Biden Convinced Russia Will Invade Ukraine ‘in the Coming Days’

Feb. 18, 2022 | By Abraham Mahshie

President Joe Biden said he is convinced that Russian President Vladimir Putin will invade Ukraine in a matter of days, unleashing what Biden called “a catastrophic and needless war of choice.” However, Biden promised that U.S. troops will not be sent into Ukraine and that the U.S. will be prepared to defend its NATO Allies.

The president and administration officials have been de-classifying intelligence and warning for weeks of mounting Russian capabilities and plans for a “false flag” operation to justify a military incursion into Ukraine. The U.S. has also sent more than $650 million in defensive equipment, including anti-tank Javelin missiles, to Ukraine while approving the third-party transfer of air defenses from partner nations. To shore up NATO’s eastern flank, the U.S. has deployed fighter jets to Poland and Romania along with 4,600 U.S. troops while continuing to press for a diplomatic resolution.

Biden said that while he was convinced Putin had made the decision to invade Ukraine, Putin could still avert war. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had agreed to meet Feb. 24 in Europe under the condition that Russia did not invade Ukraine.

“As of this moment, I’m convinced [Putin has] made the decision,” Biden said, citing U.S. intelligence. “Until he does, diplomacy is always a possibility.”

Biden’s remarks, delayed by nearly an hour, came after two phone calls to Europe. The first was with a bipartisan group of lawmakers accompanying Vice President Kamala Harris and Blinken at the Munich Security Conference, and the second was with a group of NATO heads of state.

Biden said NATO members are resolute in their unity and commitment to impose severe sanctions on Russia should Putin invade Ukraine.

“We continue to remain lockstep at NATO despite Russia’s efforts to divide us at home and abroad,” Biden said. “The West is united and resolved. We’re ready to impose severe sanctions on Russia if it further invades Ukraine.”

Consistent with administration messaging, Biden said Russia was already spreading disinformation and attempting to create a casus belli for entering Ukraine, including by accusing Ukraine of shelling in the southeastern Donbas region, where a kindergarten was hit Feb. 17.

“These are consistent with the playbook the Russians have used before, to set up a false justification to act against Ukraine,” Biden said. “We’re calling out Russia’s plans loudly and repeatedly not because we want a conflict, but because we’re doing everything in our power to remove any reason that Russia may give to justify invading Ukraine and prevent them from moving.”

While promising not to send U.S. troops into Ukraine, Biden committed to “defend every inch of NATO territory from any threat to our collective security.”

Russia is believed to have some 190,000 troops surrounding Ukraine and poised to move on the capital, Kyiv. Biden said Putin will order the invasion within days.

“We have reason to believe the Russian forces are planning and intend to attack Ukraine in the coming week, in the coming days,” Biden said. “Russia can still choose diplomacy. It is not too late to de-escalate and return to the negotiating table.”

The New Tape Test? Leaked Waist-to-Height Ratio Scores Are ‘Pre-decisional’

Feb. 18, 2022 | By Greg Hadley

The Air Force has not made a final decision on what the new body measurement test will look like, despite documents recently leaked online, the Office of the Air Force Surgeon General told Air Force Magazine.

On Feb. 16, the unofficial Air Force amn/nco/snco Facebook page posted images of an email and charts detailing a new waist-to-height ratio measurement that would take the place of the oft-criticized tape test, which was separated from the annual fitness test in December 2020.

According to the leaked images, the new measurement involves simply dividing an Airmen’s waist measurement by their height, both in inches. Any number between 0.40 to 0.49 would be deemed low risk; a number between 0.50 and 0.54 would be deemed a moderate risk while still meeting Air Force standards; and any number at 0.55 or above would be deemed high risk.

The accompanying email states that the new assessment will start to be rolled out in July 2022, with follow-up assessments every six to 12 months, depending on the individual Airman’s score.

“Repeated failed assessments could result in discharge from military service,” the email claims.

When contacted by Air Force Magazine to confirm the images’ veracity, the Air Force surgeon general’s office stated that the “Air Force is now developing policy for the Waist-to-Height Ratio. Any documents published online are pre-decisional and subject to change.”

