USSF Creates New Component for SPACECOM

Dec. 12, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

ORLANDO, Fla.—The name—U.S. Space Forces – Space—may seem a little redundant, but the newest Space Force component will have an outsized role in how the Space Force coordinates with U.S. Space Command.

Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman revealed the new command Dec. 12 at a conference in Orlando, Fla.

Space Forces – Space, or S4S, will be similar to the components the service has established to ensure space capabilities are understood and integrated into other combatant commands, including U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, U.S. European Command, and U.S. Central Command. Functionally, it takes on one of the roles that has been played by the much larger Space Operations Command (SpOC), which has been serving as both USSF’s “organize, train, and equip” mission and the Space component for U.S. Space Command—presenting the forces it utilizes in conducing operations in the domain.

The new component “will allow SpOC to focus on readiness and other service responsibilities, while Space Forces – Space will focus on operations and the needs of SPACECOM,” Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman said in a keynote address at the Spacepower Conference.

The odd-sounding name follows the convention established for other components like U.S. Space Forces Indo-Pacific, U.S. Space Forces Central, and U.S. Space Forces Europe and Africa. It was as those components were established that leadership decided on the need to separate out Space Operations Command’s responsibilities, said Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Schiess, the new commander of Space Forces – Space.

Specifically, SpOC will now “focus on preparing Deltas to be force-presented, mostly to U.S. Space Forces – Space, but could be, especially from a terrestrial perspective … force presented to one of the other combatant or service components,” Schiess said.

Schiess compared the switch to the Air Force’s major command structure.

“Air Combat Command gets forces ready to be presented to [Pacific Air Forces] or [U.S. Air Forces in Europe] or [Air Forces Central],” Schiess noted. “SpOC is going to get the forces prepared to be able to force-present them to any of us.”

Space Forces – Space is also meant to streamline and simplify the often-confusing web of organizations under SPACECOM. The Combined Force Space Component Command (CFSCC) and the Joint Task Force Space Defense (JTF-SD) are deactivating, and the Space Force Deltas that supported them—Delta 5 and Delta 15—will move into Space Forces – Space.

A simpler structure will also help the other components, said Brig. Gen. Anthony J. Mastalir, commander of Space Forces Indo-Pacific.

“It really is [about] being able to integrate at the operational level, and integrate component to component,” Mastalir said. “My S3 or S5 knows exactly who their counterpart is in Space Forces – Space, the organization supporting U.S. Space Command. … So this construct really is a force multiplier in terms of being able to integrate and synchronize with the other domains.”

U.S. Space Forces – Space will be officially activated at a ceremony in January.

The new emblem of Space Forces – Space, the new USSF component for U.S. Space Command.

USAF Salvages a New Stealth Fighter from Two Wrecked Jets

Dec. 12, 2023 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

The Air Force can’t get enough new F-35s fast enough, so it’s doing everything it can to preserve damaged jets and make them new again–even if it takes two to build just one.

In the first-ever effort to salvage F-35s from the junk heap, a team of highly skilled technicians is combining the remains of two damaged aircraft into what officials are calling “Franken-bird.”

The new jet will rise like a phoenix from the ashes of two earlier models:

AF-27, which suffered a severe engine fire in 2014 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and

AF-211, which survived a landing gear collapse in 2020 at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.

The AF-27 airframe has been recycled as an Air Battle Damage and Repair trainer at Hill and AF-211, including its engine, have been preserved since the gear collapse, which severely damaged its nose. Dave Myers, lead engineer at the F-35 Joint Program Office Lightning Support Team, told Air & Space Forces Magazine that combining the best of both aircraft will result in a fully capable aircraft.

“There is no degradation,” Myers said. “The repair itself would not degrade any of its capability.”

A new F-35 Lightning II costs more than $80 million and its maker, Lockheed Martin, is producing jets as fast as it can. So when an aircraft is damaged, it can’t quickly be replaced. Salvaging all the parts and combining them into one good fighter should prove cost effective, provided USAF can demonstrate the resulting aircraft is sound.

