 12, marking the latest step towards the service’s goal to achieve initial operational capability in 2027. The Air Force hopes to receive four more Red Hawks by the end of the year, Col. Kirt Cassell told reporters at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference.

“It’s exciting, it’s like being handed the keys to a car,” said Cassell, chief of the Air Force’s T-7A Red Hawk division. “Of course I have to give the keys to Air Force test pilots [working] with Boeing test pilots.”

Indeed, if and when the Air Force accepts delivery of the first T-7A, Boeing would still be responsible for maintenance of the aircraft during the flight testing process. The jet, designated APT 2, is the same tail that Maj. Bryce Turner flew on June 28, the first official test flight conducted by an Air Force pilot.

Air Force test pilots will start flying the jet at the Boeing facilities in St. Louis, Mo., within the month. If all goes well, two more aircraft should join APT 2 in October. APT 1 and 2 will both be used to test flight sciences and may be sent to Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., in October, while APT 3 will undergo weather testing at the McKinley Climatic Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., before being used as a mission systems testing platform. APT 4 and 5 are due to join later this year, said Cassell and Evelyn Moore, vice president and program manager for Boeing’s T-7 programs.

At a previous conference in July, Cassell told reporters that the first two Red Hawks were ready to transfer to Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. in the “September-ish” timeframe, but the process took longer than expected due to paperwork challenges, he and Moore said.

“We had a lot to learn … there were a lot of long nights from both sides trying to get to where we are today,” the colonel said Sept. 12.

Delays are not new for the T-7 program, which was originally supposed to reach initial operational capacity in 2024. At first, the jet was hailed as proof of the promise of new digital engineering and design processes, but the Red Hawk has subsequently had trouble with flight stability, flight control software, and ejection seat problems. In May, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall indicated digital engineering had been “over-hyped” to cut development time and cost, adding that nothing can replace real-world testing.

If the Red Hawk can get through the next few years of testing, it should provide a helpful boost for the Air Force’s rapidly aging fleet of T-38 Talon trainers, which are becoming increasingly difficult to keep airworthy. The Red Hawk is designed for ease of maintenance, information management, and modular systems architecture which is meant to help student pilots better prepare for modern air combat.

The Air Force plans to buy 351 T-7s, marking 350 left to go if APT 2 is accepted.

“It is a pivotal moment to deliver the first aircraft to the government,” Moore said.

Air Force Surgeon General: Better Access to Health Services Helps Force Readiness

Sept. 12, 2023 | By Patrick Reardon

Lt. Gen. Robert Miller, Surgeon General for the U.S. Air Force and Space Force, highlighted the need for a more unified care system across all major commands to help Airmen, Guardians, and their families locate mental health programs, physical therapy, and other medical support services. He said erasing confusion around important mental health services—like suicide prevention—requires “tearing down stovepipes and consolidating” providers into a single recognizable system.

“I personally couldn’t care less [what] we call it,” Miller told attendees on Sept. 12 at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Md. “We could go down the list of names. It’s all that same desire to support our folks.”

Miller spoke on a panel alongside Lt. Gen. Tom Miller, deputy chief of staff for logistics, engineering, and force protection, and Maj. Gen. Chaplain Randall E. Kitchens, chief of chaplains for the Department of the Air Force. The panel was moderated by Lt. Col. Angelina Stephens, Chief of Integration for the SECAF-CSAF Strategic Execution Group, a group charged by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. to “accelerate change in the arenas of mental health, wellness, and resilience.”

“It’s not all about the medics, although we play a part and there’s medical healing,” Lt. Gen. Robert Miller said. “At times you need Chaplains, spiritual healing. And at times you need a strong commander, fellow Airmen, Guardians, others that need to be there and provide that care when needed.”

The entire panel refuted critics who say spending time and money on personnel care is “in direct opposition to readiness” within the Department of the Air Force.

