In a First, USAF F-35s Join Multinational Arctic Challenge Exercise

In a First, USAF F-35s Join Multinational Arctic Challenge Exercise

May 30, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

More than two dozen U.S. Air Force fighters and tankers—including F-35s for the first time—are participating in what U.S. Air Force leaders in Europe call the region’s “premier” Nordic exercise over the next two weeks. 

Some 150 aircraft from 14 countries are taking part in Arctic Challenge Exercise 2023, which kicked off May 29 and runs through June 9 at bases across Sweden, Finland, and Norway. 

Eight F-35s and 14 F-15Es from the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath, U.K., deployed for the exercise, with the F-35s going to Norway’s Ørland Air Base and the F-15Es to Finland’s Pirkkala Air Base. KC-135s from the 100th Air Refueling Wing at RAF Mildenhall, U.K., and the Maine Air National Guard will support the exercise from Ørland Air Base and RAF Mildenhall. 

Airmen from the 414th Combat Training “Red Flag” Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., deployed to Sweden’s Luleå Air Base to integrate with planners. 

The annual Arctic Challenge exercises started in 2013 pulling together the U.S., the United Kingdom. and the three Nordic countries. It has since grown into one of the largest aerial exercises in the Arctic region. This year’s participants include the U.S., U.K., the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Canada, France, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and the Czech Republic. 

This is the first time U.S. F-35s have taken part, and Italy, Norway, and the Netherlands all sent F-35s as well. 

Also new this year: Finland took the lead in organizing and running the exercise, a notable step given its entry into the NATO alliance just months ago. Sweden is still waiting for admittance into the NATO fold.  

“By training and conducting realistic exercises in the High North, like Arctic Challenge Exercise 2023, U.S. forces and those of Allied and Partner nations hone skills, fine-tune interoperability, nurture key relationships, and acclimate to the inherent challenges posed by fighting in the Arctic’s extreme conditions,” a USAFE press release stated. 

Arctic Challenge Exercise comes amid a run of exercises in Europe. NATO’s DEFENDER 2023 exercise kicked off earlier this month with A-10s from the 442nd Fighter Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., split between Zaragosa Air Base, Spain, and Thessaloniki Air Base, Greece. Airlift aircraft soon followed.  

Meanwhile, the German-led Air Defender 23 exercise will begin June 12, featuring around 100 U.S. Air National Guard aircraft, including F-35s, F-16s, F-15s, A-10s, KC-135, KC-46s, C-130s, and C-17s. Operations will take place in Germany, the Czech Republic, Estonia, and Latvia. 

Wives of Top Air Force, Space Force Generals Share 5 Keys to Life as a Military Spouse

Wives of Top Air Force, Space Force Generals Share 5 Keys to Life as a Military Spouse

May 30, 2023 | By Chris Gordon

Military families face many personal issues associated with their service, and the spouses of the top officers in the Department of the Air Force are not immune to them, they said May 30 during an Air & Space Forces Association United Forces & Families (F2) event, appearing alongside family advocates.

“I guess it worked out for the best 30 years later,” Jennifer Saltzman, wife of Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman said. “I did not grow up in the military. I didn’t know what that life was about. And just thought I mean, he’s really a cute, nice guy. Let’s just do that. That’ll be easy. We won’t do it very long, right?”

Since then, Mrs. Saltzman—who appeared on a panel alongside Sharene Brown, the wife of Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr.—learned that being a military spouse was challenging, though rewarding. Here are five things Jennifer Saltzman and Sharene Brown have learned over the years—some big takeaways and other simple daily rituals.

The 20-Second Hug

“Time, definitely we never have enough of it,” Saltzman said. But her husband came home from a conference with an interesting suggestion offered by a speaker, which Mrs. Saltzman says the couple has now taken up.

“Take a deep breath and hug your spouse for 20 seconds,” Saltzman said. “It allows you to take those couple of deep breaths and then you kind of just re-center.”

Saltzman said that with all that military families are juggling, it is important to connect.

“Now it’s just almost a call in the house,” Saltzman said. “That’s a fun connection. But you’d be surprised if you really do count 20 seconds, it’s longer than think.”

Saltzman said families should find whatever works for them, whether it’s quirky or not.

“But always make sure you create the time because it goes by really quickly,” she said. “You don’t want moments to be few and far between. You want to make sure that you always capture your connection first.”

Fight for Yourself and Your Family

Sharene Brown’s signature initiative since her husband became Chief of Staff is “Five and Thrive,” focusing on five key concerns for military families. And two of those areas, childcare and education, are particularly important to the Browns, given their experience after one of their sons was diagnosed with autism.

“When you see something that’s happening with your family, you need to take as much of a proactive stance as you possibly can,” Brown said. “I tried to soak up as much information about what schools should require or do require for students as much as I could, because I knew the next location wouldn’t necessarily have all that information.”

But whatever the situation is, Brown said families are their own best advocates.

“To all of our family members, I say to you, you know, your family is really important because all the things that are going on in a military life, you’re thrown a number of different curveballs along the way,” Brown said. “It’s not so much what you’re thrown, but how you handle that and how you’re able to seek out those people around you and those resources that are out there for you. Because let me tell you, our military has a lot of resources, birth to grave, and we’re just overflowing with any sort of information that we’d like to be able to share with you.”

