USAF Would ‘Greatly Value’ Congressional Boost for Sustainment, Flying Hours

June 22, 2021 | By John A. Tirpak

The cost to operate the Air Force’s aircraft grew by more than $1 billion last year, largely the reason for cuts in flying hours, senior Air Force officials told lawmakers June 22. They added that the service would appreciate Congress adding money to their fiscal 2022 budget request for that purpose.

During a Senate Armed Services airland subcommittee hearing, Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), expressed concern that the Air Force in its fiscal 2022 budget request cut 87,000 flying hours from the prior year’s request. Lt. Gen. Joseph T. Guastella, the deputy chief of staff for operations, said the hours were cut because weapon system sustainment costs had risen.

The sustainment and flying hours accounts go “hand in hand,” Guastella said. “If we can fund the weapon system sustainment that generates aircraft availability, [then] we can turn around and lay in the flying hours.” If Congress were to add funding for weapon system sustainment with the aim of increasing flying hours, he said that would be “greatly valued” by the service.

“Aircrews today out there are flying the absolute minimum number of hours they need every month to stay ready,” he said. “We’re offsetting that with simulation events, but we’re as low as we can be. We want to turn that corner.”

Other Air Force officials have testified in recent weeks that flying hours fell because the Air Force wasn’t able to execute the number of hours it was funded to fly.

Guastella added that “for what it’s worth right now … despite COVID, we’re at 96 percent of executing what was laid in in the flying hour budget this year. We’re working it really hard, but those aging aircraft just make it harder and harder.”

Lt. Gen. David S. Nahom, deputy chief of staff for plans and programs, said sustainment “is going up well in excess of inflation … in fact, it’s actually approaching $1 billion a year, just in increased costs. And this year, in ’22, we were not able to fund that increase.”

This is of concern, he said, because “we’re funded at about 87 percent of our weapon system sustainment [requirement], and that’s going to go down to 80 percent.”

In addition to the challenges of maintaining an increasingly aged fleet, “a lot of new platforms are coming on with …contractor logistics support. And many of these contracts are expensive and driving the increase,” Nahom said.

The Air Force included about $1.2 billion worth of WSS items on its unfunded priorities list across a number of platforms. This includes about $360 million for the F-35 and $825 million for other items, such as U-2 operations and EC-37 spare engines.

In its fiscal 2022 budget presentation May 28, the Air Force said flying hour funding was being reduced from $7.8 billion to $7.6 billion. Maj. Gen. James D. Peccia, deputy assistant secretary for budget, said the reduction was due to “the change in global posture overseas,” meaning reduced operating tempo in Afghanistan, which he said accounted for 66,000 of the hours that were cut.

During the hearing, Nahom said “the one way we’re getting after this in our budget is, we’re recapitalizing our fleets—to more modern aircraft that we can fly at a higher rate, so we can generate those flying hours for our pilots.”

The pilots “badly need that flying experience,” he said. “Synthetic is good [as well as] the virtual environment, and we have to do that as well, but getting them in the air” is also critical.

Senate Committee Advances Air Force Undersecretary Nominee

June 22, 2021 | By Greg Hadley

The Senate Armed Services Committee advanced the nomination of Gina Ortiz Jones to become undersecretary of the Air Force on June 22, setting her up for a confirmation vote on the Senate floor in the coming weeks.

Jones’ approval comes three weeks after Frank Kendall III was advanced by the same committee for the position of Secretary of the Air Force. No floor vote has been announced for either Kendall or Jones.

In keeping with the Biden administration’s effort to appoint leaders who “look like America,” Jones would be the first openly gay person of color to hold the undersecretary position. She is of Filipino descent. She would also be the sixth woman confirmed to the job.

During her confirmation hearing, Jones cited the example of her uncle, who joined the Navy as a steward, one of the only positions available to Filipinos at the time, and eventually rose to become a gas turbine electrician.

“My own service started with a four-year Air Force ROTC scholarship that took me from San Antonio, Texas, to Boston University. I was honored to wear our Nation’s cloth. However, similar to my uncle’s limited career opportunities because of his ethnicity, my experience in the Air Force was hindered by the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy,” Jones said in her opening statement. “Yet I, too, remained undeterred because of my desire to serve our country. That experience cemented my resolve to ensure anyone ready and able to serve can do so to their full potential, and accordingly, our country’s fullest potential.”

Jones served in the Air Force three years as an intelligence officer, deploying to Iraq and reaching the rank of captain. She also received a master’s from the Army Command and General Staff College.

She later worked as a civilian for U.S. Africa Command and the Defense Intelligence Agency, where she specialized in Latin American affairs.

In late 2016, Jones joined the office of the U.S. Trade Representative and stayed on into the Trump administration. She left in 2017 to run for Congress, challenging Republican William Hurd in Texas’s 23rd district. She narrowly lost and ran again in 2019, but did not win the Democratic primary.

