Afghans Promise Comeback vs. Taliban as US Delivers New Aircraft

July 13, 2021 | By Abraham Mahshie

Afghanistan’s American-trained, equipped, and financed military has lost dozens of provinces to the Taliban in “tactical retreats” in the 10 weeks since the U.S. began its withdrawal, but an Afghan government official in Washington, D.C., promised that his country would not succumb to the Taliban rebels and said it’s counting on aircraft the U.S. will give it to help defeat its nemesis.

“We are going to take it back, and we have that capability,” the official said July 13, dismissing the possibility that the Taliban might ultimately seize Kabul and the Afghan air force’s assets. “Our air force, our air bases [have the] maximum securities.”

Afghan officials spoke to Air Force Magazine on the condition of anonymity.

The Pentagon announced July 12 that it will give the Afghan Air Force 37 UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters and three A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft and also refurbish its fleet of Mi-17 Soviet-era helicopters to support its 300,000-strong ground force.

The official who referred to “tactical retreats,” who helped to facilitate Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s recent visit to Washington, described the military’s ceding of rural provinces to the Taliban as a tactic to avoid losing soldiers and causing civilian casualties. He accused the Taliban of embedding in civilian areas as a means of warding off artillery attacks by government forces.

Peace talks between Ghani’s Kabul government and the Taliban have stalled, and defense experts say the Taliban is using the U.S. withdrawal and its own offensive to increase its bargaining position.

The United States, meanwhile, no longer provides air support to Afghan Armed Forces when in need, ratcheting up the pressure on the Afghan air force. Pentagon spokesman John F. Kirby told journalists July 13 that the first two Blackhawks would be delivered soon.

The Afghan official said the helicopters are sorely needed. “It is crucial,” the official said. “Air support is crucial for our ground forces, and we need them desperately as the United States and NATO withdraw the troop. We need these Blackhawks right away.”

Terrorists pouring in

The Afghan officials emphasized the counterterrorism nature of promised “over-the-horizon” support from the U.S., insisting that the Taliban and terrorist groups including al Qaida and Islamic State are working in concert to bring down the Afghan central government.

“There are 20 terrorist networks or groups fighting in Afghanistan,” one official said. “The Afghanistan security forces are not only fighting with the Taliban. They are fighting with these 20 terrorist groups.”

Terrorist sympathizers are reportedly crossing the border with Pakistan to join the Taliban against the central government. The official denied reports that airstrikes were withheld due to lack of U.S.-provided intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. The official also said Taliban propaganda was painting an inaccurate picture of the Afghan government’s battle rhythm and capabilities.

The Afghan Ministry of Defense has released near daily videos of airstrikes on Taliban targets, named Taliban commanders killed, and listed the number of Taliban fighters injured and killed.

“As a result of the attacks and operations of the air force, especially in recent weeks, terrorists have suffered heavy casualties across the country,” Afghan Defense Minister Bismillah Khan Mohammadi said July 11. “The airstrikes of the Afghan air forces have frightened the enemy.”

‘We have the pilots’

The official also assured that the Afghan Air Force has sufficient pilots and maintainers to operate effectively despite recent reporting by Reuters that seven Afghan pilots had been assassinated by the Taliban and that the Afghan air force would soon be short on pilots.

“We have the pilots, the maintainers, but we … need the support, continuous support to continue the mission,” the official said of U.S. promises for financial assistance, pilot training, and remote maintenance.

The official said airstrikes by the Afghan air force are conducted using Afghan military intelligence, but the official admitted that maintaining aircraft will get harder without assistance from American contractors. At present, aircraft maintenance is expected to be performed remotely by American forces at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

“Airstrikes [are] happening in coordination with the Afghan ground troops in the field,” the official said, confirming Afghan ISR capabilities. “Of course, without that critical information, those pinpoint operation air strikes wouldn’t happen.”

The United States has so far not announced a regional basing agreement, even after Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III met with the defense ministers of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan on July 1-2.

