Space Force Announces 12 Outstanding Airmen, Guardians, and Civilians of the Year

Space Force Announces 12 Outstanding Airmen, Guardians, and Civilians of the Year

April 15, 2021 | By Amy Hudson

Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond and Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force Roger A. Towberman announced the 2019 USSF Outstanding Airmen, Guardians, and Civilians of the year in a video posted to social media on April 13.

Raymond said each of the winners have “gone above and beyond,” and “demonstrated incredible agility, innovation, and boldness.” He thanked each of them for their service, leadership, and contributions to the service, noting they have all “made history.”

“The 12 of you form the very best of our nationally critical service. Your actions deliver advantages every day to the nation, to the joint force, and to the American people,” Raymond said. “… Thank you for pushing the limits of what’s possible, for changing the status quo, for challenging us to rethink our assumptions, for orienting our actions in a warfighting domain. Each of you live our motto, you ensure our nation is ‘Always Above.’”

The winners were originally going to be recognized during an event in 2020, which was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Space Force leaders posted the video to “give the winners the recognition they deserve,” the service said in a statement.

The Air Force Association will shine a spotlight on each of the 12 winners over the next few weeks.

They are:

  • Capt. Deborah B. Kim, Space and Missile Systems Center
  • Senior Master Sgt. Cory L. Shipp, 50th Force Support Squadron, 50th Space Wing
  • Master Sgt. Shannon M. Brady, 721st Operations Group, 21st Space Wing
  • Tech Sgt. Jacob A. Frierdich, 460th Force Support Squadron, 460th Space Wing
  • Tech Sgt. Gregory W. Johnson, 460th Force Support Squadron, 460th Space Wing
  • Staff Sgt. Akia D. Carter, 30th Force Support Squadron, 30th Space Wing
  • Senior Airman Cassidy B. Basney, 50th Operations Support Squadron, 50th Space Wing
  • Aaron M. Solano, Space and Missile Systems Center
  • Justin C. Hensley, 460th Space Control Squadron, 460th Space Wing
  • Nina R. Charlier, 45th Force Support Squadron, 45th Space Wing
  • Christopher L. Dodson, 614th Air and Space Operations Center
  • Jennifer L. Connot, Space and Missile Systems Center
NORTHCOM’s Budget Priority: Longer Warning Time

NORTHCOM’s Budget Priority: Longer Warning Time

April 14, 2021 | By John A. Tirpak

Sensors and longer warning time, the ability to deter, and joint all-domain command and control are the top budget priorities for U.S. Northern Command, its commander, Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, told the House Armed Services Committee on April 14.

In a hearing on military activities affecting North and South America, VanHerck was asked what his top three budget priorities are in the fiscal 2022 budget.

“Domain awareness is at the top,” he said, “and that would include over-the-horizon radar capability to see beyond where our legacy systems do today.” Second on his “integrated list” would be undersea surveillance to “ensure we know what’s going on” when underwater craft approach North America, “and then obviously that domain awareness and information” that will “give us options” before having to defeat an attacking system with kinetic weapons.

VanHerck said new sensors will “allow us to see further than we have in the past.” He wants to fuse those data with that generated by existing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems, as well as machine learning and artificial intelligence capabilities to assess open-source, social media, and personal traffic. This will “move decision-space left” and buy time to let national leaders engage in “deterrence … and messaging” activity that can stop a kinetic attack before it begins.

Much of the data VanHerck wants in the mix already exists, but is in “stovepipes … where there may be laws or policies that don’t allow us to share that data and information.” He views data and information as “a strategic asset that will enable us to … win” in a future conflict “if we have to, but more importantly, take us further left in the competition to deter and de-escalate in a crisis.”

He said the Pentagon is now talking about “all-domain command and control,” which, “If you put a bow around [it, is] what I’ve been talking about.”

It will be crucial to have policies in place that remove restrictions on critical information sharing before the new JADC2 system is fully developed, to avoid investing in a system that can’t be used, VanHerck said.

“We have to move forward with machine learning and artificial intelligence from a policy perspective and get our arms around this,” he said. “What we can’t do is field capabilities and then wait until the end, and [not] have … the policy and laws that go with it to enable us to support it.” JADC2 needs to be focused on giving leaders from the tactical to national level actionable information, he said. At the operational and strategic level, VanHerck said he, “as an operational commander, could posture forces to create deterrence or the President or the Secretary of Defense could use messaging to create deterrence as well.”

VanHerck also sees “tremendous value in looking at the possibility of an underlayer” of missile defenses to bridge the gap until the next-generation missile defense system arrives circa 2030. It would enhance the ability to defeat incoming missiles “and give us options to create deterrence during competition.”