“The Chief says that airpower is the answer, and I’ve heard him many times say that Airmen are the reason why airpower is the answer. And that’s not lost on him, it shouldn’t be lost on any of us, that it’s not the machine that defends our nation,” Lt. Gen. Tom Miller said. “It’s intellectually dishonest to me to think that not thinking about the human being is somehow counter to readiness. It is readiness.”

The panelists also emphasized that silos between the Pentagon and military family members need to be dismantled to not only improve force readiness, but rebuild trust between the Air and Space Forces community.

“Trust is the currency of influence. And with no trust, the people will not follow. Well, that goes for families. And it is hard to regain that trust,” said Kitchens. “I’ve heard the silo comments and feedback also. I can agree 100 percent, we’re better together.”

“Change is a journey and the journey must continue,” said Stephens, quoting the theme of what was likely Brown’s final AFA September keynote as Air Force Chief of Staff. She and the panel said they are encouraged by leaders like Brown and Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne Bass, who are “empowering” medics, chaplains, and commanders to continue finding ways to make medical and mental health services more accessible to the total force.

At Nomination Hearing, Allvin Says Chance to Be CSAF ‘Comes at a Very Important Time’

Sept. 12, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

Nominated to become the 23rd Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. David W. Allvin answered roughly two hours of questions from lawmakers on Sept. 12 as part of his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

While Allvin, currently the Vice Chief of Staff, addressed everything from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to hurricane recovery to child care, many of the questions he fielded from lawmakers focused on the Air Force’s plans to modernize its parts of the nuclear triad and the service’s efforts to divest old aircraft to free up funds for new programs.

No senators voiced any opposition to Allvin’s nomination, which normally would indicate he is on a glide path to confirmation. However, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) continues to place a legislative hold preventing expedited confirmations for general and flag officers, and Democratic leaders have refused to hold roll-call votes on individual nominees. As a result, more than 300 nominations, including those of Allvin and the man he is set to succeed, Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., are stalled.

Committee members on both sides of the aisle noted the situation in Allvin’s hearing, and Allvin himself suggested that delays could potentially hurt recruiting and retention, saying there may be promising officers who “have other options and their families have other options and they see this as a potential distraction, then we run a greater risk than if these weren’t in place of losing those.”

Still, most of the hearing focused on Air Force modernization—a key topic Allvin referenced at the start of his opening statement.

“I believe the opportunity to be the next Air Force Chief of Staff comes at a very important time in history, and I fully appreciate and embrace the weight of what is at stake,” Allvin said. “Our nation is coming to grips with the rapid pace of change that is upon us and with those intending to act against our national interests while aggressively seeking the means to do so. America’s national security focus is crucial as we navigate this new global landscape with our allies and partners, especially as opportunities for distraction and confusion are increasingly exploited.”

Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill for his nomination to be the next Air Force chief of staff, in Washington, D.C., Sept. 12, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Eric Dietrich

Nuclear Modernization

Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) both represent states with bomber bases, and both took the opportunity to ask Allvin for his thoughts on the B-21 Raider, which is steadily progressing toward its first flight.

“I’m personally very excited about this program and the way that it was developed and what it’s turning out to be in its performance, cost schedule and performance adherence, all of these things,” Allvin said. “But more importantly, for what it’s going to bring to us. When we look at the conventional fight in the Indo-Pacific, if that happens, we need all the systems to be survivable. They need to be connected. They need to be able to be persistent. And the B-21 provides not only all of that, but also, a great long-range strike capability.”

The other major nuclear modernization effort, the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile, is not proceeding as smoothly, with Allvin acknowledging that it is “one of the most complex yet important transitions” the Air Force faces. But amid reports that the program may be delayed and that Air Force Global Strike Command believes there is little margin for error, Allvin told Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) there are ways to ensure the program remains on track.