Nonetheless, the Afghan official expressed high confidence that the over-the-horizon support that could be provided by the U.S. Air Force from bases in the Gulf countries are sufficient to support the Kabul government’s fight against the Taliban.

“We believe in the capability of our security forces and the air forces,” the official said. “As long as we are united, we believe in these 350,000 brave soldiers. … Afghanistan will not fall at the hand of the Taliban.”

Former Air Force Acquisition Chief Lands CEO Job with Drone Company

July 13, 2021 | By Greg Hadley

The Air Force’s former acquisition boss has landed a new job as the CEO of a Silicon Valley-backed startup specializing in many of the same technologies he championed during his time with the service.

Will Roper was announced as the new chief executive officer of Volansi, a logistics and drone building company, July 8. He had joined the company’s board of directors in March after leaving his job as Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology, and logistics in January.

In an interview with Air Force Magazine, Roper acknowledged that Volansi, which was founded in 2015, is still something of a “dark horse” in the industry. But in deciding his next move after leaving the Pentagon, he cited his desire to work on the same problems and opportunities that interested him in the Air Force.

“This aerial logistics mission is one I have been watching since Amazon first showed that video of delivering packages on people’s doorsteps,” Roper said. “I have been waiting to harness this for the military, [but] it has not been mature at any time that I have been in service.

“And it was just coming together when I was leaving, creating the Agility Prime program to get these electric vehicles that take off vertically, then fly linearly like traditional airplanes, to get them ready for primetime, by using the military as a springboard. But, I didn’t have the time to complete that journey on the government side, and it just happens to be that I’ve been given a chance to follow the journey on the commercial side.”

Agility Prime, aimed at accelerating the commercial market for flying cars, was one of Roper’s signature programs as acquisition chief, as he developed a reputation as a fast-moving innovator who pushed the military to engage with nontraditional partners and develop far-reaching future technologies.

And Volansi was one of the first Silicon Valley-backed private partners to engage with the Air Force, Roper said. The company debuted its VOLY M20 drone, designed in part for military use, at the Air Force’s Agility Prime Virtual Trade Show in May 2020, and it signed a contract with the Department of Defense in December 2020 as part of the Skyborg Vanguard program.

Both the Skyborg and Agility Prime programs are ones Roper said he wants to continue to engage with at Volansi. But he also expressed an interest in working with the military in other ways. Specifically, Roper said he hoped Volansi would be able to help the Navy with rapid ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore deliveries and the Army with tactical logistics, providing units with everything from batteries to ammunition to food to medicine on the battlefield.

In working with the military and other defense partners, Roper said Volansi plans later this year to unveil bigger drones capable of carrying heavier payloads—the VOLY M20, the company’s largest drone, can carry 20 pounds of cargo and 10 pounds of ISR sensors with a range of 350 miles. Specifically, Roper said he thinks the company will release two more drone models, both heavier than the M20.

Drones, however, are only part of what attracted Roper to Volansi. The company has its own operating system and software necessary for autonomous takeoffs and landings. It also uses concepts such as digital engineering, incorporating real-time flight data, and predictive maintenance.

Those same technological advances were ones Roper advocated for in the Air Force, and they are as key to Volansi’s future as the actual drones are, he said.

“I think the thing that’s really understated is the software and autonomy in the company,” Roper said. “If you got rid of all the drones, it’s still probably a viable company, and that’s unusual to say for a drone company. They have the only vertically integrated avionics autopilot and autonomy stack that I have seen in the retail space. Almost everything comes from China. And I’m seriously considering licensing that software so that other companies can accelerate in the U.S. in the retail space so that the U.S. dominates this market.”

Translating capabilities across missions is key to Roper’s vision for Volansi—the usefulness of autonomous VTOL drones can apply to situations as varied as disaster relief to frontline warfare. In those scenarios, the military can lead the way, Roper said.