To combine the two, Myers said, AF-27’s nose is being separated from its body and then reassembled onto AF-211, along with additional updates and technical adjustments resulting in a fully functional F-35. New parts, including a section of the aircraft’s outer skin, will also be incorporated to produce a fully viable jet.

“The fixed skin on the belly of the aircraft behind where the mate joint is was also damaged, and so that skin is being replaced,” Myers said. In addition, “parts in the nose that were destroyed during the mishap are being replaced.”

If successful, the rebuild will provide a framework for reclaiming partially damaged jets, both F-35s and potentially other aircraft, as well.

Led by the F-35 JPO, the team crafting the “Franken-bird” includes Airmen and civilians from the 388th Fighter Wing, the Ogden Air Logistics Complex, and contract technicians from Lockheed Martin, the Lightning II’s prime contractor, among others. “The core group repairing the aircraft is around 20,” Dan Santos, the Heavy Maintenance Manager at the F-35 JPO, told Air & Space Forces Magazine. Most are Lockheed Martin engineers, “and we are relying heavily on the unit for organizational level support.”

A new Mobil Maintenance System supports the donated nose section from a salvaged F-35 airframe used as an Aircraft Battle Damage Repair trainer at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, in October 2023. U.S Air Force courtesy photo

The project has been a long time coming. Groundwork began nearly four years ago, in January 2020, when the JPO inquired about what Lockheed Martin learned while repairing damaged F-22s. The JPO already was claiming salvageable components from damaged F-35s, improving maintenance and operations, and finding ways to make use of parts, such as using the AF-27 as an ADBR trainer.

But the “Franken-bird” represents the boldest undertaking yet, said Scott Taylor, Lockheed Martin’s lead mechanical engineer in a release.

“All of the aircraft sections can be de-mated and re-mated theoretically, but it’s just never been done before,” Taylor said. Proving it can be done could be a game changer. USAF is using the project as a pathfinder, documenting every step to generate standardized procedures for future reclamation projects.

Santos said progress is good and that the team is about two months ahead of schedule so far. Barring delays, it appears they could be fully operational well before their March 2025 goal, Santos said.

“Not only will this project return a combat asset back to the warfighter, but it opens the door for repairing future mishap aircraft using tooling, equipment, techniques, and knowledge developed” for that purpose, Santos said.

A damaged nose section is removed from an F-35 airframe using a new Mobil Maintenance System at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, in October 2023. U.S Air Force courtesy photo

Stealth Upgrade: Alabama Guard Wing Gets First F-35s

Dec. 12, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

The Alabama Air National Guard’s 187th Fighter Wing received its first F-35 fighters last week, becoming the third Guard unit to get the fifth-generation aircraft and adding a new chapter in the wing’s storied legacy.

Nicknamed the “Red Tails” in honor of World War II’s Tuskegee Airmen, the 187th welcomed three F-35s to Dannelly Field on Dec. 5—seven months after the wing retired the F-16s it had flown for 35 years.

“It is an honor to be able to fly one of the first F-35s home,” said Lt. Col. Richard Peace, a pilot for the 187th Fighter Wing, in a release. “I have always looked up to the Tuskegee Airmen and can confidently say we will continue their legacy using the F-35s. Everyone at the wing has been hard at work preparing for this moment and it is finally here. I am excited to see everyone and to be back after months of pilot training preparing for this special day.”

Dannelly Field was selected to get F-35s in 2017, and construction on new facilities began four years later. The wing formally began the conversion process in March, as pilots and maintainers were embedded in other F-35 units around the country to learn to fly and maintain their new aircraft.

Wing Vice Commander Col. Jay R. Spohn told Air & Space Forces Magazine in May that he expected about 15 pilots to be fully qualified on the F-35 by the first aircraft’s arrival. According to a wing release, some 33 maintainers and support Airmen are also ready to work with the new planes.

