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

July 12, 2023 | By David Roza

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 Many of the Humvees are similarly outdated.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.”

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.

huey — 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

July 11, 2023 | By Chris Gordon

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

July 11, 2023 | By Brig. Gen. Daniel P. Woodward, USAF (Ret.)

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

July 11, 2023 | By Chris Gordon

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

July 11, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

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.

Air Force ABMS Czar: There Will Be Stumbles, But ‘We’re Headed in the Right Direction’

July 10, 2023 | By Chris Gordon

Coordination across the services is at a historic high when it comes to the Pentagon’s plans to connect sensors and shooters from every domain around the globe—but there will still be setbacks in the ambitious effort, Brig. Gen. Luke C.G. Cropsey, the Department of the Air Force’s Integrating Program Executive Officer for Command, Control, Communications, and Battle Management, said July 10.

The key for the Air Force and the other services, Cropsey said, will be to not let those setbacks discourage them from pushing forward with their vision of a future networked battlefield where sensors in the air, on land, at sea, and in space can seamlessly share data among weapons systems: Combined Joint All Domain Command and Control (CJADC2).

“We got a lot of great Americans out there across this entire department that have fundamentally grasped the need and the requirement to figure this thing out,” Cropsey said at an AFA Warfighters in Action event. “I think we’re in a unique juncture in history right now when it comes to the pervasiveness with which the need to do something different exists across the entire department. It doesn’t matter whether I’m talking air, doesn’t matter if I’m talking space. If I go to the Navy and I talk to the Army, everybody’s on the same sheet of music when it comes to this topic. It’s crazy. I’ve never seen as much alignment in the last 30 years that I’ve been doing this.”

Cropsey also said he has “phenomenal senior leadership support” from the likes of Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall that has helped empower his team, which is working on the the Department of the Air Force’s contribution to CJADC2, traditionally known as the Advanced Battle Management System.

“We don’t have a talent problem,” Cropsey said. “I got a bunch of unicorns in the stable.”

“I get to see the Secretary every 90 days and give them an update on what’s working and what isn’t—and it’s surprising how many things start working,” he added.

But there is still a long way to go for the Pentagon to design and implement CJADC2 and ABMS efforts—and there will be stumbles along the way.

“We got people that have the talent to do it and we’ve got leadership that are willing to break a few things in the process,” Cropsey said. “We’ll get it exactly wrong, all right? I’m the first person to tell you I’ve got it exactly wrong, but we’re generally headed in the right direction.”

Progress on ABMS and CJADC2, which officials say is needed to shorten the kill chain from hours to seconds against China and Russia rather than less technologically advanced Middle Eastern foes, has been deliberate at best—not helped by the fact that even explaining the concept, never mind getting it to work seamlessly, is a challenge.

“The classic acquisition model typically involves nouns,” Cropsey explained, referring to traditional programs such as aircraft, bombs, and satellites. With CJADC2 and ABMS, the Department of the Air Force is seeking to buy “decision advantage” over its adversaries.

“When you start talking about that, people’s brains start to turning into mush,” Cropsey said. “I can’t feel it, touch it, see it.”

When Kendall named Cropsey to his position in September 2022, he said it was the hardest acquisition job he had given anyone—no small feat as Kendall previously served as the Department of Defense’s top weapons buyer from 2012-2017. Kendall made “operationally-focused” ABMS one of his seven Operational Imperatives for the Department of the Air Force, noting he wanted to create real-world capability, instead of demonstrating concepts that bring no tangible benefit to the fight.

“It’s a challenge that he talks about is the fact that we didn’t actually have a blueprint” for CJADC2, Cropsey said. “If you turn engineers loose without supervision, they will absolutely, guaranteed find a solution for which you have no problem. So our first order of business was to make sure that we were solving a real problem that mattered fundamentally.”

Cropsey likened creating ABMS and CJADC2 to building a house. The network will be filled with many “bricks.”

