How the Air Force Will Guard its New Sentinel ICBMs, Part 2: Trucking and Tracking

How the Air Force Will Guard its New Sentinel ICBMs, Part 2: Trucking and Tracking

Editor’s Note: This is the second of a three-part series on the future of how Air Force security forces will guard its nuclear missile fields. Read Part 1, on the MH-139 Grey Wolf, by clicking here, and Part 3, on infrastructure and training improvements, by clicking here.

F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo.—Every minute of every day since the early 1960s, generations of Airmen have stood watch in underground bunkers across the Midwest and the Northern Tier of the U.S., ready to fire the intercontinental ballistic missiles housed there at a moment’s notice. And above ground, generations of security forces Airmen have also stood watch, guarding access to the most devastating weapons on the planet.

Now, as the Air Force prepares to stand up the LGM-35A Sentinel to replace the aging Minuteman III ICBM, the security forces who guard them are also due for an update. Though their mission has never faltered, much of the equipment is obsolete. For example, at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo., several of the 54-year-old Huey helicopters that Airmen rely on to reach the base’s far-flung missile sites served in the Vietnam War. Many of the Humvees are similarly outdated, and the communications networks Airmen rely on are inefficient compared to what current technology can provide.

A wave of modernization aims to boost the missile field security forces enterprise by allowing them to respond faster and hit harder than ever before, while the Sentinel itself will require a smaller security footprint due to easier maintenance and enhanced communication networks. One of those platforms is the MH-139A Grey Wolf, a helicopter that can fly faster, higher, and twice as far as the UH-1N Huey and carry 5,000 more pounds of cargo.

But helicopters are just one part of the equation. In fact, the Airmen at F.E. Warren collectively drive seven million miles per year to and from the base’s launch facilities and missile alert facilities. F.E. Warren stretches across 9,600 square miles, an area about the size of Vermont. The missile site furthest from the main base is about 152 miles away, and many of the roads connecting the facilities are unlit and unpaved. For safety reasons, the speed limit is just 25 miles per hour on dirt or gravel roads, but travel may be even slower when rain makes the roads thick with mud or blizzards make them difficult to see.

Depending on the season, these snow- or mud-covered roads can stop even the hardy Humvee. That won’t be the case with the new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), billed as more reliable, more mobile in rough terrain, and better protected than the Humvee. It is also smarter, with computers in the dashboard that help Airmen keep track of their fellow defenders and build situational awareness.

F.E. Warren received its just JLTVs in fall 2022 and conducted its first operational mission with the vehicle in April.

“It looks promising and we’re excited about it, because it’s going to bring us a lot of capability, especially from the standpoint of how they can maneuver over certain spaces,” Col. Robert Ford, commander of the 90th Security Forces Group, told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

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Airmen from the 90th Missile Security Forces Squadron depart F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, for the first operational Joint Light Tactical Vehicle mission supporting maintenance at a launch facility near Harrisburg, Nebraska, April 24, 2023. (Air Force photo by Joseph Coslett Jr.)

Ford cautioned that his team is still in the early stages of understanding the JLTV’s full operational impact. One challenge with the vehicle is its complexity: the driver’s seat rivals the cockpit of a stealth bomber, with glass screens controlling the truck’s suspension and switches that can shut down the entire system if the driver is not careful. It takes 40 hours of classroom and hands-on experience just to start driving the JLTV.

“The JLTV has a lot more capability from a technology standpoint, but it requires a lot of training,” Ford said.

Yet once that training is complete, the vehicle can be as fun as a go-cart to drive once it is fully revved up, said Staff Sgt. Kristen Witherspoon, the lead JLTV instructor for the 90th Security Forces Group and a member of the base’s Tactical Response Force.

The JLTV is set to be one of several new gadgets providing better situational awareness for security forces Airmen at F.E. Warren and the other two missile fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., and Minot Air Force Base, N.D. Another is the Regional Operating Picture (ROP), a communications network where defenders in the field can share voice calls, GPS tracking, and other forms of data with their supervisors at a missile alert facility or with their commanders at the main base.

“Every vehicle that goes into the missile field will have that tracking ability, geolocation, turn-by-turn navigation, voice comms, and data,” said William McIntyre, chief of nuclear security for the 20th Air Force. “That’s huge.”

The ROP is already being set up: in March, the Air Force awarded Persistent Systems LLC $75.5 million for its Infrastructure-based Regional Operation Network (IRON), an antenna system mounted on towers and poles which anchors a high-bandwidth web of communications. 

“U.S. military bases can sprawl tens of thousands of square miles, and as it stands now, there’s no dynamic, high-bandwidth way for headquarters staff to track, and reliably remain in contact with, the security personnel patrolling this vast area,” Adrien Robenhymer, Persistent’s Vice President of Business Development, said in a statement. “Should personnel run into problems in the field, they wouldn’t have effective support from an operations center.”

According to Persistent, over the next three years the Air Force wants about 700 IRON systems installed across its three missile bases, which should unite 75 operations centers and 1,000 security forces vehicles spread out across 25,000 square miles. Once established, ROP will allow Airmen to see their locations and possible threats mapped out on a tablet, which should be faster and less confusing than updating each other over radio in the middle of a security incident.

“We don’t have to talk to find out where people are now, we will know where people are now,” said Joseph Coslett Jr., a spokesman for the 90th Missile Wing. “You’ll still have audio communication, but the awareness among the whole battlespace will be phenomenal.”