“They are highly skilled, highly-trained maintainers that dedicated years of their lives and moved from Alabama to embed with F-35 Guard or active-duty units to learn best practices,” said Capt. Bryon Townsend, 187th Fighter Maintenance Group’s director of operations, describing his teammates in a statement. “We are grateful for the work they have put into their training and expect them to serve as the leaders that our maintenance members will look to for guidance, expertise, and empowerment.”

Shortly after the new stealth fighters’ arrival, the 187th took to Facebook to post a photo of a can of red paint and a spray gun in front of one aircraft, a cheeky reference to the wing’s tradition of painting their aircraft’s tails red, as did the Tuskegee Airmen.

But no one is actually going to paint the F-35 Lightning II tails. The aircraft’s stealthy skin is designed and crafted to minimize the jet’s radar signature, and the highly detailed work to maintain its skin is labor intensive.

Last year, the Air Force debuted some F-35s with a “Splinter” camouflage pattern as part of a new Aggressor Squadron. While officials said then that the paint would not negate or interfere with the fighter’s low observability, subsequent jets from the same squadron have not featured that unique paint job.

Whatever color their actual tails, the Wing joins the Vermont ANG’s 158th Fighter Wing and Wisconsin ANG’s 115th Fighter Wing as the only Guard units flying the world’s most advanced stealth fighter. In time, the 187th will gain 20 F-35s and projects to reach full operational readiness by February 2026.

USAF Report Faults Lax Security Culture in Unit of Airman Who Allegedly Leaked Documents

Dec. 11, 2023 | By Chris Gordon

The Air Force announced Dec. 11 that it has initiated disciplinary and other administrative actions against 15 Airmen and implemented reforms service-wide after scores of classified documents were allegedly leaked earlier this year by Airman 1st Class Jack Teixeira.

The disciplinary actions were taken against Airmen ranging from staff sergeant to colonel and followed an Air Force inspector general’s report that found a “culture of complacency” and lax security protocols in the Massachusetts Air National Guard wing in which Teixeira served.

“Every Airman and Guardian is entrusted with the solemn duty to safeguard our nation’s classified defense information,” Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall said in a statement. “Our national security demands leaders at every level protect critical assets, ensuring they do not fall into the hands of those who would do the United States or our allies and partners harm.”

The Air Force Inspector General’s office determined that Teixeira acted alone in obtaining classified information and sharing it in online chat rooms but that his actions were enabled by a “lack of supervision.”

The IG’s investigation described several incidents when Teixeira’s supervisors and colleagues in the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base, Mass., were aware of his improper actions and did not act to stop them or share their concerns above the squadron level.

“Evidence indicates some members in A1C Teixeira’s unit, reporting chain, and leadership had information about as many as four separate instances of his questionable activity,” the inspector general report, dated August 2023, states. “A smaller number of unit members had a more complete picture of A1C Teixeira’s intelligence-seeking behaviors and intentionally failed to report the full details of these security concerns/incidents as outlined in DoD security policies, fearing security officials might ‘overreact.’ Had any of these members come forward, security officials would likely have facilitated restricting systems/facility access and alerted the appropriate authorities, reducing the length and depth of the unauthorized and unlawful disclosures by several months.”

The inspector general report is separate from the criminal investigation of Teixiera being led by the Department of Justice.

The 15 Airmen facing disciplinary and other administrative actions at the base include Col. Sean Riley, 102nd Intelligence Wing commander, who received administrative action and was relieved of command for cause, and Col. Enrique Dovalo, 102nd Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group commander, who received administrative action for concerns with unit culture and compliance with policies and standards.

In the most detailed publicly released account yet of Teixeira’s actions in his unit, the Air Force inspector general paints a picture of an Airman who repeatedly violated protocols but who had supervisors who tried to downplay his actions. It also notes the unit encouraged the sharing of classified intelligence that should not have been widely disseminated as part of an effort to educate Airmen about their part in the nation’s intelligence mission.