The Browns know firsthand that is not always easy, she said.

“Reaching out is probably the hardest thing to do initially,” Brown said. “If you recognize that there’s something that’s just not quite right, then investigate, explore, try to figure out what’s going on, and be proactive. Because ultimately, if you don’t engage early enough, you will be dealing with a number of challenges, either early on or later on in life. And the longer you wait, the harder the challenges become.”

Make Connections Outside the Military

Roughly two-thirds of military families live off base. Families should reach out to their civilian neighbors, military family advocates said.

“You can’t only rely on the military spouses around you,” said Kirstin Navaroli, the co-founder of Wives of the Armed Forces, who appeared alongside fellow spouse advocates Nicole Murray and Aaron Evenson. “We can’t only rely on your partner. You have to get creative.”

Navaroli recounted a time when she needed urgent help taking care of one of her kids. While she may not live in her current neighborhood for the rest of her life, civilian families are still willing to help out—if they know they can.

“Building relationships and building trust,” is key, Navaroli said, “so that when you need that text to go out and you know it’s going to be answered.”

Military members make frequent moves, but that doesn’t mean families shouldn’t try to connect with as many people as possible. Brown recounted her trepidation upon heading for her husband’s assignment to Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, S.C.

But, she learned, “people are people everywhere.”

Explore

Being a military family has many challenges, but America relies on an all-volunteer force. As the military struggles with recruiting and retention, Brown said it is most important for families to get everything they can out of their military experience.

“Get out and explore,” Brown said. “You never know how long you’re going to be in a location. I always tried to get out and see as much of wherever I was living and to meet as many people as possible.”

As Gen. Brown was sent to places like South Korea and Italy, the family got to experience the cultural rewards of those different environments.

But Saltzman said military families should try to make the best of any location they’re posted in.

“I take advantage of every opportunity in every place,” Saltzman said “Even if it’s not your first choice, and it was your second or your third, there’s going to be something fabulous there for you and your family. You just have to go out and find it.”

“Don’t be disappointed or scared if there’s a location that you’re going to that you weren’t quite sure about,” she added.

Be Flexible

“There’s only 24 hours in the day, even though some of you use those a lot more efficiently,” Saltzman said. “Be flexible.”

Despite her husband’s high rank and their new Space House quarters, Gen. Saltzman’s first posting with Jennifer was to Montana when he was a young missileer, and they have moved roughly 14 different times.

She recounted one story that illustrates the hectic life of military families when she was asked for an emergency contact.

“‘I don’t have one, I just got here yesterday,’” Saltzman recounted. “‘I think one time I made a person up, ‘What’s the area code here?’ That’s fine, I’ll just write a name. But there are other people experiencing those same things. Hopefully, you can just find that network of people because military families and military kids are the greatest ones out there. So I’ve always been honored to be able to be in that group. But you have to be flexible.”

Russian-Speaking Airmen Translate Rare Account of Ukraine War Through Invader’s Eyes

Russian-Speaking Airmen Translate Rare Account of Ukraine War Through Invader’s Eyes

May 30, 2023 | By David Roza

“Half of my guys changed clothes and wore Ukrainian uniforms because they were of higher quality and more comfortable. … Our great country was unable to clothe, equip, and feed its own army.”

Those are among the opening lines of a harrowing 77-page account from Russian paratrooper Pavel Filatyev, describing his part in the 2022 invasion of Ukraine—and now available to read in English thanks to five Russian-speaking Airmen who translated the text on behalf of the Air Force Culture and Language Center (AFCLC).

The full blog—titled “Zov,” a term that means “Calling” in English—made headlines in August after appearing on the Russian social media website Vkontakte. Though Russian soldiers had previously posted photos and videos of the war to social media, Filatyev’s blog was one of the first longform accounts to appear in public.

“I cannot remain silent,” wrote Filatyev, who later fled Russia for political asylum in France.

Airmen and the rest of America can now read the whole document on the U.S. Air Force’s Air University website. And while it may be impossible to verify all of the details in Filatyev’s account, his writing offers a rare glimpse of what went wrong in the Russian invasion.

Specifically for U.S. service members and leaders, “Zov” provides insight into how Ukrainian forces have been able to defy the odds and blunt the effects of a larger, technologically superior Russian military, one of the USAF translators told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

“Before the invasion started, everybody was reporting that Ukraine would fall within weeks, and that clearly hasn’t happened,” Capt. Roman Obolonskiy said. “Now we have to go back and figure out what within our military intelligence community and analysis failed to predict this outcome.”

While military planners could estimate the number of Russian resources like tanks, troops, and planes, accounts like “Zov” shed light on intangible factors such as morale, motivation, and training.

“Is what’s on paper real? The writer would tell us, ‘Hey we were not issued the things we thought we would be issued,’” Obolonskiy said. “‘We did not have sleeping bags or winter clothing and we had rusty weapons that were out of sight.’ Having 200 rifles is great, but not if none of your 200 rifles can shoot straight.”