If the U.S. does create such an “underlayer,” then “it should not be focused on a single threat, such as a ballistic missile. It should focus on everything from small unmanned aerial systems all the way to ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, everything in between. We can’t afford any longer to build stovepiped systems with capabilities for only one threat.”

Asked about defenses against cruise missiles, VanHerck allowed that he’s “trying to get a policy on what must we defend kinetically in our homeland.” The list likely includes “continuity of government, nuclear capabilities, command and control, ability to project power forward, and our defense industrial base.”

Again, though, he wants to be able to deter cruise missiles from being fired, which requires more exquisite knowledge and prioritization of that knowledge by machine systems.

“I don’t want to be shooting cruise missiles down in our homeland,” he said. “Endgame defeat is not where I want to be.” The same will be true of hypersonic missiles, especially since they can strike in half the time of ICBMs, he said.

VanHerck said there’s been a significant uptick of Russian activity in the Arctic, re-activation of a dozen Russian Cold War bases in the region, and a greater need to observe that activity. He supports building more Navy and Coast Guard icebreakers—only one is active, versus dozens in Russian service—and supported a greater operating tempo for U.S. forces in the region.

Asked about difficulties imposed by climate change, VanHerck said it is making Arctic waters more navigable for competitors, while thawing permafrost threatens some U.S. facilities, makes reaching others more difficult, and makes it harder to build new ones.

Biden: ‘It’s Time to End the Forever War’

Biden: ‘It’s Time to End the Forever War’

April 14, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan will begin on May 1 and finish before the 20th anniversary of 9/11, to allow the American military time to focus more on global terror and increasing threats from China, President Joe Biden said.

During an April 14 address formally announcing the planned end to America’s longest war, Biden said, “We can’t continue the cycle” of keeping troops in Afghanistan and “hoping to create the ideal conditions for withdrawal. It’s time to end the forever war.”

Biden spoke from the White House’s Treaty Room, the same room where former President George W. Bush announced the first strikes on the Taliban in Afghanistan in October 2001. Biden said he is the fourth U.S. President to oversee the war in Afghanistan, and “I will not pass this responsibility on to a fifth.”

Unlike previous announcements on the U.S. presence in the country, the new September deadline is not “conditions-based.” Biden said that would be a “recipe” to stay in the country forever. Instead, the American focus needs to be on global threats of terror in other places, including in the Middle East, Africa, and beyond.

“The terror threat is now in many places, and keeping thousands of troops grounded and concentrated in one country at the cost of billions each year makes little sense to me and our leaders,” Biden said.

CIA director William J. Burns told members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence earlier in the day that after years of “sustained counterterrorism pressure” neither Al-Qaida nor ISIS in Afghanistan have the “capacity today” to target the homeland, but there are other terrorist groups, such as Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, that pose a “much more serious threat.”

The decision extends the deadline laid out in the February 2020 deal with the Taliban, which called for all U.S. troops to leave by May 1.

The withdrawal will start in weeks and will not be done in a “hasty” manner. Biden warned the Taliban that if the group conducts attacks, the U.S. will use “all the tools at our disposal” to respond.

U.S. and international NATO forces will draw down inside the country together. During a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said allies have agreed together to the same drawdown timeline.

“We face a dilemma,” Stoltenberg said. “Because the alternative to leaving in an orderly fashion is to be prepared for a long-term, open-ended military commitment with potentially more NATO troops. This is not the end of our relationship with Afghanistan, but rather the start of a new chapter.”

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III, speaking alongside Stoltenberg, said U.S. forces have accomplished the mission they set out to do—to “greatly diminish” the threat to the homeland and make possible civil and political progress.

There is still “too much violence to be sure,” Austin said, noting the Taliban will likely seek to reverse this progress. The U.S. will continue its support for the Afghan Air Force and special mission wing, along with paying the salaries of Afghan security forces to maintain their capability. Additionally, the U.S. will maintain counter terrorism capabilities in the region, he added.

“It is also a fact, however, that after withdrawal, whenever that time comes, the CIA and all of our partners in the U.S. government will retain a suite of capabilities—some of them remaining in place, some of them that we’ll generate—that can help us to anticipate and contest any rebuilding effort,” Burns said.

The new mission, however, is to “responsibly draw down forces and transition to a new relationship with our Afghan partners,” Austin said.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said in a statement that he spoke with Biden on April 14 about the decision. Afghanistan “respects the U.S. decision and we will work with our U.S. partners to ensure a smooth transition,” he said.

After Biden finished his speech, he visited Arlington National Cemetery to pay tribute to those killed in the war. The whole country is “forever indebted to them and their families” for their sacrifices, he said.