The JLTVs and ROP will help missile field defenders across America’s missile fields respond faster to a security incident, but they are just two new technologies that will make the missile defense enterprise even more deadly. Part 1 is about the MH-139 Grey Wolf. Part 3 covers infrastructure and training improvements.

Air Force C-21 VIP Jet Departs Middle East For Last Time After 32 Years

Air Force C-21 VIP Jet Departs Middle East For Last Time After 32 Years

After 32 years of flying VIPs, medical supplies, and injured passengers throughout the Middle East, the last Air Force C-21A Learjet departed Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, on June 30, ending an era for a little-known aircraft that had an outsized impact overseas.

“As a younger pilot on my first deployment, it was exciting to see the capability we had to deliver our passengers into allied nations, knowing those passengers were there to do important work on behalf of the United States,” 1st Lt. Payton Lafrentz, a pilot with the 912th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron C-21 Detachment, said in a July 10 press release about the departure. 

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A C-21A Learjet piloted by U.S. Air Force Maj. Jonathan Daniels, 912th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron C-21 Detachment director of operations, and 1st Lt. Naomi Shaak, 912th EARS C-21 Detachment pilot, takes off the runway during its last flight out of Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, June 30, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Leon Redfern)

The C-21 is far more than just a business jet: during its decades-long tour of the Middle East, it served as a high-speed aeromedical evacuation platform, supply transport, and courier for messages that could not be delivered electronically. For example, during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, C-21s carried classified air tasking orders, U-2 intelligence photos, and spare aircraft parts to units that could not receive them otherwise, the release stated.

“We even operated in combat zones where defensive systems were required,” Maj. Jonathan Daniels, director of operations for the 912th EARS’ C-21 detachment, said in the release. “This is where the famous combat Learjet rhetoric ‘unaware, unafraid’ came from.”

The jet can carry eight passengers, 3,153 pounds of cargo, one litter patient, or five ambulatory patients, according to Air Mobility Command. Even today, the jet’s crews seem to enjoy its versatility.

“Flying the C-21A during the summer is the hottest thing you can experience, but overall a great time transporting distinguished visitors, cargo, and aeromedical evacuation patients around the [area of responsibility],” said Capt. David Kocher, another pilot with the 912th EARS C-21 Detachment. 

After leaving Al Udeid, the C-21 traveled to Scott Air Force Base, Ill., where it will continue to operate with the 375th Air Mobility Wing. The move is the latest in a series of consolidations for the jet, which first entered service in 1984. The Air Force originally had 84 copies of the aircraft on production, but the current inventory stands at just 19. Despite being 37.5 years old on average, the fleet had a 100 percent mission capable rate in 2022, according to the Air & Space Forces Magazine Almanac.

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Members from the 912th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron C-21 Detachment take a group photo alongside a C-21A Learjet before its last flight out of Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, June 30, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Devin Boyer)

When asked if Air Forces Central plans on sending a replacement aircraft to perform distinguished visitor transportation in the Middle East, the command told Air & Space Forces Magazine that the UC-35, a business jet operated by the Marine Corps, already performs distinguished visitor airlift operations in that area of responsibility. Air Force C-130 and C-17 transport aircraft can also support that mission.

“Currently there are no other plans for other replacement aircraft (other than already existing platforms),” Air Forces Central said in a statement.

The crew who flew the C-21 to Illinois said they won’t forget the experience.

“Being the crew that gets to fly it home after a 32-year mission is simply amazing,” said Kocher. “I feel very fortunate to fly the jet home and put a stamp on the historic C-21 mission.”

6 Key Insights from the Next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs

6 Key Insights from the Next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown’s testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on July 11 at his confirmation hearing to become the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff offered extensive statements from lawmakers in between questions to the general. Over the course of two and a half hours, Brown answered questions about topics ranging from the potential sale electromagnetic spectrum to the future of Homestead Air Reserve Base in Florida.

But among his responses common themes emerged, offering new insight insight into how Brown will approach the Chairman’s role.  

An Operator’s Perspective  

Brown emphasized his operational experience repeatedly—as well as his relative outsider status in the Pentagon, where he has spent comparatively little time for such a high-ranking officer. 

“For the 11 years prior [to becoming Chief of Staff], I served in seven assignments across four combatant commands—EUCOM, AFRICOM, CENTCOM, and INDOPACOM. I’ve held leadership positions focused on our five national security challenges—China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, and violent extremists,” said Brown. “So, I arrive before you having spent less time as a general officer in Washington D.C. and more time with our fielded forces allies and partners, either in conflict or preparing for conflict. Having led warfighters abroad shapes my thinking. As a result, I’m mindful of the security challenges at this consequential time and the need to accelerate to stay ahead of the growing threat.” 

Brown’s experience in Command of Pacific Air Forces, at Air Forces Central, and as Deputy Commander of U.S. Central Command exposed him to allies’ top military leaders, an asset for any Chairman seeking to build international consensus. 

