Congress Passes NDAA, Provides 5.2 Percent Pay Raise for Every Airman, Guardian

Dec. 14, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

Congress finally passed the National Defense Authorization Act and sent its 3,000 pages to the White House for President Biden’s signature. The annual defense policy bill was approved with overwhelming bipartisan support, as the Senate and House voted it through on Dec. 13 and 14, respectively.

Included is a 5.2 percent pay raise, the largest in 20 years, and new rules governing the basic needs allowance, which ensures service members with large families don’t fall below 150 percent of the federal poverty level. The measure, among several that the Air & Space Force Association argued to include, will expand the number of service members eligible by empowering the Secretary of Defense to ignore housing allowances when calculating household income for troops with “a demonstrated need.”

The NDAA authorizes programs and expenditures, but does not appropriate funds; that is legislated separately in a Defense appropriations bill. The NDAA mandates and directs policy, requires reviews and reports, and establishes minimum and maximum numbers of personnel, equipment, and spending.

Congress has yet to pass an appropriations bill, so the Pentagon is left to operate under a continuing resolution, keeping spending levels frozen at fiscal 2023 levels. The latest CR is set to expire on Feb. 2 for defense funding, but lawmakers are still negotiating a “top line” spending level for the entire federal government, a necessary first step before it can finalize a defense spending bill.

Aircraft Moves

Other provisions in the measure include slowing aircraft attrition. Congress imposed new limits on Air Force plans to retire F-15E and F-16 fighter jets, and also blocked plans to retire any RQ-4 Global Hawk drones or KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refuelers. Lawmakers also want increased oversight of the new and secretive Next Generation Air Dominance fighter and Collaborative Combat Aircraft programs.

Crucially, the bill leaves in place a decision in last year’s NDAA that prohibited the Air Force from retiring non-combat-rated F-22 Raptors. Air Force officials say their 32 Block 20 F-22s are among the most expensive planes to keep in the inventory, are too expensive to upgrade, and will never be used in combat. They have twice tried to retire the older F-22s. But lawmakers, backed by AFA and analysts, say giving up those airplanes will move combat-coded F-22s into training roles, effectively shortening the lifespans of those remaining F-22s and making fewer fifth-generation aircraft available for combat.

Space Force

For the Space Force, the bill mandates a single personnel management system, essentially doing away with “Regular” and “Reserve” members in favor of a system that allows for both full-time and part-time Guardians. Space Force leaders wanted the change in order to provide more flexibility to hire highly-skilled Guardians who might otherwise leave the service. In this scenario, Guardians might move from full-time to part-time, creating an entirely new approach to managing careers and the force as a whole.

The NDAA punted, however, on whether to establish a Space National Guard. Instead, it requires a study on the feasibility of a Space Guard and three courses of action:

Leave the Air National Guard’s space-focused units in place

Transfer those units to the Space Force

Transfer them to a new Space National Guard

The study must include a cost-benefit analysis and assessment of risks and benefits to the mission. Results are due by March 1, 2024.

Congress previously asked in the 2022 and 2021 NDAAs for studies examining a space-focused reserve component and cost estimates for setting up a Space National Guard.

Proponents of a Space Guard, including AFA, say the costs of establishing such a force are reasonable and that ANG units with space missions will remain “orphaned” until the issue is resolved. They argue also that Guardsmen are attracted by the Guard’s unique state-level missions, such as humanitarian and disaster relief, and that they might not opt to stay if those were lost, creating a readiness shortfall. But critics of forming a Space National Guard argue it would be too small to be worth the extra bureaucracy and costs it would impose and that its inherently federal missions leave those units ill-suited to local disaster response requirements.

Missile Defense

Also included in the final bill are requirements for studies on integrated air and missile defenses in the Indo-Pacific and European regions. Growing concerns about new hypersonic and ballistic missile threats from China and Russia have prompted AFA and others to advocate for more planning.

Lawmakers are directing U.S. Indo-Pacific Command to craft a “comprehensive strategy for developing, acquiring, and operationally establishing an integrated air and missile defense architecture.” On top of that, the bill requires a report from the Secretary of Defense on “potential enhancements to U.S. and allied air and missile defense capabilities” for NATO.

Air Force ‘Cautiously Optimistic’ It Will Meet 2024 Recruiting Goals

Dec. 14, 2023 | By Chris Gordon

The Department of the Air Force is targeting a larger group of Americans as it tries to improve its recruiting, the DAF’s top civilian in charge of personnel said Dec. 13—and the Air Force thinks it may be on track to meet its target next year.

“I can say we are cautiously optimistic that we will achieve Active-Duty Air Force and Space Force enlisted accession goals” in fiscal 2024, assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs Alex Wagner said during a Dec. 13 Congressional hearing.

