Using 5G to Create a ‘Disaggregated and Distributed’ AOC

Using 5G to Create a ‘Disaggregated and Distributed’ AOC

April 7, 2021 | By Shaun Waterman

The Air Force is experimenting with the use of 5G technology to provide mobile, distributed command and control, and it eventually hopes to be able to do away altogether with fixed location air operations centers, according to the service’s deputy chief technology officer.

“Today’s air operation centers are static, easy targets to hit that are considered a huge … liability. There’s no resilience there,” James “Rob” Beutel said April 7.

He told a virtual event on 5G staged by AFCEA DC that experimental deployments at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., used special portable cell towers that could be stood up and torn down in less than an hour. “We’re looking at being able to modularize the entire air operation center or any other C2 node that’s out there … [It’s] disaggregated and distributed command and control.”

The enormous bandwidth and ultra high speed data transport offered by 5G made it possible to imagine AOC operations being dispersed over several geographic locations and even being made mobile, without any fixed location at all.

“You can not only disperse it, but keep it on the move and make it very difficult for an adversary to deal with—whether it’s via kinetic or any other type of effect you’re trying to bring against us,” Beutel said.

The $22 million, three-year experiment uses infrastructure built by AT&T. The plan and later the contract were unveiled last year, but this is the first time officials have discussed progress this year.

Nellis is one of a series of 12 experimental deployments of 5G technology that the Air Force announced in two batches last year.

Beutel said another of the deployments, at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, would install 5G connectivity on the flightline, and specifically for aircraft maintenance. “With today’s aircraft, there’s a tremendous amount of data onboard, that even when the plane lands, it’s hard to get off … 5G is going to allow us to get that large amount of data off [the aircraft], get it off quickly, [and] be able to analyze it right there at the edge.”

On-the-spot analysis of aeroengine data using artificial intelligence, for example, would enable maintainers to “immediately determine whether issues have occurred before, … increasing our resilience,” he said. 5G technology also would allow the deployment of new mobile headsets for maintainers, bringing them virtual and augmented reality capabilities. “So that while they’re working on a part, it’s not just static documentation they’re working from, but 3D models” that overlay the real item. The equipment would also offer “remote communication with subject matter experts when they’re dealing with the toughest problems, to be able to get at things immediately.”

Current readiness levels of about 75 to 80 percent “could significantly increase” as a result of the new technologies, slashing costs, Beutel said.

The experiments showcased the “hybrid approach” being taken across DOD to 5G technology, Beutel said—where commercial providers would provide conventional utility-style phone service on bases, for individual customers and for the military enterprise.

“We’re looking at a lot of cases where we’re still going to want to have 5G as a service”—akin to the way the Air Force is now buying enterprise IT as a service, he said. “We’re finding that it becomes almost more of a commodity from the network piece of it. It’s what we do with it on top of it that we would need to keep in house, and I think that’s one of the interesting things about 5G. There’s going to be portions of it that it obviously makes sense to commoditize, and there’s going to be things that we’re going to want to keep a close hold on, the secret sauce, if you will.”

Because 5G enables a network to be divided—not just into core versus periphery, but into horizontal “slices,” it’s easily imaginable that the DOD could run its own unique services over a commodity 5G network.

However, some elements of 5G deployment, Beutel acknowledged, the military would have to handle on its own—like expeditionary force deployments in a hot zone. “That is just something we’re going to have to own ourselves. I don’t know that there’s going to be too many 5G service providers out there that are going to want to, you know, tag along, maybe almost like a reporter would, to provide 5G services [at the front line]. I don’t think that’s a likelihood.”

Taliban Targets Kandahar Airfield in ‘Disruptive’ Attack

Taliban Targets Kandahar Airfield in ‘Disruptive’ Attack

April 7, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

The Taliban targeted Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, with rockets on April 7, and though no casualties were reported, the Pentagon said the attack is a threat to fragile peace discussions in the country.

Preliminary reports showed the rockets landed outside the perimeter of the airfield, with no casualties and no damage, Pentagon spokesman John F. Kirby said. Kandahar has served as a key airfield for U.S. forces and has been the headquarters of Train, Advise, Assist Command-South, with American and NATO forces based on the installation.

“We always have the right of self-defense for our troops, but our focus right now is on supporting a diplomatic process here to try to bring this war to a negotiated end with an enduring peace,” Kirby said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes less than a month before the deadline for U.S. forces to completely withdraw from Afghanistan.

