USAF F-16s Train Over Bosnia in Warning Against ‘Secessionist Activity’

USAF F-16s Train Over Bosnia in Warning Against ‘Secessionist Activity’

Jan. 10, 2024 | By Chris Gordon

U.S. Air Force F-16s flew over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Jan. 8 in a show of force aimed at deterring “secessionist activity” by Bosnian Serbs that is at odds with U.S.-brokered peace accords, the U.S. government said.

Two F-16s from the 31st Fighter Wing at Aviano Air Base, Italy—supported by a USAF KC-135 from the 100th Air Refueling Wing at RAF Mildenhall, U.K.—trained with ground forces that specialize in calling in airstrikes from the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina and U.S. Army Special Operations Forces, according to U.S. European Command.

The exercise was aimed at backing up America’s commitment to Bosnia’s territorial integrity amid increased tensions inflamed by nationalist Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, whom Russia backs.

Jan. 9 is celebrated as Republika Srpska Day by Bosnian Serbs with a paramilitary parade and marks the anniversary of the declaration of independence that started the conflict in Bosnia in 1992, which killed more than 100,000 people and led to ethnic cleansing and massacres of civilians.

NATO intervened with military force, first through the initiation of Operation Deny Flight, which aimed to enforce a United Nations no-fly zone during the conflict in the Balkans, and later through Operation Deliberate Force, an air campaign against the Bosnian Serb Army. In 1995, the U.S. brokered the Dayton Accords, agreed to at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, with the Serb majority Republika Srpska and Bosniak and Croat majority Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina agreeing to peace as semi-autonomous entities of a single state.

“This bilateral training is an example of advanced military-to-military cooperation that contributes to peace and security in the Western Balkans as well as demonstrates the United States’ commitment to ensuring the territorial integrity of [Bosnia and Herzegovina] in the face of anti-Dayton and secessionist activity,” the State Department said in Jan. 8 release. “The United States has underscored that the [Bosnia and Herzegovina] Constitution provides no right of secession, and it will act if anyone tries to change this basic element of Dayton.”

A day after the U.S. exercise, Dodik said on Jan. 9 that Bosnian Serbs would not give up “the day when Republika Srpska was born.”

“We are looking at Serbia, we are looking at Russia,” Dodik said.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned in November that the alliance was “concerned by the secessionist and divisive rhetoric as well as malign foreign interference, including Russia.”

The fighters took off from Aviano, conducted their mission, and returned back to base, according to U.S. officials. They practiced air-to-ground training with U.S. SOF forces and Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina (AFBiH) joint terminal attack controllers (JTACs), specially trained troops that call in airstrikes for close air support.

U.S. Special Operations Command Europe soldiers and Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) joint terminal attack controllers stand in unity during a bilateral training event in BiH, Jan. 8, 2024. U.S Army photo by Sgt. Alejandro Lucero

In a Jan. 8 statement, U.S. European Command (EUCOM) said that the “bilateral training is an example of advanced military-to-military cooperation that contributes to peace and security in the Western Balkans and throughout Europe.” U.S. Special Operations Command troops train Bosnian JTACs.

After the celebration of Republika Srpska Day on Jan. 9, the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo condemned the actions.

“The United States has acted to address anti-Dayton actions like this in the past and will not hesitate to do so again in the future,” the U.S. Embassy said in a Jan. 9 statement.

EUCOM said the Air Force exercise on Jan. 8 was aimed at reinforcing peace in the Balkans.

The joint drill was a “demonstration of the United States’ enduring partnership with the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Air Force Lt. Gen. Steven L. Basham, the deputy commander of EUCOM, said in a statement. “American support for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Armed Forces is ironclad, forged over years of close cooperation.”

Eglin, Tyndall Hit by Storms But Suffer No Significant Damage

Eglin, Tyndall Hit by Storms But Suffer No Significant Damage

Jan. 9, 2024 | By John A. Tirpak

Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., suffered only minimal damage from at least one and as many as three tornadoes and heavy rains that tore across the Florida Panhandle on Jan. 9, as Airmen and civilian employees were told to telework as much as possible ahead of and after the storms.

Similar stay-at-home messages referencing the “anomalously strong storm” were issued to those who work at nearby Tyndall Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field. A Tyndall spokesperson could not be reached for comment, but Hurlburt officials said the storms didn’t cause much damage there.