“One of the most important things that we can do is vigilance to ensure that, as we see external factors that might potentially provide challenges or opportunities to the cost, schedule, and performance of that program, that we need to make sure we communicate with this body and collaborate to understand if there are opportunities that we can help to maintain it on track and have the warfighter get the requirement on time,” Allvin said. “And one of those things is the recent adjustment of an acquisition strategy to look for those things we might be able to decouple and pull to the left.”

Divest to Invest

Allvin also faced questioning from lawmakers skeptical of the Air Force’s efforts to retire its older aircraft like the A-10 Lightning II and E-3 AWACS in order to free up money for new programs.

In response to queries about whether the service was accepting too much risk in the short term by pursuing this strategy, Allvin acknowledged that “to mitigate the transition as we move from where we are to where we need to be, there are tough choices ahead, there’s no question about it.” But he offered no indication that he would pull back from that approach.

Part of that is driven by the cost of existing platforms—Allvin noted to Tuberville that aging aircraft often require the service’s most “wily, cagey maintainers”

“Some of that skill set, that we’re looking for seasoned maintainers to transition to some of these fifth-generation platforms, have not been available to us,” he said.

Allvin also expressed optimism about programs like Next Generation Air Dominance and Collaborative Combat Aircraft.

“They are defining one of the core elements of what we believe the Air Force needs to do in the future, which is better human-machine teaming, which is better having affordable mass,” Allvin said.

Experts Talk Potential and Path Forward for Integrating AI Across the Air and Space Forces

Sept. 12, 2023 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

Across the Department of Defense, agencies and branches are exploring artificial intelligence tools and all their potential uses, from empowering unmanned systems to catalyzing quicker and better decision-making on the battlefield.

The Department of the Air Force is no exception—just last month, DAF released a comprehensive call to industry highlighting eight areas related to command and control where AI could transform the department’s processes and efforts. The “broad agency announcement” described AI as a transformative force, one that could reshape the strategic, operational, and tactical landscape.

Amid all this change and development, military leaders and industry experts convened Sept. 12 at the AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference to discuss possible paths forward and potential pitfalls.

A prominent example of AI integration within the Air Force is the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS), the department’s contribution to the Joint All Domain Command-and-Control (JADC2) network connecting sensors and shooters around the globe.

Maj. Gen. John M. Olson, Space Force lead for JADC2 and ABMS, highlighted three Rs as key for successfully using AI and Machine Learning in that context: Responsible, Robust, and Resilient. He also underscored DAF’s aspiration to establish a competitive lead in AI by 2027, a strategic endeavor designed to outpace China’s ambition to become the global AI leader by 2030.

When it comes to the ‘Three Rs,’ however, Sean Moriarty, CEO of Primer.ai, said AI’s transformative potential can bring radical change—and with it, an urgent need to familiarize Airmen and Guardians with the technology as rapidly as possible.

“If we don’t start the training and usage as soon as possible, five years from now we’ll be discussing the same things as we discuss today,” Moriarty said. “Five years from now should be a step change. Let’s get them in our Soldiers’ hands as soon as possible so they can provide feedback.”

It’s not just about improving the AI: Moriarty also stressed the pivotal role of education and understanding to build trust and use of AI technology by Airmen and Guardians.

In addition to JADC2, the Air Force is also using AI for autonomous drones, precision navigation, and manned-unmanned teaming. Olson said these initiatives seamlessly align with the principles of the Responsible, Robust, and Resilient AI. The department’s ongoing development facilitates collaboration between personnel and machines, equipping personnel with more accurate information to enhance the decision-making process.

“It’s essential to work collaboratively, and we think this is a team sport driving to deliver those outcomes at a very rapid pace, making sure that we are responsible, robust, and resilient all throughout the journey,” said Olson.

Those comments echo what Pentagon AI Chief Craig Martell noted in an interview with CNN a month ago regarding AI-based technology used in the military. He reiterated longstanding Pentagon policy to ensure AI technology would always be wielded under the guidance of human oversight, and that the DOD “does not imagine a world where machines are making decisions on their own.”