In November, the Air Force did announce that the surgeon general had settled on waist-to-height ratio as “the best available method for assessing body composition” and promised guidance on the new measurement process in the coming months.

Officials have also previously noted that while tape tests are no longer part of the new-look PT test for Airmen, official Pentagon guidance requires the Air Force to measure its force for body fat composition.

For years now, Airmen—along with other service members—have complained that circumference tests such as waist measurement don’t always accurately measure body fat. In some cases, service members say they have excelled during PT tests, only to fail the body measurement.

And the Air Force isn’t the only service to propose changes to the system. The Army is currently conducting research on how best to measure a Soldier’s body fat, including the use of advanced body scans—but some of the equipment costs tens of thousands of dollars.

The Space Force, meanwhile, is still crafting its own fitness and health program, but Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force Roger A. Towberman has said he would like to take a more holistic approach, reducing the importance of “this single moment in time that has such an impact over one’s career.”

Air Force Academy Cadets Report Most Sexual Assaults Among Service Academies in 2020-2021

Feb. 18, 2022 | By Amanda Miller

Reports of sexual assaults of service academy cadets and midshipmen have risen steadily since 2014. Defense Department officials said Feb. 17 that the record number reported in the most recent academic year could be due to a higher proportion of victims making official reports—something the academies have encouraged.

But the officials won’t know if that’s what happened in 2020-2021, the year with the most reports ever at 131, until 2023. Meanwhile, the most recent data, from 2018, showed the estimated prevalence of sexual assaults, reported or not, also going up—to “a high point,” in fact, said Nathan W. Galbreath, acting director of the DOD’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office.

Of the 131 reports in 2020-2021, 52 were at the Air Force Academy; 46 were at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point; and 33 were at the Naval Academy. Court-martial charges were preferred in 11 of the 131 cases.

Galbreath spoke to members of the press in a briefing Feb. 17, presenting data that showed steep one-year increases in reports of sexual assaults at all three service academies in 2020-2021. But the one-year increases appear artificially steep because the coronavirus pandemic had cut the prior year short.

The Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office tracks numbers of cases reported from year to year and also surveys academy students in even-numbered years to ask about experiences of sexual assault and harassment. Survey responses help to estimate the prevalence of sexual assault and sexual harassment for a sense of how much really happens rather than just how many cases get reported.

The office couldn’t do a survey in the spring of 2020, when students were sent home because of the coronavirus pandemic, and the 2022 survey happens in March and April, Galbreath said. In 2018, the DOD office estimated that 15.8 percent of women and 2.4 percent of men enrolled in service academies had experienced unwanted sexual contact over the prior year—that was the “high point.”

Official reports of sexual assault across all three service academies rose steadily from 72 in the 2014-2015 acadmic year to 131 in 2020-2021.

“These are actual reports that have come in the door to either sexual assault response coordinators or military criminal investigative organizations,” Galbreath said. He said the office is aware from past surveys that “the vast majority of perpetrators” are reported to be fellow cadets or midshipmen. He mentioned that the DOD had adopted reforms to address sexual assault in 2021.

Galbreath’s presentation given to members of the press said the trend of more sexual assaults reflects “a shared challenge” nationally and at colleges.

Women enrolled in service academies were more likely to experience sexual assault since entering higher education than other college women—28.5 percent estimated among service academy women compared to 26.5 percent among all college women. The same year, DOD estimated 5.8 percent of service academy men to have experienced sexual assault compared to 7.1 percent estimated among all college men.

Galbreath said that in the past year, the academies did “some excellent work with regard to growing their prevention programs,” yet he acknowledges “there are changes that need to occur.” He said the office is working with the academies on “comprehensive prevention plans … that address not only sexual assault but sexual harassment and other behaviors that give rise to sexual assault.”

Galbreath admitted that for now, the plans are “just words on paper” and academy leaders need to make sure the plans are “part of how the academies do business in the future.” He said his office is also working on recommending to superintendents “what programs are doing well, what programs could be fine-tuned to better performance, and what programs could be discontinued because they’re not a good return on investment.”

