USAF, Philippines Gear Up for Fighter Exercise over the South China Sea

April 1, 2024 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

The U.S. and Philippine Air Forces are slated to conduct their first combat training exercise of the year this month, escalating tensions between Manila and Beijing in the South China Sea. Scheduled from April 8-19, Cope Thunder will feature fighters from both countries operating from a newly renovated runway at Basa Air Base.

Cope Thunder was held for the first time in more than 30 years in 2023—the annual exercise ran from Clark Air Base in the Philippines starting in the mid-1970s but was suspended following the 1991 volcanic eruption of Mount Pinatubo, which led to Clark’s closure. Last year, two iterations of Cope Thunder in May and June included U.S. F-16s and F-22s, as well as the Philippines Air Force’s FA-50PHs, A-29s, and AS-211s at Basa and Clark.

The latest aerial exercise between the two allies was in February, when a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber flew alongside three Philippine FA-50 fighters during a patrol over the South China Sea within the Philippines’ EEZ. A pair of B-52 bombers from Barksdale Air Force Base, La., are currently deployed in Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, approximately 3,200 nautical miles from the Philippines, for Pacific Air Force missions.

The two nations also worked together to renovate the Basa runway to accommodate more and larger U.S. aircraft. Additionally, ongoing upgrades include the construction of a 625,000-square-foot transient parking apron, which will allow 20 U.S. aircraft to be deployed at the site. These projects are part of the the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement between the two nations, funded by the Pentagon’s Pacific Deterrence Initiative budget.

Basa represents the biggest U.S. investment among the five EDCA sites of the Philippines, with $66 million allocated to the base out of the initial total of $82 million. The base currently hosts the Philippines’ sole fighter squadron, consisting of 12 FA-50PH Fighting Eagles.

Last year, the U.S. added four more military bases to the EDCA, expanding the number of locations from which American troops can operate. The Department of National Defense in the Philippines has highlighted that these upcoming sites will support the country’s military modernization efforts, particularly through U.S.-funded projects such as runway upgrades, communication facilities and infrastructure support.

Cope Thunder will take place amid growing tensions between China and the Phillippines. Just last week, Phillippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. issued a statement in which he reaffirmed the country’s commitment to countering “illegal, coercive, aggressive, and dangerous attacks” by the Chinese coast guard. The latest escalation occurred March 23, when Chinese forces employed water cannons to obstruct a Philippine resupply mission in the South China Sea.

Also last week, POLITICO reported that Japan would participate in upcoming joint naval exercises with the U.S. and the Philippines in the South China Sea later this year. Following the report, Japan’s Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported Tokyo intends to join the trilateral drill “at the earliest” opportunity, citing government sources.

U.S. President Joe Biden will host Marcos and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on April 11 in Washington, D.C. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said last month that the three leaders would discuss cooperation to “further peace and security in the Indo-Pacific.”

The heavily-trafficked South China Sea remains highly contested, with China claiming sovereignty over a large portion of its waters, despite international law granting the Philippines exclusive rights within its 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Allvin’s Newest Must-Read Book Inspired TV’s ‘Masters of the Air’

April 1, 2024 | By Greg Hadley

Apple TV+’s “Masters of the Air,” which tells the story of the 100th Bomb Group during World War II, has won strong critical reviews and piled up huge streaming numbers. But it’s not enough to just watch the serices. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin wants Airmen to read the book.

First published in 2006 and authored by Donald L. Miller, “Masters of the Air” is among four new additions to the Air Chief’s “Leadership Library,” which includes books, films, podcasts, and other media. The new additions, Allvin’s second update since being promoted to CSAF late last year, include two books, a research report, and a podcast, and add to a library that he says “weaves together leadership, draws parallels between historical and contemporary contexts, and explores advanced technologies that are revolutionizing military affairs,” Allvin wrote in a letter to the force.

Allvin’s new picks focus on operational effectiveness in lining up against a pacing threat. The selections include:

“Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany,” by Donald L. Miller

The TV adaptation of “Masters of the Air” has given the book new life, prompting a new printing and rising interest. The hit TV miniseries began streaming earlier this year on Apple TV+, a paid service costing $9.99 per month (after a weeklong free trial). The book is available in paperback for under $20, but older hardcover copies can cost upwards of $140. Airmen can borrow copies from the DOD Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) Libraries.