“One of the benefits that I’ve had as having served as a commander of Pacific Air Forces is the number of air chiefs and chiefs of defense and in some cases, ministers of defense that I’ve known personally, had a chance to engage with,” said Brown. “That dialogue to me is hugely important to determine how best we can move forward and break down barriers and identify areas that we can work together on…not only as a military, but also between our nations, as well. And that’s where my focus will be: to continue that dialogue to ensure we can work together and then highlight where the challenges may be and then work with the right entities to be able to move forward to ensure that we are able to win the next war if called upon to do so, but definitely deter or avoid war.” 

Analytical Engineer  

Brown’s studious reputation is that of analytical thinker who studies issues deeply, tendencies that were on full display in his confirmation hearing. 

“I’m an engineer by background, so doing assessments and doing analysis is how I think about things,” Brown told Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) when asked about shifting resources within Europe. “And that’s something we do need to do not just for Europe, but I would say for all of our major security challenges, to continue to reassess.” 

Brown’s analytical approach melded well with that of Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, and his toward analysis helped shaped the Air Force’s modernization program, including divesting older platforms to fund the development of future systems.  

“I’ve often talked about how we have to balance risk over time and look at capability and capacity,” Brown said. “Because we can’t just try to modernize completely at the risk of today’s operations, and at the same time, we can’t maintain all capability for today’s operations and not have the capabilities [needed for] the threats we see forthcoming. And so between that, as you look at that iron triangle, it’s the balance between those.  

“We can work on emotion, but emotion doesn’t work. It’s really the analysis that we have to go through to be able to determine how we make those tough calls.” 

If confirmed, Brown pledged to foster an environment as Chairman in which “you step away from your own empirical interests and then we do what’s best, not just for your part of the organization, but what’s best for the entire organization.” 

China and the Indo-Pacific 

Brown mentioned China—America’s “pacing challenge,” according to the National Defense Strategy—just once by name throughout his entire testimony.  Yet he had plenty to say about the Indo-Pacific region and offered hints about his views on deterrence and readiness for conflict with the Chinese. 

“You cannot wait until the crisis occurs to be able to deploy capability,” Brown said. “You have to pre-position capability and have that in place. You have to work with allies and partners to have access to locations, so you can put capability into place. And that’s an area that we are focused on not only as an Air Force, but I’d also say as a joint force.” 

Brown highlighted Air Mobility Command’s massive Mobility Guardian exercise, as well as CORONA South, a recent logistics-focused tabletop exercise held in June among senior leaders.  

Russia’s War on Ukraine 

Brown said logistics figures high on the list of lessons from the war in Ukraine. 

“I think the Russians learned if you don’t pay attention to the logistics, it’s hard to win and hard to move forward,” he said. “I think we also learned that the timeline for military operations, particularly in a conflict, sometimes takes longer than we might expect, and that is also a challenge.” 

But Brown also noted how NATO allies came together to support Ukraine with arms and intelligence, the importance of Ukrainians’ intense will to fight, and the enduring lessons about airpower and the need to achieve air superiority, are the war’s key takeaways. 

Industrial Base 

Questions regarding America’s defense industrial base have grown more urgent in recent months, and Brown himself said during the hearing that he believes Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has “exposed” cracks in the base as U.S. weapons stockpiles dwindle. To combat that, he urged lawmakers to approve the Pentagon’s request for multiyear procurement buys of certain munitions, saying they are necessary to offer steady demand to contractors. 

“Just based on experience when I was air commander for United States Central Command during the defeat ISIS campaign, and we had some similar conversations back in 2017-ish time frame when North Korea was very active. We did some reviews and did highlight it then,” Brown said of the industrial base’s problems. “Now it’s highlighting even more so. And it’s the aspect of why it’s important for us to not only invest in the platforms but invest in munitions that they have enough stockpile, particularly the advanced munitions that are most effective.” 

The Apolitical Meritocracy 

Brown sought to stay above political debates during his hearing, declaring that he would set a “personal example” of staying apolitical and urging civilian leaders to keep the military out of political fights. But several Senators pressed him on Air Force diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, with some lawmakers suggesting the service was engaging in what Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) called “race-based politics.” 

Brown responded that he believes service members simply want a “fair opportunity to perform” and that they must be qualified for the positions they fill. 

“I’ll just tell you from my own career: When I came in, and flying F-16s, I didn’t want to be the best African American F-16 pilot; I want to be the best F-16 pilot,” Brown said. “I would say the same thing when I went to be an instructor at the weapons school … [and in] every position I’ve had throughout my career. I wanted it because I was the best and qualified. I did not want to be provided a position of promotion based on my background. I wanted it to be based on the quality of my work. And I think that’s the aspect that all of our service members look for: They want a fair opportunity, but they also be rewarded for their performance.” 

Air Force Wants to Cut F-15E Fleet in Half to Focus on Modernizing, Brown Says

Air Force Wants to Cut F-15E Fleet in Half to Focus on Modernizing, Brown Says

The Air Force plans to cut its F-15E fleet to 99 aircraft in the coming years—cutting more than 100 Strike Eagles from the fleet. The move comes as the service seeks to modernize and bring on new platforms while still keeping enough fighters to be able to meet mission demands.

When asked about the move by Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) on July 11, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr. said the determination was made to “balance capability and capacity.” Brown’s comments came during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee to become Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which featured extensive questioning on Air Force weapons and aircraft program decisions.

In budget documents released by the Department of Defense on future force structure in May, the Air Force said it wants to keep 99 F-15Es and spend money to upgrade all those jets with the Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS), an electronic warfare suite which has already been installed on some aircraft. The service currently has 218 F-15Es with an average age of more than 30 years.