Military recruiting has been lagging over the past few years, a widely acknowledged and persistent issue—only the Marine Corps and Space Force met their fiscal 2023 goals. In written testimony to the House Armed Services subcommittee on personnel, Wagner said the regular Air Force missed its recruiting goal by just under 11 percent for fiscal 2023.

“Our recruiting is trying to reach the broadest swath of the American people possible,” said Wagner. Testifying alongside Pentagon and fellow service personnel chiefs, he pushed back against some lawmakers’ assertions that today’s military is overly political.

Such concerns were highlighted during Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s recent hold on the nominations of hundreds of military officers, in protest of the DOD’s reproductive health policies. The standoff, which ended earlier this month, led to bitter recriminations from both sides of the aisle, and some Republican members of the subcommittee argued during the hearing that the military is too focused on social issues, scaring off potential recruits.

Wagner and other officials, on the other hand, cited a lack of familiarity with the U.S. military as the most pressing recruiting issue and one that can lead to possibly inaccurate perceptions of military service and, therefore, a deceased propensity to serve.

“This, combined with historically low unemployment, strong private sector wage growth, concerns about the risks of military service, COVID’s impact on school access all has turned into a perfect storm—creating the most challenging recruiting environment for our high-tech service since the height of the dot-com boom, nearly a quarter of a century ago,” Wagner argued.

Air Force Recruiting Service boss Brig. Gen. Christopher Amrhein previously noted several statistics at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference in September showing that lack of familiarity:

Nine out of 10 American adults cannot name all five branches of the military nowadays

Only 23 percent of American youth are eligible for enlistment in the military, and less than half of the pool express interest in joining

Among the approximately 20 million Americans aged 17 to 21, only about 370,000 meet the eligibility criteria, possess the academic qualifications, and show interest in pursuing a career in the Air or Space Force.

“Lack of familiarity is the most important thing,” Wagner said. “What’s important to realize is that once people become familiar, they want to join, they understand the benefits of service, they understand the opportunities—whether they be educational, financial—they understand the community, being part of a team.”

The service has made a number of reforms as the Barriers to Service Cross-Functional Team, led by then-Vice Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin, set out to “look under the hood.” The service no longer permanently prohibits recruits who test positive for THC, changed body composition standards, relaxed hand and neck tattoo policies, slightly raised the age limit for recruits, and is working on preventing recruits from losing interest in joining up as they await adjudication of medical waivers—reforms that added some 2,900 recruits that would otherwise have been turned away, Wagner stated.

For example, the new body composition standards resulted in more than 1,400 accessions across the DAF among individuals who previously may not have been allowed in, while only one of those newly eligible recruits failed to pass their physical fitness test, Wagner said in his written testimony.

“What we have done is simply expand the opportunity for qualified individuals to join our ranks,” Wagner said.

Wagner and other Air Force officials have stressed they are not lowering standards to improve recruiting, but rather removing barriers to service that no longer made practical sense, given today’s low unemployment rate and general reluctance to join the military.

Low unemployment and private sector wage growth over the past three years correlated with a decreased propensity to serve, Wagner noted in his testimony. Private sector employment has also become more flexible during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ultimately, as Wagner and other officials noted, while uniformed service is unique, it is not immune to trends in the labor market.

“Today’s youth must view us as an employer of choice,” Wagner said. To that end, the DAF is expanding recruiting advertising on streaming services and gaming platforms that younger people use, he said.

Airmen Honor Osprey Crew with Special Operation Christmas Drop Bundle

Dec. 13, 2023 | By David Roza

Airmen at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, and Yokota Air Base, Japan, paid tribute to the eight Airmen who died in a CV-22 Osprey crash last month during Operation Christmas Drop, the Air Force’s famed annual humanitarian mission.

Among the hundreds of bundles containing food, toys, and supplies dropped from C-130Js over 57 islands in the western Pacific Ocean was a special box of gifts.

The bundles, which also contain clothes, medical supplies, school books, and fishing gear, are projected to reach more than 20,000 people across the Federated state of Micronesia and Palau. This year marks the 72nd edition of Operation Christmas Drop (OCD), but recent events gave the mission special significance. On Nov. 29, an Osprey assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron was flying a training mission out of Yokota when the tiltrotor aircraft caught fire and crashed, the deadliest Air Force aviation mishap since 2018.

gundam 22 3 — U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Tanner Huff and Senior Airman Ryan Langdon, 36th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron C-130J Super Hercules loadmasters, push bundles, including a ‘Gundam 22’ tribute bundle, from a U.S. Air Force C-130J over Angaur, Republic of Palau, Dec. 7, 2023, during Operation Christmas Drop 2023 (OCD 23). (U.S. Air Force photo by Yasuo Osakabe)

The OCD 23 Airmen wanted to pay tribute to the tragedy and remember their fallen comrades, who flew under the callsign ‘Gundam 22.’