In March, the DAF identified 50 programs as the cornerstone of its contribution to JADC2 under the “DAF Battle Network.” This program encompasses various offices and agencies across the department, and its continued development of ABMS is what Dr. Lynne Graves, Chief of the AI Division and DAF Chief Digital and AI Office, said what she is looking mostly forward to.

“I’ve been around for a while, and I watched the ABMS morph into the DAF Battle Network. I’m excited that it’s going down this path, and hopefully (it will) provide us with a template that we can keep leveraging ever and ever again to speed up to get emerging technologies to the warfighter faster,” said Dr. Graves.

Dr. Graves added that by getting government and industry to both buy into the framework of the DAF Battle Network, the department will be able to build trust in AI based on warfighters’ experience and feedback. Establishing this trust will pave the way for the revolutionary advantages the technology can provide.

Ian Eishen, a former Airman and now director of global public sector for Aalyria Technologies, endorsed Dr. Graves’ perspective by emphasizing the importance of collaboration. As the platform gets bigger and information and data for AI to process exponentially grow, building a safe collaborative network between the military, commercial, government, and allies is critical.

“Collaboration between the military, government, commercial and our nation’s allies; Building everything in a collaborative environment and multiple propriety solutions that can come together to support one DAF Battle Network, and the network that can change and update based on the needs, is the biggest thing now,” Eishen said.

ACC Boss: Russia and China Are Intercepting USAF Aircraft as ‘Batting Practice’

Sept. 12, 2023 | By John A. Tirpak

Recent upticks in the number of close intercepts of U.S. aircraft by Russian pilots over the Black Sea and Syria—and similar aggressive behavior from Chinese fighters in the Pacific—are an effort to collect information on how the U.S. responds, a top Air Force general said Sept. 12 at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference

Furthermore, Air Combat Command boss Gen. Mark D. Kelly argued the provocative moves are a sign that those countries’ air forces see the USAF as diminished and their own capabilities improving, he said.

“They want batting practice against the best Air Force in the world,” Kelly said during a panel discussion on air and space superiority.

He later told reporters during a briefing that the Chinese and Russians “want to know, ‘how far can I detect them? … How far can they lock onto me?’”

More broadly, he said, those air forces perceive the U.S. as losing the capacity and capability advantages it once had. Now, he said, they are thinking, “‘maybe this is a time to … give them a run for their money.’”

Five years ago, Kelly said in the panel, “we were not having our fighters interact with Chinese fighters on a routine basis.” The fact that this is happening now “is a direct challenge to the post-World War II, rules-based construct that we all grew up with.”

The key to the Chinese and Russian confidence is the fact that America’s air superiority enterprise is old, Kelly added, noting aircraft and munitions that date back decades:

The E-3 AWACS, used for command and control and battle management, first flew in 1977

The EC-130, used for electronic attack, first flew in 1991

The F-22, for air dominance, first flew in 1997

The AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missile dates back to the 1980s.

“All of those capabilities or sensors or weapons or platforms are significantly improved and modernized” compared to 25 years ago, Kelly said, and that is “a credit to our Airmen and industry to keep them up to date.”

But at a certain point, Kelly cautioned, “you’ve squeezed the last ounce of combat capability out of our sensors, weapons and platforms.” Many of those systems have passed their planned service life and are either in the process or soon to be retired.

“We need E-7, EC-37, [the Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter], and JATM [the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile] yesterday,” Kelly said.

Kelly noted that he came to the conference directly from the William Tell air-to-air gunnery competition; the first time the fighter meet has been held in nearly 20 years.

Previously, William Tell had been held every year since 1954, “as a direct response to a peer adversary challenging us in air superiority. We had to have it,” Kelly said. “We stopped it 19 years ago because of a perception that we didn’t have a competitor.”

Twenty years ago, “we knew—and the world knew—that if anyone wanted to face off with the United States Air Force in air superiority, there was going to be an axe murder on the other side,” Kelly claimed. “They knew that. Today, they feel they can compete.”

