Outstanding Airmen of the Year: Tech. Sgt. Micaela R. Mahan

Aug. 31, 2023 | By Patrick Reardon

The Air Force’s 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2023 will be formally recognized at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference from Sept. 11-13 in National Harbor, Md. Air & Space Forces Magazine is highlighting one each weekday from now until the conference begins. Today, we honor Tech. Sgt. Micaela R. Mahan, the Noncommissioned Officer in Charge of Military Justice, with the 7th Air Force, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea.

Before moving to Osan, Mahan was the NCOIC of Military Justice with the 78th Air Base Wing at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., where she worked for the fourth largest legal office in the Air Force, serving three wings and a major command.

As NCOIC, she led a nine-member team that advised commanders, first sergeants, and attorneys during legal cases on what disciplinary actions were warranted, everything from demotions and letters of reprimand to courts-martial and discharges. In 2022 she oversaw 65 criminal cases, 15 courts-martial, 266 adverse and administrative actions, and 18 discharges that passed through the office.

“We mainly handled a lot of sexual assault cases. That’s the bulk of our cases,” Mahan said.

During a courtroom renovation, Mahan filled in for the wing’s Chief of Military Justice as the law office’s superintendent to provide $64,000 of new communications and IT equipment and improving the office’s budget by 77 percent—all while the wing didn’t even have a functioning courtroom.

Taking on the mantle of leadership—and excelling beyond expectation—is part of Mahan’s M.O. She was the Wing Staff Agencies’ additional duty First Sergeant, providing weekend support for 190 personnel across 17 units. She said that her ability to succeed in these situations comes from a combination of hard work and good mentorship.

“[My mentors tell me], ‘oh, you’re gonna be a chief one day,” Mahan said. “Just having those mentors and supervisors that [believe] in me and tell me those kinds of things [has] also helped me realize the same thing—it’s motivated me to keep pushing throughout these years.”

Mahan has served in the Air Force since 2014, but she said she never won an award or recognition until 2022. By scoring high grades in 7-level school and serving as a volunteer coordinator among her peers, Mahan earned the Paralegal Craftsman Course Top Graduate award. She also received the NCO Academy’s Distinguished Graduate and Commandant’s award, all while completing her bachelor’s degree in investigative forensics with honors.

“Last year was the first year I even won a quarterly award or was ever put in for a yearly award,” she said. “To make it to this point for me was very shocking.”

Now an Outstanding Airman of the Year for 2023, Mahan hopes her perseverance throughout nearly a decade of service can serve as an example to other Airmen who might be doubting their impact on the Force.

“Never stop believing in yourself,” she said. “It took me nine years to even win a quarterly award. Had I given up prior to this … I would have never made it to this point.”

Meet the other Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2023 below:

Tech. Sgt. Jennel L. Edwards

Tech. Sgt. Michelle Fernandez

Staff Sgt. Dhruva S. Poluru

SrA. Ryan G. Hospelhorn

SrA. Kostiantyn Khymchenko

SrA. Jacob J. Tawasha

Hurricane Idalia Battered Florida Bases, But Damage Is Contained

Aug. 31, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

Air Force bases in the path of Hurricane Idalia escaped major damage as the storm swept through Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina this week.

MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.; Moody Air Force Base, Ga.; and Joint Base Charleston, S.C., came under the Category 3 hurricane’s drenching rain and winds, but reported minimal to moderate damage in the storm’s immediate aftermath.

Space Launch Delta 45, which oversees both Patrick Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, delayed a National Security Space Launch on Aug. 29 because of the storm and encouraged eligible personnel to work from home Aug. 30. The launch, on behalf of the Space Force and National Reconnaissance Office, will be rescheduled.

MacDill evacuated completely Aug. 29 and was still closed to non-mission-essential personnel on Aug. 31, as recovery efforts got underway. MacDill’s KC-135s relocated to March Air Reserve Base, Calif.; Bangor Air National Guard Base, Maine; Tinker Air Base, Okla.; and McConnell Air Force Base, Kan. Initial photos posted to the MacDill’s Facebook page show some streets flooded or littered with debris, but little structural damage. The base’s evacuation order was lifted effective noon Aug. 31, with personnel expected to return by 11:59 p.m. Sept. 1.