In the book, World War II historian Miller, who wrote an earlier book about the Eighth Air Force, focuses on the Airmen of the 100th Bomb Group who flew the B-17 during the daylight bombing campaign over Europe, recounting the day-to-day lives of troops in the “Bloody Hundredth.”

“Airmen will gain valuable insights into the sacrifices, challenges, and triumphs of their predecessors in this World War II air campaign chronology,” Allvin wrote. “When we speak of empowering Airmen, and delegating to the lowest competent level, we can take heart in knowing that our young American Airmen can take on the tremendous responsibility if the country demands it.”

“Generations: The Real Differences between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents-and What They Mean for America’s Future,” by Dr. Jean Twenge

Twenge is a psychology professor specializing in generational differences “Generations,” released in the past year, provides “a data-driven analysis that delves into the impact of technological changes on the unique characteristics of each generation,” Allvin wrote. “By examining the traits of the Silent Generation through the newest generation emerging today, Twenge challenges common perceptions on how and why generations act the way they do. This valuable resource is essential for Airmen leading across multiple generations, providing insights that can shape leadership and communication styles.”

Former Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass frequently noted the number of generations serving together in uniform and urged leaders to do a better job of understanding what motivates the youngest Airmen from Gen Z.

“Chinese Lessons from the Pacific War: Implications for PLA Warfighting,” by Toshi Yoshihara

This 112-page report, written by a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, “explores the explicit connections between historical campaigns and modern military affairs,” Allvin wrote. It does that by examining how the fight across the Pacific theater in World War II shapes China’s People’s Liberation Army to this day.

“China’s Approach to AI,” ChinaPower Podcast, from the Center for Strategic and International Studies

Senior analysts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies spend more than 40 minutes discussing artificial intelligence and China in this podcast, which Allvin said “offers insightful analysis as it delves into the strategies influencing adversarial behavior and underscores the geopolitical implications of AI advancement.”

Compared to the time commitment needed to consume the other three new additions, this one is the lightest lift at just over 42 minutes. That’s short enough to listen during the daily commute or a midday run. In contrast, the audio version of “Masters of the Air” runs more than 24 hours.

New KC-46 Air National Guard Squadron Activates in New Jersey

April 1, 2024 | By David Roza

The Air National Guard stood up a new KC-46 Pegasus tanker squadron at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JBMDL), N.J. last month, marking the latest step in a yearslong process as the Air Force seeks to replace its aging KC-135 Stratotankers and KC-10 Extenders.

The new unit, the 170th Air Refueling Squadron, activated on March 11, becoming the second KC-46 squadron in the New Jersey Air National Guard’s 108th Wing. The 170th and its sister squadron, the 141st, will share 24 KC-46s with its Active-duty counterparts in the 305th Air Mobility Wing: the 2nd and 32nd Air Refueling Squadrons.

That kind of arrangement, where two Guard or Reserve squadrons share aircraft with two Active-duty squadrons, is called an embedded classic association.

“The concept is that both the Active-duty and Air National Guard components are essential to mission execution,” said 108th Wing spokesperson Donna Jeffries. “In other words, their aircrew ratios to aircraft combine to equal what is needed.”

Members of the 170th Air Refueling Wing receive their newly designed squadron patch from Lt. Col Matthew Secko, 170th Air Refueling Squadron commander, during the 170th assumption of command ceremony March 7, 2024 at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Tech. Sgt Anna-kay Ellis)

Through the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress directed the Air Force to divest nine of the 108th Wing’s KC-135R refueling tankers in fiscal year 2023 and to replace two Air Force Reserve Squadrons, the 76th and 78th, with the 141st and the 170th.

“With the addition of the 170th to the 141st, the ANG will supply the appropriate number of reserve component crews for the 24 KC-46s on the joint base,” Jeffries said. “While losing the KC-135Rs, the 108th Wing has embraced the new Airmen and the new aircraft, as well as the opportunity to partner with active duty to deliver unmatched global reach.”