Members of the 102nd Intelligence Support Squadron, including Teixeira, were “encouraged to receive weekly intelligence briefings to better understand the mission and the importance of keeping the classified networks operating. This ‘know your why’ effort was improper in that it provided higher-level classified information than was necessary to understand the unit’s mission and created ambiguity with respect to questioning an individual’s need to know,” the inspector general found.

Beyond the broad oversharing of information, Teixeira’s superiors repeatedly had reason to suspect that he obtained and kept records of classified information. Teixeira was cited for his improper handling of classified information, though not through the correct reporting channels, the inspector general found.

During the summer and fall of 2022 and continuing into 2023, Teixeira was observed looking at top secret/sensitive compartmented information (TS/SCI) or referencing the contents of that material in a number of suspicious incidents.

In the first case, around July or August of 2022, he was seen looking at TS/SCI information and one of his supervisors was informed. On Sept. 15, 2022, Teixeira was seen viewing intelligence and copying information down on a post-it note.

“However, it was never verified what was written on the note or whether it was shredded,” the IG report states. “His supervisor and another unit member documented the event via Memorandum for Record (MFR), and A1C Teixeira was directed to stop taking notes on classified information and ‘to cease all research where he did not have a need to know.’ These incidents were not reported to the proper security official.”

Despite the warnings, Teixeira’s activity continued. Roughly a month later on Oct. 25, 2022, Teixeira “asked very detailed questions and even attempted to answer questions using suspected TS-SCI information he did not have a need to know,” the IG states. “Teixeira was again ordered to ‘cease and desist’ intelligence ‘deep dives.’ This third incident was documented with another MFR, but not reported to the proper security official.”

Then on Jan 30, 2023, Teixeira was again seen viewing intelligence. The incident was finally reported, but the unit appears to have tried to downplay the severity Teixeira’s actions.

“The supervisor was informed, an MFR was written, and more senior members of the squadron’s leadership were made aware of three of the four preceding incidents,” the IG report states.

After some internal discussion the episode was reported to security officials but in a way that minimized concerns over Teixeria’s activities.

“As a result, additional available security actions were not taken and no further inquiry or investigation occurred,” the IG report said.

The Department of Air Force says as a result of the investigation it has reformed its processes.

They include determining whether an individual with a security clearance actually has a “need to know” specific classified information, improved security training, and emphasizing the responsibility of commanders and other personnel to report concerning behavior up the chain of common–all key failings in the Teixeira case.

Speaking to reporters shortly after the findings were released, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder said Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III was “confident the Air Force is taking necessary steps to look into this.”

IGReportTeixeira Download

Lawmakers to Pentagon: Give Us Hypersonics Strategy Updates, Plan for Test Corridors

Dec. 11, 2023 | By John A. Tirpak

Looking to keep pace in the fast-evolving field of hypersonics, lawmakers are directing the Pentagon to submit an overhauled strategy for the technology at least every two years as part of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, which is poised to pass both chambers of Congress this week.

As part of the compromise conference report on the NDAA issue last week, lawmakers said they also want the Secretary of Defense to identify, within a year, additional overland corridors in which hypersonic weapons and aircraft—which create large sonic booms—can be tested.

“Not less frequently than once every two years,” the Defense Secretary is to “revise and update” the department’s hypersonics strategy and submit it to the “appropriate congressional committees,” according the bill. The directive will sunset on December 31, 2030.

There are numerous hypersonics programs underway within DOD and the armed services—ranging from both air-breathing and boost-glide offensive hypersonic missiles to hypersonic interceptors—but only a few are closely coordinated. The study wants a detailed DOD plan for “funding and investments … related to the procurement, research, development, test, evaluation and operation and maintenance of offensive and defensive hypersonic weapons.” The new language sets the timing for these reports and specifies the cost breakouts for various aspects of such systems.