Moody closed to non-mission-essential personnel on Aug. 30 and remained closed through Aug. 31 as recovery began. Moody sent four HC-130Js to Barksdale Air Force Base, La., but kept the rest of its aircraft secured or in hangars, a spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine. Damage at the base, the spokesperson said, “seems minimal and mostly due to high winds and tree branch debris.”

Charleston remained open throughout the storm, its C-17s remaining in place, a spokesperson said. Some offices opened late in the days following the storm, as base personnel attended to their homes and families. In a social media post, base officials said damage “was minimal, but our Airmen are working diligently to clear the installation and flightline of debris.”

Elsewhere in the region, home to numerous military bases, the Navy evacuated helicopters from Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla., and Naval Station Mayport, Fla., while Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.; Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.; Hurlburt Field, Fla.; Robins Air Force Base, Ga., and Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., reported no damage or closures.

Space Launch Delta 45, which oversees both Patrick Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, delayed a National Security Space Launch on behalf of the Space Force and National Reconnaissance Office on Aug. 29 because of the storm and encouraged eligible personnel to work from home Aug. 30, but reported no base closures.

Idalia was the first hurricane to make landfall on the East Coast this year. Damage to the surrounding community was significant, causing Florida Gov. Ron Desantis to activate more than 5,000 members of the Florida National Guard. Meanwhile, the South Carolina National Guard mobilized around 100 Guardsmen.

“The Department of Defense through U.S. Northern Command is providing FEMA a federal staging area at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama and NORTHCOM has deployed a Defense Coordinating Officer element charged with coordinating with FEMA in Tallahassee, Fla.,” said Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the chief Pentagon spokesman.

Pentagon: No ‘Drop’ in Iran Threat to Ships, As F-35s and Harriers Keep Flying over the Gulf

Aug. 31, 2023 | By Chris Gordon

More than a month after the Pentagon announced it was sending Air Force F-35s, thousands of U.S. Marines and Sailors, and American warships to the Persian Gulf region in response to Iran’s attempted seizures of commercial vessels, officials say they see no signs the situation is calming down.

“We continue to see harassment,” Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters Aug. 29. “We have not seen that threat drop, I would say, so we haven’t seen a reason to move our forces out.”

In July, the U.S. dispatched some of its most advanced airpower into the region with a squadron of F-35s to respond to Iranian actions in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, a choke point between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil supply flows.

“In an ongoing effort to ensure the security and freedom of navigation in the region, U.S. Air Forces Central (AFCENT) reaffirms its unwavering commitment to maintaining stability and safeguarding global trade in this vital maritime route,” the command said after one recent F-35 mission over the Gulf.

Following the deployment of Hill Air Force Base’s fifth-generation stealth fighters, the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan, carrying a squadron of vertical or short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) Harriers, was sent to the region.

As part of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, the Harriers are flying maritime missions around the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. officials said.

“They provide enhanced capabilities which strengthen the already robust array of theater assets throughout the joint force,” Cmdr. Rick Chernitzer, the spokesman for Naval Forces Central Command, told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

Sailors assigned to amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) conduct flight operations with a U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier II aircraft, attached to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 162, in the Persian Gulf, Aug. 23, 2023. Components of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group and 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit are deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to help ensure maritime security and stability in the Middle East region. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Danilo Reynoso

The Harriers have helped supplement some of the fighter coverage over the Gulf, though the Air Force still has a significant intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance mission and tanker support role, U.S. officials say. The Navy has also flown P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft in the region.

“The Harriers augment U.S. Air Force Central Command assets, integrating with them to support a variety of mission sets,” Chernitzer said.

The U.S. military footprint in the region has shrunk as the Pentagon has sought to shift assets to Asia and Europe to deter China and Russia. But DOD has had to bulk up its force in the Middle East on short notice in response to threats from Iran and Russia multiple times in the past year.

The Pentagon has developed contingency plans to put Marines on some commercial vessels in the region, but no decision has been made as yet to place them on those vessels, U.S. officials say.