A destroyed Russian tank at an undisclosed location in Ukraine on Oct. 2, 2022. Ukraine Ministry of Defense/Facebook

Challenges of Translation

Like his four co-translators, Obolonskiy is a member of the Language-Enabled Airman Program, an initiative within AFCLC where Airmen and Space Force Guardians who have significant experience in a foreign language can apply to serve as cultural and linguistic experts for their fellow service members.

The team of Airmen, which included Maj. Herman Reinhold, Capt. Mikhail Berlin, Capt. Abror Samatov,, and Master Sgt. Nadia Wolfe, read “Zov” the entire way through, split it into sections, assigned one Airman to each section, then worked together to ensure consistency throughout the translation. It was a difficult task: Filatyev wrote in a stream-of-consciousness style filled with military jargon, typos, and colloquial expressions that do not translate perfectly into English. 

“It was the use of language I found particularly interesting,” Reinhold said. “It is kind of a puzzle: how do I translate the F-word in Russian into English in a way that is understandable to the reader. I may or may not use the exact F-word equivalent. Maybe I’ll use different curse words to convey the meaning.”

Indeed, David Remnick, the editor of The New Yorker and a fluent Russian speaker, wrote in 2014 there are thousands of variations on the four curse words that make up the backbone of Russian profanity. Besides profanity, the LEAP scholars also had to use their best judgment to translate colloquial or military terms.

“Some of the military jargon, slang, wordplay, and colloquial expressions would not make sense in English if translated verbatim,” said Berlin. “It was a fun challenge to find a creative way to convey the exact same meaning and find similar phrases that would be used in English.”

Lessons for the US

When the translation was complete, it provided firsthand perspective of what many analysts had seen from a distance: The Russian war effort has been hampered by poor logistics, communication, and leadership. “Zov” illustrates how those issues affect frontline troops.

“Who will be accountable for these lives lost and the wounded?” Filatyev wrote about a suspected incident of friendly fire. “After all, the reason for their deaths was not the professionalism of the Ukrainian army, but the mess in ours.”

The shortage of medical supplies and other equipment that Filatyev experienced reminded Wolfe, a medical logistics flight chief, just how important her work is to the larger U.S. military.

“In medical logistics, we do our job day to day and we do not necessarily see the outcome,” she said. “‘Zov’ brings the importance of what we do to light and is an example that I can use to motivate my people.”

Filatyev’s memoir also showed the impact a corps of noncommissioned officers, or lack thereof, can have on a battlefield. 

“There is a very large separation between officers and enlisted,” said Wolfe. “It was almost like they are not even working on the same side.” 

Obolonskiy came away with a greater appreciation for corruption in the Russian military and political system, which may have contributed to the dysfunction at the front.

“We’ve always known about corruption within Russia, but I don’t think we comprehended what that meant,” he said. “Throughout reading this, from start to finish, every link in their chains of supply, appropriations, and logistics was impacted by a level of corruption where people were just stealing everything that they needed for the war effort.”

A Ukrainian army soldier stands near the wreckage of a Russian vehicle at an undisclosed location on March 8, 2022. General Staff of the Army of Ukraine/Twitter

More Understanding

Despite Filatyev’s criticisms of the war and the Russian military, the paratrooper declares: “I’m not a coward! I’m a patriot! … I feel sorry for the Ukrainians, a fraternal nation to me! But even more, I feel sorry for the used Russian people and the nations of the great USSR, whose people were exploited by others, more unscrupulous individuals. Who are currently destroying the largest and the greatest country in the world!”

Filatyev may have witnessed war crimes firsthand. In March, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty alleged the paratrooper said he was aware some Ukrainians captured by his unit would later be executed. In ‘Zov,’ he wrote that he did not witness any acts of torture or rape, though he saw at least one mutilated dead body. The paratrooper expressed guilt for participating in what he felt was an unjustified invasion.

In writing “Zov,” he may have “tried to do something that would clear his conscience,” Wolfe said.

In reading the document, Americans must remember Filatyev’s experience may not reflect that of the entire Russian military, Reinhold said. “Zov” is a primary source document, and other sources are needed for a more holistic picture of the conflict. With those limitations in mind, Filatyev’s account could serve as a reminder that an army’s strength on paper may not hold up on the battlefield. 

“There is an opportunity to try and figure out how we can re-analyze other adversaries,” said Obolonskiy.  “Are we focusing on the right things when we try to calculate how capable a foreign military is?”

That mindset applies not only to adversaries, but also to allies, partners, and the U.S. itself.

“We need to look in the mirror as well and see what of this applies to us,” Obolonskiy said. “Do we provide the correct training, or are we boggled as well? Do we provide the proper equipment or do we also have five guns at a base of a thousand?”

Sharene Brown’s ‘Five & Thrive’ Earns Shout Out from President Biden

Sharene Brown’s ‘Five & Thrive’ Earns Shout Out from President Biden

May 29, 2023 | By Chris Gordon

Sharene Brown and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr. know a good slogan—and the importance of backing it up. The general is known for his signature “Accelerate Change or Lose” mantra, while Mrs. Brown has been tackling issues affecting Airmen and their families through her signature “Five and Thrive” initiative.