The tornados inflicted severe damage in nearby Panama City and other coastal communities to the south and east, where many residential and commercial buildings were destroyed and power cut off. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for the area.

On Jan. 8, Eglin issued a “mission essential posture” order authorizing maximum telework. Base officials advised personnel that the threat of tornados, thunderstorms, and up to four inches of rain, with localized flooding and winds up to 70 miles per hour, were imminent.

Base officials said some aircraft were placed in hangars for protection, but no aircraft were flown to other bases specifically to shield them from the storm.

Eglin closed its 96th Medical Group, dining services, and the northwest base gate. Except for those considered essential for storm preparation and recovery, Weather Safety Leave was authorized for non-telework eligible personnel.

An Eglin spokesperson said base personnel whose off-base homes were damaged will likely be given time off to deal with the situation.

“We will take care of our Airmen,” the official said. Personnel and base operations will be back to normal operations on Jan. 10, she added.

The storm continued up the East Coast on Jan. 9, threatening flooding and wind damage at other bases in the region. Fort Lauderdale reported a tornado with 80 mph winds.

In 2018, Hurricane Michael hit the Florida panhandle coast, causing massive destruction at Tyndall and significant damage at Eglin. Tyndall suffered numerous aircraft damaged inside their hangars and many base buildings were scraped off their foundations or declared a total loss. In the aftermath of the storm, some missions, like F-22 training, were eventually re-assigned to other bases. Most of the base aircraft able to evacuate to other locations, however, did so. Since then, the Air Force has been more proactive in moving aircraft out of the way of major storm systems.    

Posted in Air
Lawmakers Push for More Nuclear Microreactors in INDOPACOM

Lawmakers Push for More Nuclear Microreactors in INDOPACOM

Jan. 9, 2024 | By John A. Tirpak

Reps. Rob Wittman and Jen Kiggans, members of the House Armed Services Committee, are pressing U.S. Indo-Pacific Command boss Adm. John Aquilino to ask for more procurement for nuclear micro-reactors in the fiscal 2025 budget request, as a way to ease the logistics of powering forward bases in his command.

“Many of our most critical military installations in your theater are heavily dependent upon imported fuel for their enduring energy needs,” wrote the two Virginia Republicans in a Jan. 8 letter. In particular, they noted that nuclear microreactors could be transported aboard C-17s.

“Fuel was a dominating consideration in our last great contest in the Pacific, and will likely play a similar role in any potential conflict with a well-equipped and determined adversary,” they added. “It would be unwise to expend such a precious resource on demands that could be so easily met by an extremely capable and reliable alternative that is impervious to mercurial weather patterns or the perils of threatened logistical lines.”

The Pentagon has multiple plans to test nuclear microreactors in the near future. Project Pele, being developed by the Pentagon’s Strategic Capabilities Office, awarded a contract to BWX Technologies of Lynchburg, Va., in 2022, and the Air Force and the Defense Logistics Agency are working on a test program to build a unit at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska.

Such systems could be crucial for the Air Force’s operational concept of Agile Combat Employment, as a way to avoid having to deploy large numbers of resupply aircraft to far-flung Pacific bases with fuel—under ACE, small detachments of aircraft would deploy to an established or austere base, then quickly pick up and move to another location to prevent China from being able to target all USAF assets in theater with tactical ballistic or cruise missiles.

Wittman, who chairs the tactical air and land forces subcommittee, and Kiggans, a former Navy helicopter pilot, wrote that they “believe the strategic and tactical value of these systems providing durable power to military facilities, long-range missile defense systems, and command and control centers is invaluable, considering the operational imperatives of a contested logistics environment.”

They asked for Aquilino’s “assessment of the strategic benefit to INDOPACOM if increased procurement of the microreactor” being pursued under Project Pele “was funded in the forthcoming Fiscal Year 2025 budget.” If he thinks more reactors would be a benefit, they urged that he request the powerplants, “considering the planning required for serial production of micro-nuclear reactors coupled with the lead time for fuel preparation.”

Project Pele remains on pace, but the joint Air Force-DLA effort has slowed. In September, DLA Energy rescinded its “notice of intent to award” a microreactor contract to Oklo, a California-based startup. The agency said it needed to comply with a law requiring post-award negotiations if the value of the contract exceeds $100 million. An “intent to protest” the award based on that law was filed by Ultra-Safe Nuclear Corp. of Seattle, Wash.