“Each report [shall] include cost data on the hypersonic capabilities of the Department of Defense, including vehicles, developmental and operational testing, hypersonic sensors, command and control architectures, infrastructure, testing infrastructure, software, workforce, training, ranges, integration costs, and such other items as the Secretary of Defense considers appropriate,” the bill states.

Each is to be ascribed to “an offensive or defensive mission,” down to the particular program element numbers covered and “the name of the entity that is carrying out the activity”—i.e., the Air Force, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Rapid Capabilities Office, etc.

Each report is to be presented in an unclassified form, but may include a classified annex.

Some Hill staffers have complained privately that the Air Force has not been fully transparent about its plans and the estimated costs for programs such as the AGM-183 Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW), Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM), and MAYHEM, a planned reusable air-breathing hypersonic system expected to become available in the early 2030s.

The Air Force dropped out of the multiservice Hypersonic Conventional Strike Weapon in early 2020, saying at the time that it preferred the ARRW. But earlier this year, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said the Air Force wouldn’t pursue ARRW, either, and would focus its money and efforts on HACM, which is a smaller, longer-ranged, air-breathing weapon that can be carried by a fighter.

Kendall has also argued that it isn’t necessary for the U.S. to match China’s development and deployment of hypersonic systems, as the two countries have different operational concepts for warfare and the Air Force’s priorities put less priority on such systems. However, lawmakers have frequently expressed concern about China’s edge in developing hypersonic weapons.

The NDAA also directs the Pentagon to conduct a study of “at least two” corridors within the U.S. for “additional … long-distance hypersonic system testing,” after which officials are to launch the necessary environmental impact analyses for implementation. A report on the preferred corridors is due by the end of 2024.

The Pentagon now does most of its hypersonics testing on over-water ranges off the East and West coasts of the continental U.S., but hypersonic missile programs will soon move into a phase where their ability to navigate over varied terrain will have to be tested, as will their effectiveness against ground targets. The flight profile of hypersonic systems will require that they function over thousands of miles of land, or ocean as well as land.

Air Force officials have said they are looking at a number of potential hypersonic weapon ranges that may transit the Gulf of Mexico and the Southwest U.S. en route to impact points in Nevada or Utah. They have also said they are looking at ranges from the Pacific Ocean that would transit Alaska ranges.

However, the most likely initial overland test corridor is not in the U.S., but in Australia, at that country’s Woomera range. Australia and the U.S. are partnered on a number of hypersonics projects, including airborne testing, wind tunnel testing, and mutual development efforts.

‘The Best of Us’: AFSOC, Families, Friends Pay Tribute to 8 Airmen Killed in CV-22 Crash

Dec. 11, 2023 | By David Roza

Air Force Special Operations Command paid tribute to the eight Airmen killed in a CV-22 Osprey crash off the coast of Japan last month, as the command posted a brief biography of each Airman on its Facebook page on Dec. 7—the latest in a line of tributes shared by friends and family members of the fallen in local news reports and on social media.

The crew of the Osprey, callsign ‘Gundam 22,’ were on a training mission out of Yokota Air Base on Nov. 29 when the tiltrotor aircraft caught fire and crashed. It was the deadliest Air Force aviation mishap since 2018, when nine Air Guardsmen were killed in a WC-130 crash in Georgia. American and Japanese military and civilian search teams found the wreckage off the southern coast of Japan on Dec. 4. As of Dec. 11, the remains of seven out of the eight Airmen aboard had been recovered.

“In times like these, where service to our nation is not just a personal commitment but also a legacy woven into the fabric of our families, the depth of sorrow is immeasurable,” Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, AFSOC commander, said in a Dec. 5 statement.