“One of the core tenets of the Operation Christmas Drop mission is bringing people together. Because of that, the crew of Gundam 22 has never left our minds since the OCD teams arrived,” Maj. Zach Overbey, OCD 23 mission commander and pilot, said in a press release. “To help ease the pain of uncertainty and loss, we wanted to pay tribute to their lives, their service, their families, and their communities during this heartbreaking time.”

Volunteers decorated a box full of toys with an image of an Osprey mid-flight, the date of the Gundam 22 crash, and a spiral with devil horns similar to the mascot of the 21st Special Operations Squadron. Some of the Airmen signed their names and wrote ‘Merry Christmas.’ The illustrations join earlier efforts by the OCD 23 crew to spruce up the brown cardboard boxes with Christmas trees, snowmen, and other symbols of holiday cheer.

The Gundam 22 bundle was loaded onto a C-130J from the 36th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron bound for the Palau island of Angaur, which about 100 people call home. A public affairs Airman from the 374th Airlift Wing, Staff Sgt. Spencer Tobler, shot a video of children diving into the bundle for the gifts within. The special tribute to Gundam 22 did not go unnoticed.

“We love Operation Christmas Drop, it really makes the students and the people on this island happy, it’s an event that we all look forward to every year,” Tiffany Kasiano, principal of Angaur Elementary School, said in the press release. “Before we opened the box, I told the students it was a tribute to servicemen and about the tragedy that happened. I feel honored to be a part of it.”

Overbey hopes the bundle full of gifts is also a small kind of gift to those who knew the fallen Airmen.

“While it’s a small degree of comfort, we hope that this box of aid, given to those who need it most, will bring some degree of solace to the family and friends of the crew members of Gundam 22,” he said. “As we continue to execute our Operation Christmas Drop mission, we’re thinking about y’all, we love you all, and know that you are always on our minds and in our hearts.”

Air Force Eyes Big Changes for Major Commands

Dec. 13, 2023 | By Greg Hadley and Chris Gordon

ORLANDO, Fla.—As the Department of the Air Force’s sweeping re-optimization review nears its January deadline, service leaders are contemplating fundamental changes to USAF’s nine major commands.

“We’re going to transform the entire Department of the Air Force organizationally to prepare for great power competition within the next quarter,” Space Force Lt. Gen. Michael A. Guetlein said at the Space Force Association’s Spacepower Conference Dec. 13.

Guetlein, whose nomination to become Vice Chief of Space Operations is among several Air Force four-start appointments currently on hold, said in his keynote address that “the Air Force is going to get rid of the major commands structure.” But appearing again soon after, Guetlein suggested he had overstated the changes.

“I made it sound like decisions have been made,” he told reporters. “There have been no decisions made in this realm. [Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall] has not even been briefed on this yet. It’ll be several months until that happens, and when he’s ready, he’ll roll out those changes.”

The Air Force has tweaked its MAJCOM structure in the past, most recently with the elimination of the former Air Force Space Command after the Space Force was established. Before that, the establishment of Air Force Global Strike Command was the most recent change. But as recently as 2020 the service’s top leadership has considered concepts for radically overhauling the entire structure, according to former Air Force officers familiar with those plans.

Guetlein told Air & Space Forces Magazine in a brief interview that “there are no sacred cows” when it comes to changes that could result from the re-optimization review, which Kendall first announced in September at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference.

“We’re looking at the entire structure of the Department of the Air Force in [terms of] how do we better posture us for great power competition,” Guetlein said. “And the way we’ve always done business in the past is not the way we’re going to do business in the future.”

An Air Force spokesperson later added that the teams conducting the re-optimization review “continue to generate and carefully refine a list of notional solutions.” It’s unclear if Guetlein’s comments reflect one or more of those options.

Kendall has the department on a sprint, with the stated goal of completing the re-optimization review and initial implementation plans by January 2024. “The Air Force and Space Force are incredibly capable, but we need to reoptimize the department for greater power projection and for great power competition,” Kendall said in September.

The reason for the rush may be to get ahead of any changes that might need congressional approval in the next legislative cycle, or it could simply be something else. At 74, Kendall is widely anticipated to be committed to his role through the current administration, but may not extend past the next presidential inauguration.

Managing the Force

Optimizing the structure of the major commands ties directly to another initiative still in the work: implementing USAF’s new Force Generation Model. Known as AFFORGEN, it is designed to help the service better understand and communicate near- and long-term risks when responding to requests to deploy forces to the nation’s warfighting combatant commands. AFFORGEN establishes a four-phase, two-year cycle for deployable units. The four six-month phases take the units from “reset,” to train, maintain readiness, and deploy, before returning to reset.