Launched in December 2021, Five and Thrive focuses on childcare, education, healthcare, housing, and spouse employment.

And now that Gen. Brown has been announced as President Joe Biden’s pick for the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff—as which he’ll advise the commander-in-chief in the West Wing—Sharene Brown will have a partner in the East Wing with First Lady Jill Biden, according to President Biden.

“Sharene, you and C.Q. are true partners in our dedication to the health and well-being of the women and men in uniform and their families,” Biden said May 25 in a speech from the Rose Garden announcing Brown’s nomination. Biden also recognized the Browns’ sons, Sean and Ross. 


Sharene Brown, spouse of Chief of Staff of the Air Force, meets with squadron commander spouses during a tour at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., July 27, 2022. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Steven Cardo

Jill Biden, the mother of a former service member, her late son Beau Biden, launched her own program, Joining Forces, as Second Lady along with then-First Lady Michelle Obama in 2011.

President Biden said Jill Biden and Sharene Brown would work together in their efforts should Gen. Brown ascend to the job of the nation’s highest-ranking military officer

“Jill and I look forward to working even more closely with you on these issues,” Biden told Sharene Brown in his speech.

Joining Forces focuses on many of the same efforts as Five and Thrive, such as spouse employment, childcare, education, and the health of military families—and Jill Biden and Sharene Brown have even used similar language to describe their goals.

“We have an all-volunteer force—and it continues only because generations of Americans see the honor, dignity, and patriotism of military service,” Jill Biden said in April 2021. “How can we hope to keep our military strong if we don’t give our families, survivors, and caregivers what they need to thrive?”

First Lady Jill Biden helps Beverly Gardens Elementary School second-grade students with math problems during her visit March 29, 2023. During her stop at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, Biden discussed the Joining Forces initiative with military families and educators and met with Airmen at the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine. U.S. Air Force photo by Brian Dietrick

President Biden said Five and Thrive is doing “important work to address the greatest issues affecting military families,” which work makes for a natural partnership between the First Lady and the wife of the next Chairman.

Five and Thrive and Joining Forces extend beyond catchphrases. The guidebook for Five and Thrive—which offers additional digital connections to resources—runs 62 pages. Five and Thrive publishes a monthly Spouse Situation Report, designed as a so-called SITREP, similar to any other important military operation. Joining Forces also offers resources and running updates on its efforts, with the most recent tangible step spurring an April 18 executive order by President Biden to support caregivers, including those support service members and veterans.

“That’s what it takes sometimes, the village,” Sharene Brown said at AFA’s Air, Space, and Cyber Conference in September 2022. “And if we could all go someplace or feel like that somebody could step in and help us out, I think we’ll all feel a little bit more comfortable.”

With the White House in the picture, Sharene Brown’s efforts are set to extend beyond the Air Force to all military families.

“Throughout Gen. Brown’s stellar career in the Air Force, C.Q. and Sharene have always put family first, and they both know from their own experience growing up in military families that it’s not just the person who wears the uniform who serves, the whole family—the whole family serves—and the whole family sacrifices on behalf of the nation,” Biden said.

Air Force Dispatches Natural Disaster Recovery Team to Guam After Typhoon

Air Force Dispatches Natural Disaster Recovery Team to Guam After Typhoon

May 26, 2023 | By John A. Tirpak

A task force of the Air Force’s Natural Disaster Recovery Team is enroute to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, to assess the condition of the facilities there and advise the 36th Wing commander in the wake of Super Typhoon Mawar, which struck the island May 24 with the force of a Category 4 hurricane.

The team is expected to be in place in the next few days and will provide an initial assessment to the wing commander at Andersen in the following week, according to Col. Robert L. Bartlow, Jr., chief of the Air Force’s Civil Engineer Center Natural Disaster Recovery Division at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.

The tropical cyclone came ashore at Andersen at the northeast part of the island. The island was hit with winds of up to 140 miles per hour, two feet of rain, a storm surge, flooding, downed trees, utility outages, and building collapses. While some minor injuries have been reported, no deaths have been attributed to the storm.

In preparation for the storm, Andersen aircraft were either evacuated or secured in hangars, and naval vessels were sent out to sea. Thus far, no aircraft damage has been reported.

The Air Force’s Natural Disaster Recovery Team (NDRT), which consists of Active-Duty military, government civilians, and contractors, numbers about 80 personnel, five of whom have been dispatched to Guam. They will assess damage, augment the base’s own civil engineering capacity, and recommend both immediate and long-term action, Bartlow told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

The NDRT was created in the wake of 2018’s Hurricane Michael—which destroyed most of Tyndall—and highly destructive flooding in 2019 at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. It manages the civil engineering response to disasters at Air Force bases, from initial assessment through the contracting and implementation phase of reconstruction.

To get to Guam, the team is making its way first to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, by commercial air, and then by military transport to the island, as Won Pat International Aiport is damaged and not expected to be back in operation until May 30 at the earliest.