The Airmen aboard Gundam 22 were assigned to the 353rd Special Operations Wing, and several had deployments to the Middle East and Afghanistan under their belts. The oldest, Maj. Eric Spendlove, 36, of St. George, Utah, was a special operations flight surgeon and medical operations flight commander who led his medical team to improve readiness at the 1st Special Operations Squadron by 94 percent and at the wing by 25 percent, according to his AFSOC biography.

“When he had the opportunity to join a special operations group, he was all over that,” Spendlove’s older sister, Monica Murset, told news station FOX 13 Salt Lake City. “It gave him access to traveling the world alongside some true heroes, and he absolutely loved serving his country.”

Capt. Terrell Brayman, 32, of Pittsford, N.Y., felt a similar dedication to his job. The former U-28A Draco pilot became a CV-22 pilot in 2020 and was “a naturally talented pilot and officer,” Lt. Col. Tyler Oldham, head of the 21st Special Operations Squadron, said in Brayman’s biography. Daniel Bobry, a friend of Brayman, was impressed by his work ethic at Ohio State University, where Brayman studied astronautical engineering.

“He was up at 3:30, 4 o’clock every day at ROTC, always smiling, never complained,” Bobry told New York news station WHAM-Rochester. “He just did his job and did it well and always had a smile on his face.”

A fellow CV-22 pilot, Maj. Luke Unrath, 34, hailed from Riverside, Calif., where the triplet left a mark on his parents and siblings.

“It would be impossible for us to express in a few words what an amazing son Luke was,” Unrath’s parents told southern California newspaper The Press-Enterprise. “Even though we raised him in faith, he taught us so much, what it is to live a Christ-centered life. He chose this path and career because he wanted to help people.”

Oldham was also impressed by the pilot, who started his career as an engineer before cross-training into aviation in 2019.

“People gravitated toward him and would follow him due to his cool, calm demeanor and high standards,” the squadron boss wrote.

The third pilot aboard ‘Gundam 22’ was Maj. Jeffrey Hoernemann, 32, of Andover, Minn. A Weapons Instructor Course graduate, Hoernemann was an instructor pilot and chief of weapons and tactics at the 21st Special Operations Squadron, where “his character was the benchmark of officership in the United States Air Force,” Oldham wrote.

“Jeff was the best of us,” he added. “His selflessness and leadership through example have left enduring marks upon the culture and values of the members of Air Force Special Operations Command.”

In a statement published by CBS Minnesota, Hoernemann’s family said the major “was proud to have been chosen to fly the CV-22B Osprey. He loved to fly the hybrid aircraft and was never afraid of it.”

Despite being the youngest Airmen aboard, Staff Sgt. Jacob Galliher, 24, of Pittsfield, Mass., made a lasting impression on those around him.

“I looked up to Jake in more ways than one,” Galliher’s best friend, Air Force Staff Sgt. Edward Dobransky, told The Berkshire Eagle, a Massachusetts newspaper. “We lost a superhuman when we lost Jake.”

An airborne linguist specializing in Mandarin, Galliher was an honor graduate or distinguished graduate of several Air Force schools, and his commander said he was just as distinguished as a teammate.

“With a ready smile, Jake brought the unit together on and off-duty through humor and an inexhaustible supply of energy,” Maj. Gilbert Summers, head of the 43rd Intelligence Squadron, Detachment 1, said in a statement. “Everywhere he went, and everyone he met, was made better for him being there.”

Staff Sgt. Jake Turnage, 25, of Kennesaw, Ga., was a special missions aviator and served as lead flight engineer and noncommissioned officer in charge of training at the 21st Special Operations Squadron. He had a lot of responsibility: alongside his normal duties as flight engineer, loadmaster, and aerial gunner, he also managed the combat arms, survival evasion, resistance, and escape, and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear training requirements for the squadron. But he seemed to bear it well, according to Oldham.

“Jake’s humor and zeal were contagious,” the commander said. “His magnetic personality was always uplifting and lightened the load of his squadron mates.”