“It all dovetails very well with a military mission that can lead the charge before we spin off commercially. … Our main ambitions are commercial. It just so happens that working with the military seems to be a pretty good dress rehearsal for getting us ready to go there,” he said.

And while Roper’s tenure at Volansi is just beginning, he didn’t rule out the possibility of a future return to the Pentagon, especially if he knows the person asking him to take the job.

“If it was a job where I thought I could help, then of course I would. And if I’m not asked, then, you know, I also have found that there are lots of ways I can support the mission in the private sector,” Roper said.

“I think you might be able to argue that I might be able to have a little bigger impact, at least for a short amount of time, in the private sector, because I can do things here that I simply couldn’t do inside of the government. I’m going to learn a lot. I’m going to grow a lot. And then if I ever find myself back inside the five-sided building, I’ll be a much more well rounded leader that has learned more. So however the chips fall, I’ll be ready to make a contribution on one side or the other.”

Warren Lifts Hold on Kendall Nomination After Ethics Agreement Extension

July 13, 2021 | By Abraham Mahshie

Air Force Secretary nominee Frank Kendall is one step closer to clearing a major procedural hurdle after agreeing to extend his industry recusal from two years to four years at the behest of Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Kendall’s May 25 nomination has been on hold for weeks due to holds by Warren, Michigan Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, and Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee.

With Congress’s August recess approaching, the potential for an even longer delay in Kendall’s nomination was feared by many defense watchers eager to get the longtime industry and acquisitions expert on board at the Pentagon.

Also held up was undersecretary of defense for research and engineering nominee Heidi Schyu, and Defense News reported July 13 that “multiple senators” have placed holds on a dozen Pentagon nominees, including Kendall and Schyu.

“Senator Warren lifted her holds on defense nominees Kendall and Shyu after they each agreed to her requests for them to extend their ethics agreements/industry recusals from two years to four years,” an aide familiar with the hold informed Air Force Magazine.

The two agreed to avoid seeking a waiver to their ethics agreements, consistent with a commitment Warren pressed Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III to make at his nomination hearing.

In addition to the nominated candidates, the ethics crusader has proposed two bills to tighten oversight and root out potential conflicts of interest between defense companies and the Pentagon.

Warren’s DOD ethics and anti-corruption act would prohibit big defense contractors from hiring former senior DOD officials for four years after they leave government, while an aide called her anti-corruption and public integrity act “the most ambitious anti-corruption legislation since Watergate.”

Peters’s hold on the Kendall nomination relates to the awarding of an F-35 international training center to Arkansas’s Ebbing Air National Guard Base instead of Michigan’s Selfridge Air National Guard Base. Lee, meanwhile, declines to confirm or deny that he has a hold in place. A Senate aide confirmed the three holds to Air Force Magazine.

The offices of senators Peters and Lee did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In the absence of a permanent Air Force secretary, acting secretary John P. Roth is the second-longest-serving temporary leader in the position at over 170 days.

Larson Takes Command of Reserve’s 22nd Air Force

July 13, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

Maj. Gen. Bret C. Larson took over as commander of 22nd Air Force on July 10 during a ceremony at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga.

Larson assumed command from Maj. Gen. John P. Healy, who has led the numbered air force since July 2019. The 22nd Air Force is responsible for Air Force Reserve Command’s C-130 units, which provide airlift, aeromedical evacuation, undergraduate pilot training, civil engineering, and flight testing, among other activities.

Larson previously served as the mobilization assistant to the commander of Air Education and Training Command and has commanded the 404th and 409th Air Expeditionary Groups, the 746th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, the 95th Airlift Squadron; and served as vice commander of the 914th Airlift Wing, according to a Reserve release.

“I am confident that 22nd Air Force will continue to thrive under General Larson’s leadership,” said AFRC boss Lt. Gen. Richard W. Scobee, who officiated the ceremony.