The Air Force Academy uses a program called EAAA—Enhanced Access, Acknowledge, Act—that’s been found to be “particularly effective,” Galbreath said.

He said sexual assault is “a horrible thing to have to experience, and we are here to help make sure that it happens less often and that victims get the kind of care and support they need to recover.”

Galbreath said the office hasn’t found evidence of “undue influence on the reporting process” at the academies such as found by independent review committees that have investigated other commands.

Austin Speaks to Russian Counterpart, Promises Abrams Tanks to Poland Amid Border Tensions

Feb. 18, 2022 | By Abraham Mahshie

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III spoke to his Russian counterpart by phone and visited Poland, the largest recipient of American troops and air combat power on the eastern flank of NATO, on Feb. 18 as administration officials indicated Russia now has 190,000 troops on Ukraine’s border.

Austin called for de-escalation, a return of Russian forces to their home bases, and a diplomatic resolution in his call with Russian Minister of Defense Sergey Shoigu, according to a DOD statement. In public remarks, Austin also announced approval of a foreign military sale of 250 Abrams Main Battle tanks and other defense equipment to Poland at a cost of $6 billion to shore up the eastern flank.

“We will do what’s necessary to help defend our partners and allies,” Austin said alongside his Polish counterpart in Warsaw before visiting U.S. troops at the Powidz Air Base. Austin is expected to travel to the Baltic nation of Lithuania next before returning to Washington.

The U.S. Air Force recently deployed 16 F-15 fighter jets to Lask Air Base, Poland, from the 336th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Wing, at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., and the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath, U.K. The U.S. also has sent an estimated 4,700 troops from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to Poland to augment a standing force of some 4,000, part of the Army’s V Corps, which is headquartered in Poznan, Poland.

Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak called the American combat power “the biggest and the most important deterrent factor” against Russia.

“We are dealing with an attempt to rebuild the Russian empire by Putin,” the Polish defense minister said, citing Russia’s invasion of Georgia in 2008 and annexation of Crimea in 2014. “The security of Poland means the security of the entire eastern flank of NATO.”

Blaszczak said American support bolstered interoperability and lifted Poland’s plans to modernize its forces, including with the planned purchase of F-35 fighter aircraft. A sale of 32 F-35s for $6.5 billion was approved in 2019, but Poland has yet to complete the purchase. Poland’s Air Force currently consists of F-16C, F-16D, and C-130 aircraft.

The Russian Threat to NATO

Polish security analyst Wojciech Lorenz of the Polish Institute of International Affairs in Warsaw believes Russia’s troop positioning so close to NATO borders warrants the increase in U.S. and NATO forces on the eastern flank.

“If Russia invades Ukraine, it can quickly also change its force posture along the borders of NATO and EU member states. It can threaten NATO,” Lorenz explained to Air Force Magazine by phone from Warsaw.

“Poland would be the first line of defense against a potential Russian attack,” he added, describing how wealthier NATO partners have divested from heavy equipment such as tanks. “The overall strategic picture has deteriorated so significantly, that we don’t have too much time.”

The analyst said Russia seeks to divide NATO with the threat of conflict in the east, hoping to inflict economic harm with the insecurity caused by a sustained troop buildup. The European Union on Feb. 11 approved a $1.4 billion aid package to Ukraine to prevent collapse in the face of Russian pressure.

“By increasing the risk that there will be the conflict between NATO and Russia, it could hope to influence the decisions in numerous NATO member states regarding Russia’s demands,” Lorenz said.

In December, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent NATO a draft treaty that included barring new members from joining the alliance and pulling back NATO and U.S. forces from the most recent member states on the eastern flank. NATO’s January response to Russia included a proposal to discuss arms controls, missile defense, and military transparency. Russia’s 11-page answer, which President Joe Biden indicated he had received Feb. 16, has not been made public.

Even a prolonged Russian presence in Belarus of a month or more is possible, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko alluded to in comments Feb. 17 before traveling to meet Putin in Moscow.