A DLA spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine that the Eielson generator is “an ongoing and active procurement and all respondents are still being considered.” The program calls for a 5-megawatt reactor that would supplement Eielson’s 15-megawatt coal plant.

The spokesperson said the DLA intends to “meet all deadlines” for the Eielson program, which calls for operational capability in 2027.

Overall interest in microreactors still remains strong. Companies attending an industry day session about microreactors in 2023 included Rolls-Royce, Seimens and Westinghouse. And just a year ago, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved the first micro-reactor design—called a Small Modular Reactor—developed by NuScale Power of Portland, Ore.  

Pentagon: Austin Hospitalized by Infection After Prostate Cancer Surgery

Pentagon: Austin Hospitalized by Infection After Prostate Cancer Surgery

Jan. 9, 2024 | By Chris Gordon

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III underwent a surgical procedure for prostate cancer and is expected to make full recovery, the Pentagon said Jan. 9.

The announcement ended days of mystery surrounding Austin’s medical status, which was kept under wraps from the White House, Congress, and the media, despite complications from treatment that landed the Pentagon chief in the hospital on Jan. 1, where he remains.

“On Dec. 22, 2023, after consultation with his medical team, he was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and underwent a minimally invasive surgical procedure called a prostatectomy to treat and cure prostate cancer,” Dr. John Maddox and Dr. Gregory Chesnut the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center said in a Jan. 9 statement. The Dec. 22 hospital stay was not disclosed by the Pentagon until Jan. 5.

“His prostate cancer was detected early, and his prognosis is excellent,” the doctors added.

But Austin developed complications from the procedure, which led him to be rushed to the hospital in an ambulance on Jan. 1 in severe pain, according to Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder and medical officials. Austin landed in the intensive care unit the following day after he was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection and a buildup of fluid in his abdomen.

“His infection has cleared,” the doctors said in their statement. “He continues to make progress, and we anticipate a full recovery, although this can be a slow process.”

Congress has demanded answers as to why lawmakers and the public weren’t notified until Jan. 5 that Austin was in the hospital. The White House was notified only a day earlier, and President Joe Biden did not know Austin had cancer until Jan. 9.

“Nobody in the White House knew that Secretary Austin had prostate cancer until this morning, and the President was informed immediately after,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Jan. 9.

“He was not informed until last Friday that Secretary Austin was in the hospital,” Kirby said of Biden’s knowledge of the situation. “He was not informed until this morning that the root cause of that hospitalization was prostate cancer.”

“It is not optimal for a situation like this to go as long as it did without the commander-in-chief knowing about it or the National Security Adviser or, frankly, other leaders at the Department of Defense,” Kirby added. “That’s not the way this is supposed to happen.”

Ryder said the matter was “deeply personal,” which is why Austin took so long to inform the public and the president, whom Austin spoke by phone with on Jan. 6.

“I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed,” Austin said in a statement that day. “I commit to doing better.”

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers among American men, behind only skin cancer. Austin, 70, falls in a particularly high-risk group.

“Most prostate cancers are found in men over the age of 65,” according to the American Cancer Society. “Prostate cancer happens more often in Black men than in men of other races and ethnicities.”

The White House has expressed confidence in Austin despite the fact that President Biden was not promptly informed of a Cabinet member’s serious medical condition, which led Austin to delegate some authority to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks from Jan. 2-5, the day when the Pentagon first told Congress and the media that Austin had been hospitalized.

The failure by Austin and his top aides to notify others of his hospitalization has led the Pentagon to immediately change procedures to require more disclosure and clarity when the secretary of defense delegates authority. The department is also conducting a 30-day internal review of the matter.

Rep. Mike Rogers, the Alabama Republican who chairs the House Armed Services Committee said on Jan. 9 that he has begun an inquiry into the Pentagon’s delay in disclosing Austin’s hospitalization.

“Everything from on-going counterterrorism operations to nuclear command and control relies on a clear understanding of the Secretary’s decision-making capacity,” Rogers wrote in a letter to Austin. “The Department is a robust institution, and it is designed to function under attack by our enemies, but it is not designed for a Secretary who conceals being incapacitated.”