To get back to that dominance, USAF leadership owes its fighter pilots “the highest-end training and reps and sets we can give them, because we also know from high-end exercises and also other studies that not all our Airmen will come back from a peer fight,” Kelly said. Future dogfights will be “a cage match,” he added.

Put simply, the Air Force owes its pilots “an environment where we treat air superiority as if our lives depend on it,” he said.

‘Change Must Continue’: Brown Reflects on Time as Air Force Chief of Staff

Sept. 12, 2023 | By Chris Gordon

With his promotion to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff likely coming soon, Air Force Chief of Staff Charles Q. Brown Jr. marked perhaps his final speech to a large Air Force audience on the job with a simple message: “If we fail to adapt, we risk losing.”

Addressing a packed room full of Airmen at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference, Brown detailed a realistic picture of the challenges the U.S. while also projecting optimism on the work that has been done and will continue after he leaves the CSAF job.

“Change is a journey and the journey must continue,” Brown said.

“Change” has been Brown’s lodestar since he was confirmed as head of the Air Force in 2020—his signature motto has been “Accelerate Change or Lose,” and President Joe Biden cited his push for modernization and adaptation as a key factor in his selection to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.

On Sept, 12, though, Brown said he wanted “to reflect on the journey of the last three years—on our accomplishments. I saw the evolving strategic environment and I knew we needed to change.”

Brown said he sought to ensure the Air Force is “placing greater focus on future conflict.”

Under Brown and Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall, the Air Force has been on the front foot of America’s pivot to the Pacific—even before China was outlined as the U.S. military’s “pacing challenge” in the 2022 National Defense Strategy.

One of Brown’s biggest efforts on that front has been his four “Action Orders,” organized simply as A, B, C, and D.

Airmen

Citing one example of the Air Force making practical changes to improve service members’ lives, Brown noted that his team helped change Airmen’s performance reviews.

“We had bullets that many could not understand,” he said. “We had 60,000 made-up acronyms by removing all the vowels. … If a family member or future employer read your performance report, they would have no clue what you’ve done in your career.”

The service has also tried to improve the everyday lives of Airmen by “addressing factors that contribute to their well-being and those that detract from their success,” Brown said.

Bureaucracy

The U.S. military is a massive, nearly $1 trillion enterprise that does not move quickly—hamstrung by entrenched interests and longstanding processes. But just because the Pentagon has operated as a lumbering institution for most of the 21st century does not mean it has to continue that way, Brown noted.

“I have found in bureaucratic processes, it is hard to say yes, it’s easy to say no,” Brown said. “If there is something you believe in, then you need to get past what I call the five stages of no: hell no, no, we’ll think about it, not a bad idea, we should be doing it already.”

Competition

Given China’s ability to target and strike U.S. air bases, the Air Force wants to move away from large, fixed locations and revamp how the service thinks about its future force structure, deployment models, and basing—such as implementing the island-hoping Agile Combat Employment concept. Brown said the U.S. also needs Airmen and service officials to understand their competitors better.

The Air Force is “refining, improving, creating a more agile and lethal force,” Brown said.

Design Implementation

Brown also noted the Air Force’s modernization efforts will be for naught if they are not put into practice.

“How we need to make difficult force structure decisions, how we need to develop an affordable and analytically defensible force structure, how we accelerate the transition from the force we have to the force required,” are all things the Air Force has attempted to confront under Brown’s leadership. That will continue, he predicted.

Brown’s tenure as Chief was supposed to last four years, but he held the job for less than three before President Joe Biden tapped him to become the military’s top officer. Now, he is set to become the first Airman to be Chairman in 18 years, once the Senate confirms him.

But while he will no longer be Chief, Brown said he is confident the service he led will continue to adapt.

“Change must continue,” Brown said. “We’ve changed before and we can do it again. We know airpower is the answer and that we are the most capable, most respected Air Force in the world.”