Meanwhile, U.S. officials have called out Russia for building up its troop, hardware, and logistics capabilities while claiming in recent days to pull back from the border. The U.S. now estimates Russia has between 169,000 and 190,000 troops on Ukraine’s borders.

Austin’s show of support for the largest Eastern European NATO ally also comes as Russia appears to be preparing “false flag” scenarios that would give it a casus belli to invade Ukraine.

In recent days, heavy shelling has taken place in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, with the leader of the breakaway Donetsk region calling for a mass evacuation of ethnic Russians across the Ukrainian border into Russia.

Speaking to the UN Security Council Feb. 17, Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that U.S. intelligence had unearthed a variety of potential Russian plots.

“Russia plans to manufacture a pretext for its attack,” Blinken said. “This could be a violent event that Russia will blame on Ukraine, or an outrageous accusation that Russia will level against the Ukrainian Government.”

The list of scenarios included a “terrorist” bombing, the discovery of a mass grave, a staged drone strike against civilians, or a chemical weapons attack labeled as ethnic cleansing or genocide.

“In the past few days, Russian media has already begun to spread some of these false alarms and claims, to maximize public outrage, to lay the groundwork for an invented justification for war,” said Blinken, who is scheduled to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky along with Vice President Kamala Harris at the Munich Security Conference Feb. 19.

Already, the regular use of declassified U.S. intelligence to preempt a Russian false flag operation has led some commentators to question if the U.S. is overhyping Russian intentions.

“It has some limitations,” said Lorenz. “After three or four times, it gets less and less credible.”

Austin Sees ‘Strong NATO’ as Russia Adds Troops and Air Combat Power to Ukraine Border

Feb. 17, 2022 | By Abraham Mahshie

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III wrapped up a two-day NATO defense ministerial in Brussels saying Russia’s bluff withdrawal did not fool him, and that the alliance is only stronger, as Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to add troops and air combat power to Belarus, Crimea, and the Black Sea to encircle Ukraine.

“In many ways, this brings Russian troops right up to NATO’s doorstep,” Austin told reporters after the conclusion of the 30-member meeting, which included sessions with defense ministers from NATO candidates Ukraine and Georgia as well as partners Finland and Sweden.

“The Russians say that they are withdrawing some of those forces now that exercises are complete, but we don’t see that,” he added.

Austin said Russia has flown in more combat aircraft, sharpened readiness in the Black Sea, and stocked up blood supplies, including adding a field hospital and pontoon bridge.

“I know firsthand that you don’t do these sort of things for no reason, and you certainly don’t do them if you’re getting ready to pack up and go home,” the longtime Soldier said.

Austin also warned that the cyberattack against Ukraine’s Defense Ministry and banks Feb. 15 was right out of the Russian playbook, as are misinformation campaigns and a potential false-flag operation to prompt an invasion. The moves have united the NATO alliance and prompted the United States to move F-35s to Germany and 24 F-16 and F-15 fighter jets to Eastern Europe, as well as a Stryker unit and 8,000 Soldiers to the eastern flank.

Austin also announced a Stryker company would deploy to Bulgaria, on the Black Sea, for a joint training exercise, and that the United States would explore other ways to strengthen readiness.

“Mr. Putin says that he doesn’t want a strong NATO on his western flank. He’s getting exactly that,” Austin remarked. “I can honestly say that I have never seen the alliance more relevant and more united and more resolute than I see it today.”

Austin nonetheless said conflict was not inevitable and that the United States and NATO remain open to a diplomatic solution.

“If Mr. Putin is serious about achieving that sort of outcome, he will find in the United States, and in this alliance, no better or more serious interlocutor,” Austin said of diplomacy to diffuse the crisis. “And if he’s not, as his deeds thus far tend to indicate, it will be clear to the entire world that he started a war with diplomatic options left on the table.”

Should the Russian threat extend to the eastern flank of NATO, Austin said the United States would be prepared to “defend every inch of NATO territory.”