The Navy has also ordered the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier and its strike group—now in the vicinity of Japan—to Guam to assist with recovery. The vessels should reach Guam by May 29. The Federal Emergency Management Agency deployed 130 staff to the island ahead of the storm.

It hasn’t been determined how long the assessment team will be on site, Bartlow said, but its findings will help form the basis for any special needs or requests made to Pacific Air Forces, and, if necessary, Headquarters Air Force.

“We’ve had this capability for between a year and two years now,” Bartlow said.

When a natural disaster occurs—or is imminent—the team has the authority to mobilize for a response, Bartlow said. The Guam assessment marks the third time the team has done so.

“We first mobilized a team last October in response to Hurricane Ian, that hit South Florida,” he noted. It was expected that Ian would do serious damage to MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., but would up shifting course. While MacDill “did sustain some serious damage,” it wasn’t catastrophic, Bartlow said, and “we set the team down for five or six days to assist the base there.”

The second deployment was to Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., in the wake of a winter storm in December 2022 that resulted in tornados and heavy snow.  

This response to Guam, however, has “a little more the impact [as it is] more severe than what we saw on the previous two,” Barlow said.

Because Guam’s location is subject to frequent cyclones, “the facilities and infrastructure … are probably better prepared for a storm of that magnitude than, say, the facilities at Tyndall,” he observed.

An initial damage report is conducted after a typhoon hit the island of Guam and damaged Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, May 26, 2023. Typhoon Mawar was a Category 4 storm, producing winds of at least 130 miles per hour, making it one of the stronger typhoons to hit Guam in decades. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Allison Martin

While the 36th Wing’s own civil engineering staff will conduct assessments, the disaster team “brings in some unique expertise that you don’t typically have at an installation … and we’re sending that to assist them,” Bartlow said. The 36th Wing commander specifically requested their presence, even as his base works to ensure they can properly support personnel.

With their expertise assessing and contracting for remediation and recovery at Tyndall and Offutt, the team has unique insight into “the cost and scope of what the recovery will be,” Bartlow said—they are knowledgeable about the cost and timing needed to fix runways, rebuild hangars, repair or rebuild the water and electrical systems, and more.

The goal is for a full assessment to be complete in 30 days, he said, which will include cost estimates and “preliminary programming documents completed for those recovery projects.” But it will depend on the scope of the damage.

The team will focus on permanent repairs but can help with short-term mitigation efforts, he said. PACAF will then work with the Pentagon “to source those additional requirements that can’t be sourced from within the command.”

If necessary, the task force, or others from the NDRT, will stay on site and assist the local civil engineering shop beyond the assessment, but they likely won’t be overseeing the management and execution of the repair projects, Bartlow said.

“Again, that’s part of what we do in natural disaster recovery; there is a long-term requirement to assist and augment the installation [personnel],” he said.

With natural disasters increasing in frequency and severity—one of the reasons why the NDRT was stood up in the first place—Bartlow said the organization is structured to be able to scale up if necessary.

“Today, we have exactly what we need. But if called upon to take on another installation, it would be relatively simple for us to scale up and take that on,” he said.

Much of the organization’s work thus far has centered on the reconstruction at Tyndall and Offutt, and Bartlow said those projects have hit an “inflection point.”

“Within about eight months … we moved from the majority of the programs still in acquisition to now, [where] we have over 90 percent of the program actually on contract and under construction. So that’s a big step,” he said.

At Tyndall alone, 55 projects are underway, with only a few left to award in 2024, Bartlow said. The first major project—a new Child Development Center—will be finished in August.

Given the scope and cost to rebuild at Tyndall and Offutt, the team was directed “not to build what we had before”—officials have said they want to build “installations of the future” that are capable of withstanding extreme weather. On both bases, the elevation of key buildings is being raised so they will remain above either flood stage or storm surge levels of the magnitude expected for 100 years, Bartlow said.

At Tyndall, construction includes new facilities to house a wing with three squadrons of F-35s, including the “associated support, personnel and capabilities to go with that,” Bartlow said. “It certainly will not be an austere base.”

At Offutt, only a third of the base was destroyed, but that third took down “largely the mission-related facilities along the flightline. So we’re … building back to meet the mission.“ Much of the Air Force’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance fleet, along with U.S. Strategic Command, are based there.

The 2019 flood established a new baseline for how high facilities had to be. Bartlow said the Army Corps of Engineers and contractors brought in “hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of fill” to raise the levels of the re-built facilities and to strengthen levees to protect them.

Now Enlisted Airmen Can Swap Assignments. But Only If You Meet All Requirements

Now Enlisted Airmen Can Swap Assignments. But Only If You Meet All Requirements

May 26, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

Airmen will be able to swap assignments starting June 1, but the offer comes with strings attached. 

The new enlisted assignment swap program announced May 25 is open available to senior master sergeants and below who can find a match for:   

  • Air Force Specialty Code 
  • Skill level 
  • Grade or projected grade 
  • Special Experience Identifier (as required) 
  • Vector (as required) 
  • Security Clearance (as required) 

Airmen will also have to have the same PCS eligibility “such as time on station, tour length, and retainability,” according to a memo from assistant secretary for manpower and reserve affairs Alex Wagner, which leaked on Reddit and was confirmed as authentic to Air & Space Forces Magazine.