Austin has resumed his full duties, but Hicks will likely fill in for Austin at some in-person events, defense officials said. It is unclear when Austin will return to the Pentagon.

“We’ll continue to work hard to make sure that we’re being as transparent as possible moving forward and wish the Secretary a speedy recovery,” Ryder said.

Kadena Airmen Recognized As Best Field-Level Maintainers in Entire Military

Kadena Airmen Recognized As Best Field-Level Maintainers in Entire Military

Jan. 9, 2024 | By David Roza

The maintainers for the largest combat wing in the Air Force were recognized as the best field-level maintenance unit in the entire Department of Defense for 2023 late last month, when the the 18th Maintenance Group from Kadena Air Base, Japan, was awarded the annual Phoenix Award at the DOD Maintenance Symposium in San Diego, Calif.

“Phoenix Award winners are considered to be the best of the best and held in very high esteem as the top-performing field-level maintenance unit in the Department,” a press release explained.

The largest combat-coded maintenance group in the Air Force, the 18th has more than 2,400 Airmen and experienced a busy 2023, generating 7,601 sorties and 17,600 flight hours with the 18th Wing’s fleet of F-15C/D fighters, KC-135 refueling tankers, HH-60 helicopters, and E-3 airborne warning and control aircraft. 

Thanks to their hard work, the 80 total aircraft assigned to Kadena could fly air interdiction, combat search and rescue, aerial refueling, aeromedical evacuation, and command and control battle management missions across the Indo-Pacific theater.

kadena maintain
Airman 1st Class Aris Leid, 18th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, hands a tool to Staff St. Gary Barber, 18th AMXS crew chief, while he prepares to remove a central gearbox from an F-15C Eagle at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Sept. 23, 2019. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Matthew B. Fredericks)

Located on the island of Okinawa, a mere 400 miles from China and 375 miles from Taiwan, Kadena could serve as a vital position and potential staging ground for U.S. operations in case of conflict with the People’s Republic of China over Taiwan.

As the base phases out its aging F-15s, a revolving door of fourth- and fifth-generation fighters have flown in to maintain a fighter presence there. In November, the wing hosted a 33-plane “elephant walk” where helicopters, tankers, Air Force and Navy fighters, an MQ-9 drone, and other aircraft taxied down the runway together.

Throughout 2023, the 18th Maintenance group “provided intermediate-level maintenance, engine maintenance, and test equipment calibration for the entire Indo-Pacific region as the engine centralized repair facility,” a DOD press release said. It also hosted the only active-duty Air Force base-level Precision Measurement Equipment Laboratory, a facility “responsible for calibrating equipment used in virtually every phase of maintenance,” according to the Air Force website. 

The release also noted that the 18th Maintenance Group “played a critical role” during Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) 2022 visit to Taiwan, the highest-ranking congressional delegation to the island in 25 years.

Back in September 2023, the Pentagon announced six field-level maintenance award winners, across large, medium, and small categories, including units from the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps. The 912th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., was one of the small category winners. The department defines field maintenance as what can be accomplished at the shop level (intermediate) and on-equipment (organizational). 

From that group of six, only one can receive the annual Phoenix Award. The 2022 winner was the Navy’s first operational F-35C squadron. The phoenix is a mythological bird that is consumed by flames and then reborn from its own ashes.

“Periodically, so states the myth, the phoenix would again and again be reborn,” a DOD spokesperson wrote in 2021. “This unique ability of the legendary phoenix to rejuvenate and renew itself characterizes the role maintenance plays in sustaining DOD weapon systems and equipment.”

The Phoenix trophy is permanently displayed in the Pentagon, where for the next year it will bear the unit insignia for the 18th Maintenance Group. The group also received a traveling version to display until next year’s winner is announced.

Maintainers from the 18th Maintenance Group remove a tire from a KC-135 Stratotanker during an isochronal inspection at Kadena Air Base, Japan, May 22, 2019. (U.S. Air Force photo by Naoto Anazawa)

There are hundreds of field-level maintenance units across the military, but alongside the Phoenix Award, the DOD also issues the Robert T. Mason Award for Depot Maintenance Excellence, and the Rear Admiral Grace M. Hopper Award for Software Maintenance Excellence. The 76th Software Engineering Group based at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. picked up this year’s Hopper Award.

