Korean War Vet to Receive Medal of Honor for Harrowing 1950 Battle

May 19, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

President Joe Biden on May 21 will award the Medal of Honor to retired Army Col. Ralph Puckett Jr. for his actions during the Korean War in 1950.

The award will be the first from Biden during his presidency, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in will attend the White House ceremony.

Puckett, then a first lieutenant, was serving with the 8th Army Ranger Company during Nov. 25-26, 1950, when his unit conducted a daylight attack on Hill 205. The team faced enemy mortar, machine gun, and small arms fire.

During the advance, Puckett mounted the closest tank to obtain supporting fire. He jumped from the tank, shouting encouragement to his men, and led the Rangers in the attack, according to a White House description of the events.

Enemy fire pinned down one platoon. Puckett, with “full knowledge of the danger,” ran across an open area three times to draw enemy fire. This allowed his team to find and destroy enemy positions, and then the Rangers seized the hill.

Throughout the following night, the enemy conducted a four-hour-long counter attack. Five human wave attacks from a battalion-strength enemy element were repulsed. During one attack, Puckett was hit by grenade fragments, but he refused evacuation and stayed to direct artillery support, according to the description.

After a sixth enemy attack, two mortar rounds landed in Puckett’s foxhole, causing “grievous wounds which limited his mobility.” Puckett, knowing how dangerous the situation was becoming, ordered his Rangers to leave him behind. His team, “feeling a sense of duty to aid him,” refused the order, and worked through enemy fire to retrieve him from the foxhole.

The team moved back down the hill, and Puckett called for “devastating artillery fire on the top of the enemy controlled hill.”

Puckett, now 94, lives in Columbus, Georgia, with his wife of 68 years. He first enlisted in the Army Enlisted Reserve Corps in December 1943 as a private and was subsequently discharged less than two years later to attend the U.S. Military Academy. He was commissioned in 1949 and served in Korea from Aug. 26, 1950, to Nov. 26, 1950. From July 1967 to July 1968, he served in the Vietnam War with the 101st Airborne Division. He retired from Active duty in 1971.

Al-Udeid Operating New Counter-drone System Amid Growing UAS Threat

May 19, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

The Air Force’s key operating base in the Middle East has adopted a new counter-drone system, first deployed to the nation’s nuclear bases to protect them from the growing threat of unmanned aerial systems.

Al-Udeid Air Base, Qatar, recently deployed the counter-small unmanned aerial systems tool to protect the sprawling base, which is home of the nerve center of Middle East air operations, mobility and refueling, and strike aircraft including B-52s. The new system lets its operators identify incoming threats and sever the connection between drone and operator, according to an Air Forces Central Command release.

“The goal of the program is to build counter measures for Al-Udeid AB that would pose as a last line of defense against all small UAS threats,” said Staff Sgt. Ryan Walters, the 379th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron’s noncommissioned officer in charge of the C-UAS program.

Air Force Global Strike Command and U.S. Strategic Command first deployed the system to an undisclosed number of sites in 2019. The service said at the time that the systems use command and control, detection, and jamming to counter drones.

At Al-Udeid, operators take a 40-hour course, which includes hands-on work, before they can operate the systems. The system is “tailored” to threats specific to the region, which has seen UAS attacks on U.S. military sites in Iraq and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia.

“We are able to showcase our defensive capabilities and tailor the C-UAS briefings with a historical background to threats in the region,” said Maj. Shawna Rogers, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing senior intelligence officer, in a release.

U.S. Central Command boss USMC Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. told lawmakers last month that drones represent the most “persistent and dangerous” threat to troops and that countering them is a top priority.

“These small- and medium-sized UAS proliferating across the [area of operations] present a new and complex threat to our forces and those of our partners and allies,” McKenzie said. “For the first time since the Korean War, we are operating without complete air superiority.”

USAF Bases Face $30 Billion Repair Backlog

May 19, 2021 | By Amy Hudson

Lawmakers should expect a “significant” increase in the Department of the Air Force’s military construction funding request, Brig. Gen. William H. Kale III told House appropriators May 19, with particular investment in new nuclear modernization and improved facilities in Europe and the Indo-Pacific.