Both parties must initiate assignment swaps within 90 days from their assignment selection date to qualify. Airmen with adverse quality force indicators are ineligible.

People commenting on Reddit expressed concern over the time-on-station requirement, which is four years for career Airmen. That will limit the pool of eligible Airmen.

The concept first arose eight months ago with Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne Bass teased a new assignment swap policy at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference, drawing spirited applause from the crowd.

In a release, Air Force leaders urged Airmen not to use open online platforms like Reddit to coordinate assignment swaps, citing the need to protect confidential information and operational security.  

Instead, they recommended using MyVector, the Air Force’s online platform for career development and mentorship—while also noting the frustrations many Airmen have with the service’s web applications.

“The program application on MyVector isn’t perfect, but it will evolve throughout the year,” Wagner said. “We understand the frustrations with our IT infrastructure, which is why it’s important for you to provide feedback to the team to make them better.” 

“We aren’t waiting for the perfect system to be built and I’m glad to see this program come to fruition,” added Bass. 

The Air Force has had an assignment swap policies in the past—Airmen previously used online forums and newspaper classified ads to search for possible swaps. 

Several years ago, however, the program was shut down when it was determined to be “unfair,” according to an Air Force Personnel Center post on Facebook. Because Airmen had to cover their own moving expenses, some in the lower ranks couldn’t afford to participate. All told, less than 5 percent of Airmen took advantage of the program. 

The new swap program aims to fix that problem—in his memo, Wagner wrote that “this policy will not require Airmen to pay for their relocations.” 

Oregon Guard Base Will Get Third F-35 Schoolhouse

Oregon Guard Base Will Get Third F-35 Schoolhouse

May 26, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

F-35As are headed to Kingsley Field in Klamath Falls, Ore., which will become home to the Air Force’s third formal training F-35A training unit, the USAF announced May 25. 

Some 20 F-35s will replace the 27 F-15Cs currently at the Oregon Air National Guard base, pending an environmental impact analysis that’s expected to finish in 2025. The move is a change from a 2020 plan to establish an F-15EX schoolhouse at Kingsley, which has long hosted F-15C/D training. 

But given the “strategic focus in the Indo-Pacific Command theater” and the need to field fifth-generation aircraft “as quickly as possible,” the 173rd Fighter Wing announced in February that the plan was again under review.  

The Air Force has also said it no longer plans to acquire 144 F-15EX Eagle IIs. After considering ending the program at 80 aircraft, planners now say they want a force of 104. 

But what USAF really wants and needs are fifth-generation jets that combine low-observable stealth with advanced electronics to pose a more complex threat to adversaries. The Air Force’s fiscal 2024 budget request seeks 48 F-35s and 24 F-15EXs. At that rate, Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. has said the F-35A will soon surpass the F-16 as the service’s biggest fighter fleet. 

“The Eagle II is a fantastic aircraft, and Team Kingsley was ready and willing to take on that mission,” Col. Lee Bouma, 173rd Fighter Wing commander, said in a statement. “However, our strategic focus has shifted since 2020; the Air Force needs F-35 squadrons available and fully mission-capable to prevail against peer adversaries. … That means they require more F-35 pilots. Team Kingsley’s adaptability and excellence allows us to fill this Air Force need.” 

The Air Force already has formal F-35 training units at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., and Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. With Kingsley, the F-35 will match the F-16 in having three FTUs. 

Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., will take over all basic F-15 training in early 2026, with follow-on training on their specific model at their first unit. F-15Cs will gradually be retired in the coming years, remaining longest in Air National Guard units. Newer F-15E and F-15EX models will remain as part of the Air Force’s planned four-fighter fleet of the future. 

The Oregon ANG is still slated to get the F-15EX—the 142nd Wing at Portland Air National Guard Base is supposed to have the first operational F-15EX unit in fiscal 2025. 

The Likely Next Air Force Chief—and All the Contenders

The Likely Next Air Force Chief—and All the Contenders

May 26, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

Now that President Biden has officially said Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. is his choice to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Pentagon leaders need to decide who will succeed Brown to become the 23rd Air Force Chief of Staff?

The odds on favorite is Vice Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin, a career mobility and test pilot with an extensive operational and staff background. Allvin maintained a low profile for most of his tenure as the vice, but has had a more public role since the start of the year, apparently laying the groundwork for him to become the face of the force.

Allvin is the 40th Vice Chief of Staff, and would be the 10th of those to become Chief of Staff if he proves to be the choice. He’d also be the third this century, following Gen. David Goldfein, Chief No. 21, and Gen. T. Michael Moseley, No. 18.

As a leader on the Air Staff, Allvin has been a visionary helping to craft the joint force operating concepts advanced by three successive chiefs: Gen. Mark Welsh, No. 20, along with Goldfein and Brown. He helped write “America’s Air Force: A Call to the Future” in 2014 and the “Air Force Future Operating Concept” in 2015, both critical precursors to what would become Goldfein’s vision for multi-domain operations and, ultimately, what is now known throughout the services as Joint All-Domain Command and Control. 