“If a brick doesn’t fit the design, you need to come back and tell me, ‘Hey, we need to quit working on that,’ and shift the effort to something else that’s actually going to get us where we need to go,” Cropsey said.

Cropsey said he wants to solve “near-term common sense” problems as he builds out his “longer-term blueprint.”

Austin Urges Senate to Approve Nominations on Eve of Confirmation for Brown to be CJCS

July 10, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

As the Marine Corps found itself without a Senate-confirmed Commandant for the first time in 165 years, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III begged lawmakers to end the months-long delay in confirming senior military leaders.

Austin made his comments as former Commandant Gen. David H. Berger retired without a confirmed successor on July 10, and just 24 hours before the start of Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr.’s confirmation hearing to become Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

More than 200 general officer appointments are caught up by a hold imposed by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) on March 8, in protest over a Pentagon policy that provides paid leave and travel expenses for service members seeking abortion or other reproductive health services not available where they are stationed.

With Berger’s retirement, the Marines are wthout a confirmed Commandant for the first time since Archibald Henderson died in 1859.

“You know, it’s been more than a century since the U.S. Marine Corps has operated without a Senate-confirmed commandant,” Austin said at Marine Barracks Washington. “Smooth and timely transitions of confirmed leadership are central to the defense of the United States, and to the full strength of the most powerful fighting force in history. Stable and orderly leadership transitions are also vital to maintaining our unmatched network of allies and partners.”

Assistant Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric M. Smith, who was nominated to replace Berger, will be Acting Commandant until the Senate votes on his nomination.

It is rare for any of the military services to operate without a confirmed service chief: The last time the Air Force had an Acting Chief was in 2008, the Navy in 1996, and the Army in 1972.

But unless Tuberville removes his hold, it’s likely that Smith will be the first of several, as four of the five service chiefs are all preparing to leave their posts. Army Chief of Staff Gen. James C. McConville and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael M. Gilday both hit the end of their four-year terms this summer. And with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley’s term ending Oct. 1, and Brown nominated to replace him, the Air Force may also find itself without a confirmed Chief of Staff.

Brown faces the Senate Armed Services Committee on July 11, where Tuberville, a member of the committee, could press Brown on the abortion travel issue.

Brown is expected to win bipartisan support, having been confirmed 98-0 to be Air Force Chief of Staff in 2020. The committee can vote to approve his nomination and send it to the Senate floor after the hearing, but once there, it will join the growing backlog. To circumvent Tuberville’s hold, the Senate could hold roll-call votes on individual nominees, but Senate Democrats appear unwilling to do that, saying it would incentivize Tuberville to keep his hold in place and could incentivize others to follow suit. Trying to approve every single nominee through regular votes, they argue, would take months.

The National Defense Authorization Act is the likely mechanism for resolving the issue, either by amending the bill to block the Pentagon policy or to codify it into law. But Tuberville has told reporters he does not want to address the issue in the NDAA. The House is set to consider and vote on its version of the NDAA this week.

Meanwhile, planned moves for senior military officers and their families remain in limbo—a fact Austin highlighted in his remarks.

“Our military families give up so much to support those who serve—so they shouldn’t be weighed down with any extra uncertainty,” he said. “We have a sacred duty to do right by those who volunteer to wear the cloth of our nation, and their families. I remain confident that all Americans can come together to agree on that basic obligation to those who keep us safe.”

Yet Austin expressed confidence that “the United States Senate will meet its responsibilities.”

“I look forward to welcoming an outstanding new Commandant for our Marine Corps, and to adding many other distinguished senior leaders across the Joint Force,” he added.

Attitude Is Still Altitude For This Tuskegee Airman As He Turns 100 Years Old

July 10, 2023 | By David Roza

On July 13, retired Air Force Lt. Col. James Harvey III will celebrate his 100th birthday, the latest milestone for an original Tuskegee Airman who also won the first ever ‘Top Gun’ trophy and was one of the first African American fighter jet pilots.

Though Harvey’s days in the cockpit are over, he takes on aging with the same attitude he applied to the stick and throttle.