Turnage’s fellow special missions aviator aboard the Osprey was Senior Airman Brian Johnson, 32, of Cincinnati, Ohio. In a statement published by Ohio news station Dayton 24/7 Now, Johnson’s family described him as “an amazing and caring son, brother, uncle and friend to all.” Oldham praised his “tireless work ethic … his knowledge, skill, and attention to detail inspired competence and trust amongst his fellow aircrew.”

The eighth Airman aboard ‘Gundam 22’ was Tech Sgt. Zachary Lavoy, 33, of Oviedo, Fla. A medical operations flight chief, Lavoy picked up a number of honors in training, and contributed to multiple unit awards such as the 2019 Air Force Medical Service Medic Rodeo Team of the Year. His commander, Lt. Col. Christopher Pellegrino, head of the 1st Special Operations Squadron, described him as “a compassionate medic with a steadfast devotion to supporting the needs of those around him.”

Lavoy’s mother, Gabriela, could not believe her son was gone when she spoke with Florida news station FOX 35 Orlando on Dec. 6.

“I didn’t think anything could hurt my son,” she said. “You think your kids are invincible. I didn’t think anything could happen to him. I always thought he would be found alive.”

The Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy announced on Dec. 6 that they were standing down all Osprey operations as the Air Force investigates the cause of the crash.

The Air Force said initial findings suggested there was a “material failure” with the Osprey, indicating pilot error was likely not the primary cause and there was an issue with the aircraft itself.

“The standdown will provide time and space for a thorough investigation to determine causal factors and recommendations to ensure the Air Force CV-22 fleet returns to flight operations,” AFSOC boss Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind said in a statement at the time.

New CMSAF: David Flosi Selected as Top Enlisted Airman

Dec. 11, 2023 | By Chris Gordon

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin selected the service’s next senior enlisted leader Dec. 11, the service announced—Chief Master Sgt. David A. Flosi will become the 20th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force when current CMSAF JoAnne Bass departs.

“Our Airmen deserve the best leaders possible—and that’s Chief Flosi,” Allvin said in a statement.

Flosi is the current Command Chief Master Sergeant of Air Force Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. In that role, he advises the AFMC commander on issues affecting roughly 89,000 Airmen. In a statement, the Air Force said Flosi was the “clear choice” out of a group of command chief master sergeants from across the service to become the Air Force’s senior-most enlisted member.

Enlisted Airmen make up roughly 80 percent of the Active-Duty Air Force, and Flosi will be charged with advocating for their interests.

“He is a phenomenal leader and wingman who will empower our total force,” Allvin said. “His unique experiences, attitude, and commitment will prove essential as we re-optimize our force for great power competition.”

The Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force serves as an advisor to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force and Department of the Air Force leaders on personnel matters, such as welfare, morale, quality of life, and other issues that affect Airmen. The CMSAF also serves as the public face of the force to Congressional leaders and other levels of government.

“We are serving at a time of great consequence where success hinges on our ability to optimize this team toward the changing character of war,” Flosi said in a statement.

Flosi’s career began in 1996 as a nuclear weapons specialist, and he has held various leadership duties in conventional and nuclear munitions as well as missile operations, program management, and test and contingency operations, the Air Force said. He deployed in support of Operations Southern Watch, Iraqi Freedom, Inherent Resolve, and Freedom’s Sentinel. Flosi has served in his current role since October 2021.

“The Department of the Air Force relies on our Senior Enlisted Advisors to represent the needs and perspectives of all our enlisted Airmen and Guardians, the majority of our force,” Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall said in the statement. “I have high confidence that Chief Flosi will build upon the great example provided by his predecessors and serve with distinction as our 20th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force.”

Bass will soon close out her tenure. The first woman to serve as CMSAF, she has been the Air Force’s highest-ranking noncommissioned leader since August 2020.