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark A. Milley followed up on the promise Feb. 17, coordinating with his British and Baltic counterparts in Estonia and Latvia with phone calls. The day before, Milley called his counterparts in Lithuania and Bulgaria, according to Joint Staff spokesperson Col. Dave Butler.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in concluding remarks said NATO had responded to a December draft treaty sent by Russia, which called for rolling back the alliance, prohibiting Ukraine and Georgia from ever becoming members, and removing missile defenses, among other demands. Russia has claimed that NATO, and by extension aspiring member Ukraine, is a threat to its security.

While the NATO “open-door” policy would not be rescinded, Stoltenberg said NATO had delivered substantive responses to Russia regarding arms control, missile defense, and transparent military activities.

“We are waiting for the response from Russia,” he said, referencing a meeting of the NATO Russia Council in January that took place the same week that Russian diplomats met with the United States in Geneva and with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Vienna.

In recent days, Moscow signaled its willingness to pursue diplomacy and telegraphed images and stories about its troops and heavy equipment withdrawing from the Ukraine border.

“Despite Moscow’s claims, we have seen no sign of withdrawal or de-escalation so far,” Stoltenberg said. “On the contrary, Russia’s buildup appears to continue.”

President Joe Biden speaking on the South Lawn early Feb. 17 said the threat of a Russian invasion remains “very high,” noting he had dispatched Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the United Nations to make a statement.

“We have reason to believe that they are engaged in a false-flag operation to have an excuse to go in,” Biden said of Russian forces. “My sense is this will happen within the next several days.”

Air Force Installations Nominee ‘Regrets’ Calling for AI-monitoring of Troops for Extremism

Feb. 17, 2022 | By Greg Hadley

The former Air Force C-17 pilot nominated to oversee the department’s installations came under fire during his confirmation hearing Feb. 17, as multiple senators pressed him over an editorial in which he advocated for the use of artificial intelligence to track extremism in the military.

Ravi Chaudhary, nominated by the Biden administration to serve as assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations, environment, and energy, tried to walk back that argument during the hearing, saying he regretted the article and pledging not to use AI in such a manner if confirmed.

Chaudhary, who also served as a member of the Senior Executive Service with the Federal Aviation Administration, penned the article in question for Foreign Policy News in July 2021, working with Ty Smith, a former Navy SEAL and CEO of CommSafe AI, a company that offers to use AI to “[analyze] workplace communications 24/7, [identify] toxic communication, and [flag] appropriate personnel in your organization before issues escalate.”

Smith and Chaudhary, who was working as an adviser for CommSafe AI at the time, wrote that “the time has come to shift the fulcrum in the battle against violent extremism from reactive to proactive, and take the fight to the extremists by doing what we always do—match superior strategies with advanced technology.”

Fighting extremism in the ranks has been a priority for top Pentagon officials in the Biden administration. In February 2021, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III ordered a DOD-wide stand down to address the issue, and in December, the department adopted a new set of rules prohibiting service members from actively participating in extremist behavior.

But this push has been met with resistance by many Republican lawmakers, who say the issue isn’t as widespread as some fear and that efforts to address it could run afoul of the First Amendment.

And in Chaudhary’s confirmation hearing, five Republican senators brought up his editorial, pushing him to promise not to use artificial intelligence to track service members’ communications and behavior.

“I think it’s a really horrible idea. Tell me why it’s a good idea,” Ranking Member Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) asked Chaudhary.

“The intent of the article was to engage in a public discussion on addressing extremism, as well as other areas affecting readiness,” Chaudhary replied. “The article fell short of that, and I regret that.”

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) compared the idea of using AI to track extremist behavior to tactics practiced by the Chinese government, prompting Chaudhary to pledge to protect service members’ rights.

“The vast majority of the men and women who serve, serve with honor, integrity, and excellence,” he said. “I also believe that the constitutional rights of our military members who serve should be protected. Period. If confirmed, I’ll follow the lead of [Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall] in addressing extremism.”

Pressed further by Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) to say that he understood “this committee would never look upon the investigation or the use of AI in the oversight of our men and women in uniform … to be an acceptable thing,” Chaudhary said that was “absolutely correct.”