“Being old doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a number,” Harvey told Air & Space Forces Magazine. “It’s your attitude: you have to keep a positive attitude about everything. If you do that, you’re all right. And have a sense of humor. If you don’t have a sense of humor, you’re dead in the water.”

Harvey’s journey to the Air Force began as a child when a formation of P-40 fighters buzzed over his hometown of Nuangola Station in northeast Pennsylvania.

“I was standing in my yard and I saw this and I said ‘I’d like to do that one day,’ and that was it,” he said in a previous interview with the American Veterans Center.

The path to pilot wings was winding: Harvey said the Army Air Corps initially turned him down in January 1943 due to his race. In March, he was drafted to build runways as an Air Corps engineer.

“I was driving bulldozers, graders, carry-alls, all earth-moving equipment,” he recalled. “All this dust and sweat, I said ‘No, this isn’t for me.’”

Harvey applied for the Aviation Cadet Training Program, and this time he was successful. By April 1945, he was a full-fledged combat pilot. As a product of the Tuskegee Army Air Field flying school, he was also a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African American aviators and ground crew who battled both discrimination and the Axis powers and received three Distinguished Unit Citations for their outstanding combat record over Europe. But by the time Harvey earned his wings, the war in Europe was nearly over.

“Hitler knew I was coming, that’s why he threw in the towel the following month of May,” he joked during the American Veterans Center interview.

That was not the end of Harvey’s flying career, though. In 1949, the fighter pilot and three other Tuskegee Airmen represented the 332nd Fighter Group at the newly-formed U.S. Air Force’s inaugural Aerial Gunnery Competition, a.k.a. ‘Top Gun,’ over Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.

The odds were stacked against the Tuskegee men, who flew older P-47 Thunderbolts against the newer P-51 Mustangs and F-82 Twin Mustangs of their White competitors. But Harvey and his teammates had a secret weapon.

“We all wanted to be the best, so if each one of us wants to be best and we succeed at what we do, then we’ve got quite an organization,” he said.

Harvey described himself as a perfectionist and joked that, as a child, he drew Disney characters better than Walt Disney himself.

“I wanted everything to be right,” he said.

That attitude paid off in pilot training, where he would “practice, practice, practice until I had it the way I wanted it, and come time for a check ride I could just breeze right through it.”

At Top Gun, he and other pilots competed in exercises such as aerial gunnery, panel strafing, dive-bombing, skip bombing, and rocket firing. Skip bombing, Harvey explained, involves flying extremely low, with the airplane propellors clearing the ground “by about a foot,” before releasing ordnance. Each of the Tuskegee pilots notched a perfect score.

“Fighter pilots like to fly low and fast, and this gave us a chance to fly low and fast,” he said.

After winning the ‘Top Gun’ meet, Harvey went on to fly the F-80 fighter jet in the Korean War, where he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and 11 Air Medals. After Korea, he served as a flight commander, test pilot, and battle staff training officer for the commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command, according to the Air Force. Harvey retired in 1965 after a 22-year career and went on to work as a salesman for cold cut company Oscar Mayer.

Harvey had many medals and memories from his military career, but something was missing. After winning ‘Top Gun’ in 1949, the Tuskegee team was recognized with a large silver trophy and what Harvey described as a room full of silence.

“There was no applause or anything like that because we weren’t supposed to win it,” Harvey said in a 2022 video produced by AARP. “Little did I know that this was the last time the public would see the trophy for 55 years.”

The trophy vanished, and the results were recorded as ‘unknown’ for nearly 46 years, according to the Air Force. The trophy might still have been in storage today if not for a historian named Zellie Rainey Orr, who, according to the Washington Post, found the trophy in storage at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in 2005. One of the Tuskegee Airmen, Lt. Col. Harry Stewart brushed the buried trophy off as “just a military screw-up,” he told Aviation History in 2012. But Harvey believed there was more to it.