The F-35s in particular have also proved helpful in dissuading Russia from attacking U.S. drones in the skies over Syria. As for the Gulf, Singh said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps remained a threat. So, for now, the U.S. posture is staying on the stronger side.

“Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen harassment from IRGC-backed groups over commercial ships,” Singh said. “As long as there remains a need for these forces to be in the region, they’re going to stay there.”

US Not Running Out of Munitions Due to Ukraine Aid, Pentagon Acquisition Boss Says

Aug. 30, 2023 | By John A. Tirpak

Despite sending more than $43 billion in military aid to Ukraine—both lethal and non-lethal—the U.S. is not “running out” of any particular munitions or equipment needed for its own forces, Pentagon acquisition and sustainment chief William LaPlante told attendees at a defense conference in Washington, D.C.

“We’re not running out of anything,” LaPlante said in a fireside chat at the inaugural conference of the National Defense Industrial Association’s Emerging Technology Institute on Aug. 28.

“In the papers, sometimes, it says, ‘we’ve run out of X or Y,’” because of aid to Ukraine, but that’s not true, LaPLante said.

“We’re managing all of that,” he added, describing the process to identify items for Ukraine that are excess to U.S. military needs. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs review the lists of what’s being offered and what’s being requested, “and they look exactly at the effect on readiness” of providing those items, LaPlante said. If they feel there’s a negative effect, or if handing off a certain weapon or quantity of weapons increases risk beyond an acceptable level, “we won’t do it,” he said, although he didn’t cite any examples of equipment withheld.

There have been concerns in Congress that providing large quantities of Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and Javelin anti-tank missiles to Ukraine is emptying U.S. stocks, but LaPlante said there are enough on hand and has previously said his organization is working to shorten lead times for replenishment orders.

The real challenge has been to not simply provide equipment as requested, but to anticipate what Ukraine will need and have it moving through the pipeline so it arrives in a timely manner, LaPlante noted.

For example, Ukraine needed different military equipment for its ongoing counteroffensive than in the early days of the conflict, when it was focused on holding ground and repelling advances.

Since then, it’s been an effort of matching provision of gear to “the consumption rate,” LaPLante said, and in some cases such as artillery, those rates approximate the consumption in World War II.

Once the Pentagon identifies an anticipated need, “you have to look at all the tools … [and] find the best one” to get the aid to Ukraine in a sensible way, he said. Sometimes, that will mean exercising authority Congress has given to buy new items for Ukraine and ship them directly, while at other times it means asking another country to buy or provide it.

More broadly, LaPlante said there has been a mindset change in the U.S. defense industrial base as a result of the Ukraine war. In the past, U.S. stockpiles were geared toward short conflicts and not surges. That’s changed as think tanks and Pentagon wargamers expand the timescale of their exercises, to see what would happen if a conflict didn’t last a few weeks but a year or more, he said. When the timelines are extended, it usually leads to a shortage of precision guided munitions, especially at an intense level of effort, he said.

Although this has shown up in some previous wargames, “we didn’t budget to it,” LaPLante said, and he acknowledged that munitions have frequently been the account that gets cut when budgets tighten. Moreover, during the 20 years the U.S. was fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, there was a tendency to produce the minimum of high-end weapons needed for peer conflict.

The push now is to do more multiyear procurements, and LaPlante said that shows industry they can safely invest in expanding capacity.

Congress has given “tremendous support” in provisioning Ukraine, LaPlante asserted, although it’s taken “a lot of education” with some members. He expressed optimism that support will continue.

A new wrinkle in the aid to Ukraine will be sustainment, LaPlante said. The M1 Abrams tanks being provided to Ukraine “won’t work” in a few weeks if they don’t undergo certain kinds of maintenance. The U.S. can’t put its own troops on the battlefield and doesn’t want to expose contractors to that risk either, so LaPlante said the U.S. is increasingly turning to “tele-maintenance,” wherein contractors or Army personnel walk Ukrainian maintainers through the process remotely.

What’s being learned is applicable to how the U.S. may sustain equipment in future conflicts, as tele-maintenance will make it possible to reduce the forward footprint of troops and contractors.