The deputy chief of staff for logistics, engineering, and force protection did not disclose details ahead of the expected May 27 budget release, but he did outline the department’s priorities:

Modernize the infrastructure needed to support the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent and the B-21 Raider bomber programs.
Support combatant commanders’ requirements, especially in Europe and the Indo-Pacific.
“And planning and design to ensure continued success going forward.”

The Air Force’s military construction request plunged in fiscal 2021, falling from $5.3 billion appropriated in 2020 to just $1.4 billion requested the following year. Now the cycle will reverse itself, he said.

“The DAF expects the FY22 program to return to a level similar to funding requests from previous year,” wrote Kale and Jennifer L. Miller, acting assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations and energy, in written testimony to the House Appropriations military construction and veterans affairs subcommittee. “This return to previous funding levels will support the DAF’s commitment to fulfilling National Defense Strategy requirements and posturing for the future high-end fight.”

Miller and Kale acknowledged that the department “accepted risk in installation investment” in the past in order to “prioritize to the most critical needs.” As a result, facilities atrophied. Now the department faces a $30 billion maintenance and repair backlog. More than 1,500 facilities are rated poor, based on a Building Condition Index of 55 or less out of 100. These require “significant investment,” according to testimony.

“If left unchecked, the condition of infrastructure will impact the Department’s ability to safely and effectively execute our mission,” Miller and Kale wrote.

House Appropriations military construction and veterans affairs subcommittee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-New York) said she had personally witnessed “atrocious conditions,” citing “airplane hangars being held together with duct tape and coat hangers; doors that are about to fall off.”

Kale acknowledged that some facilities are in “poor condition” but emphasized that the department is “trying to do our best with the resources that we have.”

Neglected USAF facilities are less able to withstand the effects of severe weather, such as the flooding at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, in 2019, and near complete devastation of Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, following Hurricane Michael in 2018.

“During recent severe winter storms across the United States … degraded facility systems and components failed, which caused water and fire suppression liquids to freeze, expand, and eventually burst the pipes,” they wrote.

Many facilities do not meet upgraded modern building codes and have been “subject to longer term deferred maintenance,” according to the prepared testimony.

Last year, the department published a “playbook” aimed at giving installation planners a “consistent and systematic framework to screen for severe weather and climate hazards and assess current and future risks,” according to testimony. Since then, the service has completed an initial assessment of all major installations and will incorporate the results into plans in the coming years. The department also has completed 24 Installation Energy Plans “to identify risks and track and adjust requirements to advance energy and water resilience goals,” according to testimony. It plans to complete another 20 this year.

Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-New Hampshire), chairman of the Senate Appropriations military construction and veteran affairs subcommittee, said May 19 that the U.S. has spent $8.5 billion to repair military facilities damaged by a half dozen natural disasters since 2018. That’s nearly four times the $2.4 billion spent for the same purposes in the previous two decades combined. “More than 70 percent of [the $2.4 billion] was attributable to just one storm, hurricane Katrina back in 2005,” Heinrich noted.

Mark A. Correll, deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for environment, safety, and infrastructure, told the Senate subcommittee that the USAF has a “holistic” plan to update infrastructure and “enhance resiliency” over the next decade by “proactively” upgrading facilities when possible, demolishing “failing facilities,” and improving “processes, such as standardizing building codes, for increased efficiency.”

“The DAF has seen the impacts natural disasters and severe weather can have on installations,” Correll wrote in written testimony. “… We continually learn from these events and adapt to meet current and future threats to our installations.”

Airmen, Guardians Could Work Remotely Full Time Under New Guidance

May 19, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

Uniformed Total Force Airmen and Guardians can telework and work remotely under new guidance from the Department of the Air Force, building on lessons learned from the past year.

The Air Force on May 18 released updated guidance on telework, which gives service members the chance to work from a location other than their unit’s duty station—provided their job allows for it and commanders sign off on it. The new guidance also includes guidelines for civilian personnel.

“The Department of the Air Force is using lessons learned about teleworking and remote work during the pandemic as an opportunity to grow,” said John A. Fedrigo, acting assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs, in a release. “The pandemic has shown we can be successful using telework in many areas of our mission, and it helps to bridge our current force structure to the force we need for the future.”