Many of the reservists from the disbanded squadrons are now part of the 170th, she explained. Not all its crews are qualified on the KC-46, but the new squadron “is moving rapidly towards full mission capability,” she said.

“It is a privilege and an honor to start this squadron,” Lt. Col. Matthew Secko, the 170th’s first commander, said in a press release. “Our first members bring talents and experience to the squadron from many backgrounds, and they will each make a difference.”

A KC-46A Pegasus assigned to the 305th Air Mobility Wing makes its first landing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., on Aug. 18, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Aidan Thompson)

The squadron is named after the 170th Air Refueling Group, which used to be stationed at McGuire Air Force Base. Accompanying the new squadron was a new unit patch featuring a knight against a blue, globe-shaped background. The patch was selected from nine submissions during a wing-wide design contest. While the knight does not have a name, “it symbolizes the ancient chivalric traditions of honor and courage,” Jeffries said.

The Air Force plans to buy about 75 tankers to recapitalize its KC-135 fleet and keep air refueling aircraft in production until the Next-Generation Air Refueling System (NGAS)—a low-observable refueler—arrives in the mid-to-late 2030s. The tanker could be the Boeing KC-46 already in production, or another type, such as the A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport being offered by Airbus.

“These are exciting times,” Col. Eric Guttormsen, 108th Wing commander, said in the release. “I have no doubt our Airmen will serve with character and a great sense of purpose, establishing strong foundations and supporting our forces’ global mobility with excellence.”

Minihan: New Mobility Systems Needed to Go with New Fighters and Bombers

March 29, 2024 | By John A. Tirpak

The ongoing “re-optimization” of the Air Force will ensure that mobility isn’t left behind as new fighters and bombers come into being, Air Mobility Command boss Gen. Michael Minihan said March 28. New kinds of airlifters and tankers with varying degrees of stealth will be needed to complement the shooters, he said, and USAF’s new requirements organizations will advance the various elements of the force together.

Speaking on a Defense One webinar, Minihan said the service’s new Integrated Capabilities Command—one of the principal new organizations announced as part of the re-optimization—will ensure the entire force is crafted to fit together.

“I was not overwhelmed with the roles that I had when it comes to developing the force of the future,” he said. “But the integration needed at the higher level … is absolutely something that needs to be addressed aggressively.”

In the 1950s, Minihan noted, the B-52 was developed in parallel with the KC-135, on which it depended, to complete the strategic mission “as a system.”

Now, “we tend to think of the mobility platforms as an afterthought when it comes to the next generation of fighters and bombers,” Minihan said. As a result, airlift and tanker platforms now significantly trail fighters and bombers in sophistication.

With Integrated Capabilities Command, “I think that ‘integration’ is going to be the key word of those three. The most important is that we integrate together,” Minihan said. Fighters, bombers, tankers, mobility, and weapons must be developed “as a system moving forward,” he said.

AMC will contribute experts to the new command to aid the process, Minihan said.

“I’m very grateful that this is being stood up and I think that we’re going to depart sharply from the status quo that has mismanaged the integration and we’re going to get to a higher place in a very good way,” Minihan said.

Meanwhile, AMC will maintain its strong operational focus, Minihan said, working hand-in-glove with Transportation Command, Strategic Command and Northern Command.

Minihan acknowledged that much of the airlift fleet “is old,” but demand from combatant commanders has not slowed. As a result, the fleet needs new platform investment.

“I want to put a team on the field that’s ready to handle the full spectrum of operations that may come our way,” Minihan said.

But “it’s not a ‘one size fits all’ approach,” he added.

Part of the fleet can operate in uncontested environments, while another piece will need to function in what Minihan called “semi-permissive” areas where “there could be everything from a low to medium threat, perhaps, to no threat.”

Finally, “we’ve got to have a fleet that can go into the high weapons engagement zone that has an enormous amount of risk,” he said.

Airlifters can shoot palletized munitions like the AGM-158 JASSM-ER, or launch decoys en masse, he said. They could also launch smaller aircraft to send a life raft to a downed Airman or a radio battery to ground troops, among other actions.