More recently, he has been a leading voice tackling the service’s challenges with recruiting and retention.

Surprise selections

But just because Allvin is seen as the clear leading contender doesn’t mean surprises can’t happen. Before Goldfein was selected in 2015, news outlets failed to see him among the main contenders.

Candidates are all but certain to already be four-star generals. With the sole exception of the Air Force’s first chief, Gen. Carl A. Spaatz, every CSAF was a four-star and a career operator. While In at least one case—Chief No. 19, Gen. Norton Schwartz—the eventual choice was already nearing a planned retirement, it’s unlikely that either Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, head of U.S. Northern Command, or Gen. Mark Kelly, head of Air Combat Command, will be the choice at this stage. Also out of the running is Gen. Duke Z. Richardson, head of Air Force Materiel Command, who lacks the operational background essential to the job.

That leaves just a few generals to watch.

The Favorite

Gen. David W. Allvin — Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force 

Allvin has been vice chief since November 2020, shortly after Brown took the top job. A test pilot with experience in more than two dozen aircraft, Allvin gained most of his command experience in air refueling and mobility units. But he has extensive Pentagon and joint experience, including stints in the Strategy, Plans, and Policy directorate of the Joint Staff.

Having begun his vice chief tour operating largely out of public view, he has come out of the shadows in recent months, championing efforts to eliminate barriers to service and speaking about the service’s contributions to Joint-All Domain Command and Control which he has helped spearhead. He also appeared instead of Brown on a panel at the AFA Warfare Symposium with Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne Bass, and Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force Towberman. Among the past five Air Chiefs, two—Gen. T. Michael Moseley and Gen. David L. Goldfein—did stints as Vice Chief. 

Contenders

Gen. James B. Hecker — Commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa 

Hecker has overseen USAFE at a pivotal time in Europe, taking over not long after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. His command has been on constant watch, with Airmen and aircraft operating in the skies and along the borders to reassure allies and secure NATO’s eastern flank. Hecker headed Air University prior to taking command at USAFE-AFAFRICA. A fighter pilot who flew F-15s and F-22s, he has commanded at the group, wing, and Numbered Air Force levels. Three of the past seven Chiefs of Staff had commanded USAFE: Gen. Mike Ryan, Gen. John Jumper, and Gen. Mark Welsh.  

Gen. Thomas A. Bussiere — Commander of Air Force Global Strike Command 

As the head of AFGSC, Bussiere oversees the Air Force’s two legs of the nuclear triad, both of which are in the midst of massive modernization efforts that started years ago and will continue into the next decade. Under his command, AFGSC rolled out the new B-21 Raider in December 2022, which will be the “backbone” of the bomber fleet for years to come. Bussiere has flown the F-15, B-1, B-2, and F-22, and led the Eighth and Eleventh Air Forces. He was also vice commander of U.S. Strategic Command. He would be the first Chief ever to ascend from Global Strike Command, established in 2009, and the first bomber pilot to become Chief since Gen. David C. Jones in 1974.   

Gen. Mike Minihan — Commander of Air Mobility Command 

Since taking command of AMC in October 2021, Minihan has gained a reputation for bold, brash, inspirational leadership. His “Mobility Manifesto” address at AFA’s Air, Space, and Cyber conference in September 2022 lit up the crowd and launched an ambitious trajectory to prepare AMC’s Airmen for conflict in the Indo-Pacific. Since then, his experiments have yielded 24- and 36-hour sorties in the KC-46, successful operations with limited aircrew, and this summer, the massive “Mobility Guardian” exercise intended to demonstrate air mobility’s reach across the Pacific region this summer. But Minihan probably lost standing when he garnered international headlines for a memo to AMC Airmen that was leaked to the media in January. The memo suggested war with China was likely in 2025 and urged Airmen to brush up on their marksmanship by practicing aiming for the head. The memo was never intended for public consumption, but the negative publicity could prove problematic in confirmation hearings.

Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost — Commander of U.S. Transportation Command 

Van Ovost, a former test pilot who has flown a dozen aircraft types, would be the first woman ever to be Air Force Chief. Prior to leading TRANSCOM, she headed Air Mobility Command and before that was the Air Force’s Director of Staff at the Pentagon. She headed AMC during the record-breaking noncombatant evacuation operation from Afghanistan in 2021 and has overseen the massive logistical enterprise transporting materiel to Ukraine while at TRANSCOM. Van Ovost has also led a reconsideration of TRANSCOM’s posture in the Pacific, and helped to implement the Global Household Goods Contract for transporting troops’ possessions during moves. Two prior TRANSCOM commanders have gone on to become Chief of Staff—Gen. Ronald Fogleman in 1994, and Gen. Norton A. Schwartz in 2008. 

Gen. Anthony J. Cotton — Commander of U.S. Strategic Command 

Having only arrived at STRATCOM in December 2022, Cotton is a missileer whose prior command at Air Force Global Strike Command lasted less than a year before he was nominated to lead STRATCOM. If selected, he would be the first missileer ever to be Chief of Staff. Cotton’s was previously vice chief at AFGSC. He has commanded an Air Force Space Wing and was president of Air University.  