“Chief Flosi is an incredibly strong leader who has proven himself in every role at every level,” Bass said. “I have no doubt he will continue building and developing our Air Force to be the future force our nation needs to compete, deter, and win in any domain.”

USAF F-16 Crashes in Korea For Second Time This Year, Pilot OK

Dec. 11, 2023 | By David Roza

A U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter crashed off the coast of South Korea on Dec. 11, according to local media reports and a statement from the 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan Air Base. The pilot ejected from the aircraft and is in stable condition.

This marks the second USAF aircraft crash in the region recently—two weeks ago, an Air Force CV-22 Osprey caught fire and crashed off the southern Japanese coast on Nov. 29, killing all eight Airmen aboard. The Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy are all standing down operations for the tiltrotor aircraft as the Air Force investigates the cause of the crash.

This is also the second crash of an F-16 assigned to Kunsan this year. On May 6, a jet was flying a routine daytime training sortie when something went wrong and the pilot ejected near Osan Air Base, about 80 miles north of Kunsan. The fighter made a fiery impact in a local field, captured by local cameras.

The Air Force has yet to release an accident investigation report into what caused the May crash.

This latest incident took place over the Yellow Sea, which borders the west side of the Korean Peninsula and separates it from China. According to the 8th Fighter Wing, the jet suffered an in-flight emergency at about 8:43 a.m. local time. Yonhap News Agency reported that the jet had taken off from Kunsan.

The pilot ejected and was recovered by Republic of Korea Maritime Forces “awake and in stable condition,” the statement said. The pilot was then returned to Kunsan for further evaluation.

The base withheld the name of the pilot and additional details on his current condition.

“We are grateful for the safe recovery of our Airman by our ROK Allies and that the pilot is in good condition,” 8th Fighter Wing commander Col. Matthew C. Gaetke said in a statement.

The cause of the in-flight emergency is under investigation.

Now Enlisted Airmen Can Stay in Uniform Longer

Dec. 8, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

Faced with a recruiting shortfall, the Air Force is loosening its “up or out” rules, adding two years to the maximum time in service at every enlisted grade up to E-8.

The new High Year of Tenure (HYT) limits go into effect immediately, although Airmen have been able to ask for extensions for the past year. The Air Force confirmed the changes, which were detailed in a memo leaked to Reddit this week. The new rates:

GRADE	RANK	Old High Year of Tenure	New High Year of Tenure
E-1	Airman Basic	8	10
E-2	Airman	8	10
E-3	Airman 1st Class	8	10
E-4	Senior Airman	10	12
E-5	Staff Sergeant	20	22
E-6	Technical Sergeant	22	24
E-7	Master Sergeant	24	26
E-8	Senior Master Sergeant	26	28

The added time gives Airmen the option to stay and continue to compete for promotion, rather than face a deadline to leave. To opt out of the extension, Airmen facing HYT limits between Dec. 8, 2023 and Sept. 30, 2024 must ask for and receive approval prior to their original HYT date of separation or by Feb. 16, 2024, whichever comes first.

Airmen already approved for separation or retirement under the original HYT rule will automatically have their HYT extended.

“The Air Force is taking proactive action to fully leverage our Congressionally authorized end strength and HYT extensions maximizes the retention of experienced talent to enhance mission effectiveness,” an Air Force spokesperson said.

Enlisted retention remains strong at around 89 percent in fiscal 2023, down only slightly from the highs of the COVID-19 pandemic and largely in line with historical trends. But the Air Force finished fiscal 2023 about 10 percent short of its Active-Duty recruiting goal, and the lingering effects of record-high retention have slowed promotion rates in the noncommissioned officer ranks. That’s pushed more Airmen up against their HYT limits.

Air Force officials say they need to rebalance the force to ensure the force is sized for effectiveness and that Airmen gain the experience needed to take on leadership positions. Extending HYT will give more Airmen another shot at promotion and the Air Force time more flexibility to keep the experienced Airmen already in the force.