F-15Es have one of two engines: the newer model fighters are equipped with Pratt & Whitney’s F100-PW-229, an upgraded version of the F100-PW-220 engines on older F-15E models. The Air Force has decided to keep the models with better engines and modernize them in other ways.

Budd, whose state includes one of the USAF’s five F-15E bases, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base—as well as some other lawmakers and military experts—expressed concern about the Air Force’s fighter capacity.

Brown and other Air Force officials have acknowledged the service had to make tough calls due to budget constraints.

“Prioritizing modernization efforts to keep pace with near-peer competitors requires difficult tradeoffs with existing aircraft inventories and programs,” according to the Air Force’s justification for its future force structure changes. ”The Air Force determined the best mix for the fighter fleet calls for maintaining an F-15E fleet of 99 aircraft with the more powerful engine (F-100-PW-229) and shifting resources to maximize procurement of newer fighters and capabilities.”

EPAWSS was already planned for installation on the USAF’s F-15E fleet as part of a modernization of its aging “analog, federated system with a next-generation, digital, fully-integrated EW suite that enables the F-15 to operate in a modern threat environment,” according to the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center. Now, that fleet will shrink to 99 by 2028.

But Congress ultimately determines what the service is allowed to do. Lawmakers often block the Pentagon from retiring or canceling some programs year-to-year and have previously inserted language into bills that prohibit retiring certain aircraft. No current language exists that prevents the Air Force from retiring F-15Es in the future and the service does not plan to retire any Strike Eagles in the 2023 or 2024 fiscal years.

Along with F-15Es, the Air Force plans to buy 104 F-15EX Eagle IIs, the newest variant of the venerable multirole fourth-generation fighter. The F-15EX is also equipped with EPAWSS. In fiscal 2024, the Air Force wants to buy 72 new fighters: 24 F-15EXs and 48 F-35 Lightning IIs.

Meanwhile, the service is rapidly divesting its aging F-15C/D air-to-air fighters, which first entered service in the late 1970s—in 2024, the service wants to cut 57. The F-15E entered service roughly 10 years after the C/D models.

“As we do this, it’s not just the platforms themselves, it’s the other aspects of our command and control in terms of bringing some reconnaissance capabilities that we will continue to invest,” Brown said of the service’s modernization decisions. Brown said the Air Force aims to “make those fighters more relevant and combat capable as we go forward.”

How the Air Force Will Guard its New Sentinel ICBMs, Part 1: Prepping for the Grey Wolf

How the Air Force Will Guard its New Sentinel ICBMs, Part 1: Prepping for the Grey Wolf

Editor’s Note: This article is the first of a three-part series on the future of how Air Force security forces will guard the service’s nuclear missile fields. Part 2, on the new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), and Part 3, on new infrastructure and training, are now available.

F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo.—Among the gentle hills of the missile field at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, security forces Airmen stay on alert, ready to respond to any attack on America’s Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles.

On May 21, practicing for just such a situation, the Airmen boarded Humvees and Huey helicopters, using rifles, machine guns, and the chopper’s M-240 gun to destroy the enemy in a simulated attack on a missile launch facility.

Yet many of those tools are obsolete. A few of the base’s 54-year-old Huey helicopters served in the Vietnam War. Many of the Humvees are similarly outdated. And the communications networks Airmen rely on are inefficient compared to what current technology can provide.

While the age of their equipment does not stop security forces Airmen and helicopter crews from defending F.E. Warren’s missiles, a batch of new platforms and technologies will boost the nuclear defense enterprise—modernization that comes just as the replacement for the Minuteman III, the Sentinel, is poised to come online in the 2030s. The hope is these capabilities will help security forces respond faster and hit harder than ever before, while the Sentinel itself will require a smaller security footprint due to easier maintenance and enhanced communication networks.

“This is a great place and time for defenders because of the new capabilities as they come online,” William McIntyre, chief of nuclear security for the 20th Air Force, responsible for America’s ground-based nuclear missile fleet, told Air & Space Forces Magazine. “Whether that be a vehicle, airlift, or communications equipment. That capability increases our mission readiness and mission assurance.”

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A UH-1N Huey from the 37th Helicopter Squadron flies over Airmen with the 890th Missile Security Forces Squadron during an exercise at a missile launch facility near Albin, Wyoming, May 21, 2023. (Air & Space Forces Magazine photo by David Roza)

F.E. Warren stretches across 9,600 square miles, an area about the size of Vermont. Sprinkled across those vast distances are 150 launch facilities, the silos where missiles are held ready to fire, and 15 launch control centers, the underground bunkers from which Airmen oversee and operate those launch facilities, 10 silos to each control center. 

With so much real estate to cover, just getting from Point A to Point B can be a challenge. The site furthest from the main base is about 152 miles away, and many of the roads connecting the facilities are unlit and unpaved. For safety reasons, the speed limit is just 25 miles per hour on dirt or gravel roads, but travel may be even slower when rain makes the roads thick with mud or blizzards make them difficult to see. Sometimes the only way to respond in time to a crisis is helicopter. But the base’s Hueys are showing their age.

“We’re still meeting our requirements right now, but our maintainers are working their tails off,” said Capt. Samuel Griner, a pilot with the 37th Helicopter Squadron.