“We owe them. They’ve never backed down from a single mission that we’ve asked of them,” Biden said of U.S. troops who fought in Afghanistan. “They’ve never wavered in their resolve. They’ve paid a tremendous price on our behalf, and they have the thanks of a grateful nation.”

Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 7:32 p.m. to include comment from CIA Director William J. Burns and again at 8:30 a.m. to correct a date.

Air Force Magazine correspondent Amanda Miller contributed to this report.

AMC Addressing Lavatory Problems on the KC-46

AMC Addressing Lavatory Problems on the KC-46

April 14, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

Air Mobility Command is modifying the palletized lavatory and galley systems to avoid possible “spillage” as KC-46s take off and land, after issues arose with the system during operations.

The Air Transportable Galley-Lavatory is a palletized combination lavatory and galley that provides additional toilets, beverage production, and refrigeration for multiple mobility aircraft on long-distance missions with additional passengers. The system is not a part of the KC-46 itself. It has been in service since the 1980s and has been used extensively on various platforms, though the KC-46’s cargo loading layout has caused some problems.

The Pegasus has “unique floor cargo loading restrictions” that require the system to be flown on a narrow axis, instead of the wider axis that can be used in other aircraft, such as the C-17 and C-130. This has caused spillage problems “during steep ascents and descents,” AMC spokeswoman 1st Lt. Emma Quirk said in an April 14 statement.

In response, AMC is testing a potential solution to fix the problem. The KC-46 program office will modify six of the ATGL systems over the next 12 weeks, and the systems will be evenly divided between three KC-46 bases—McConnell Air Force Base, Kan.; Pease Air National Guard Base, N.H.; and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C.

The redesign comes as AMC plans to begin flying the KC-46 in limited operational roles. In the meantime, crews will use the aircraft’s built-in lavatory, AMC said.

USAF also is addressing two more problems with the ATGL system. First, since the system has been in use for about 40 years and is used extensively, many of the units are “unserviceable or partially mission capable,” Quirk said. AMC and the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center are working to continue a sustainment contract. Secondly, the systems require a restraint modification upgrade to ensure they remain safely attached to their floor pallet, according to AMC.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) raised the issue with U.S. Transportation Command boss Gen. Stephen Lyons, after multiple groups of lawmakers flew on the aircraft from nearby Joint Base Andrews, Md. Lyons said he was not aware of operational impacts arising from the issue.

F-15C Records Longest Air-to-Air Shot in Test

F-15C Records Longest Air-to-Air Shot in Test

April 14, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

An F-15C Eagle set a record for the longest air-to-air kill, but we won’t know what the record is.

In March, an F-15C fired an AIM-120D Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile at a BQM-167 targeting drone in the longest known air-to-air missile shot to date, resulting in a “kill” of the target from the farthest distance recorded, the 53rd Wing said in a release. However, the wing would not release the length of the shot, or the previous known record.

The 28th Test and Evaluation Squadron and 83rd Fighter Weapons Squadron partnered for the test, which took place out of Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., as part of Weapons Systems Evaluation Program-East.

“This test effort supported requests from the [Combat Air Forces] for ‘long-range kill chain’ capabilities,” said Maj. Aaron Osborne, with the 28th TES, in the release. “Key partnerships within the 53rd Wing enabled the expansion of capabilities on a currently fielded weapons system, resulting in warfighters gaining enhanced weapons employment envelopes.”

The 53rd Wing said since the event took place with WSEP and in partnership with the 83rd FWS, the 28th TES conducted the test “at a relatively low-cost.” The test also “exercised existing long-range weapons testing infrastructure and laid the ground work for modernizing range capabilities in support of future long-range weapons testing” at the Eglin Gulf Test and Training Range.

KC-46 Deliveries Slow, But TRANSCOM Optimistic About Refueling Capacity

KC-46 Deliveries Slow, But TRANSCOM Optimistic About Refueling Capacity

April 13, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

Boeing missed planned KC-46 delivery dates in March and early April, leading to a slower than expected acceptance rate.

Despite this slow delivery rate, the head of U.S. Transportation Command told lawmakers on April 13 he is comfortable with the current aerial refueling capacity, noting there are more legacy tankers flying and the KC-46 could potentially begin flying limited operations this summer.

The Air Force accepted just two new tankers so far this year, significantly less than the two per month it had expected. There has not been a KC-46 delivery since early February, when Pease Air National Guard Base, N.H., received its 12th and final tanker. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center said in an April 13 statement that subsequent deadlines passed without deliveries.