All in all, LaPlante said the defense enterprise has done a “remarkable” job in streamlining processes to get Ukraine the gear it needs in a timely manner. Configuring the M1 tanks in a way that was acceptable to the Army—removing some gear considered too sensitive to risk Russia gaining access to it—normally takes a year and a half, LaPlante said, but the Army managed it in six months.

SDA Launches 13 More Tranche 0 Satellites into Orbit

Aug. 30, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

Editor’s Note: Originally scheduled for Aug. 31, the launch attempt was delayed by SpaceX twice, before proceeding successfully Sept. 2. This story has been updated.

Nearly five months after the Space Development Agency celebrated the first launch of its massive planned satellite constellation in low-Earth orbit, the organization got their their second go-around Sept. 2.

Thirteen satellites from Tranche 0 of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture headed into orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at around 7:30 a.m. local time.

Originally, the launch was scheduled for June, but a combination of factors pushed it backward—just as the first launch was delayed as well. Tranche 0 program director Mike Eppolito cited several reasons for both delays in a briefing with reporters Aug. 30: policy hurdles, delayed deliveries, and severe weather. Moving forward, Eppolito expressed confidence that as the agency procures more tranches and sets more launches, some of those issues will ease.

If for some reason the Aug. 31 launch is called off, there is a backup window available Sept. 1 at 7:26 a.m. Pacific time. The 13 satellites set to go up include:

10 data transport satellite manufactured by Lockheed Martin

One data transport satellite from York Space Systems

Two missile tracking satellites from SpaceX

Combined with the 10 that went up in early April, that will round out most of Tranche 0, which officials have dubbed the “warfighter immersion tranche,” as it will demonstrate capabilities that later tranches will operationalize and give service members the opportunity to work with the systems and understand their capabilities.

Originally, Tranche 0 was set to take only two launches. However, SDA officials told reporters they have changed their plans to include a third launch before the end of 2023, including four missile tracking satellites from L3Harris. That launch will be a collaboration with Missile Defense Agency, which is launching its own missile-tracking satellites as part of the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor program.

“The benefit of that will be that we’ll be able to see the same targets from both the MDA satellites and SDA satellites, demonstrating both the medium field-of-view and wide field-of-view tracking payloads all together on the same target,” Eppolito said. “So there’ll be tremendous benefit to having those satellites on that launch together with MDA.”

Officials also said that since the first launch, they decided to keep a York data transport satellite on the ground as a testbed—meaning Tranche 0 will consist of 27 satellites in orbit, 19 for data transport and 8 for missile warning.

“We understand that software development and the application that we’re going to run on board are going to be a critical enabling element for PWSA,” Eppolito said. “So we believe that having that testbed on the ground will pay off for both the current tranche in terms of demonstrating things before we update the [space vehicles] on orbit. It will also be able to be used for future tranches in terms of learning on that satellite, which could then be applied to future tranches.”

While the second batch of Tranche 0 is set to go up, the first batch are still getting going. In June, SDA announced it had received its first images from the missile tracking satellites, but the data transport satellites, which will be crucial for connecting sensors and shooters around the globe, have yet to maneuver to their final intended orbit or tested their ability to relay data to the ground using Link 16, the military’s tactical data network.

“We have some outstanding policy issues that are holding that up,” Eppolito said of the Link 16 tests. “But from a technical standpoint, we’ve gotten through all the checkout leading up until that policy hurdle. As soon as we get approval there, we plan to move forward with that checkout.”

Officials in the Pentagon and Congress are watching Tranche 0 closely as a proof of concept for SDA’s unique approach, which is defined by rapid timelines, numerous small spacecraft, and increased contractor competition. The first eight satellites went from contract to orbit in two and a half years, extremely fast for a military space program. SDA has already started awarding contracts for Tranche 2 and assigning launches for Tranche 1, with the hope of fielding new capabilities every two years and a steady stream of launches throughout.

How to Build a More Diverse Air Force, According to Researchers

Aug. 30, 2023 | By David Roza

As Air Force leaders strive to make the service more diverse, a new study suggests they can do a better job of understanding the barriers for entry to female or minority recruits. Instead of analyzing the accession rates and challenges for individual demographic categories such as race, gender, and ethnicity, the Air Force can learn more by considering those categories holistically, researchers with the RAND Corp. wrote in a recent report.