“If we take advantage of an effects-bases [mindset] instead of a platform-based, I think we’ll develop a very aggressive, highly integrated systems approach to supporting the Joint Force,” he said.

It’s too early to say how many stealthy and non-stealthy future aircraft are needed, Minihan said. It’s “important that that we look at the systems approach much more broadly than just the threat,” he noted.

However, “I believe the majority will be in the medium range that can go both ways.” Some of those aircraft of the future “look very close to what we do now.”

Beyond that, however, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall has said the service can no longer rely on “tube and wing”-type airlifters and tankers based on commercial aircraft.

Tankers in or near the battlespace “will be smaller fleets that have higher capabilities and have qualities that give them success,” Minihan said. They won’t necessarily have the same degree of stealth as fighters and bombers, “but I’m looking for low observable qualities,” as well as vertical takeoff and landing qualities.

“I don’t necessarily think it’s an exact mimic of what the what the fighters and the bombers look like,” he added.

Minihan reiterated his goal of outfitting 25 percent of the mobility enterprise with connectivity upgrades for the entire joint force by 2025.

“That’s about 250 airplanes,” but it’s also mobility headquarters and air operations centers, air mobility operations wings and contingency response units, he said.

“So I’m looking at the total enterprise when it comes to the 25 by ‘25,” Minihan said.

There’s “a lot of real estate” on AMC’s aircraft “that could do so much more than tanking and lift.” Minihan envisions tankers and airlifters functioning as communications relays and internet providers in the battlespace, with minimal changes to the aircraft and low-cost technology.

“This is not about Air Mobility Command,” he said. “This is about supporting the joint team first. And this is about supporting partners and allies second, so the best way we do that is connectivity.”

Such changes are likely to be deployed across the board, so AMC can “see what works best” before deciding where to invest more, he added.

“I’m willing to take risk here, because the risk of the status quo is not acceptable,” Minihan said. “And we’ve proven that both in real world operations [and] exercises that we’ve completed over the last two and a half years.”

Contractor Guardians? Space Force Considers Commercial Help for Operations

March 29, 2024 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

The Space Force is exploring the idea of using civilians or even contractors to help conduct operations, as the service sorts out how to best manage its small workforce, Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman said this week.

“When you’re a small force as we are, we have to be very careful and very specific with how we use manage, attract, assess and retain our workforce,” Saltzman said at the Mitchell Institute’s Spacepower Security Forum on March 27. “So we are going to great lengths to make sure that we are actively looking at each of those elements to make sure we optimize it. Where do we need people to stay longer? And if it doesn’t say for a military member to stay longer, how do you augment that with either civilian workforce or commercial augmentation? And we are looking at what the right mix is for that across the force.”

The Space Force’s authorized end strength for 2024 is 9,400 uniformed Guardians, with another 4,600 or so civilians. The service plans to expand its total workforce in 2025 by four percent to 15,084 total, with 9,800 uniformed Guardians. The next smallest service, the Marine Corps, is 18 times bigger with 172,300 uniformed personnel—as well as some 20,000 civilians.

As a small branch that’s still just four years old, USSF has relied on the Air Force or broader Pentagon guidance for manpower plans, Saltzman noted.

“We get to manpower, and we don’t necessarily have Space Force-drive models for how to use our manpower,” Saltzman said. “So now we’re starting to think about it more individually as a service, build our own models, our own tools to be able to do that planning more effectively. But it will consider active force civilians, as well as contractor commercial augmentation.”

Tapping into the private sector or leveraging civilians is not novel for the military and other government space agencies. But this initiative may break new ground in how deeply integrated contractors could be involved in day-to-day operations and potentially managing critical missions.

Space Operations Command released a request for information (RFI) in late 2023, asking industry for input on the idea of asking contractors to “perform as operational crew members in support of 24/7 operations for SpOC missions, specifically, Space Domain Awareness, Missile Warning/Defense, MILSATCOM, Intelligence, and Orbital Warfare” on top of training and support tasks.

The RFI highlights how civilian operators will not only monitor, troubleshoot the satellite, and manage sensitive data, but also be in charge of executing government missions as well as operating foreign assets. For instance, a missile warning operator is expected to “conduct mission/program specific real-time spacecraft flight operations during readiness, execution, and evaluation phases.”