Help is on the way: the 37th will replace its Hueys with the MH-139A Grey Wolf, which can fly faster, higher, and twice as far as its predecessor. The Grey Wolf can also carry 5,000 more pounds of cargo, which should give commanders more options and fewer tradeoffs when responding to a crisis.

“We can develop our tactics so that we can carry more people, more ammunition, and stay in the fight longer, and that gives us more flexibility,” said Lt. Col. Cas Smith, director of operations for the 37th.

Besides responding to security flashpoints, the helicopters at F.E. Warren also escort ground convoys carrying nuclear munitions; patrol the missile fields; provide aerial reconnaissance, aerial gunnery and close air support; serve as a communications relay; evacuate casualties, and even assist in search and rescue missions. The Grey Wolf is billed to be easier to fly than the Huey, which means the aircrew can put more brainpower toward executing their various missions. The new helicopter also sports better avionics, which can help crews fly through the poor weather of a Wyoming winter, Smith said.

“The increased weather capabilities will absolutely be a game-changer for us, especially in the Northern Tier,” he said.

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A 37th Helicopter Squadron UH-1N Huey journeys to a launch facility for emergency security response training in the F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo., missile complex, Dec. 16, 2016. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Christopher Ruano)

Though it can fly through storms, the Grey Wolf has had a tough time getting through the Pentagon. In January, the Office of the Director of Operational Test & Evaluation warned that the MH-139 was at risk of not meeting operational effectiveness requirements due to problems with the automatic flight control system, sensor display, intercom system, and other concerns raised during ground and flight testing. The Air Force was undeterred: in March, the service reached a low-rate production agreement with Leonardo and Boeing to produce 13 aircraft with the first delivery due in 2024. F.E. Warren expects to have 11 such helicopters delivered by the summer of 2026. 

Until then, F.E. Warren is getting to work on the facilities needed to house the incoming helicopters. In March, the base broke ground on a new building for helicopter maintenance, firefighters, and the base’s Tactical Response Force, a group of specially-trained security forces Airmen who stand alert 24/7 as a quick reaction force. The 37th’s current aging facility is not big enough to accommodate all of the incoming MH-139s, and the layout of the new building will better integrate the helicopter unit with its TRF and fire department peers.

“The facility itself will have a lot more of our mission partners closer together,” Smith said. “We’ll be pretty much living together 24/7 in that alert facility, which will then drive conversations to help improve tactics.”

The new building should be complete by the end of fiscal year 2025. In the meantime, members of the 37th Helicopter Squadron look forward to their new workhorse.

“We’re still getting it done with the Huey every day. It’s a fantastic aircraft that we’re going to miss, but we’re excited for what’s coming next,” said Griner. “We’re going to be able to do more and we’ll be able to do it for longer.” 

The Grey Wolf will help missile field defenders across America’s missile fields respond faster to a security incident, but the helicopter is just one of a series of new platforms and technologies for the missile defense enterprise. Part 2, on the new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), and Part 3, on new infrastructure and training, are now available.

Air Force Asks Congress to Shift Money for Bonuses and PCS Moves

Air Force Asks Congress to Shift Money for Bonuses and PCS Moves

The Air Force is trying to work with Congress to shift funds around after the service was forced to pause bonus programs and permanent change-of-station (PCS) orders due to a budgetary shortfall, Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. confirmed July 11.

But lawmakers have yet to approve the request, and it is unclear if and when that approval might come.

On July 10, the Air Force announced that in order “to avoid exhausting funds” in its military personnel account, the service would not award any new pause selective reenlistment bonuses, aviation bonuses, and assignment incentive pay. All pending PCS orders with a departure date past July are also being reviewed, potentially delaying moves for some Airmen. An Air Force official told Air & Space Forces Magazine the budget shortfall was due to higher-than-expected PCS costs due to inflation and other additional retention and recruiting bonuses this year.

Normally, the Air Force could go to Congress and get authorization to shift money around if there is a shortfall in one area, such as personnel, Brown said during his confirmation hearing to become Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

“Part of this is for us to be able to work with Congress to get the reprogramming in place,” Brown said, noting that the Air Force hopes it “can reverse and minimize the impact to Airmen and their families throughout this fill the rest of this fiscal year.”

A service official told Air & Space Forces Magazine the request for reprogramming is still pending before Congress. The reason why is under dispute.

Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) released a statement July 11 saying the “House Armed Services Committee has placed a hold on the reprogramming of funds for all Military Departments. While DOD has requested approval for several requests, the Air Force is first impacted due to a budget shortfall.”

Hickenlooper’s statement and multiple media reports indicated the hold on reprogramming is tied to the basing decision for U.S. Space Command, which is under review by Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall after years of disputes and controversy.

In a statement to Air & Space Forces Magazine, HASC chairman Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) claimed Hickenlooper is making a “partisan, parochial, and untrue misrepresentation of HASC processes. The Committee is continuing to review reprogramming requests from the Department of Defense.” 

Back in early 2021, Huntsville, Ala., was selected as the permanent location for SPACECOM, moving the combatant command away from its temporary home of Peterson Space Force Base, Colo. Alabama lawmakers, including Rogers, have signaled they might use the power of the purse as a bargaining chip to prevent the Department of Defense reversing the decision to move the command to Alabama.