“My desire to continue to serve is not to serve myself, my boss, General Scobee, or higher headquarters, but to serve you, the Airmen of 22nd Air Force,” Larson said, according to the release. “I look at it as my job to do everything in my power to make sure you have the equipment, training, and motivation you need to be the best Airmen you can be and to be 100 percent ready to answer our nation’s call when needed.”

The Air Force has not announced Healy’s next move.

AMC Officially Clears KC-46 for Centerline Drogue Operations

July 13, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

Air Mobility Command on July 9 officially opened up the KC-46 to some limited operations, clearing the Pegasus to use its centerline drogue.

The move is an official green light to conduct missions that Pegasus crews have been practicing for months—using the KC-46’s secondary refueling system to pass fuel to aircraft such as Navy F/A-18s. The tanker is still years away from reaching initial operational capability as the Air Force and Boeing work to overhaul the aircraft’s problematic Remote Vision System and refueling boom.

AMC announced earlier this year a roadmap to interim capability releases as the aircraft matures. The steps allow the Pegasus to be tasked by U.S. Transportation Command for some limited missions to free up legacy tankers for real-world tanking missions.

“ICR codifies for operational use what we’re already executing daily as the KC-46A makes progress on its initial operational test and evaluation, or IOT&E, plan,” AMC boss Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost said in a July 12 release. “This is about bringing increased, predictable, and taskable tanker capacity to the joint team today.”

The centerline drogue system is, so far, the most proven capability on the KC-46. In recent months, Pegasus aircraft have fueled F/A-18s during “coronet” deployment missions and in exercises, as well as Navy Blue Angels. Van Ovost said in the release that the decision comes after six months of operational use and programmatic evaluation.

By the end of June, KC-46s had flown about 5,000 sorties, with more than 2,500 missions executed in 2021 alone, according to an AMC release. The tanker has made more than 19,700 positive contacts using both its hose and drogue and boom systems and offloaded more than 21.8 million pounds of fuel.

“Under this new approach, if AMC is tasked to provide AR support for an operational coronet mission to move F-18s overseas or an operational B-52 mission, the KC-46 is on the table, which frees up KC-135s and KC-10s to execute other combatant command deployments that the KC-46A is presently unable to support with its existing deficiencies,” Van Ovost said in announcing the plan in February.

The KC-46 has been cleared for months to use the system without restrictions. The aircraft can pass fuel, with other varying restrictions, to B-52s, C-17s, F-15s, F-16s, F-35As, HC/MC-130Js, other KC-46s, E-3Gs, C-5Ms, RC/TC-135s, F-22s, and B-1Bs. In the coming months, the aircraft is expected to receive limited aerial refueling certifications and clearances for CV/MV-22s, E-8s, B-2s, and P-8s.

While the ICR plan will proceed in the coming months to free up additional missions, there are still strict limitations. No KC-46s will deploy overseas for combat deployments, for example, until they are deemed operationally capable with the RVS and refueling boom.

The Air Force and Boeing in late June said they were addressing two previously unannounced Category 1 deficiencies impacting the aircraft’s receptacle drain line tubes and its Flight Management System. These are in addition to four other long-standing Category 1 deficiencies relating to the RVS and “stiff” refueling boom that requires an actuator redesign. Van Ovost in May said the RVS 2.0 redesign was undergoing its preliminary design review with positive initial feedback.

JADC2 Aims to Prevent Adversary from ‘Cutting the Head off the Snake’

July 12, 2021 | By Abraham Mahshie

In Defense Department wargames in 2018, America lost 18 straight competitions with a peer adversary. What was more troublesome, recalled Lt. Gen. S. Clinton Hinote, was that the United States was losing the war faster in each subsequent round.

Hinote, Air Force deputy chief of staff for strategy, integration, and requirements, described the Pentagon briefing that shook the thinking of defense leaders at the time.

“Our chief wargamer got up in front of the audience and said, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, we should never do this again,’” Hinote told an audience at the National Defense Industrial Association’s JADC2 conference July 12. “If we try to operate in stovepipes and in domains, we know how this is going to go, and it is not going to go well for the joint force.”