Such a move could help the service handle its expanding portfolio while operating in a fiscally-constrained environment. It could also have an effect on uniformed Guardians’ training and development, an area Saltzman has made a key part of his tenure as CSO. At the AFA Warfare Symposium in February, he announced the Space Force would establish a common Officer Training Course to ensure all space operators possess comprehensive understanding across satellite, cyber, and intelligence.

However, integrating contractors onto military teams could create concerns about the implications of outsourcing operations and chain of command. Already, industry leaders have emphasized the need of clear guidelines regarding accountability in government-private company cooperation, adding that even with written documents, complications could arise in dire situations.

The imminent release of the Space Force’s long-awaited commercial strategy is expected to offer a framework for a greater level of collaboration between the service and industry.

Resurrected B-1 Coming to Dyess This Year

March 29, 2024 | By Greg Hadley

Out of the boneyard and into the force: The Air Force is breathing new life into a B-1B Lancer to replace another bomber wrecked by an engine fire last year at at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas.

The 7th Bomb Wing announced the B-1 “regeneration” March 18, marking the first time in nearly two decades that a Lancer will re-enter service after being retired.

The B-1 arrived at Tinker Air Force Base on Feb. 8 for “heavy restoration and maintenance,” according to a wing spokesperson. Once complete, the rejuvenated B-1 will return to service at Dyess later this year.

The last bomber to return to active service after a stretch in the desert boneyard was a B-52 that returned to keep the fleet at the congressionally mandated size of 76 airframes. The Air Force retired 33 B-1s in 2003, only to later bring seven back by September 2004 after receiving a mandate from Congress.

The 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., regularly reactivates aircraft for the Pentagon, NASA, and partner nations. Aircraft sent to the Boneyard can be maintained in different conditions, depending on whether the Air Force wants to preserve the option to un-retire them. Generally speaking, the AMARG removes explosive devices, such as ejection seat motors, upon intaket, then fills fluid lines with a preservative oil, closes off openings to keep animals and birds from nesting in the aircraft; and cover the cockpit, intakes and exhaust with a spray-on latex preservative to diminish the destructive effects of sun and heat.

The Air Force retired 17 B-1s between February and September 2021. Service officials said at the time that restoring them to “status quo” would cost tens of millions of dollars per aircraft, while retiring them would allow maintainers to focus their time and resources toward keeping the remaining aircraft mission capable.

Air Force Global Strike Command noted at the time that four of the 17 bombers would be maintained “in a reclaimable condition.”

“The fact that our Air Force can call up an aircraft that has sat dormant for several years and prepare it to support our long-range strike mission, all within a year, is incredible,” said Col. Seth Spanier, 7th Bomb Wing commander, in a statement. “This entire effort speaks to our unwavering commitment to maintaining a combat-credible strike force.”

The Air Force lost another B-1 in January when a BONE crashed while landing at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. The base’s runway was shut down for several weeks while a safety investigation and a cleanup took place. Unofficial and unconfirmed imagery showed severe damage to the aircraft.

An Air Force spokeswoman told Air & Space Forces Magazine that the Ellsworth crash is being treated as a Class A mishap, the most serious type, but had not yet made a final determination on whether the aircraft can be salvaged.

“There are currently no plans to bring a B-1 out from the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (Boneyard) to replace this aircraft,” the spokeswoman added. “Our fleet remains mission capable and our ability to execute the highest priority missions supporting national defense are not impacted.”

Documents for the Air Force’s fiscal 2025 budget request project the B-1 inventory to decline from 45 aircraft to 44 aircraft next year. It takes time and money to bring one back: Dyess lost its B-1 in April 2022, when the bomber caught fire during an engine run, and dramatic video soon emerged of the aircraft engulfed in flames. A subsequent investigation found a cracked fan blade caused the massive fireball and sent shrapnel flying hundreds of feet.

Unsurprisingly, the aircraft’s flying days were done. According to the 7th Bomb Wing, once the accident investigation board was complete, maintainers stripped the carcass for 49 parts valued at over $2.7 million.