“Chairman Mike Rogers’ decision to block the Department of Defense from routinely reallocating funds is dangerous and harmful,” Hickenlooper said in a statement. “This is not how our nation should make basing decisions. Period. It is, however, how you penalize our troops for the sake of narrow political interests.”

Regardless, as long as the reprogramming request is not approved, the Air Force is reviewing pending PCS orders for Airmen whose projected departure dates are Aug. 1 or later and approving some on a “priority basis,” but others will be delayed. Those who have already received orders will be allowed to move. Airmen who have already signed a contract or been approved for certain bonuses will continue to receive them, but the Air Force is no longer accepting new Airmen into affected bonus programs.

An American Pilgrimage: Reflections from US Cemeteries in Belgium and France

An American Pilgrimage: Reflections from US Cemeteries in Belgium and France

Were there to be a pilgrimage for Americans, it seems to me these hallowed and majestic fields should be the destinations: the cemeteries where the heroes of some of our toughest, bloodiest and most consequential combat campaigns are buried.

Looking across the landscape, I believe their stories can still be heard in the whispering breeze rustling the trees nearby.

The order of it all is difficult to comprehend. Here are 5,274 pristine white headstones perfectly aligned in rows atop magnificently maintained acres of green, amber, and gold, stretching to the horizon. It belies the chaos in which these fallen comrades gave their lives.

This trip brings me to the Ardennes American Cemetery and the Henri-Chapelle American Cemeteries, both near Brussels, Belgium; the Suresnes American Cemetery and the Lafayette Escadrille Memorial Cemetery near Paris, France. I will leave profoundly changed.

At the Lafayette Escadrille Memorial Cemetery, which marks the birthplace of combat aviation, I return with the wings my wife’s grandfather wore in combat here 104 years ago. In the crypt nearby, a series of magnificent stained glass windows depict a vibrant American Eagle leaving New York for France, and the subsequent vicious battles that left some 116,000 Americans dead as they turned the tide in World War I. The last window shows a victorious but profoundly exhausted American Eagle with head hung low from the suffering that came from the “war to end all wars.”

Commissioner Daniel P. Woodward at the Lafayette Escadrille Memorial Cemetery Memorial Day 2022 returning the wings of his wife’s (Maj Gen (Ret) Maggie Woodward grandfather to Paris for the first time since he flew there in 1918. Image courtesy of ABMC Commissioner Daniel P. Woodward

At Henri-Chapelle, dozens of aging Belgians carry flags commemorating Second World War battles that took place nearby. Some 40 local grammar school children wave American flags and sing the Star Spangled Banner—in English—still grateful for all we did.

Next, a half dozen Belgian children step to a podium and read aloud letters written by the Americans at rest in this cemetery, ordinary letters home that speak of hopes and dreams and homecomings that never could be fulfilled. They also speak of loss and sacrifice of the brothers and sisters who preceded them in death.

Memorial Day 2022 honoring ceremony at the Ardennes American Cemetery. Belgian school children preparing to sing the American National Anthem. Image courtesy of ABMC Commissioner Daniel P. Woodward

There is little mention of the blackness that brought them to fight in these fields. The Nazis, Fascists, and Imperialists get little attention in their writing. Barely past their childhoods, the fallen came from all over America, from farms and cities, East and West. We honor them by remembering.

Later, while walking this beautiful field, I come upon a family that spans generations. The oldest, in a meticulously pressed dark suit, is hunched over and touching the headstone of his brother for the very first time. He brings forward a grandson who touches the headstone too. A torch is passed. I give them distance and bow my head and say a quiet prayer,.

With each step among the headstones, each knee taken to read an inscription, each momentary pause to reflect on lives ripped from their dreams too soon, I feel the emotions welling up within me.

In the silence, I come to believe that they will hear my prayer, touch my tear, and feel my spirit. Yet in the quiet breeze, I hear no bitterness for their loss; just gratitude for being remembered.

Among the headstones are some etched in gold, befitting those recognized with the Medal of Honor. But most have no such recognition, just the plain white stone that identifies them as courageous and proud patriots who went into battle sure only that to their left and right were people who would die for them, and for whom they would die if called. They lie together now.

I fly with them in leather helmets, crushed hats, and oil spattered goggles pinned in the free stream, on missions flown deep into the heart of enemy territory. Courageously climbing high into the sun and streaking low into the clutches of death, their world is one without traditional boundaries or barriers, a vortex instead of earth and sky and flak, bullets, and bombs. The dimensions of aerial combat are unprecedented in scope and complexity. Together, they won the air.

They invite me to join their band of brothers on the ground, and stand next to them as they peer through binoculars, caked in mud and blood with no time for pain. They fought with valor against tyranny in bitter and violent battles across six continents. Together, they won the ground.

Image shows a crew assigned to the 379th Bomb Group posing beside a B-17 Flying Fortress during World War II, March 17, 1944. Image courtesy of the National Archives

They take me with them into the stinging salt spray, across the waves, and through the fog of war. Though few headstones mark their loss, their bodies more often committed to the depths, they too must be remembered: Together, they won the sea.

Around the world are 26 American cemeteries and 32 memorials to American values, service and sacrifice, controlled by the American Battle Monuments Commission. Normandy, Midway, Flanders Field, Guadalcanal, the Battle of the Bulge, Panama, North Africa and all the others, stand as beacons of the hope America brought, and continues to bring, a nation founded on freedom, that offers help without compromise, whenever and wherever called.