The new guidance opens the door for an Airman or Guardian to work remotely if the squadron commander or equivalent, with input from supervisors, allows it. The ultimate decision will depend on the nature of work performed and whether allowing telework or remote work would diminish the service member’s ability to perform the work successfully or negatively impact the mission, according to the release. Even if a position is deemed to be ineligible for remote work or telework, there could be circumstances in which it can be considered “on an emergency or situational basis,” according to the Air Force.

Remote work refers to personnel working permanently from an operating location other than their unit’s station. Telework, by contrast, is establishing a regular schedule to periodically work from home or another location, though that individual is still assigned to the unit’s location, according to the guidance.

If a service member is approved for full remote work, there will be arrangements made to get support from the nearest installation, such as access to health care and a commissary.

Air Force officials said the new policy can help recruit and retain more personnel who may have avoided working with the service or staying in uniform because of the requirements to work at a base.

“With remote work, we can now attract someone with the specialized skills we need and not require them to relocate when it makes sense for the mission, the individual, and a member’s development,” said Lt. Gen. Brian T. Kelly, the deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel, and services, in a release. “We recognize the value these flexible work arrangements can have, in some circumstances, to enhance work-life balance and maximize organizational productivity.”

The Air Force released an extensive 27-page document detailing the new rules, including how to pursue the opportunity. Because each decision is made on a case-by-case basis, the Air Force does not have an estimate of how many personnel might eventually telework or work from home.

C-130 Crew Receives DFC, Air Medals for Afghanistan Mission

May 19, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

A C-130J pilot received the Distinguished Flying Cross while another pilot and two loadmasters received Air Medals on May 10 for their actions last September in Afghanistan, when their aircraft took enemy fire, injuring one on board and damaging the aircraft’s controls.

After getting hit, the team returned to base, loaded another C-130J, and the remaining aircrew finished the mission.

“Receiving the DFC was extremely humbling,” said Maj. Christopher Richardson, 61st Airlift Squadron pilot, in a release. “As aviators, we put a lot of time and effort into making sure everything goes as planned—sometimes that isn’t how it works out.”

On Sept. 19, 2020, the team was deployed from Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, to Bagram Airfield where they were supporting the ingress of a Theater Response Force to a forward operating base in Afghanistan. During the approach, the C-130 received effective enemy fire, which injured one of the aircrew.

Senior Airman Dimitrious Carden, the loadmaster on the flight, worked with the onboard combat control team to apply self-aid buddy care.

“I knew what I needed to do and how to do it,” Carden said in the release. “I remember quite clearly being able to think back to times spent practicing for these types of events and using that to guide my actions.”

Richardson tried to make another approach to the FOB, but the aircraft’s flight controls malfunctioned because of the small arms fire and he decided to return to Bagram.

“For me, it was a continual balancing of priorities,” Richardson said in the release. “First, was to get the crew and the plane out of harm’s way. Second, was assessing if the mission was worth the risk. If you are an expert at your job, you’ll know what to do in a stressful situation. Knowing where your efforts fit into the mission allows you to assess the risk of what’s happening and work as a team to get the job done.”

At the May 10 ceremony at Little Rock, Richardson received the DFC, while his fellow pilot, 1st Lt. Christian Grochowski, and two loadmastser, Carden and Staff Sgt. Jade Morin, received Air Medals.

“I certainly would not have succeeded alone. We all worked together and relied on each other that night,” Carden said in the release. “Everybody on that plane played a significant role in carrying out the mission and bringing everyone home safely.”

USAF Should Adapt Industry Systems for Cyber Defense, Science Chief Says

May 18, 2021 | By John A. Tirpak

The Air Force should use industry systems for cybersecurity, even the information highway that the Advanced Battle Management System will run on, because the infrastructure necessary isn’t within the service’s expertise and would require a culture and a workforce the Air Force doesn’t have, service Chief Scientist Victoria Coleman said.

Speaking during an AFA Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies streaming event May 18, Coleman addressed cybersecurity concerns and the recent Colonial Pipeline ransom attack, suggesting the Air Force should “let somebody else” build the defensive systems and infrastructure.