‘A Proud, Butt-Kicking American Airman’: Biden Introduces Brown as Pick for Chairman

‘A Proud, Butt-Kicking American Airman’: Biden Introduces Brown as Pick for Chairman

May 25, 2023 | By Chris Gordon

It’s official: President Joe Biden has picked an Airman to be his top military adviser.

At 1:52 pm on May 25, Biden walked out of the West Wing and into the Rose Garden alongside Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr. to formally announce he is nominating the Air Force Chief of Staff to become the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Introducing Brown to many Americans who may not know him, Biden had a simple message:

“Gen. Brown is a proud, butt-kicking American Airman.”

Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III stood beside the two men as Biden went on to lay out the reasons he selected Brown after months of anticipation.

“Gen. Brown is a warrior descended from a proud line of warriors,” Biden told the crowd, which included service chiefs and Defense Department leaders. “He knows what it means to be in the thick of battle and how to keep your cool when things get hard.”

Biden then recounted one episode that illustrates Brown’s calm and measured demeanor.

In 1991, Brown was flying an F-16 that caught fire over the Florida Everglades. Forced to eject, he landed far from civilization. Luckily the water was not too high and he was eventually rescued, Brown previously recounted to Air & Space Forces Magazine.

“That’s a lot of fun, huh?” Biden said. “Well, I tell you what, he was back in the cockpit the next week with a new call sign, ‘Swamp Thang.'”

Brown has 3,000 hours of flying experience, including 130 combat hours. The son and grandson of veterans, Brown has command experience in the Middle East, Europe, and, perhaps most importantly, the Indo-Pacific. Prior to assuming his current role, Brown was the commander of Pacific Air Forces.

“He plays to win and that’s obvious,” Biden said. “That mindset is going to be an enormous asset to me as commander-in-chief and to the United States of America as we navigate challenges in the coming years.”

Brown is set to replace Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, subject to confirmation by the Senate. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs does not command any troops but serves as the president’s top military advisor. Brown’s experience in the Pacific, where the Air Force is rapidly adapting, stood out to Biden, the president said.

Through his career, Brown “gained the respect of our allies and partners around the world who regard Gen. Brown as a trusted partner and a top-notch strategist,” Biden added.

In a roughly 15-minute speech, Biden praised Brown’s efforts to modernize the Air Force for a near-peer fight and praised the way Brown has articulated the need to think differently.

“Over the past three years as chief of staff of the Air Force, Gen. Brown has become known for his signature approach, Accelerate Change or Lose,” Biden said.

“Accelerate Change or Lose,” Biden repeated for emphasis. “General, you’re right on. As I’ve often said, our world is at an inflection point where the decisions we make today are going to determine the course of our world for decades to come.”

Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall, who has long-praised Brown as a like-minded thinker, looked on with a smile.

Milley addressed reporters at the Pentagon before the Rose Garden event after a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group and said Brown had “all the knowledge, skills, and attributes” needed to serve as Chairman.

“C.Q. is absolutely superb,” Milley added.

In a lighthearted moment, Milley and other senior military leaders took a group photo after the event—save for Brown, who followed Biden, Harris, and Austin back into the West Wing.

“We’ll photoshop C.Q. in,” Milley quipped.

Brown enjoyed strong support in the Senate when he was nominated for Air Force chief, getting confirmed in a 98-0 vote. And while Sen. Tommy Tuberville is currently blocking unanimous consent votes on senior military promotions because of his objection to the Department of Defense’s policy that funds out-of-state travel for those who seek an abortion, Brown’s new nomination could go to an up-or-down roll call vote, as Milley’s did when he was approved 89-1 in 2019.

“C.Q. is a fearless leader and an unyielding patriot,” Biden said. “I urge the Senate to once again confirm Gen. Brown with the same overwhelming bipartisan support for his new role as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.”

Biden’s announcement came on the third anniversary of the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police officers, which sparked nationwide protests. The president also noted the nation is coming up on the 75th anniversary of the desegregation of the military.

If confirmed by the Senate now, Brown would be the second Black service member to serve as Chairman, following Army Gen. Colin Powell, who served as Chairman from 1989 to 1993.

The George Floyd protests unfolded as Brown was still awaiting confirmation to become the first Black Air Force Chief of Staff, and he released a forceful video at the time recounting his experiences as a Black fighter pilot and officer.

“I’m thinking about the pressure I felt to perform error-free, especially for supervisors I perceived had expected less from me as an African American,” Brown said in the video. “I’m thinking about having to represent by working twice as hard to prove their expectations and perceptions of African Americans were invalid.”

Biden praised the strong nature of Brown’s message at the time after Floyd’s killing.

“It took real backbone, and it struck a chord not only with our military members but with Americans all across the country,” Biden said.

The president said he could rely on Brown to be “a thoughtful, deliberate leader who is unafraid to speak his mind, as someone who will deliver an honest message that needs to be heard, and who will always do the right thing when it’s hard.”

“That’s the number one quality a President needs in a Chairman,” Biden said.

If confirmed by the Senate, Brown will be only the fifth Airman in the 73-year history of the job and the first since Gen. Richard Myers stepped down in 2005.