Were there to be a pilgrimage for Americans, it should be to these places, where the magnificence of our Nation is seen most clearly in the stories of those at rest.

Come here, my friends, and let their stories take root and live on in your heart. You will leave profoundly changed.

Daniel P. Woodward is a retired Air Force brigadier general, a presidentially appointed Commissioner with the American Battle Monuments Commission, and the Executive Director of Arnold Air Society and Silver Wings, a non-profit collegiate professional development organization committed to building military and civilian servant leaders.

Brown Stresses the ‘Value of Airpower,’ China and Russia Threats in CJCS Confirmation Hearing

Brown Stresses the ‘Value of Airpower,’ China and Russia Threats in CJCS Confirmation Hearing

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. touted the importance of airpower at key points in his confirmation hearing to become Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on July 11, highlighting its impact when asked by lawmakers about competition with China and Russia.

Over the course of more than two hours before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Brown avoided any major missteps and seemingly garnered bipartisan support for his nomination to become the nation’s top-ranked military officer, as senators focused heavily on his positions on the U.S. military’s shift towards China and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Drawing on lessons learned from both situations, Brown said that Russia’s war in Ukraine has shown what happens when one side does not have air superiority. Attacks on logistics and command hubs in Ukraine have also highlighted that U.S. and allied military hubs are highly concentrated in a small number of locations in Europe. Meanwhile, as the Air Force has developed its plans to be able to fight in the Pacific, Brown noted the role critical role aircraft will play in traversing the vast distances required and the logistical challenges the ocean poses.

Russia and Ukraine

In Ukraine, Brown highlighted the strong ground-based air defenses on both sides of the conflict, which has largely forced fixed-wing aircraft away from the front lines. Instead, Russia has relied on drones and long-range missiles. Ukraine, now aided by British Storm Shadows long-range cruise missiles and American JDAM extended-range guided bombs, now has some air-launch standoff strike capabilities of its own.

“Just from my own perspective as an Airman, the value of airpower and having watched what either side has been able to do or not do, but the value of air defense and integrated air defense and how that’s been helpful to the Ukrainians in defense of their nation,” Brown said.

Russia has sought to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses, leading the U.S. and other allies to repeatedly restock Ukraine’s air defense interceptors and provide highly capable systems such as Patriot batteries and NASAMS, the same platform used to protect Washington, D.C. from missiles.

In advance policy questions provided to the committee, Brown wrote that the U.S. and its allies need to improve their own missile defense systems in the region to prevent mass attacks in a conflict.

“First, the DOD has sufficient air and missile defense capability in” the U.S. European Command area of responsibility, Brown wrote. “However, in my view, the capacity is lacking in that it is not currently deployed in sufficient numbers to defend EUCOM’s critical infrastructure against cruise missile attacks in large salvos.”

China and Taiwan

Meanwhile, Brown noted two recent Air Force exercises that have shown the value—and the challenges to—logistics in the Pacific: the ongoing Mobility Guardian exercise and CORONA South, a logistical senior leader tabletop exercise held in June.

“You cannot wait until the crisis occurs to be able to deploy capability,” Brown told the committee. “You have to pre-position capability and have that in place. You have to work with allies and partners to have access to locations so you can put the capability into place. And that’s an area that we are focused on not only as an Air Force, but I’d also say as a joint force.”

The Indo-Pacific in particular presents significant hurdles.

“Because of those differences in geography and infrastructure, we cannot use the same approach in both theaters,” Brown said. “You look at the geography of Europe, where you have large landmass borders. You also have infrastructure, with roads, railroads, airfields that are all close together. In the Indo-Pacific, you don’t necessarily have that. What you have is more maritime space, islands, but you do have airfields, and so it’ll be more challenging. And, oh, by the way, the size of the region is much larger than it is in Europe.”

In his advance policy questions, Brown also wrote that China and Russia, while presenting their own unique challenges to the U.S., were still linked in their desire to upend the Western-led international order after declaring a “no limits” partnership in February 2022.

“Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. has observed no discernible change in Beijing and Moscow’s strategic partnership even as the international community has united to impose costs on Russia,” Brown wrote. “While China does not openly criticize Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Beijing does openly blame NATO and supports the Russian war effort through economic, diplomatic, public support, and non-lethal military means. We must reinforce the norm against territorial conquest, as a key element of preserving global stability.”

Diversity and Personnel Issues

During the hearing, Brown faced some resistance from Republican lawmakers on the Pentagon’s diversity initiatives and cultural issues, arguing they were a distraction from fielding the most capable fighting force.

Brown said diversity was a strength of the U.S. military and the Pentagon’s “goal is to tap into all the talent across our nation.”

“I’ll just tell you from my own career when I came in and flying F-16s, I didn’t want to be the best African-American F-16 pilot, I wanted to be the best F-16 pilot,” Brown said. “That’s the aspect all of our service members look for. They want a fair opportunity, but they also want to be rewarded for their performance.”

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), who has placed a hold on general and flag officer nominations to protest the Pentagon’s new policy to pay for travel to receive reproductive health care such as abortions and in-vitro fertilization, focused most of his questioning of Brown on concerns about the size of the Joint Staff and said he supported Brown’s confirmation. But several Democratic lawmakers used the hearing to criticize Tuberville, whose hold is preventing hundreds of senior military leaders from being speedily confirmed.