In September, the Air Force introduced the concept of Air Task Forces to better identify the kinds of units that are needed to deploy because the service no longer deploys squadrons and wings as they once did. Lt. Gen. James C. “Jim” Slife, deputy chief of staff for operations and nominated to become the Air Force’s Vice Chief of Staff, said the disconnect between the way the service deploys forces and the way they are organized at home has grown over the past three decades.

“We organized our Air Force to be as flexible as possible, break it up into as many small little things as we can, and deploy,” he told Air & Space Forces Magazine in a recent interview. “We’re in a different strategic environment now.”

The Air Task Forces, which will begin reset cycles next year, provide units with which the service can experiment as leaders try to develop units that can train, deploy, and fight together, rather than assembling teams on the fly once they arrive at overseas locations.

“We’re looking at a set of attributes that include things like prizing mission over function,” Slife said. “It gives us a better ability to articulate capacity, risk, and readiness to the joint force.”

AFFORGEN and the Air Task Forces contribute to the larger re-optimization effort, and Slife said he does not anticipate a one-size-fits-all endeavor. AFFORGEN will not necessarily apply to units at regional commands, such as those in U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFA) or Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), in the same way as they might for units in Air Combat Command or Air Mobility Command.

“The Secretary uses the term reoptimize,” said Slife. “A portion of that may be organization. But that’s not the main point. The point is that every change in the strategic environment privileges different attributes, and we [must] adapt our Air Force to optimize for whatever the attributes are that are relevant, that are privileged, for that environment.”

Saltzman: ‘Probably No Coincidence’ X-37 and Chinese Space Plane Will Launch Near Each Other

Dec. 13, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

ORLANDO, Fla.—Multiple delays and scrubbed launches have kept the Space Force’s X-37B from returning to orbit this week.

But after suggesting several years ago the secretive space plane may be on its way out, Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman indicated its future is brighter than ever thanks to Pentagon’s competition with China.

In fact, Saltzman told reporters at the Space Force Association’s Spacepower Conference it’s “probably no coincidence” that China’s own space plane may launch around the same time as the X-37B.

First launched in 2010, X-37B has shattered records for its long missions in space. Its sixth and most recent flight started May 17, 2020 and ended 908 days later, on Nov. 12, 2022. Its payloads are often shrouded in secrecy, though officials have disclosed some and say the space plane is useful for testing new technologies and the effects of long-term space exposure.

In early November, the Space Force announced X-37B would launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on Dec. 7 at Kennedy Space Station, Fla. A few weeks later, the launch date was pushed to Dec. 10 due to launch delays and pad availability.

On Dec. 10, SpaceX announced the launch would be delayed a day due to weather. On Dec. 11, the company scrubbed the launch due to “a ground side issue” and said it was targeting Dec. 12, then pushed that back another day before finally posting on social media that it was standing down once more, with no new launch date confirmed.

We are standing down from tomorrow’s Falcon Heavy launch of USSF-52 to perform additional system checkouts. The payload remains healthy while teams work toward the next best launch opportunity. We’re also keeping an eye on the weather and will announce a new launch date once… pic.twitter.com/xo6TwkqatD
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 13, 2023

Despite all this, Saltzman projected confidence in X-37B’s mission and confirmed previous Space Force releases that hinted the space plane would operate at a higher orbit than ever before—it has operated in low-Earth orbit in the past, some 110-500 miles above the ground, but Falcon Heavy can deliver payloads of 58,860 pounds—far more than the X-37B—to geosynchronous orbit, more than 22,000 miles up.

“We are going to expand the envelope,” Saltzman said. “There are some good experiments and tests and that’s the primary goal of that, testing technologies. There are some experiments being run and we’ll pull data back. The beauty of it is that you can put something in the space environment and then bring it home and look at it. That’s the beauty of a space place concept.”

In 2020, when Saltzman was still a lieutenant general, he hinted that X-37B might be nearing the end of its service life. The spacecraft, he said then, might exemplify “technology that has served its purpose and [maybe] it’s time to start looking at the next available capability.”

Now, however, competition with China has heated up and another potential space plane that the Pentagon has expressed interest in—Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser—has been delayed multiple times.

Against that backdrop, Saltzman was asked by reporters about his previous comments and whether X-37B’s upcoming flight would be its “last stand.”

“I was over talking to the program manager. I don’t think that’s the best way to characterize it,” Saltzman replied.

While declining to offer specific details, Saltzman did say “this great power competition has really worked to our advantage on some areas, and if we have a capability, the idea of creating a gap in that capability is a concern with congressional members. At least that’s the way they’ve voiced it to me. Once we have a capability, they never want to back out of it.”