USAF F-16 Fighters Fly with Bahrain in Training Exercise

USAF F-16 Fighters Fly with Bahrain in Training Exercise

Jan. 9, 2024 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

U.S. Air Force F-16 fighters are in the midst of a weeklong training exercise with the Royal Bahraini Air Force, Air Forces Central announced.

The exercise, named Ballast Cannon, started Jan. 6 and will last until Jan. 12. In addition to the F-16s, KC-135 tankers are participating. Airmen are incorporating Agile Combat Employment (ACE) objectives into the exercise, as well as practicing aerial refueling, coalition command and control, and tactical integration between the USAF and the RBAF.

“By constantly integrating with our partners at the tactical edge, while still testing our expeditionary capabilities, we are building readiness and developing operational approaches that complicate the adversary’s problem as well as maintains our strategic advantage.” Brig. Gen. Quaid Quadri, 378th Air Expeditionary Wing Commander, said in a statement.

Images released by AFCENT show the F-16s participating in the aircraft to be from the New Jersey Air National Guard—the 119th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron arrived in the Middle East in late October to bolster the Air Force’s fighter footprint in the region amid increased attacks by militia groups aligned with Iran and concerns about possible region-wide escalation of the Israel-Hamas war.

An Air Forces Central release emphasized that this latest exercise is a “routine” event, with new editions of Ballast Cannon occurring roughly every three months. Previous iterations have not been publicized, but the USAF and RBAF have worked together before, participating in regional coalition operations, contributing to missions over Yemen and Iraq against Islamic State group fighters. In 2022, the two organizations also conducted a subject matter expert exchange focused on the C-130J aircraft.

“Through decades of collaboration and cooperation with our wonderful partners in the region, we have developed key relationships, bolstering our ability to integrate and employ airpower across the coalition,” Quadri said.

Agile Combat Employment is the Air Force’s operational concept whereby teams of Airmen and aircraft disperse from large central bases to various remote or austere locations, where they can operate with fewer resources and move quickly as needed.

Bahrain has operated F-16s of its own since the early 1990s. In 2018, the Gulf nation ordered 16 of Lockheed Martin’s newest Block 70 F-16s in a $1.1 billion contract. After completing flight tests at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., the initial batch of these jets are set to be delivered to the RBAF this year.

Pentagon Reviewing Failure to Disclose Austin’s Hospitalization, But Details Scarce

Pentagon Reviewing Failure to Disclose Austin’s Hospitalization, But Details Scarce

Jan. 8, 2024 | By Chris Gordon

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III is not planning to resign over the failure to disclose his hospitalization to President Joe Biden and senior members of the administration for days, officials said Jan. 8.

“The Secretary has no plans to resign,” Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder told reporters. “He continues to stay focused on conducting his duties as the Secretary and executing our mission.”

President Biden continues to have confidence in the Austin, White House officials added. 

Biden “respects the fact that Secretary Austin took ownership for the lack of transparency,” adding that the president has no plans to ask for Austin’s resignation, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.

But Austin’s aides are struggling to explain why no one at the Pentagon informed the White House or U.S. military leaders that Austin, the president’s top civilian military advisor and a top Cabinet official in the presidential line of succession, went to the hospital, where he remains, on Jan. 1.

“A very small number of folks knew about it,” Ryder said.

At least four top aides knew about Austin’s status soon after the hospitalization. But the White House was not informed until Jan. 4—the day the U.S. conducted a rare targeted killing of a militia leader in an airstrike in Baghdad.

“The Secretary of Defense’s chief of staff had been out sick with the flu, which caused a delay in these notifications,” Ryder said. “We can all agree, in terms of the notification processes here, we need a new normal.”

Top Pentagon officials, such as service secretaries and chiefs, including Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall, Air Force Chief of Staff David W. Allvin, and Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, were not officially notified until Jan. 5, only hours before a public statement was released, according to the Pentagon. Congress was notified shortly before that statement.

“I remain concerned that vital chain of command and notification procedures were not followed while the Secretary was under medical care,” Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a Jan. 8 statement. “This lack of disclosure must never happen again.”

Austin has taken ultimate responsibility for the failure to notify the administration, Congress, and the public in a timely way. But how that failure occurred is still murky.