“Boeing has been unable to present aircraft in a delivery configuration to support planned/potential delivery dates for March and April,” AFLCMC said in a statement to Air Force Magazine. “The Program Office projects moderate risk for the next projected delivery on April 30th of one aircraft to Seymour Johnson [Air Force Base, N.C.].”

Air Mobility Command said earlier this year it has slowed the acceptance rate because the aircraft are not operational, and there’s a lack of qualified crews to fly them since pilots are sticking with legacy aircraft longer.

“As we bring them on, we’re going to do our due diligence at the different bases, but for right now, I don’t need to be in a hurry to take them at a faster rate than about two a month,” AMC boss Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost said in early February.

Boeing delivered 14 tankers in all of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues. The year before, the company delivered 28.

“We are working to deliver KC-46 aircraft at a pace that meets the needs of the U.S. Air Force,” Boeing said in a statement. “As we, along with our industry, continue to navigate through the pandemic, Boeing is aligned closely with the Air Force to deliver on our commitments.”

In October 2020, another KC-46 delivery slipped because of electrical issues on the plane, though the aircraft made it to Pease in November.

One year ago, U.S. Transportation Command publicly opposed the Air Force’s plan to retire legacy refueling tankers and said the mission is its most stressed. However, TRANSCOM Commander Gen. Stephen Lyons told the Senate Armed Services Committee the 2021 defense policy bill’s restriction on retiring KC-135s and KC-10s, coupled with Air Force steps to increase Guard and Reserve tanker capacity, means the command is in a “much better position.”

“I am comfortable, and aligned with the Air Force’s position on this,” Lyons said during an April 13 hearing. “Boeing has a long way to go to deliver a fully operational weapon system, but in the interim I’m confident in the day-to-day.”

USAF originally planned to retire at least 26 of the tankers in its budget request, and TRANSCOM asked Congress to buy back 23 of the planes to avoid a gap in its capability as the KC-46 comes on line.

The KC-46 program is in a better place, with the Air Force and Boeing agreeing on a way ahead to fix the aircraft’s remote vision system. The RVS 2.0 upgrade, with new cameras and other hardware, is expected to begin rolling out in 2023.

Air Mobility Command announced earlier this year that it will free up some KC-46s for limited operational missions—flying sorties in areas that it has been cleared for in testing such as refueling with its drogue system. TRANSCOM has said these missions could come as early as June. The tanker will not, however, be cleared for any combat missions in the short term.

During the April 13 hearing, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) said the KC-46’s galley and lavatory system has new problems, though Lyons said he was not aware of operational impacts. AMC in a statement said there is an issue with the roll-on Air Transportable Galley-Lavatory, not with the KC-46 itself. The system also is used on other mobility aircraft.

DOD Sending More Troops to Germany in Reversal of Trump’s Planned Drawdown

DOD Sending More Troops to Germany in Reversal of Trump’s Planned Drawdown

April 13, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

Five hundred more U.S. personnel will be based in Germany starting later this year, in a reversal from the Trump administration’s plans to draw down the number of troops in the country.

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III announced the increase during a visit to Germany’s Ministry of Defense on April 13, saying it “underscores our commitment to Germany and the entire NATO alliance.” It comes amid a broader freeze of U.S. force structure changes in Europe as part of a global posture review.

“Germany is one of our staunchest allies, and our relationship is built on shared values of freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law,” Austin said. “Today, those principles are increasingly under duress. Amid shifting global dynamics and a challenging security environment, Germany will continue to be an important security and economic partner for the United States in the years ahead.”

German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said the shift was “great news” and a “very strong signal of our partnership and friendship.”

U.S. European Command boss USAF Gen. Tod D. Wolters told the Senate Armed Services Committee on April 13 that the Soldiers are part of long-distance fires capability that will “improve our ability in all domains” and “increases our ability to deter.”

In July 2020, then-Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper and Wolters announced the broad force structure changes, which would have removed 12,000 troops from Germany, including shifting F-16s from Spangdahlem Air Base and stopping the planned move of tankers and special operations aircraft from RAF Mildenhall, England, to the country. The announcement received strong criticism from Capitol Hill, with lawmakers blocking funding for the move in the 2021 defense policy bill. Wolters announced in February the plans were on hold as the new administration reviewed the decision and it’s impacts.

Airman Killed While ‘Joy-Riding’ in ATV at Kuwait Base, Investigators Find

Airman Killed While ‘Joy-Riding’ in ATV at Kuwait Base, Investigators Find

April 13, 2021 | By Amy Hudson

Two Airmen were “messing” around on a single all-terrain vehicle in the cargo yard at Ali Al Salem Air Base last September when the driver lost control and the ATV rolled over, pinning the passenger to the ground and killing him instantly.