With that in mind, Saltzman expressed confidence that the program would receive the necessary funding to keep it going.

While X-37 may keep going for years to come, it will have to go head-to-head with China’s Shenlong space plane, which has completed two flights and may launch again soon, according to unconfirmed reports. Asked about the Chinese spacecraft’s launch, Saltzman tied it back to the competition between the two countries.

“It’s no surprise that the Chinese are extremely interested in our space plane. We’re extremely interested in theirs,” he said. “Because it is a capability; the ability to put something in orbit, do some things, and bring it home and take a look at the results is powerful. And so these are two of the most watched objects on orbit while they’re on orbit. It’s probably no coincidence that they’re trying to match us in timing and sequence of this.”

The Air Force’s X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle Mission 5 successfully landed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility. The X-37B OTV is an experimental test program to demonstrate technologies for a reliable, reusable, unmanned space test platform for the U.S. Air Force. USAF

6 Things to Know About New CMSAF David A. Flosi

Dec. 13, 2023 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

The Air Force is poised to get a new top enlisted Airman, as Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass prepares to pass the baton to Chief Master Sgt. David A. Flosi, selected as the next CMSAF this week. Here are seven key facts to know about the incoming CMSAF.

First CMSAF with Nuclear Background

Flosi will be the 20th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, but the first with a background in nuclear weapons. He started his Air Force career in 1996 as a nuclear weapons specialist at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.

Over time, he expanded his expertise, assuming leadership roles in conventional and nuclear munitions, missile operations, program management, and test and contingency operations. Still, his background may prove important as the Air Force embarks on an ambitious modernization of its nuclear enterprise and completes its Missile Community Cancer Study.

Diverse Experience

While Flosi started in nuclear weapons, his career and training reflect diverse experiences, including stints in munitions, maintenance, program management, and personnel rescue. He has served as the senior enlisted leader across multiple units, and his educational highlights include a M.S. degree in Logistics and Supply Chain Management from the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT).

Flosi has had deployments to Saudi Arabia, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He’s supported operations in Operations Southern Watch, Iraqi Freedom, Inherent Resolve, and Freedom’s Sentinel.

His contributions have earned him accolades including the Legion of Merit with an oak leaf cluster and the Bronze Star, as well as unit awards like the Air Force Global Strike Command’s Maintenance Effectiveness Award.

Last Stop: AFMC

Flosi’s most recent job has been as Command Chief for Air Force Materiel Command since October 2021. In that role, he was responsible for representing the needs of some 89,000 Airmen. Taking over during the COVID-19 pandemic, he was in place when the command revisited its use of telework to emphasize in-office work.

Views on Personal Well-Being

In his latest role as AFMC command chief, Flosi prioritized building resiliency across the force, recognizing the need for Airmen’s readiness in the current warfighting environment. For that, he underscored preventative mental, financial, and physical care, linking personal well-being to operational readiness.

“If our Airmen are worrying about the bill collector, they’re not going to be mentally ready to deploy a multimillion dollar weapon system,” Flosi stated in 2021. “We need to rally our first line supervisors and continue to help take care of our Airmen and each other.”

His Love for Leadership

Like many, Flosi’s journey in the Air Force extended far beyond his initial plans. He was originally eyeing a few years in the service to fund college through the G.I. Bill and get a civilian job in finance, he noted in a 2021 release. But as a nuclear maintainer, he found himself stationed worldwide in various leadership roles, and the experience made him realize the economic challenges of civilian life and how critical it is to lead his fellow Airmen. He no longer saw the Air Force as a job but started to embrace it as a career.

“I guess life didn’t quite work out as planned,” Flosi said. “It has worked out far better than I could have imagined.”

Not a Fan of Social Media So Far

Flosi doesn’t have any active public social media accounts, a contrast from his predecessor—Bass frequently used Facebook to offer updates to the force and livestream discussions with senior department leaders. Former Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force Roger Towberman also frequently utilized Facebook and Reddit to connect with Guardians, hosting live discussions and addressing criticisms.

A study in 2020 showed more than 90 percent of the service members and military spouses were found to be active on at least one social media platform. As this trend is expected to continue growing, it remains to be seen whether Flosi will opt to utilize the platform in the future to engage with the community.

Space Force Working on Changes to How It Develops Enlisted, Civilian Guardians

Dec. 13, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

ORLANDO, Fla.—The Space Force is contemplating major changes for how it develops its enlisted corps and large civilian contingent, top officials said Dec. 12 at the Space Force Association’s Spacepower Conference, after the service made several changes to how it develops officers.