“This report shows some examples where, if you look at just gender or an entire racial category without breaking it out by gender, you miss certain signals that are important,” Louis Mariano, a senior statistician at RAND and one of the study authors, told Air & Space Forces Magazine. “And if you miss those signals, you miss how to address those signals.”

The study analyzed eligibility to serve, propensity, or willingness, to serve, and accession rates broken down by the various combinations of racial, ethnic, and gender groups. The study also analyzed the accession rates of the various demographic groups broken down by source: enlisting, Reserve Officer Training Corps, Officer Training School, and the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Gender is one example of how accession rates differ within larger demographic groups. One chart in the report shows that the percentage of Airmen who are female and enlisted in fiscal year 2020 is smaller than the female share of the eligible and willing population.

However, a second chart that accounts for racial and gender differences shows that Black women who join the Air Force make up more than their share of the eligible and willing population, a difference that goes unaccounted for when gender is the only category being studied.

“If we just report on all females, we’re missing the part of the story that Black females are actually exceeding their eligible and propensed population when it comes to enlisted accessions,” Mariano said. “We miss parts of the story if we collapse that way.”

The impact of specific barriers to entry also varies among demographic groups. For example, the study found that the Armed Forces Qualification Test and education requirements disqualify many Black and Hispanic men, while lack of propensity to serve affects many otherwise qualified White and Asian men.

More detailed analysis also shows differences in minority representation among sources of accession. For example, Hispanic men were found to have entered the U.S. Air Force Academy at a lower rate compared to their share of the eligible and propensed population, but the opposite was true for how many entered via Officer Training School and Reserve Officer Training Corps.

Mariano cautioned that much of the data in the report comes from just one fiscal year, and the patterns found in that year may not extend into others. The Air Force will need to look at the intersection of race, ethnicity, and gender long-term to generate the most insightful analysis, so RAND built an app for the service to continue to visualize its demographic data going into the future.

“We built the app to do it ourselves and then we made it so that the Air Force can run it again for continual monitoring,” Mariano said.

The app and report arrive in the midst of a long-term effort to improve diversity across the Air Force and the military writ large. Fostering a more diverse force could help address the military’s widespread recruiting troubles, and officials say a force with more diverse backgrounds can generate more innovative solutions to complicated national security challenges.

“It is a strategic imperative that we have and raise an army that is reflective of our nation and reflects the core values for which our nation was founded,” Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, the head of U.S. Transportation Command, said in 2022.

In the Air Force in particular, past RAND studies identified that women and minorities are less represented in rated career fields (such as pilots), and more likely to be in fields with lower promotion rates, which contributes to a lack of diversity among the branch’s senior leaders. A 2018 study of undergraduate pilot training called for increasing the number of minority and female candidates entering pilot training. RAND’s most recent study noted the importance of focusing on diversity in accession, since it is the gateway for most military careers.

“Because most military personnel begin their careers at the entry-level pay grade and positions are filled by promoting from within, achieving diversity at the point of accession is critical to growing and maintaining a diverse workforce across all pay grades,” wrote the authors. “A lack of diversity at accession limits the pool of diverse individuals who can be promoted to higher ranks.”

Some of the challenges which contribute to barriers for specific minority groups, such as income inequality and high school graduation rates, stem from larger societal issues that are outside the Air Force’s control. But by better understanding the barriers for possible recruits, the service could create effective solutions for lowering those barriers.

“What the report can tell the Air Force is where to think about the future,” Mariano said.

After 5 Months Away For Runway Repairs, Wolf Pack F-16s Return Home to Kunsan

Aug. 30, 2023 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

A nearly five month-long $22 million runway reconstruction project at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, wrapped up recently, clearing the way for the 8th Fighter Wing—known as the Wolf Pack—and its F-16s to return home Aug. 30.

“It’s good to have the Wolf Pack home,” Col. Timothy B. Murphy, wing commander, said in a statement.