“The left wing and left nacelle were transported to the 436th Training Squadron crash lab, the only crash lab in Air Combat Command, to support their aircraft mishap investigation course,” the wing’s release noted.

Finally, the fuselage was transported to Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research, to help create a digital twin of the B-1.

The B-1 fleet is projected to remain in the active inventory into the 2030s, when the new B-21 Raider comes on board. The Air Force has been upgrading its remaining B-1s with new technology as part of what it calls the B-1 Embracing Agile Scheduling Team (BEAST) program.

Why The First Guardian to Launch into Space Is Taking Sheet Music with Him

March 29, 2024 | By David Roza

When NASA astronauts go to space, they are allowed to bring a small number of personal possessions with them. Sometimes those include family photos, baseball hats, and even musical instruments. But when Col. Nick Hague becomes the first Guardian to launch into space later this year, he will be taking a special set of sheet music along with him.

“In terms of culture, one of the things the Space Force spent a lot of time on was the Space Force song,” Hague told reporters at a media roundtable March 28. “So I’m taking up a couple original sheets of music from the Space Force song and I’ll get them back to the band members and composers that helped craft that.”

Each U.S. military branch has a song, and the Space Force unveiled its own at AFA’s Air, Space, and Cyber Conference in 2022. Named after the Space Force motto “Semper Supra,” (Latin for ‘Always Above’) the song took years of work.

“I knew they wanted something that was singable and that fit with the other anthems—the other service songs—and that would be something that could last,” Jamie Teachenor, who composed the song, told Air & Space Forces Magazine. A former member of the U.S. Air Force Academy’s country band, Teachenor worked on the song with then-Chief of Space Operations Gen. John “Jay” Raymond and Coast Guard Chief Musician Sean Nelson to arrange it for performance.

Besides sheet music, Hague is also taking up Space Force flags, patches, and other mementos from Space Force units that make space exploration possible. He plans on bringing the keepsakes back to those units when he returns.

“Those satellites that they’re operating, those are the capabilities that underpin us being able to even get to orbit,” he said. “They help track all the stuff that we could run into, they help guide us through space with GPS, space domain awareness, and understanding where we’re at and where we’re going.”

Besides bringing up mementos, Hague plans on reaching out to Guardians privately from space to “let them know what kind of impact they’re having on us.” He will be in orbit when the branch celebrates its fifth birthday on Dec. 20.

Hague is not the first Guardian in space; Col. Michael Hopkins took that honor when he transferred into the Space Force in 2020 while aboard the International Space Station. For the most part, Guardians control satellites from the ground, but Hague will be the first to launch into space when he and three crewmates ride a Space X Dragon out of Kennedy Space Center, Fla., up to the ISS. The mission is expected to launch in August.

The mission will last six months, much of which will be filled up with scientific experiments. Though the exact kind of experiments are still being determined, astronauts are trained on certain sets of skills, and scientists build experiments to work within that skillset, Hague explained. On his past trip to space, some of those involved 3D-printing human tissue and genome editing.

“It’s almost like Christmas every day up there, because you’re opening a cargo bag and pulling out a new experiment that you’ve never seen before,” he said. “But we train to have the basic skills to be able to do those, so we’re ready when they [the scientists] need it.”

Hopefully this trip will be less dramatic than his first mission. In 2018, Hague and his crewmate, cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin, had just launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan when their Soyuz spacecraft suffered a catastrophic rocket booster malfunction, forcing an abort.

“The rocket essentially disintegrated under us,” Hague told reporters.

But just five months later, Hague was back in a Soyuz, which this time successfully took him up to the ISS for a 203-day stay. The difference between the 1960s-era Soyuz and the modern Dragon spacecraft is “night and day,” he said, as the Dragon features more automation designed to reduce the burden on the operator, as well as “a much more comfortable seat.” But the colonel expects the butterflies in his stomach to be the same as that first launch.

“Space is a risky business,” he said. “We train for everything that we can envision going wrong and what to do in those scenarios.”

The training leads to a kind of double-awareness where crews enjoy the launch and the space mission but are also vigilant at all times for “the next thing that could go wrong,” he said. That may be even more true if Hague goes on a space walk, perhaps to install hardware for mounting new solar arrays on the ISS.