“We did amazing work for our officer corps over the last few years,” said Chief Master Sgt. Jason Childers, senior enlisted advisor to the service’s Chief Human Capital Officer. “We’re starting to pivot a little bit towards the enlisted force.”

Specifically, leaders are looking at things like Professional Military Education as well as training and development opportunities.

For the officer corps, that meant implementing a groundbreaking partnership with Johns Hopkins University in place of the traditional war college concept and direct commissions to higher ranks for individuals with advanced degrees or experience.

Now, the service is looking at the rest its ranks.

“We’ve got to take care of the enlisted force,” said Maj. Gen. Shawn N. Bratton, the former head of Space Training and Readiness Command and soon to be deputy chief of space operations for strategy, plans, programs, and requirements. “Where are we going with the development of the enlisted force as they progress to senior NCO? And what do we think about bachelor’s degrees within the enlisted force? And how strongly do we feel about that?”

Both Bratton and Childers noted that the Space Force inherited many of its existing enlisted programs from the Air Force—but those structures don’t exactly fit the new service’s needs.

“When I went to basic training, it was all 18-year-olds right out of high school,” Bratton said. “That is not the force that we’re bringing in the Space Force. The average age is 22, many are married, many have some college, some have bachelor’s degrees into basic training. So that requires not only a different basic training, but also just a different development model.”

That in turn requires a fundamental re-examination of what is expected from the enlisted corps.

“We’re working hard right now … on really making sure we understand our sort of foundational roles,” Bratton said. “What does an enlisted member do in the Space Force? What does an officer do? What does a civilian do? What are the expectations of the different ranks? And are we delivering training and education at the right time? I think you’ll start to see some of that as we get into next year.”

Childers added that the service has temporarily stood down several school houses in the service to work on what he called a “bridging strategy” for future enlisted development.

“We’re really looking at the entire continuum of learning and development for the enlisted force,” Childers said. “There’s certainly some opportunities for partnerships with academia and industry there, as we look at, what is going to be inherently professional military education? What is going to be experiential? What are the other technical-type trainings? Then, what gaps are there in the competency modeling framework that we’re also working on that could be potentially met from academia or industry, to include possible accreditation for our training courses?”

The Space Force first outlined its move toward a “competency framework” for talent management in “The Guardian Ideal,” its human capital plan released in 2021, and further developed it in its 2022 doctrine publication on personnel. Expanding some of that competency training to outside partners would fit with the service’s mandate to be “lean, agile, and innovative” and exploit existing capabilities when possible.

But it is not just the enlisted force that could see changes. The Space Force has thousands of civilian Guardians, with a higher ratio than other services, and Bratton said he doesn’t want that portion of the workforce to be neglected.

What percentage of the civilian workforce wants to be developed—to come in as a college graduate and stay with the Space Force for an entire career, that may involve moving around? That is certainly not for everyone. But we think maybe it is for some people,” he said. “We’re sort of wrestling with that idea. Is the purpose of civilian employees there you identify the skills you need, and you go find someone with those skills and you hire them? Or should we swing that pendulum a little more into the development line on ‘hey, let’s give opportunities for development to our junior civilians to progress within the Space Force so we can keep that retention in the civilian force.’”

To make such a move work, the Space Force has to recognize the unique place its civilians occupy, added Damon S. Feltman, a retired brigadier general and now a civilian leader with the Space Development Agency.

“If we’re going to have a development program for our civilian Guardians, it has to help them understand that they’re actually kind of they have their feet in kind of two worlds,” Feltman said, referring to the different speed at which government and private industry can work.

Such distinctions could be especially important as the Space Force preps for a major overhaul of its personnel management system. The changes, finalized in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act that is expected to pass Congress in the coming days, would create a single component with both full-time and part-time Guardians, allowing individuals to more easily transition between the two.

Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman highlighted those changes during his own keynote address, showing off slides with three Guardians transitioning from military to civilian garb.

“Once approved, we’re looking to fully implement this new program as soon as possible, making sure our guidance policies on personnel management are aligned with the act, and that affected personnel have the information they need to make informed decisions,” Saltzman said.

Amid all these changes, Bratton emphasized that there is one “unquestionable thing”—the Space Force must grow beyond its current small size of about 16,000 personnel.

“We’ll keep working towards that goal. But we’ve got to grow deliberately,” Bratton said. If we grew 5,000 billets in year, we wouldn’t be able to get all those folks through training. And so there’s got to be a deliberate plan for growth. And I think that is some of the work that the headquarters staff owes you guys, on how are we going to do that.

“But there’s a lot going on right now. And I think you’ll start to see some of those changes coming in next year and the following year.”