Victoria Coleman, chief scientist of the U.S. Air Force, speaks with retired Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, dean of AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, at a critical time for the Air Force’s modernization priorities. During the May 18 virtual event, Coleman shared her insights into the Air Force’s science and technology strategy, the evolution of autonomy, and the development of the Advanced Battle Management System. Mitchell Institute YouTube video.

The Air Force “is a user of that infrastructure, … not a producer of that infrastructure,” she said. “I strongly believe that every time we produce infrastructure, we get it wrong, because that’s not our line of business.”

Much of the infrastructure for cyber “that we need to use will eventually have to come out of the commercial sector … the world out there that has built it, deployed it, scaled it, operated it, and learned what works, what doesn’t work—the community that maintains it.”

The Air Force struggles to field new technology in a timely way, Coleman said, “and it takes us years to change it.” That means the USAF just can’t keep up. She’s aware of no systems that don’t have vulnerabilities, and “the longer you have it out there, the longer the adversary has to find ways to find all those vulnerabilities it couldn’t find in the first place. The only way to avoid that is to have it change all the time.”

Constant updates would be unaffordable, and the service lacks the expertise and workforce to do such a thing, she said.

“If it’s not a core competency, let somebody else do it,” Coleman said.

While she readily admits the “private world has not solved this problem,” the Air Force would be “kidding ourselves” if it assumes that a custom-made approach will somehow allow it to “avoid all the pitfalls that a private-sector solution has.”

Information systems are vulnerable because they are “wicked hard” to connect, and “people just make mistakes” that adversaries exploit, Coleman said.

In a 2018 Defense Science Board look at microelectronics, which Coleman chaired, “we asked ourselves … ‘If it takes 500 people to do this, where would we find these people? Which school, … which companies would they come from?'”

In addition to her background—most recently as head of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and from academia and various computer companies—“I came from Intel. I knew how good our people were and how hard we worked to make sure our devices were secure,” but “two decades later” vulnerabilities and hacks were still being discovered in old Intel systems.

“That’s not because Intel engineers didn’t care or they weren’t good; they were the best in the business. It’s just wicked hard.”

Coleman said cyber is “an arms race … I think it’s a war, but we’re better off fighting with our partners from the private sector,” she asserted. “They can take into account our mission and how it’s prosecuted,” but more than just the technology, “you also have to have the know-how and the culture for using it, so that you know what to do when it doesn’t work … ”

Coleman also said she’s excited about an Air Force storefront in Silicon Valley, California, which would have knowledgeable staff able to answer questions and engage with smart people who come in off the street with ideas and approaches the Air Force can use. She praised the efforts of former Air Force acquisition executive Will Roper for making a priority of engaging with small businesses and developing ways to help them capitalize, “so we can bring them back” as a contractor who can help, she said.

Afghanistan Withdrawal Pace Increases With Five Bases Handed Over

May 18, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

The military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan is speeding up, with five facilities now handed over to the Afghan government and about 115 C-17 loads of material flown out of the country, though a new report states Taliban violence remains high.

U.S. Central Command reported May 18 that more than 5,000 pieces of material also have been turned over to the Defense Logistics Agency for destruction. So far, CENTCOM estimates that between 13 and 20 percent of the overall retrograde process has been completed. Kandahar Airfield, which has long hosted major U.S. Air Force operations, is among the installations that have been handed over to the Afghan Ministry of Defense. This latest update marks a significant increase from the previous CENTCOM statement one week earlier, which said just one base had been handed over to the Afghan army.

The Defense Department’s Lead Inspector General for Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, in a quarterly report publicly released May 18, states that the Taliban has increased its attacks against the Afghan government forces in the first quarter of 2021, which ended before President Joe Biden, on April 14, announced the plan to withdraw. Specifically, the Taliban initiated 37 percent more attacks than in the first quarter of 2020.

The U.S. military has experienced minor harassing attacks, but those have not affected the withdrawal, said Pentagon spokesman John F. Kirby during a May 18 briefing. The Pentagon has deployed B-52s and an aircraft carrier to the region even though there have not been major attacks, because the department needs to “take all the right precautions” and plan for any contingency as part of the withdrawal, he said.