An 8th Fighter Wing F-16 takes off at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea. **Tech. Sgt. Kristin High**

The base, located about 110 miles south of Seoul, started replacing and repairing more than 1,500 concrete slabs on its 9,000-foot runway in April, forcing most of the 8th Fighter Wing to relocate to Osan Air Base, roughly 75 miles away.

Some 600 personnel, along with most of the 8th Fighter Wing’s F-16s, have returned to Kunsan following a ribbon-cutting ceremony on the airfield the morning of Aug. 30, a wing spokesperson told Air & Spaces Forces Magazine.

Murphy noted that getting personnel and aircraft back in one place so they can “Fight Tonight” has been his priority.

During the airfield closure, the Wolf Pack continued its operations from Osan and several other locations. That included “Buddy Squadron” training events with the Republic of Korea Air Force at other bases in South Korea, as well as the Korea Flying Training exercise in April, Red Flag-Alaska in June, and Cope West in Indonesia in June.

“We viewed the runway closure as an opportunity to practice simultaneously operating from numerous locations, honing the new paradigms of distributed control and mission command,” Col. Michael G. McCarthy, 8th Operations Group commander, said in a statement. He credited the wing’s Airmen for successfully carrying out the Wolf Pack’s mission during their displacement.

Operations have immediately resumed for the 8th FW, as they share the runway with their mission partner, the Republic of Korea Air Force 38th Fighter Group.

Kunsan Air Base is home to some 2,800 people including the Air Force and Army personnel, U.S. civilians, local national and non-appropriated employees working on the site. The 8th FW is the base’s host unit, and is assigned to Seventh Air Force at Osan Air Base, 40 miles south of Seoul.

However, at least one Wolf Pack F-16 likely won’t be returning to Kunsan. In May, a fighter crashed in a fiery wreck near Osan, with local media outlets showing dramatic videos of the jet being mostly destroyed. The pilot safely ejected, and the Air Force has yet to release an accident investigation report on the incident.

Outstanding Airmen of the Year: Tech. Sgt. Michelle Fernandez

Aug. 30, 2023 | By Patrick Reardon

The Air Force’s 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2023 will be formally recognized at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference from Sept. 11-13 in National Harbor, Md. Air & Space Forces Magazine is highlighting one each weekday from now until the conference begins. Today, we honor Tech. Sgt. Michelle Fernandez, the Noncommissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC) of the Marine Patrol Unit with the 6th Security Forces Squadron at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.

Back in 2018, when she was a staff sergeant in her eighth year of service, Fernandez headed to Basic Military Training to become a Master Military Training Instructor. She called her time and experiences at BMT the most challenging of her Air Force career, but also the most formative.

Leadership comes naturally to her—even while she was the one being instructed at BMT, she was holding clinics to train other MTIs, NCOs, and senior NCOs across eight squadrons. After becoming a Blue Rope and receiving her master instructor badge, she spent four years at BMT “training the trainers” as the NCOIC for the 331st Training Squadron.

“All of those skills throughout my four years there [led] me to be able to put more into my management and leadership skills,” Fernandez said.

Fernandez returned to security operations in 2022 when she moved to MacDill Air Force Base, immediately filling the role of Security Forces Flight Sergeant. Managing a team of 27 Airmen, she led U.S. Strategic Command’s (STRATCOM) annual Nuclear Operational Readiness Exercise, earning 12 accolades for the 6th Air Refueling Wing.

“I got into the regulation and identified certain discrepancies that were not taking place during that time, and I made those corrections on the spot,” she said. “It definitely was a step up from the previous year.”

She was later selected to lead the Air Force’s sole 24/7 marine patrol unit, which not only oversees law enforcement throughout MacDill’s 7.2-mile-long coastal restricted area, but also performs search-and-rescue missions. The unit responds to everything from distressed vessel signals to hurricane emergencies and shark sightings. As the unit’s NCOIC, Fernandez led her team through five drug- and immigration-related vessel seizures in 2022, resulting in 27 criminals arrested and two lives saved.