LaPlante: DOD ‘Not Walking Away’ From an F-35 Performance-Based Logistics Contract

Dec. 12, 2023 | By John A. Tirpak

The Pentagon will try again to negotiate a Performance-Based Logistics contract to support F-35 sustainment, but a shortage of available subject matter experts and a lack of substantial benefits in the deal offered by Lockheed Martin caused the government to suspend the talks, DOD acquisition and sustainment chief William LaPlante told a House Armed Services Committee panel on Dec. 12.

In a hearing focused on the F-35 program, lawmakers also questioned LaPlante and other experts about the status of the Tech Refresh 3 update and an alternative engine for the fighter.

“We’ve not made the decision to walk away from a Performance Based Logistics [contract] overall, at the system level,” LaPlante told the Tactical Air and Land forces subcommittee. “We had to pause just because of the manpower.”

With a limited number of experts having to shift to other duties, there weren’t enough people available to have a comprehensive conversation, LaPlante said, and the talks were tabled. Interim deals continuing with the existing support arrangement will be struck for March and likely June, he said.

Lockheed’s proposal also did not offer “sufficient cost savings, if any, and no performance savings,” he said. “So we put pause on the PBL to focus on extending the current contracting.”

If an overall deal can’t be struck, LaPlante said it might make sense to break the PBL into certain subsystems.

Right now, though, work needs to be done to define the right metrics for measuring success with a PBL, LaPlante said. The government wants to use one called Gross Issue Effectiveness Rate requirements, which LaPlante explained is a “percentage of total demands filled at the base with onsite inventory, divided by total number of demands, and supply response time. We think those are good metrics.”

Making it work will require reliable data, however.

“But we haven’t given up on it,” LaPlante said of a PBL. “We just were not … going to wrap up the negotiation on this one in the time we needed. And I wouldn’t have been able to satisfy the requirement to have it certified for the price savings.”

Pressed to explain why the Joint Program Office doesn’t have enough people to conduct the PBL negotiations in a timely manner, JPO director Lt. Gen. Michael J. Schmidt said there is a limited group of individuals who know the F-35’s systems well enough to do the work.

“These are huge contracts with quotes from all the suppliers that come in,” and the team was overwhelmed, he said.

“I had to either show Dr. LaPlante that I had a closure plan that would get us there—like, right now—or pivot to extending our current contracts. Otherwise, we’d be at risk of sustaining our fleet,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt said there is a “full handshake” deal on the first support contract extension to March.

“We are quickly closing on the extension to June,” he added, saying he hoped it would be completed within the next few weeks. After that, Schmidt and LaPlante will have to settle on a “broader acquisition strategy … [which] in my opinion, must be incentive-based in order to drive the proper industry behaviors and commitments going forward,” Schmidt said.

Upgrades

Schmidt also said the Tech Refresh 3 processor upgrade now in testing is not being produced “at a rate where it needs to be. It is not meeting our contractual requirements.”

The problem lies with the supply of some key components, he said, with the component shortage affecting the Distributed Aperture System, or DAS.

TR-3 “needs to come up the curve very quickly in order to meet our production,” Schmidt said, and the shortage may also affect retrofits of older aircraft down the road.

If TR-3 was fully ready, “there were 52 airplanes that … would have been delivered by the end of by the end of December,” Schmidt reported. Instead, only 21 have been delivered. “The rest of the airplanes are being held,” he said.

“We will catch up quickly” if supplies of the short components reach adequate levels, he added.

LaPlante acknowledged the scope and cost escalation of the Block 4 modification, which depends on the TR-3, has increased from 66 improvements at a cost of $10.6 billion, completed by 2026; to 80 improvements at a cost of $16.5 billion, to be delivered by 2029. This was due to changes in requirements, he said—the program initially expected the improvements would come in a rolling manner.

Jon Ludwigson of the Government Accountability Office reminded lawmakers that the GAO has suggested breaking out the Block 4 upgrade as its own Major Defense Program, so that the cost of its elements can be scrutinized with greater clarity. As part of the overall F-35 program, he said Block 4 schedule or cost problems look smaller and are harder to tease out from other issues.

Engine Work

LaPlante and Schmidt both said that as much as they would like to pursue a new engine competition for the F-35, costs and applicability to all F-35 types compelled them to select an F135 engine upgrade instead. LaPlante noted that the Adaptive Engine Transition Program (AETP) engines developed by Pratt & Whitney and GE Aerospace will only fit the F-35A used by the Air Force and possibly the F-35C used by the Navy, but not the F-35B, which uses a unique short takeoff/vertical landing mechanism.

Rep. Carlos A. Gimenez (R-Fla.), however, said performance should have been a greater consideration than “just a business case” decision to do the more modest upgrade.