While many of the questions directed to Chaudhary were focused on the editorial, he was also asked by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) how he planned to handle the issue of privatized housing for military families, in the wake of Balfour Beatty Communities, one of the largest providers of privatized military housing in the U.S., pleading guilty to defrauding the Air Force, Army, and Navy.

“Our military members and their families deserve to have well-maintained, clean, and excellent housing. Not only that, [but] a system in which their grievances can be addressed, as well as challenges that they’re meeting at the same time,” Chaudhary said. “If confirmed, you have my commitment that I will move out on this issue extremely quickly to ensure that we have the right oversight, management, contracts. Across the board, I’m going to take a top-down look at every aspect of our military privatized housing, because we just absolutely have to get this right.”

AFWERX’s Plan to Hire Military Spouses for Full-Time Telework Has Sharene Brown’s Endorsement

Feb. 17, 2022 | By Amanda Miller

The Department of the Air Force’s self-described “innovation arm” AFWERX plans to begin interviewing military spouses to permanently telework for many of its civilian job openings.

AFWERX announced the new strategy in a live-streamed hiring event hosted together with Sharene Brown, the wife of Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., on Feb. 17. Leaders from AFWERX and its parent organization, the Air Force Research Laboratory, previewed a hiring fair taking place through mid-March with dozens of entry- and mid-level jobs in financial management, contracting, program or project management, science and engineering, and data analytics.

The issue of spouse employment is one of five topics Sharene Brown selected to address in her Five and Thrive initiative launched in 2021 that focuses on military families’ quality of life.

Brown acknowledged how jobs being interrupted by moves, or licenses not transferring from state to state, often hold back qualified military spouses from advancing in their careers. “An extended gap” between jobs “can even lead to a significant lag in industry knowledge and best practices,” she said.

“It is not a well-known fact, but it’s important to highlight that our military spouses typically have higher graduate and professional degrees than their civilian counterparts,” Brown said during the virtual event, citing a 2016 survey by Blue Star Families. “Spouses want to work and are qualified. They’re educated, and they bring a unique and valuable skillset to any team.

“So as Gen. Brown is motivating our Air Force to ‘accelerate change or lose,’ AFWERX is continuing to work within this framework by offering to hire our military spouses for full-time telework,” Brown said.

If the hiring strategy works, it could serve as a pilot “that has the potential to grow into other organizations,” said AFWERX’s director, Air Force Col. Nathan P. Diller.

AFWERX’s chief of strategic investment, Lt. Col. Wesley Spurlock, warned spouses who may apply that working remotely for AFWERX isn’t easy.

“It’s not any less work, that’s for sure. But what it is, is impactful and fulfilling,” Spurlock said, describing the organization as similar to “a startup where a lot of like-minded folks are trying to solve really hard problems and making a big difference.”

The Department of the Air Force’s deputy assistant secretary for contracting Maj. Gen. Cameron G. Holt characterized AFWERX as occupying a place “on the front lines” in the DOD’s “fight with China—economically, technologically, informationally.” He connected the contracting professionals’ role in working with “young startup companies that are innovative” but also vulnerable to Chinese investment and the siphoning away of intellectual property.

The commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory, Maj. Gen. Heather L. Pringle, said she’s “excited by the approach that the AFWERX team is taking” in reaching out to spouses.

“I’ll tell you, there’s nothing I love more than accelerating science and technology, but a close second to that is building the best team,” Pringle said. “There’s so much talent out there, amazing expertise, experiences, team players who solve tough problems—people who are dedicated and selfless and live by our core values,” Pringle said.

She could also sympathize with the military spouses juggling careers and kids:

“The household revolves around the munchkin,” Pringle said, “so I have to adapt my work to get after that.”

Famed ‘Candy Bomber’ Gail Halvorsen Dies at 101

Feb. 17, 2022 | By John A. Tirpak

Col. Gail S. Halvorsen, who came to fame as the “Candy Bomber” of the Berlin Airlift, earning international goodwill for the United States and the Air Force, and who worked on Air Force space projects such as the Titan III, X-20 Dyna-Soar, and Manned Orbiting Laboratory, died Feb. 16 at the age of 101.