The Pentagon is still working on plans for coalition air advisers to advise the Afghan Air Force remotely from outside the country after the withdrawal. This comes as the Afghan Air Force faces several issues, including limited readiness and a loss of helicopters. During the first quarter of 2021, AAF lost three helicopters—an MD-530 that crashed due to pilot error, an Mi-17 shot down, and a UH-60 that crashed, with the cause still under investigation.

Additionally, during the first quarter the Defense Department suspended a previously announced plan to give the AAF CH-47 Chinooks because the administration did not get Congressional approval.

“The suspension of the plan could result in a medium-lift, rotary-wing capabilities gap for the [Afghan National Defense and Security Forces’] special operations aviation component,” the report states.

Guard Moving Ahead on C-130J Basing Plan Following Election Controversy

May 18, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

The Air National Guard is moving ahead with its plans to base new C-130Js at four bases in Kentucky, West Virginia, Texas, and Georgia, with those bases’ upgraded H models expected to replace other Hercules at other Guard locations.

The Air Force announced in November it had decided to add Georgia’s 165th Airlift Wing to the list of bases slated for new J models, causing some lawmakers to accuse the Air Force of playing politics by announcing the decision during that state’s runoff elections.

Louisville Air National Guard Base, Kentucky; McLaughlin Air National Guard Base, West Virginia; Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas, will each receive eight C-130Js beginning in 2021, while Savannah Air National Guard Base, Georgia, will receive new aircraft “if they become available in the future,” USAF said at the time.

National Guard Bureau Chief Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson told members of the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee in a hearing May 18 that the Montana Air National Guard, which flies the oldest H models in the service, will be among the bases to receive the H models that are being replaced. That state’s Sen. Jon Tester, who criticized the Air Force’s plan in November, pressed Hokanson for a schedule on this new plan, but he did not have one ready.

“My understanding, in working with the Air National Guard, [is] that as soon as the J models are available, they’ll start moving [to] the … units with the oldest C-130s so that we can retain the capability and capacity our nation needs,” Hokanson said.

Originally expected last year but delayed because of the pandemic, the newest Mobility Capabilities and Requirements Study by U.S. Transportation Command and the Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation office, which helps guide force structure planning, is now expected in July, Hokanson said. The 2018 iteration called for a cut in C-130 capacity, but Hokanson reiterated the need to retain all C-130 squadrons emphasizing the role C-130s play domestically as well.

The Air Force Reserve is also looking to prioritize upgrading its C-130s. The Reserve’s “Hurricane Hunters” with the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, have already shifted to the J model, and AFRC also wants to upgrade its Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System-equipped C-130 units and its aerial spray unit to Js, command boss Lt. Gen. Richard W. Scobee told senators.

F-15QA Involved in Mishap Near St. Louis

May 18, 2021 | By John A. Tirpak

Two Active-duty U.S. Air Force pilots ejected from an F-15QA aircraft at MidAmerica airport near St. Louis after the jet departed the runway May 18, the service said. Both pilots received minor injuries.

The cause of the accident is under investigation, but the Air Force has not grounded its own two F-15EX jets, which are based on the F-15QA, nor has it issued a safety grounding on the F-15QA or similar aircraft. A service official said, “There is no indication at this time that a stand-down is necessary.”

The jet departed the runway upon landing, ending up on an adjacent grass strip. The Air Force did not disclose why the pilots ejected. The mishap occurred just after 7:00 a.m. local time in overcast conditions with some rain.

The F-15QA had recently been accepted by the Air Force and was to be transferred to Qatar under the Foreign Military Sales program. Images of the aircraft taken by local news media showed the aircraft with the canopy and both ejection seats missing. There appeared to be no other damage to the factory-fresh fighter.

Initial reports indicated only one crewmember ejected from the aircraft.

Boeing uses MidAmerica, located in Mascoutah, Illinois, for some F-15QA training functions. It builds the F-15 series at its plant adjacent to Lambert Field, St. Louis.

The Air Force recently took delivery of its first two F-15EX aircraft, which flew last week in the Northern Edge exercise in Alaska. The F-15QA, EX, and SA—for Saudi Arabia—all have a new fly-by-wire control system. The F-15EX is undergoing a streamlined and concurrent developmental/operational test program at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, made possible by extensive USAF testing of the F-15SA.

Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 6:04 p.m. EST to include additional information from the Air Force.