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Michelle Fernandez, 6th Security Forces Squadron marine patrol lead, center, stands for a photo with her marine patrol section at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, June 30, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Joshua Hastings

She also orchestrated MacDill’s first-ever Operation Neptune Storm, a multi-jurisdictional show of force made up of 17 vessels from the Coast Guard, the Tampa police department, and other maritime law enforcement agencies. The fleet she assembled showed off the rapid-response and attack capabilities within Florida’s Western Peninsula.

While Fernandez has indeed made a name for herself in keeping others safe and secure, she credits her friends, family, and wingmen for being the system that continually supports her throughout her own challenges.

“Everybody in life goes through struggles,” she said, referring to the difficult experiences she faced during BMT. “It was the support of my family [that got me through]. It was the support of my mentors. And it was support of the wingmen, my teammates that worked around me, that really did not let me crumble, did not allow [that] challenge [to] defeat me.”

Fernandez called 2022 the most amazing year of her career, all because of the people around her and the faith they have in her as a leader. And because that amazing year led to her recognition as one of the Air Force’s Outstanding Airmen of 2023, she wants others to know that success can’t be achieved alone.

“Never give up,” Fernandez said. “When you’re faced with any challenges, have your moment. [Then] the next day, develop a plan on how you are going to bounce back. Use the people in your life—whether it’s family, friends, or people at work—to hold you accountable and make sure that you’re bouncing back the way you want to.”

Meet the other Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2023 below:          

Tech. Sgt. Jennel L. Edwards

Staff Sgt. Dhruva S. Poluru

SrA. Ryan G. Hospelhorn

SrA. Kostiantyn Khymchenko

SrA. Jacob J. Tawasha

Elevating Turbine Engines for Unmanned Innovations: PBS Aerospace Leads

Aug. 30, 2023

PBS Group is a global leader in design and manufacture of small gas turbine equipment, including jet engines, auxiliary power units, environmental control systems, and other aircraft components. Currently, PBS operates a large casting facility, designs and manufactures cryogenic equipment, and also provides support to global industry leaders in aircraft components. PBS Aerospace Inc. focuses on the US market, supplying products and support to its US customers to ensure the success of their programs.

PBS Aerospace Inc. was established in the US in December 2015 and has seen significant strides in business development. “Now we can proudly say that our efforts are starting to pay off. We collaborate with leading traditional defense manufacturers as well as with young companies, bringing forth not only innovative products, but also novel approaches to the programs realization”, says Tomas Koutsky, Executive Officer of PBS Aerospace Inc.

PBS production plant – aerial and interior view

PBS takes pride in the high-quality manufacturing of its small turbine engines, ensuring a secure and reliable supply chain for their production. PBS offers a flexible design approach for customer modifications and provides remote or on-site support services for its engines. This business and product approach contributes to the success of PBS engines in the US and has made PBS engines the number one choice for the revolutionary aerial vehicles developed by defense companies all over the US.

PBS manufactures jet engines within a thrust range of 89 – 337 lbf and has new developments in the works. The latest additions to the portfolio include the TJ200 with 512.54 Ibf and the AI-PBS-350 with 764.35 Ibf. Our turbojet engines are used in a variety of drones, cruise missiles, and gliding munitions with extended flight range, counter UAS, and other unmanned systems.

PBS Turbojet Engines: PBS TJ150, PBS TJ80-120, PBS TJ100, PBS TJ40

Supporting our customers to ensure the success of their program is always of paramount concern here at PBS. “We continuously improve our customer support services and modify the existing COTS product to meet 99 % of our customers´ needs, while concentrating on program support, whether it´s remote or on-site“, adds Frank Jones, VP of Customer Support at PBS Aerospace.

PBS introduced new, higher thrust engines this year at Paris Air Show, and PBS Aerospace will be presenting them at Air, Space & Cyber Conference in September 2023.

The next steps for PBS here in the US involve expanding technical engineering capabilities, establishing an MRO facility, and further collaborating with our partners on their programs. “We´re on the right path. PBS Aerospace products have found their way to defense OEMs and end users, proving the highest quality and reliability. We´ve provided great integration engineering assistance, but we have even bigger plans with our operations in the United States!”, further discloses Tomas Koutsky.

PBS Aerospace supports integration and testing of PBS products