“They took our pictures with the trophy, and they told us goodbye,” he said.

tuskegee airman — Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. James Harvey III, an original Tuskegee Airman, admires The 332nd Fighter Group’s commissioned plaque for winning the U.S. Air Force’s inaugural 1949 Fighter Gunnery Meet “Top Gun,” at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, Jan. 10, 2022. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Zachary Rufus)

Whatever the case, the Air Force sought to make up for the error in 2022 by unveiling a plaque officially recognizing the 332nd Fighter Group team that won the meet 73 years earlier. The plaque is on display at the U.S. Air Force Weapons School at Nellis.

“We stand on the shoulders of giants in this profession, and Lt. Col. Harvey is one of those giants,” Gen. Mark Kelly, the head of Air Combat Command, said at the ceremony.

“I can finally close the pages on this chapter and say, ‘mission accomplished,’” Harvey said at the time.

Later that year, the champion saw Hollywood’s take on fighter jets in the form of “Top Gun: Maverick,” which he enjoyed despite its lack of realism, he told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

Despite the challenges he faced, Harvey said he cherished his military flying career, especially since he started without a hint of an aviation background.

“I never made a model, I didn’t know anything about aviation, but I really appreciated it,” he said. “The mere fact that I succeeded in flying school, graduated, then went off to a tactical outfit … it was like a dream and I thoroughly enjoyed it.”

Air Force Stops New Bonuses and Delays Some PCS Moves

July 10, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

The Air Force will stop awarding new bonuses and delay some permanent change-of-station orders to offset rising personnel costs.

USAF is reviewing all pending PCS orders for Airmen whose projected departure dates are Aug. 1 or later. While some will be approved on a “priority basis,” others will be delayed. Those who have already received orders will be allowed to move.

Moves will also be delayed for Airmen on long tours overseas, such as those accompanied by their families, whose “Date Estimated Return From Overseas” (DEROS) falls between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31. Those dates will be back to January-March 2024, according to a July 10 press release.

Putting a hold on orders and moves could complicate the lives of thousands of Air Force families. The busy summer “PCS season” is now underway.

Bonus cuts could affect hundreds more. While Airmen who have already signed a contract or been approved for certain bonuses will continue to receive them, the Air Force is no longer accepting new Airmen into three bonus programs:

Selective reenlistment bonuses. New selective reenlistment bonuses will be suspended beginning July 11. The bonuses, designed to help retain Airmen in hard-to-fill career fields, should return in the fall with the start of the new fiscal year. In the meantime, eligible service members will be allowed “to extend their current enlistment into Fiscal Year 2024,” the Air Force said. Some 51 job specialties were eligible for the bonus when the rates were last adjusted in May, down from 63 in 2022. Rates and offers are always subject to change.

Aviation bonuses. Just a month after announcing it was upping the maximum bonuses for pilots, air battle managers, and combat systems officers to $50,000 per year, USAF said it is pausing the program for restructuring. The service said it expects to reopen aviation bonuses within weeks. Eligible officers must typically commit to three to 12 additional years of service to qualify.

Assignment incentive pay programs. Assignment incentive pay is provided to certain Airmen with unusual or extended assignments. Airmen receiving it now will continue without change, but no additional Airmen will begin getting assignment incentive payments until the start of the next fiscal year, Oct. 1.

“The Air Force continues to work through additional options to avoid the funding shortfall and will provide more information when available,” the service release stated.

Rising costs for PCS moves and outdated funding projections for other programs drove the funding gap, a service spokeswoman told Air & Space Forces Magazine. In fiscal 2023, the service received $35.4 billion in military personnel funding, $194 million shy of its budget request.

Reductions come as the Air Force has begun to see retention levels across dip in the wake of record highs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Air Force’s pilot shortage in particular continues to be an issue, exacerbated by increased hiring by the airlines.

Making matters harder is recruiting, which continues to run behind requirements, as fewer and fewer young Americans are either eligible or willing to serve. The Air Force expects to miss its recruiting goals by about 10 percent in fiscal 2023.