Jones was one of five civilian nominations that were advanced by SASC on June 22, the other four being: Caroline D. Krass to be general counsel of the Department of Defense, Ely S. Ratner to be assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, Shawn G. Skelly to be assistant secretary of defense for readiness, and Meredith A. Berger to be assistant secretary of the Navy for energy, installations, and environment.

The acting undersecretary for the Air Force is Anthony P. Reardon, who has served in the role since February. Reardon previously worked as administrative assistant to the Secretary.

Reports: DOD Planning to Draw Down Forces in Middle East

June 21, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

The Pentagon is planning to draw down the number of fighter squadrons and missile defense systems deployed in the Middle East as the U.S. seeks to reduce its footprint in the region, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III informed Saudi Arabia that the U.S. intends to withdraw Terminal High Altitude Area Defense and Patriot missile defense systems along with some fighter aircraft deployed there. The U.S. will also bring home fighters and missile defense systems from Iraq, Kuwait, and Jordan, the Journal reported.

Pentagon spokesman John F. Kirby would not confirm details, saying instead that the department regularly reviews capabilities and “the ability to sustain those capabilities and systems in whatever region they are deployed.”

It is “not uncommon” to move different systems around in the theater or bring them home for maintenance, Kirby said.

“We have a very robust presence in the Middle East region, with a lot of capabilities there,” Kirby said. “There’s tens of thousands of personnel as well as systems and capabilities across the region.”

The decision to withdraw missile defense systems and aircraft comes as the Pentagon seeks to shift its focus to the Indo-Pacific and China, and comes as the military is working on a complete withdrawal from Afghanistan by September.

The Pentagon deployed the fighters, a THAAD system, and Patriot batteries to Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, in October 2019 after attacks by Iranian-backed forces on the country. Then-Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said the deployments were to “assure and enhance the defense of Saudi Arabia.”

USAF contingency response and RED HORSE Airmen deployed to the Saudi base to build up the infrastructure there to host aircraft, and the desert base has hosted rotating deployments ever since.

After 5 Million Shots, Military’s Federal Vaccination Sites Are Done

June 21, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

The last federally supported COVID-19 vaccine center staffed by U.S. military personnel closed June 20, wrapping up more than four months of vaccinations at dozens of sites nationwide. But National Guard personnel are still supporting state and local vaccination sites, Pentagon spokesman John F. Kirby said June 21.

Since opening earlier this year, service members at 48 sites nationwide administered about 5 million vaccine doses, Kirby said. National Guard sites have administered another 12 million, Kirby said.

The last federally supported site was in New Jersey, Kirby said. The federal effort began in early February, when a 222-person team from Fort Carson, Colo., deployed to Los Angeles to set up a mass vaccination site.

The move comes as the Pentagon is revising its health protection status. As of June 23, that status will improve from “bravo plus” to “bravo,” meaning its office spaces facilities can increase to 50 percent occupancy, up from 40 percen. Maximum telework remaining. Public tours are still closed.

Within the Defense Department, there have been 4,212,820 total COVID-19 vaccines distributed. Within the Air Force, 256,416 total personnel are fully vaccinated.

Barksdale B-52s Complete Task Force Deployment

June 21, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

B-52s from Barksdale Air Force, La., closed out a monthlong deployment to Spain with a pair of long-distance training missions, one over the Arctic and the other over Africa.

Bombers from the 2nd Bomb Wing took off June 17 for a “cross-combatant command” training mission, working with Norwegian joint terminal attack controllers while flying through the Arctic Circle and into the northern Pacific, then heading home to Barksdale, according to a U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa release. The number of aircraft in the operation was not given.

“Our unparalleled global strike capability is the backbone of our combat-credible force,” said USAFE boss Gen. Jeffrey L. Harrigian. “That force is the foundation of our extended deterrence strategy that safeguards both U.S. security and that of our allies and partners.”

The flight covered 12,000 miles and took 27 hours to complete. Tankers from RAF Mildenhall, England; Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash.; Andersen Air Force Base, Guam; Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii; and Travis Air Force Base, Calif., provided fuel.

The following day, more B-52s took off from Moron Air Base, Spain, flying to Morocco before crossing the Atlantic Ocean to return to Barksdale. It was the third time the B-52s flew to Africa during the task force deployment, USAFE said in a release.

“The final two days of flights over Morocco and through the Arctic are great examples of our team’s range and flexibility,” Harrigian said. “My hope is that our air operations over the last month have demonstrated our unwavering commitment to our European and African partners and sent the message that we are invested in creating opportunities to grow together.”

The task force flew more than a dozen missions during the monthlong deployment, including a flight that took them over all European NATO nations May 31.