“It’s all those things I dreamed of when I was five years old. I’m just out there holding on to a space station zipping through space at five miles a second, watching the Earth coast by,” said Hague, a veteran of three prior space walks. “It’s pretty phenomenal.”

As NASA prepares to send astronauts back to the Moon and, eventually, to Mars, the agency is hiring new astronauts to make the journey. Hague pushed his fellow Guardians to apply for both the astronaut program and for NASA positions in general. April 16 is this year’s application deadline for hopeful astronauts.

“I think Guardians need to recognize that they work in complex control rooms, managing dynamic teams, trying to handle technical problems as they approach,” he said. “If you look at that skill set, and you look at what we do in Mission Control, at Johnson Space Center, they are analogous. So somebody who has that, is a really great teammate, handles pressure well, and can adapt to things as they change. Those are perfect candidates.

“Nine times out of 10, what I find is that people think, ‘the requirements are so high, nobody’s ever going to select me,’” he added. “Make us say no. Put in an application.”

CSAF: Without Unfunded Priorities Money, Air Force Readiness Will Suffer

March 28, 2024 | By John A. Tirpak

Air Force aircraft readiness will suffer if Congress doesn’t provide the money for spare parts and readiness requested in the service’s Unfunded Priorities List, Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin said March 28.

Out of $3.5 billion included in the annual wishlist, the Air Force tabbed $1.5 billion for “single spares restock for aircraft projected to be grounded due to lack of spare parts.” Without that, “we would have to delay” sending some aircraft to depot maintenance, Allvin said in a webinar hosted by Defense One.

“If they aren’t available, then we aren’t able to schedule them into the depot,” Allvin said, presumably because they can’t fly to depot on their own.

“‘Grounding’ is a very charged term,” Allvin added, But “the inability to have access to them and have them operate in the manner that we’d like was one of those risks we’re trying to mitigate” by adding the spares request in the unfunded priorities list.

The spares requests on the list were highly targeted to specific parts on specific aircraft that disproportionately cause them to be out of service—“which ones move the needle most”—Allvin said, and were selected using “the analytical tools that we have in the logistics and maintenance area.” The effort is part of a drive to improve parts inventories to make sure “we can keep aircraft availability, provide the combat commanders what we need today and still be able to deploy should we have to go and fight in a major conflict,” Allvin said.

The overall approach the Air Force budgeteers took was “to arrest the decline in readiness” in the unfunded priority list and deal with modernization in the actual budget, rather than include big-ticket items like additional F-35s, which have been a feature of past UPLs.

“My decision for [the] Unfunded Priority List was, really, to see what we could do this year to start ‘robusting’ that readiness, and not just to arrest the decline, but start to build it back up a little bit, because that doesn’t take away the Department’s decision space in the future,” he said. “But I didn’t want to just ask for a chunk of money just to give us more money for spares.”

The analysis of which parts would provide the biggest “immediate” benefit wasn’t completed until the late fall and winter, Allvin said, “And I didn’t want to wait for another year to make that change … that could maybe make that instant uplift to readiness in the very near term.”

The list said the $1.5 billion for spares “was partially funded during FY25, but the full requirement could not be resourced. … The fiscally constrained environment necessitated difficult decisions and it was not possible to fully fund key programs while still meeting other Air Force priorities.”

Other elements of the request focus on war readiness kits needed for Agile Combat Employment, Allvin said. Future operations that focus on smaller unit deployments to many locations will require each unit to take essential support gear and spares with it, he explained. For the past 20 years, he said, aircraft units have deployed to major operating hubs and can share those parts and that gear, but that model won’t fit with ACE.

“Now we’re going to deploy to multiple locations; you need more spare kits to be able to take the same amount of fighters to different places. That’s all this really is,” Allvin said. “These readiness … kits allow you to take the same number of fighters and go to different places and be able to operate from different places,” giving the commander “more options.”

INDOPACOM Boss: China ‘Soon to Be World’s Largest Air Force’

March 28, 2024 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

It has been known and publicly acknowledged for several years now that China has surpassed the U.S. Navy in sheer number of warships. But in recent testimony on Capitol Hill, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command suggested China may also have world’s largest air force soon, a surprising assessment of their rapid modernization efforts.