Austin’s top civilian aides, including Kelly Magsamen, his chief of staff, and Chris Meagher, the assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs, knew of Austin’s hospitalization on Jan. 2, as did Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. and some of Austin’s top uniformed aides, including his senior military assistant Army Lt. Gen. Ronald P. Clark and Ryder.

“We’ll do what’s akin to a hot wash and try to see if processes and procedures need to be changed at all or modified so that we can learn from this,” added Kirby, the former Pentagon spokesman.

Austin was in severe pain on Jan. 1 and had to be transported by ambulance to the intensive care unit at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center—meaning he was unlikely in any condition to draft a public statement or make phone calls. On Jan. 2, some of Austin’s duties were transferred to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks due to Austin’s medical condition, though Hicks did not know Austin was hospitalized for another two days. Austin originally had an “elective” medical procedure on Dec. 22, during which he temporarily transferred responsibility to Hicks, Ryder said.

Austin resumed his duties Jan. 5, and on Jan. 8, he spoke to Hicks and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and received an “operational update” from U.S. Central Command boss Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurrila, the Pentagon said.

“While we wish Sec. Austin a speedy recovery, we are concerned with how the disclosure of the Secretary’s condition was handled,” Reps. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) and Adam Smith (D-Wash.), chairman and ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a joint statement issued Jan. 7. “Transparency is vitally important.”

Austin’s office is conducting a review of the incident. On Jan. 8, Magsamen ordered an inquiry to account for what happened and improve the process in the future.

Within 30 days, the review will establish the timeline of events concerning Austin’s hospitalization and evaluate the process for determining whether the secretary of defense is unable to perform their duties. The review will also include recommendations on how to improve the procedures to notify the president and senior defense officials.

Effectively immediately, the DOD is changing procedures for transferring authority from the secretary of defense to include the reason for the transfer in internal government communications. Notifications of the transfer will be distributed to top Pentagon officials, U.S. military commanders across the world, and the White House Situation Room.

“We absolutely want the trust of the American public,” Ryder concluded. “We want the trust of the media. We want the trust of Congress. We will continue to learn from this experience. We’ll continue to work hard to do better next time.“

SDA Selects a New Contractor to Build 18 More Transport Layer Satellites

SDA Selects a New Contractor to Build 18 More Transport Layer Satellites

Jan. 8, 2024 | By David Roza

The Space Development Agency (SDA) awarded a contract worth approximately $515 million to California-based Rocket Lab for 18 satellites that will help form the Tranche 2 Transport Layer (T2TL) of its massive low-Earth orbit constellation.

Last August, SDA awarded two contracts worth a total of about $1.5 billion to build 72 T2TL-Beta variant satellites that are planned to launch in September 2026. Rocket Lab’s 18 satellites are due to launch no later than July 2027.

The Rocket Lab batch brings the total size of T2TL-Beta to 90 satellites, but Tranche 2 overall will eventually consist of more than 200 total satellites from three different segments. The “Beta,” “Alpha,” and “Gamma” segments will provide different kinds of tactical satellite communication.

They will all be part of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, a constellation that will anchor the Pentagon’s broader plan for joint all-domain command and control (JADC2) by providing the satellite communications and connectivity needed to move data around the globe from sensors to shooters. 

“The constellation will provide global communication access and deliver persistent global encrypted connectivity to support missions like beyond line of sight targeting and missile warning and missile tracking of advance missile threats,” SDA wrote in a Jan. 8 release.

SDA director Derek M. Tournear celebrated the new contract as a milestone in his agency’s efforts to expand the number of companies contributing space vehicles.

“Their selection as a new prime and bus provider demonstrates SDA’s dedication to our mission, which includes development of a growing, innovative marketplace necessary to sustain SDA’s proliferated architecture on two-year spirals,” he said in the release.

As the Tranche 2 contracts are handed out, Tranche 1 is scheduled to launch this fall, while the 23-satellite Tranche 0 is already in orbit. Tranche 0 was meant to demonstrate the feasibility of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. Tranche 1 provides regional coverage for tactical data links, advanced missile detection, and beyond line of sight targeting. Tranche 2 expands Tranche 1 globally, while Tranches 3 and 4 are meant to enhance their predecessors.