Hinote was part of a group asked to experiment with the wargaming.

“What could we do different to get to a different outcome?” he recalled thinking.

Joint All-Domain Command and Control was born.

“We stopped thinking about warfare in terms of the air war, or the ground, or the maritime war,” he said, adding the cyber and space domains. “We started thinking very much as it all is connected together. And one of the things we saw was that our command and control was not up to the task.”

More than 70 defense companies are part of the Air Force’s Advanced Battle Management System technology competition, worth as much as $950 million, the service’s piece of the Pentagon’s overall JADC2 effort.

But China’s command economy may integrate all sensors and shooters faster, U.S. Indo-Pacific Deputy Commander USAF Lt. Gen. Michael Minihan told Air Force Magazine during a later question-and-answer session.

“They’re certainly working on it very hard,” Minihan said of the People’s Republic of China.

“As you look at what PRC works on very hard, they make gains very quickly,” he added. “As we watch the robustness of their exercises, … they’re bringing together domains very robustly, and they understand from watching us how important it is.”

Minihan pointed to the recent 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party and comments by Chinese President Xi Jingping. The commander warned that China’s view of a rules-based world order that benefits China could lead to the type of oppression now witnessed in Hong Kong and against the minority Uighur population and the aggressive military activity now visible around the first island chain of the East and South China Seas.

Hinote acknowledged, however, that JADC2 means different things for the joint force.

It means sharing data in real time across all the services and the joint force. It means creating an “edge cloud,” or the capability to operate disconnected and to give field commanders the authority to do so. It means no more “centers” for accessing all information.

It also means taking more risk.

“It changes everything,” Hinote said, describing a “true mission command” that could be on the bridge of a ship, the back of an airplane, or on an island base.

“What will be very compelling to our adversary is if we develop a technology and a people base, a human capital base, that means that it’s going to be almost impossible to cut the head off the snake,” he said.

On the front line of the peer adversary competition with China, Minihan warns that the People’s Liberation Army is watching America’s military development and accelerating its own.

The commanders briefing at the NDIA conference believe JADC2 will change the wargame outcomes.

“You’ve got to have this C2 that’s very flexible,” Minihan said. “You’ve got to have a different concept of risk and risk taking as you move forward, as you take on what it really means to take on a near peer where it’s their home turf, it’s their home field advantage.”

CENTCOM Boss Takes Command of Afghanistan Mission as Drawdown Continues

July 12, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

U.S. forces in Afghanistan have a new commander for the waning days of the war who the Pentagon says will have the authority to conduct strikes in support of Afghan forces—something that has happened during the withdrawal, though the Defense Department will not provide specifics.

U.S. Central Command boss Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. took command of U.S. Forces-Afghanistan and the Resolute Support mission during a July 12 ceremony in Kabul, accepting the reins from U.S. Army Gen. Austin Scott Miller, who has led USFOR-A since 2018 and was the longest-serving leader of the war.

Pentagon spokesman John F. Kirby, in a July 12 briefing, said the change of command does not mark the end of the war but is a milestone in the progression of the withdrawal. The move comes less than a week after President Joe Biden announced the mission would end by Aug. 31, ahead of the original Sept. 11 deadline. More than 90 percent of personnel and material already have been flown out of the country.

The Taliban has rapidly reclaimed territory across Afghanistan during the withdrawal, with the Afghan military largely retreating from rural areas.

Kirby said there have been “moments during the drawdown” when U.S. forces have supported Afghanistan, though the Pentagon would not provide any details about the timing or number of airstrikes to defend Afghan forces.

“It would be wrong to report there has been no support to Afghan forces in the field during the drawdown,” Kirby said, adding that the department would be “miserly” in what it reports and would protect its operational security.