Report: Military Suicides Since 9/11 Far Exceed Combat Deaths

June 21, 2021 | By Greg Hadley

The number of U.S. military service members and veterans who have killed themselves since Sept. 11, 2001, is more than four times the number of service members who have been killed in war operations, according to a report released June 21.

Data compiled by the Costs of War Project, founded by researchers at Brown and Boston universities, showed that an estimated 30,177 Active-duty personnel and veterans of the Global War on Terrorism have taken their own lives, compared to 7,057 deaths in combat.

The massive discrepancy “marks a failure by the military and U.S. society to manage the mental health cost of our current conflicts,” writes researcher Thomas Howard Suitt of Boston University.

The increases in both veteran and Active-duty suicides are outpacing those among the general population, Suitt writes. In particular, data from 2018 showed the adjusted rate of suicides among Active-duty members going above that rate for civilians despite historically being “comparable to U.S. population rates after accounting for age and sex.”

“As we come closer to the twentieth anniversary of the September 11th attacks, we must reflect on the mental health cost of the Global War on Terror,” Suitt writes. “The human cost for our veterans and service members far outweighs even the most crippling financial costs we have endured to send them to war.”

The rate of suicide in the military, among Active-duty members, National Guard and Reserve personnel, and veterans, has become an increasingly urgent concern among Department of Defense leaders.

In 2019, the Air Force ordered a one-day stand down to address the rise of suicides among Airmen—109 killed themselves that year, including 82 on Active duty. Both of those numbers were the highest the service had seen since at least 2014. The Pentagon’s annual report for 2020 has not been completed, but the quarterly reports indicated another 109 suicides for the year, 81 among active-duty Airmen.

Through early 2021, though, those numbers have come down, Lt. Gen. Brian T. Kelly, the deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel, and services, told the Senate Armed Services personnel subcommittee May 12. The DOD has not released any quarterly reports for 2021.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.

Maintain and Modernize: Ensuring the Nuclear Deterrent Remains Ready and Able

June 21, 2021

As the Air Force transitions its nuclear missile force from the Minuteman III to the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) in the coming decade, the Air Force will have to manage a delicate balancing act: simultaneously sustain the legacy force while developing and deploying its replacement.

“The handoff between Minuteman III and GBSD is the most complex [replacement operation] ever undertaken between two nuclear weapon systems,” said Col. Luke Cropsey, ICBM Systems director, in a recent Air Force release.

Darrell Graddy, president of Integrated ICBM Support Services (i2S2), a joint venture of three major defense contractors—Leidos, Amentum, and Apex—has spent years managing the complexity surrounding sensitive nuclear programs, so he sees both sides of the challenge: sustaining aging equipment as the supply chain begins to break down and working out the kinks and faults of new systems and cutting-edge technologies.

Minuteman III isn’t just old, it’s getting harder and harder to sustain because critical components are reaching the end of their useful lives. “We’ve got components for which we’re trying to get replacement parts that aren’t in design any longer,” he said. “We’re trying to do the work in some facilities that haven’t been sustained for 60 years.”

The promise of modernization includes the ability to implement digital engineering design and predictive maintenance supported by artificial intelligence (AI), using machine learning (ML) to proactively anticipate when repairs need to be made rather than relying solely on old-school preventative maintenance schedules.

“How are you going to do that?” Graddy asks. Not by patching in piecemeal solutions, but rather by approaching the task holistically in a system of systems approach. “You have to have an integrated sustainment and modernization plan that actually captures all that.”

Modernized tools

Graddy described a vision in which modern tools help assure sustainment for Minuteman III more cost-effectively than today, while at the same time establishing the digital engineering tools and processes that GBSD will require going forward.

Minuteman III was engineered with legacy paper blueprints. GBSD will be engineered digitally, enabling digital models that can be simulated and tested and stressed in a computer environment. The result will be computer models that can predict performance, maintenance requirements, and provide insights into what components and sub-systems to focus system monitors on and gauge the overall operational readiness health of key systems—and how best to do that. AI-enabled sensors will likewise support maintenance, supporting the predictive upkeep that will optimize the use of labor and parts and holds down costs.

Predictive tools will likewise inform the supply chain, tackling a problem that plagues systems like these that must remain operable for 30-50 years, spanning generations of technology refresh. This is why “sustainment costs are consistently becoming a greater challenge,” Graddy said. With predictive analysis, “we allow ourselves opportunities to get in front of that end-of-life situation, to develop new design solutions with vendors, and develop new sources of supply when needed.”

All these advances would require an ongoing investment on the human side.

By training professionals for career-long engagements in ICBM support, “that allows us to have the right people at the right place all of the time,” he said. “That is one of the biggest opportunities for us: To ensure we’re always ready to provide the mission with an agile, flexible and responsive workforce.”