Staff Sgt. Ronald J. Ouellette, 23, of Merrimack, N.H., died in the Sept. 14, 2020, crash. An autopsy cited blunt force trauma to the head as the cause of death. The driver, also a staff sergeant, was treated for minor injuries and released. Neither Ouellette nor the driver—both assigned to the 386th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron—were wearing seatbelts or helmets.

Accident investigators said the Airmen were driving the Polaris Ranger all-terrain utility vehicle at about 15 mph, 10 mph over the posted speed limit in the cargo yard. The driver told security forces the two were “just out joy-riding” and “hit the turn too hard.” He said he took his foot off the gas before turning the corner, but he did not remember hitting the breaks.

When the vehicle rose onto two wheels in the midst of the turn around 5 p.m. local time, the driver attempted to right the vehicle, but failed. He exited the passenger compartment through the protective roll cage, according to the ground accident investigation report, released April 13. Investigators believe Ouellette also attempted to jump from the ATV, but didn’t make it.

The driver found Ouellette pinned under the protective roll cage, but was unable to lift it off of him. He called his supervisor for emergency support and security forces and first responders arrived on the scene at 5:02 p.m. Ouellette was declared dead on arrival.

Ouellette was an aerial porter in the Air Force Reserve. He joined the Air Force on Oct. 10, 2014 and was a member of the 42nd Aerial Port Squadron at Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass.

“Ronald was a valued member of the Patriot Wing and there are no words that can heal the pain his loss brings,” said Air Force Col. Craig C. Peters, commander of the 439th Airlift Wing at the time, which includes Ouellette’s unit, according to Stars and Stripes. “The loss of our own, or any service member, is never easy. During this difficult time, our priority is to do all we can to lift and support his family, friends, fellow Airmen in his squadron, and loved ones who are struggling.”

The fatal accident occurred just two days after another deadly accident. Senior Airman Jason Khai Phan was killed while patrolling Ali Al Salem. Accident investigators concluded Airmen were not wearing seatbelts at the time of that crash and were inexperienced with the Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected All Terrain Vehicle they were driving. Phan was assigned to the 66th Security Forces Squadron at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., and was deployed to the 386th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron at the time.

US Forces to Leave Afghanistan by the 20th Anniversary of 9/11

US Forces to Leave Afghanistan by the 20th Anniversary of 9/11

April 13, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

U.S. forces will leave Afghanistan by Sept. 11—the 20th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Biden administration officials said.

President Joe Biden is expected to formally announce the plan, which is not “conditions based, unlike previous decisions on troop levels, on April 14. A senior administration official, who spoke with reporters on background, said sticking with the conditions-based approach is a “recipe” for U.S. forces to stay in the country forever.

However, Biden’s hard deadline, is still more than four months after the May 1 deadline for American troops to leave the country, under the February 2020 deal with the Taliban. U.S. officials have long said the Taliban’s level of violence remains too high to completely withdraw forces, although the U.S. already has drawn down to about 2,500 in Afghanistan, from a peak of more than 100,000 in 2011.

“We went to Afghanistan to deliver justice to those who attacked us on Sept. 11 and to disrupt terrorists seeking to use Afghanistan as a safe haven to attack the United States,” a senior administration official said in a call with reporters, which was obtained by Air Force Magazine. “We believe we achieved that objective some years ago. We judge the threat against the homeland now emanating from Afghanistan to be at a level that we can address it without a persistent military footprint in the country and without remaining at war with the Taliban.”

Extending the deadline will give commanders the “time and space” needed to safely withdraw from the country, the official said. The timeline is “what is required” in the judgement of military leaders, the official said.

“We have communicated with the Taliban in no uncertain terms that if they do conduct attacks against us or allied forces, as we carry out this drawdown, … we will hit back hard and that we will hold them accountable for that,” the official said.

There is no “military solution” to the problems in Afghanistan, and ongoing peace talks need to play out to end the war, the official said.

The administration has notified NATO of the plan and “we remain in lockstep with them as we undergo this operation,” the official said. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III is set to meet with NATO officials this week.

Withdrawing from Afghanistan will allow the U.S. military to focus more on global threats, and “we have to focus on those aspects of a dispersed and distributed terrorist threat even as we keep our eye on the ball to prevent the re-emergence of a significant terrorist threat from Afghanistan.”

After Sept. 11, the remaining military presence will be focused on protecting the diplomatic presence in the country. The official did not say what size force would be needed for that mission.

Some on Capitol Hill quickly criticized the Biden administration for the plan. Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) said in a statement the hard deadline is a “reckless and dangerous decision,” maintaining that withdrawal needs to be conditions based.