“If I’m the fighter pilot, I want the engine that takes me faster and takes me longer,” he said. “This is a performance issue … for the life of our pilots and the capability of this airplane, especially in a theater which we may be finding ourselves in.” A future conflict “is going to need this enhanced capability,” he added.

LaPlante acknowledged the AETP program “did everything we asked it to” and provided upwards of 30 percent improvement in range and double-digit improvements in acceleration.

Former CENTCOM Commanders: US Should Consider Strikes Against Houthis

Dec. 12, 2023 | By Chris Gordon

Iranian-backed forces have once again stepped up their attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria and commercial vessels in the Red Sea in recent days, fueling concerns the Israel-Hamas war may lead to broader hostilities in the region.

As of Dec. 12, there have been at least 92 attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-aligned groups since Oct. 17, according to a U.S. defense official. Iranian-aligned Houthi forces also appear to be trying to draw the U.S. and its allies into a wider conflict by attacking vessels in the Red Sea.

Now, some former commanders of U.S. forces in the region are advocating for a more forceful response to deter further aggression and told Air & Space Forces Magazine that fears such action may escalate into a major U.S.-Iranian confrontation may be misplaced.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III will visit the region next week to ensure the “crisis doesn’t escalate into a broader regional conflict,” Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder told reporters Dec. 12. But Iran’s network of proxy groups—the so-called Axis of Resistance—appears determined to challenge those plans or at least act as a persistent thorn in the side of the U.S.

In particular, the Houthis have launched numerous cruise missile, ballistic missile, and drone attacks over the Red Sea in recent months; damaged ships; seized a vessel; and shot down an American MQ-9 drone.

“The actions that we’ve seen from these Houthi forces are destabilizing,” Ryder said. “They’re dangerous and clearly a flagrant violation of international law. This is an international problem that requires an international solution.”

The U.S. is working to put together a multinational naval task force to protect shipping in that important commercial waterway. But some observers say the U.S. should consider more forceful courses of action too.

“It’s not clear to me that responding to the Houthis’ provocations in Yemen, as a matter of self-defense, is necessarily escalating and would lead to significant Iranian involvement,” retired Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., who commanded CENTCOM from 2019-2022, told Air & Space Forces Magazine. “It’s just not clear to me that there’s a linkage there.”

The Houthis’ targets initially appeared to be vessels with some connection to Israel. But they have since broadened to include numerous vessels, most recently on Dec. 11 when a land-based cruise missile struck the the Dutch-owned and India-crewed M/T Strinda. The commercial vessel was in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a critical chokepoint for shipping, when it was targeted.

“The Bab el-Mandeb is incredibly important,” retired Army Gen. Joseph L. Votel, who commanded CENTCOM from 2016-2019, told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

The Houthis have promised to continue their attacks in the area.

“I think we have to take them at their word, and we have to make sure that is fully incorporated into our calculations and decision-making,” Votel added.

The USS Mason was dispatched to render assistance to the Strinda, U.S. Central Command said. The USS Mason and the USS Carney, both guided missile destroyers, have also been active in the region, downing Houthi aerial targets and escorting and rendering aid to beleaguered ships.

In response to the attacks in Iraq and Syria, the U.S. has taken retaliatory action and used an AC-130 gunship and an armed drone to preempt some militia attacks. The U.S. and its partners are in Iraq and Syria to fight against Islamic State militants and have continued that mission.

The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, an aircraft carrier, was sent to the Middle East to deter Iran and other actors and its aircraft have been flying missions in support of the anti-ISIS campaign over Iraq and Syria, a senior U.S. defense official said. But the Houthis present a more vexing issue.

“We have no track record of anyone successfully deterring the Houthis, so we don’t know how they’ll react to force,” said Michael Knights of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “They want to be known as the biggest risk taker in the Axis of Resistance and the only one going toe-to-toe with the U.S.”

Unlike Iraq and Syria, the U.S. military has no forces in Yemen. Experts also differ over whether the Houthis are largely acting on their own with Iranian-supplied weapons or are being directed to attack by Tehran.

Some former commanders said, however, that there are legitimate military targets controlled by the Houthis in Yemen and the U.S. does not need to wait for the group to launch still more attacks on commercial shipping before taking military action.

“You could take action against coastal radars, coastal gun systems, missile systems, those kinds of sites,” said Votel. “There are very clear military targets.”

When Votel commanded CENTCOM, the U.S. struck radar sites in Yemen in 2016 in response to missile attacks, including toward the USS Mason, and the Pentagon cited the need to protect shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb as a reason for its actions.

Taking military action could have its challenges. Some of the systems may be mobile or could be resupplied. But Votel said it could also have a practical and symbolic impact.

“It can degrade their capability in the near term, and at the same time, send a very clear message,” he said.