Miller had authority to conduct strikes, and McKenzie now has the same authority “where and when he finds it feasible to do so,” Kirby said. B-52 bombers have deployed to Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, and a carrier strike group also is operating in the region, providing air support for the retrograde.

Additionally, “the Afghans themselves have strike capability. They have a good air force, a solid air force,” Kirby added.

The Afghan Air Force has been almost completely reliant on U.S. contractors to maintain its aircraft, and the Pentagon has yet to detail exactly how this support will continue after the withdrawal, though officials have said support will be provided virtually or from another nation.

The U.S. is adding aircraft to the Afghan Air Force after the withdrawal, with plans to send 37 more HH-60 Blackhawk helicopters and three more A-29 Super Tucano strike aircraft.

U.S. officials are also working with Turkish leaders on what the future security situation will be at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, which currently houses American troops, aviation support, and defensive capabilities.

“I would expect that … to some degree, and in some way, that support will continue through the drawdown,” Kirby said.

USAF Announces 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2021

July 12, 2021 | By Amy Hudson

The Air Force on July 12 announced the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2021.

An Air Force selection board considered 35 nominees representing each of the major commands, direct reporting units, field operating agencies, and Headquarters Air Force. The winning 12 were selected based on “superior leadership, job performance, and personal achievements,” according to a USAF release.

Here are this year’s winners:

Senior Master Sgt. Marcus D. Banks, Pacific Air Forces
Tech. Sgt. Christopher M. Bennett, Air Education and Training Command
Tech. Sgt. Justin D. Bennett, U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa
Tech. Sgt. Kelli A. Floyd, Air Combat Command
Staff Sgt. Valerie M. Graw, Air Force Materiel Command
Staff Sgt. Colleen F. Mitchell, Air Force District of Washington
Senior Airman Giovanni Pacheco, Airman Support United States Space Force
Staff Sgt. Kristy L. Riley, Air Force Reserve Command
Staff Sgt. Alex M. Sandmann, Air Force Global Strike Command
Senior Master Sgt. Mark R. Schneider II, Air National Guard
Senior Airman Jamonica M. Smith, Air Mobility Command
Master Sgt. Hannah E. Walters, Air Force Special Operations Command

The Outstanding Airman of the Year program debuted at AFA’s 10th annual National Convention in 1956, and the association has continued to shine a spotlight on the outstanding Airmen from each major command every year since.

The Air Force Association will recognize this year’s 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year during its Air, Space & Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Md., in September.

Shaw F-16s Deploy to Colombia for Training Exercise

July 9, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

Six F-16s along with Airmen from the 79th Fighter Squadron at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., deployed to Colombia to train alongside aircraft from that nation in Exercise Relampago VI.

The annual exercise focuses on joint air-to-air training with the two nations. The F-16s and Airmen first arrived at Comando Aereo de Combat Number 5 in Rionegro on July 1.

The exercise gives Shaw Airmen the chance to fly and operate in a different location than they are used to, said Lt. Col. William McDowell, commander of the 79th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron and 474th Expeditionary Support Squadron.

“It’s important that we train like we fight,” McDowell said in a 12th Air Force video. “The opportunity to come to Colombia, to solve problems, to work with the terrain, the different airport restrictions [in] someplace, honestly, that’s not austere but doesn’t have everything we’re used to gives us training and readiness that we can’t get when we just go from Shaw to Nellis [Air Force Base, Nev.]”

F-16 pilots can start to operate on “autopilot” moving from USAF base to USAF base, but operating in Colombia meant they did not know what to expect.

To support the exercise, C-17s flew in Mobile Aircraft Arresting Systems so the F-16s could operate at the base.

Colombia, which joined NATO in 2017, has shown it is capable, and the exercise will provide valuable training to both sides, McDowell said.

“We are flying with and against a very capable air force,” he said in the video. During the exercise, the aircraft are “practicing close air tactics, fighter fundamentals, advanced tactics, really kind of push-the-limits to see that both of our air forces and our talented pilots hone their skills to become that much better.”