SDA and Tournear are pushing for large numbers of smaller spacecraft in low-Earth orbit to create resilience by discouraging adversaries from trying to shoot down or otherwise disable any one satellite. 

Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture

TRANCHELAYER# OF SATELLITESCONTRACTORS
0Transport20York Space Systems, Lockheed Martin
Tracking8SpaceX, L3Harris
1Transport126York Space Systems, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman
Tracking35L3Harris, Northrop Gumman, Raytheon
Demonstration and Experimentation System12York Space Systems
2Transport (Beta)90Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Rocket Lab
Transport (Alpha)100York Space Systems, Northrop Grumman
Transport20 (approx.)TBA
Tracking52 (approx.)TBA
Demonstration and Experimentation System20 (approx.)TBA

 

Red Skies: Space Force Launches New Orbital Warfare Exercise

Red Skies: Space Force Launches New Orbital Warfare Exercise

Jan. 8, 2024 | By Greg Hadley

The Space Force held its first-ever “Red Skies” exercise last month—48 years after the first-ever Air Force “Red Flag”—simulating orbital combat and putting Guardians to the test.

Red Skies ran Dec. 11-15, challenging Guardians with simulated space threats in an exercise that was two years in the making, according to Space Training and Readiness Command leaders. Some 45 Guardians from Deltas 2, 3, 7, 9, and 11 participated, said lead planner Capt. DeShawna Moore.

Lt. Col. Scott Nakatani, commander of the 392nd Combat Training Squadron, which led the exercise, told Air & Space Forces Magazine that the Space Force is no different than any other service trying to compete in its area of responsibility. “How do these systems respond? And what are the limits of their performance?” he said, explaining that the next step is more difficult: “Trying to survive when someone’s trying to destroy you.”

The exercise builds on the concepts proven over half a century at Air Force Red Flag exercises, where fighter pilots are challenged to survive under extreme pressure. “So just like a fighter pilot on the range out at Nellis flying at Red Flag, now here we are working on building up those same skill sets—the survivability skill sets, pursuing the mission through contested and dangerous environments, against observed and validated adversary tactics.”  

Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman frequently calls for Guardians to get more opportunities to work on operational concepts and tactics, techniques, and procedures. Two years, ago, then-STARCOM commander Brig. Gen. Shawn N. Bratton said in January 2022 that he aimed to expand on the Space Force’s flagship “Space Flag” exercise, which “tried to be everything to everybody,” he said at the time. 

USSF hosted “Black Skies” exercises focused on electronic warfare before holding “Red Skies,” and plans call for another exercise, “Blue Skies,” to focus on cyber warfare. 

Brig. Gen. Todd Moore, STARCOM’s deputy commander, said the plans add to Guardians’ experience. “We have been increasing the number of exercises and trying to increase the number of venues where we’re able to give the Guardians access to scenarios to really train against an aggressor force.”

While details on the scenarios and threats Guardians faced in Red Skies remain classified, Nakatani said the exercise sought to develop tactics and procedures to protect U.S. satellites while taking into the account the cost of burning satellites’ limited fuel supplies. 

“Just like an air crew is trying to communicate to this controller back on the ground, how did the space crew flying the satellite deal with their command and control and obey so they can use their fuel budget judiciously and still achieve their objectives?” he said. 

The results were encouraging, Capt. Moore reported.

“I would say my favorite portion of the scenario in general was seeing the integration between the different [teams] and how we tackle those types of challenges innovatively in order to have mission success,” Capt. Moore said. 

This exercise was a simulation, but officials said they hope future Red Skies will incorporate live on-orbit assets. 

“I’d love to see some real maneuvers performed, perhaps with a test asset, perhaps with a residual capability,” Nakatani said. “When I think about what’s real, and what’s exercise, there’s always a nuanced piece too. Going through your entire communications structure, I do think there are [things] on real systems that just can’t be replicated in terms of readiness.” 

Plans call for the next Red Skies in fiscal 2025, Nakatani said, after which Brig. Gen. Moore said he hopes to increase the exercise’s frequency and complexity. 

“I genuinely believe we need to be able to replicate Red Skies no less than quarterly,” Moore said. “ The [other] place I’d take it is increased complexity. And when I need by increased complexity is making it a truly multi-domain in timing and tactics and command and control. Really having that increase in the complexity of what we’re doing across domains, I think is really important.”