“The world’s largest Navy, soon to be the world’s largest Air Force,” Navy Adm. John C. Aquilino said, referring to the People’s Liberation Army, before the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 21. “The magnitude, scope, and scale of this security challenge cannot be understated, all would be challenged.”

An INDOPACOM spokesperson confirmed to Air & Space Forces Magazine that Aquilino was referring to the number of warplanes each country’s military possesses.

In its 2023 report on Chinese military power, the Pentagon noted that the PLA Air Force and Navy combined have over 3,150 total aircraft, not counting trainer variants and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The U.S. Air Force, by comparison, is at its smallest size in years but still has around 4,000 non-trainer, non-drone aircraft. That’s in addition to several thousand more in the Navy, Marine Corps, and Army.

Airpower and China experts expressed doubt that China would imminently overtake the U.S. in military aircraft. However, they did highlight China’s significant overall production capacity ramp-up in recent years, specifically for their cutting-edge fighters.

“The J-20 is now being produced at over roughly 100 airframes per year,” Daniel Rice,
China military and political strategy subject matter expert at the Krulak Center for Innovation and Future Warfare told Air & Space Forces Magazine. “That’s purely for indigenous consumption, for supplying the PLA Air Force with J-20 airframes. If you look at production capacity, the F-35, roughly 135 airframes per year, but 60 to 70 of those airframes are going to allies and partners.”

Rice noted, though, that the J-20 and F-35 should not be compared one-to-one.

“They have different mission sets and capabilities,” Rice added. “We like to say that the J-20 is roughly a 4.5-generation aircraft because there are different definitions of ‘generations’ between China and the U.S.”

This quality-versus-quantity assessment also comes into play when comparing the naval fleets of the two countries, as experts argue that while China may have more ships and submarines, the tonnage of America’s naval fleet surpasses that of China by a 2-to-1 ratio due to the larger size of U.S. vessels.

On the air side, China is accelerating its production of the J-16, J-10, and its sea variants as well. The J-16, a multi-role fighter, has more than 100 airframes produced annually, while the J-10’s production is around less than 40 airframes per year. But again, the J-10C is not quite the USAF’s F-15EX, and is rather “the low-end, or high-low mix of that version,” Rice said.

Yet, if production rate increases as anticipated, China may surpass the U.S. in producing their latest fighter aircraft. Rice noted that China’s development of an indigenous engine and reduced reliance on Russian-built engines have accelerated their combat aircraft production.

“With the WS-10 and WS-15 series engines, China has been able to produce a credible and reliable engine for their combat aircraft, namely J-10C and J-20,” Rice said. “Since this supply chain shift, and in conjunction with increasing production capacity for their airframes, we have seen different production facilities such as Shenyang Aircraft Corporation and Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, increase the size of their production facilities in anticipation of more throughput.”

Regional influence is another consideration in comparing fleet sizes. In his separate written testimony to lawmakers, Aquilino stated that the PLA Air Force and Navy combined constitute “the largest aviation forces in the Indo-Pacific.” While the U.S. is set to retain its long-range superiority, China’s regional dominance carries strategic concerns, especially in a scenario where it attempts to take Taiwan by force.

“China doesn’t need tankers, because it just doesn’t have to go that far,” J. Michael Dahm of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies told Air & Space Forces Magazine. “China doesn’t need a Global Hawk that can fly for over 24 hours. It may just need drones, retro-fitted, older aircraft that can fly 100 miles across the Taiwan Strait on a one-way trip.”

U.S. airpower is also spread across the globe, with missions in Europe, the Middle East, and the homeland.

And while the China military power report excluded drones from its aircraft count, they could play a crucial role in future assessments of military power projection. China is modernizing on that front too, with the recent introduction of the Xianglong jet-powered UAS, the supersonic WZ-8, and the redesigned GJ-11 stealth Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV).

“In an age when we’re increasingly concerned about artificial intelligence, I would say that when we start counting unmanned aircraft, it could also quickly tip the scales in China’s favor,” Dahm said.