Halvorsen grew up in Utah and earned a private pilot’s license at the age of 21, when he joined the Civil Air Patrol. Following the outbreak of WWII, Halvorsen joined the Army Air Forces and flew ferry flights of C-46s and C-47s in the South Atlantic theater of operations.

He stayed in the Air Force after the war and in July 1948 was assigned as one of the pilots in the Berlin Airlift, flying C-54s and C-47s into Tempelhof Airport with crucial sustenance for the citizens of divided Berlin, who were cut off from land resupply by a Soviet blockade. On a sightseeing tour of Berlin during time off, he saw children watching the cargo aircraft operation. Talking to them, he was touched by their appreciation for the airlift and one’s comment that “when the weather gets bad, don’t worry about us. We can get by on little food, but if we lose our freedom, we may never get it back.” He offered them a few sticks of gum, which 30 children shared eagerly but politely. He resolved to do more, and promised to drop candy to them from his plane the next day. He would “wiggle” his wings to let them know which plane to watch for.

Retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Gail S. Halvorsen, known commonly as the “Berlin Candy Bomber,” stands in front of C-54 Skymaster like the one he flew during WWII at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Arizona. U.S. Air Force photo/Bennie J. Davis III.

Starting with candy rations pooled with friends, Halvorsen devised small parachutes made from handkerchiefs, so the falling candy parcels wouldn’t hurt the children waiting below. For three weeks, he made candy drops once a week. As the weeks passed, the number of children waiting below grew.

The commander of “Operation Vittles,” as the Berlin Airlift was called, was Lt. Gen. William H. Tunner. When he found out about Halvorsen’s unauthorized airdrops, he approved and ordered them expanded as Operation “Little Vittles.” Soon Halvorsen’s whole squadron was buying candy and gum and assembling the parcels with small parachutes. As word reached the U.S. of the mini-airlift, American schoolchildren and confectionary companies donated candy, and soon many other pilots were making candy drops as well. Halvorsen became known as “Uncle Wiggly Wings” or “The Chocolate Flier,” among other names, by the children of Berlin, and the “Candy Bomber” in the U.S.

“Little Vittles” continued from September 1948 through May 1949, when the Soviet Union lifted its blockade and the larger airlift ended. Halvorsen had rotated home in January 1949, but the operation was taken up by his squadron mate, Capt. Lawrence Caskey. “Little Vittles” had dropped an estimated 46,000 pounds of candy tied with more than 250,000 parachutes, and Halvorsen received international attention for his efforts. In his autobiography, Halvorsen recalled that a Berlin child told him the candy was not just chocolate, “it was hope.”

After the airlift, Halvorsen received a permanent USAF commission and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from in aeronautical engineering from the University of Florida. He worked on cargo aircraft development at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, from 1952 to 1957 then joined the new Air Force Space Systems Division in California. There he worked on the Titan III launch vehicle and the X-20 Dyna-Soar reusable spacecraft programs, serving with Air Force Systems Command through 1962. Subsequent assignments took him back to Germany and technology offices at Headquarters, USAF. He developed plans for the Manned Orbiting Laboratory program, which would have put a small Air Force space station in orbit for reconnaissance purposes. He commanded the 6596th Instrumentation Squadron at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., supporting space launch and satellite operations.

In 1970, Halvorsen was assigned as commander of USAF’s air base group at Tempelhof. His final USAF assignment, as a colonel, was as the inspector general for Ogden Materiel Center at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. He retired in 1974 with more than 8,000 hours of flying time.

During his time commanding operations at Tempelhof, Halvorsen earned a second master’s in guidance and counseling and in retirement served as assistant dean of student life at Brigham Young University. He and his wife Alta also served as Mormon missionaries in England and Russia in retirement.

Halvorsen organized or supported candy drops in other war zones during his career as well, in Japan, Albania, Guam, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Iraq. He was also a continuous goodwill ambassador for the Air Force and the United States, making thousands of speeches and visits, especially to schools, to discuss Operation Little Vittles.