Walking hand in hand

Supporting Minuteman III while simultaneously migrating toward GBSD must be seen as interrelated efforts proceeding hand in hand, Graddy said, because by practical necessity, both must leverage a common approach to modernized technologies.

“They’re going to be using the same critical infrastructures all upgraded and modernized,” Graddy said. “They’re going to be using the same facilities, only upgraded and modernized. They’re going to be using the same workforce—only re-trained in the new technologies.”

With that in mind, “it’s so important to ensure there’s an understanding, where any decision that’s made on Minuteman III is compared to its impact and risk to GBSD acquisition,” he said. By the same token, GBSD technology insertion should be evaluated in terms of how it could impact Minuteman III.

“The two are linked together,” he said. “By integrating all of our planning, and all of our actions, we allow ourselves to sustain with the highest efficiency of operational readiness, and achieve the lowest cost in terms of operational support.”

Highest stakes

All these efforts are unfolding in a high-stakes context. On the one hand, GBSD promises to bring a powerful new capability to the table.

“The GBSD weapon system will have increased accuracy, extended range, and enhanced security, which will ensure that it is responsive to the emerging threat environment and unforeseen contingencies,” said Col. Jason Bartolome, who heads the GBSD Systems Directorate, in a May 2020 news release.

At the same time, the military faces a fast-changing threat landscape. “The Minuteman III was developed and deployed against threats that were known at the time,” Graddy said. Today, “there are new adversaries out there … and new threats are being developed.”

That’s why sustaining and modernizing this nuclear capability is so important.

“The ICBM is a critical asset of the overall nuclear triad for this nation,” Graddy said. “It is the one that’s ready at all times—400 missiles, ready on alert, 24-by-7,” Graddy said. Going forward, our nation is looking to the Air Force and its support community to ensure that capability remains at the highest state of readiness.

“Our opportunity as a systems-engineering and integration support function is to fully support and enable the Air Force and the industry OEMs that are building these new products, these new platforms, these new weapon systems achieving Mission Success,” he said.

Ultimately the success of that effort will depend on the people involved. That means there’s a need for ongoing professional training among those already doing the work, as well as a need to introduce students as early as high school to this critical career field.

“Those students are the potential employees of the future,” Graddy said.

“We’re giving them science, technology, engineering, and math availability and awareness to allow them to expand their knowledge and skills as individuals,” he said. “Why not allow them to have awareness of this vital mission … and allow them to have the opportunity to decide if they want to be a part of it? That’s how we can expand the next-generation workforce.”

With a new generation of digital tools, updated processes, and a trained workforce, it will be possible “to accomplish it all in a manner that ensures the Ground Based Deterrent is sustained and fully operational at all times, to provide the safety and security of this nation and, quite frankly, the globe,” he said. “We do that through collaboration. We do that through integration. We do that through modernization.”

Juneteenth Holiday

June 17, 2021

President Joe Biden on June 17 signed into law Juneteenth National Independence Day, designating June 19 a national holiday to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States 156 years ago. With June 19 falling on a Saturday this year, the federal government will observe the holiday June 18, the Office of Personnel Management announced. In observance of the new federal holiday, the Air Force Association will also close. The Air Force Magazine Daily Report will resume publishing Monday, June 21.

DOD Leaders Want More Arctic Funding, But Not Right Now

June 17, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

The Pentagon’s 2022 budget is light on funding for defending the Arctic, but Defense Department officials expect future funding requests to rise with the region’s growing importance.

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III, testifying before the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee June 17, said the current fiscal 2022 request provides only “some capability” for the Arctic, adding, “We have to better resource our Arctic efforts in the future.”

The Pentagon is hashing out a new National Defense Strategy, he said, and “my goal is to make sure that our efforts in the Arctic, our requirements in the Arctic, are reflected in the new National Defense Strategy.”

U.S. Northern Command boss Gen. Glen D. VanHerck testified to the Senate Armed Services Committee June 9 that the Arctic region is not getting the funding it needs. “Senator, I think when I look at the FY22 budget, I see an inching along in all of the services, he said. “I’m encouraged: They all have strategies now, and the department has a strategy, and my strategy heavily relies on the Arctic,” the Air Force four-star said. “But we didn’t move the ball very far down the field this year in the budget.”

The DOD budget proposal does not aggregate funding that applies to the Arctic, but the budget overview does articulate the need to prepare for “contingencies associated with a changing climate, including investments to prepare for an opening Arctic and increased peer competition in that region.”

The Department of the Air Force’s request includes $127 million for the Polar MILSATCOM system and $14 million for radio equipment to support command and control in the Arctic. The department released its first Arctic Strategy last year.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley, appearing alongside Austin, said the 2022 budget request provides adequate investment “for right now.” But he said the region will become “increasingly important geostrategically” and that DOD has little choice but to “increase resourcing in the Arctic.”