Brown, for his part, said he was “nonpartisan and nonpolitical” and would “advocate that our civilians—civilian leadership—does not bring us into political situations.”

“I’d set that same expectation throughout the force,” he added.

But Brown did say holding up confirmations on officers was detrimental to the military.

“In addition to the senior officers, there’s a whole chain of events that goes down to our junior officers,” Brown said. “That has an impact.”

Service members families would also face hardships, Brown said.

“Whether it’s school, whether it’s employment, whether it’s the fact that they already sold their home because they thought they were going to move and are now living in temporary quarters, that creates a challenge,” Brown said. “We will lose talent. The spouse network is alive and well, and the spouses will compare notes.”

Next Steps

Tuberville’s hold will also presumably prevent Brown from quickly being confirmed. He is slated to succeed Army Gen. Mark A. Milley as the president’s top military adviser when Milley’s term expires at the end of September. In the meantime, the SASC can advance the nomination and send it to the Senate floor, where Brown could come up for a roll call vote.

Brown was confirmed 98-0 by the Senate in 2020 after being nominated to lead the Air Force by former President Donald Trump. Brown would be the first Airman in 18 years to be Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.

In their opening statements, SASC chairman Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and ranking member Roger Wicker (R-Ala.) noted that Brown would be coming into the role at a time of a fundamental shift in geopolitics.

“I expect General Brown will offer his most frank, unreserved military judgment both to the president and to Congress if confirmed,” Wicker said.

Addressing Brown, Reed said, “if confirmed, you will lead the Joint Force at a momentous time.”

Here’s the Full List of USAF Jobs Losing Their Special Duty Pay

Here’s the Full List of USAF Jobs Losing Their Special Duty Pay

Flight engineers, loadmasters, and sensor operators are among the 3,700 Airmen who will stop receiving special duty assignment pay over the next year, Air & Space Forces Magazine has confirmed. 

All told, 33 Air Force specialties will no longer qualify for SDAP starting in fiscal 2024. The payments range from $75 to $450 per month, and vary based on skill level, assignment location, and training.

The cuts will be gradual—communities being phased out will continue to receive half their prior amount through fiscal 2024, then lose it entirely in fiscal 2025. 

The Air Force announced changes to the SDAP program on June 23, but has refused to release the full list without providing an explanation of why. While the list is available on myFSS, which is accessible to anyone on Active duty, it remains hidden from spouses, the public, and Congress, among others. 

On July 10, the popular unofficial Facebook page “Air Force amn/nco/snco” leaked an image showing the affected communities. An Air Force spokesperson confirmed the image’s veracity to Air & Space Forces Magazine and provided extra detail on which job communities have been added to the SDAP program and which were not cut but will have reduced rates. 

Removed 

  • President’s Emergency Ops Center 
  • Cryptologic Language Analyst 
  • Electronic Security Systems 
  • Aircraft Battle Damage Repair Exp Depot Mx 
  • Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) 
  • 361st Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group (ISRG) 
  • Defense Couriers 
  • 31 Communication Squadron and 39 Communication Squadron NC3 
  • Army Support Weather Ops 
  • Flight Attendants 
  • 52nd Munitions Maintenance Group NC3 
  • Airborne Mission System Operators 
  • Flight Engineers 
  • Loadmasters 
  • Sensor Operators 
  • Special Mission Aviators 
  • Contracting 
  • RPA Cyber Technicians 
  • International Enlisted Engagements Managers 
  • RPA Ops – Weather Support 
  • Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System 
  • Super High Frequency Operators 
  • Advanced Intelligence Instructors 
  • Ski Mission – Flight Eng and Loadmasters 
  • Airborne MSS – Host Nation Riders 
  • 55th Operations Group Management Operator 
  • 336 Training Squadron & 98th DRA Aircrew Flight Equipment 
  • Diagnostic Med Sonogram 
  • Honor Guard 
  • ANG RPA Cyber Ops 
  • Radar, Airfield, & Weather Systems 
  • Casualty Cell 
  • Military Working Dog Handlers 

Airmen who join these job communities after the start of fiscal 2024 on Oct. 1 will not qualify for the 50 percent SDAP rate offered to those being phased out of the program.

Reduced 

  • Military Human Intelligence 
  • 724th Special Tactics Group Operations Support 
  • Subsurface Analyst 
  • Parachuting Instructor 
  • 33rd Cyberspace Operations Squadron Operating Location Alpha 
  • Mission Field Chief 
  • Special Ops Surgical Team

Airmen in specialties getting their SDAP rates reduced will have a 90-day grace period after the start of the fiscal year before those cuts go into effect.

Added

  • Material Management 
  • Bomber Airborne Maintenance Support 
  • United States Air Force Academy Enlisted Faculty Instructor 
  • Special Missions Support

All told, 70 job specialties will receive special duty pay. According to Air Force budget documents, roughly 29,800 Airmen will be included at a cost of $92.2 million. The service is looking to save $4.04 million on the program in fiscal 2024. 

The Air Force sought to cut SDAP a year ago, but Secretary Frank Kendall cancelled the plan amid an outcry over paycuts just as inflation was at its peak. In particular, some complained about the Air Force’s plan to cut special duty pay for recruiters at a time when the service was struggling to meet its recruiting goals. Recruiters will continue to receive special duty pay in 2024.