He wrote the books “The Berlin Candy Bomber” and “The Candy Bomber: Untold Stories from the Berlin Airlift’s Uncle Wiggly Wings.”

Among his many awards and honors, the Air Force presented Halvorsen with its Cheney Award for humanitarian service as well as the Legion of Merit. It also named an award for outstanding achievement in air transport for him. In addition, the service named a key piece of cargo handling equipment the Halvorsen Loader and named the C-17 Aircrew Training Center in Charleston, S.C., for him. In 1974, the West German government awarded Halvorsen its Order of Merit service cross. He was inducted into the Utah Aviation Hall of Fame in 2001 and received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2014. The Utah legislature recognized him with a resolution in 2017 praising him for “unselfish acts” that brought honor “to himself, his family, the United States Military, the citizens of … Utah, and the citizens of the United States.”

“During Berlin’s darkest hour, he was the light that shone through,” Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass said of Halvorsen on Twitter.

Space Acquisition Nominee Pledges ‘Culture of Program Management Discipline’

Feb. 17, 2022 | By Greg Hadley

The nominee to serve as the first assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration pledged to bring program discipline to the position—even if it means canceling struggling programs.

“I am a firm believer in delivering programs on cost, on schedule, and meeting our requirements. And if there’s programs that are awry or not heading in the right direction, I have no problem either taking corrective action or terminating them,” Frank Calvelli told the Senate Armed Services Committee during his Feb. 17 confirmation hearing.

Calvelli, a former National Reconnaissance Office official, was nominated by President Joe Biden in December to become the senior acquisition executive for space systems in the Department of the Air Force.

At the NRO, Calvelli oversaw satellite and ground system acquisitions before he left to work at Booz Allen Hamilton, overseeing the company’s space and intelligence programs.

His potential return to government comes at a “critical juncture for our defense space architecture,” he said in his opening statement.

“There is a real sense of urgency to act. The nation needs to outpace its adversaries and maintain the technological advantage it gets from space,” Calvelli said. “The nation needs to integrate its space architecture with other warfighting domains to give its warfighters a strategic edge. The nation needs to make its space architecture more resilient so that it can be counted on during times of crisis and conflict, and the nation needs to do this with speed.”

In order to achieve that necessary speed, Calvelli listed a host of ways for his office to boost acquisition, ranging from coordinating requirements and analysis to developing smaller systems for space and for software.

That speed will also require an experienced, talented acquisition workforce, noted Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), who asked Calvelli how he intended to develop such a workforce.

“How I would approach that would be to do recruiting of some of the top-notch folk we can get our hands around, by training, by just discipline and focus on meeting our scheduled costs and technical commitments, and by just driving forward into the future,” Cavelli said.

“I think one of the biggest things that I, if confirmed, will try to bring is discipline, and discipline in terms of just pure program management. And where I grew up, I mean, the focus was purely on meeting your costs, meeting your schedule, and delivering your technical commitments, on time and on schedule. … I think it’s really important to really have a culture of program management discipline, and I think it’s going to allow us also to go a little bit faster as well. So I think, if confirmed, I intend to bring that to the Space Force.”

Calvelli’s nomination appears to be on a smooth path, with no senators indicating any opposition during his hearing. Should he be confirmed, he would be the first person approved by the Senate for his position, which has existed since December 2019 but never had a confirmed appointee. Currently, Brig. Gen. Steven P. Whitney is leading the office.

Space acquisition as an enterprise has already had several key changes in the past few years, including the transfer of senior acquisition executive authority and the stand up of Space Systems Command, the Space Force’s field command dedicated to acquisition.

Lt. Gen. Michael A. Guetlein, the head of SSC, will be a familiar face to Calvelli—they overlapped for several months at the National Reconnaissance Office.

Together, they’ll help shape a Space Force looking to build a more resilient architecture and reduce redundancies, while observers continue to push for more declassification of programs and capabilities.

On Feb. 17, Calvelli didn’t go into much detail into what kinds of capabilities he hoped to acquire, but he did agree with a statement from Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) that the U.S. needs to be able to “hold China and Russia’s assets at risk … with offensive capabilities.”