President Joe Biden has repeatedly said it would be difficult to meet the May 1 deadline, and that the U.S. is in discussions with allies about the timeline. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said April 6 that Biden’s view has “consistently” been to end the war in Afghanistan.

“That should hopefully give people confidence about his commitments,” she said. “But it’s also an important decision—one he needs to make in close consultation with our allies and also with our national security team here in this administration. And we want to give him the time to do that.”

Kirby said the U.S. military needs to do a fuller assessment of “what happened and why, before any potential operational decision is made” to respond.

“I can’t deliver a comprehensive analysis of what we believe they were trying to achieve or what message they were trying to send,” Kirby said. “We condemn the attack and we believe this decision to provoke even more violence remains disruptive.”

Kandahar has hosted scores of USAF aircraft, including A-10s, E-11s, F-16s, KC-135s, C-130s, and MQ-9s, among others. However, since the U.S.-Taliban agreement in February 2020, Air Forces Central Command and U.S. Forces-Afghanistan have not provided details on the presence at the airfield. Airfield operations are controlled by Afghanistan.

Coleman Takes Over as USAF’s Chief Scientist

Coleman Takes Over as USAF’s Chief Scientist

April 7, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

The Air Force has a new chief scientist: Victoria Coleman, who most recently was the director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Coleman started in her role as the 37th chief scientist of the Air Force last week, and was ceremoniously sworn in by Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. on April 6. Coleman served as the leader of DARPA from November 2020 to Inauguration Day in January. She replaced Richard J. Joseph, who served in the role since 2018.

Coleman, a native of Greece, spent decades serving in both academic and business roles. Before DARPA, she served as the chief executive officer of Atlas AI, as the chief technology officer of the Wikimedia Foundation, and previously worked in leadership roles for several Silicon Valley technology companies. She also served on the Defense Science Board and co-chaired a review panel on the Air Force’s 2019 Science and Technology 2030 strategy.

“I don’t think I ever had a boss that I didn’t get into trouble with for doing all this work for the DOD,” Coleman said in a November 2020 interview with Air Force Magazine. “Then you wake up one day, and you think, ‘Oh, if I really enjoy doing this so much,’ which I did, and ‘if it’s so meaningful to me, why don’t I just do it for a living?’”

In her brief time leading DARPA, Coleman launched a 90-day review focusing on future priorities, and pressed to increase the diversity of the agency.

“I want to make sure that we have as diverse a workforce as possible, because we are so much smarter, so much more likely to succeed, if we have representation from all communities,” she said.

U.S., Iraqi Officials Agree to Talk Timeline for Withdrawal of American Troops

U.S., Iraqi Officials Agree to Talk Timeline for Withdrawal of American Troops

April 7, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

U.S. and Iraqi officials agreed to start talks on the eventual removal of American combat troops from Iraq as Iraqi Security Forces grow in capacity, during a joint strategic discussion April 7.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs Fuad Hussein led the virtual discussion aimed at reaffirming relationships between the two countries, including on security and counterterrorism, among other areas. The sides agreed to further bilateral security coordination, with a light at the end of the tunnel for combat deployments to the country.

“Based on the increasing capacity of the ISF, the parties confirmed that the mission of U.S. and Coalition forces has now transitioned to one focused on training and advisory tasks, thereby allowing for the redeployment of any remaining combat forces from Iraq, with the timing to be established in upcoming technical talks,” the U.S. and Iraq governments said in a joint statement.

Pentagon spokesman John F. Kirby, in an April 7 briefing, said there is no specific timeline for when combat troops would leave, and the subsequent talks have not yet been scheduled.

The communique from the dialogue is a “reaffirmation of the partnership that we have enjoyed with Iraq and the significance of the mission that still exists against ISIS,” Kirby said.

The U.S. has always been in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government, and there was never an expectation that the American footprint would be permanent or enduring. Eventually, when the time is appropriate, U.S. forces would leave.

“The idea that there would eventually be a redeployment is not new,” Kirby said.

There are 2,500 U.S. forces in Iraq, who are there to advise and assist Iraqi forces. U.S. officials have not said how many of those troops serve in combat roles. The Defense Department Inspector General for Operation Inherent Resolve, in its most recent report, states that U.S. troops remain at the Baghdad Diplomatic Security Complex in Baghdad, al-Asad Air Base, and Erbil Air Base in the northern Kurdish region.

Kirby would not say if the redeployment of American troops out of Iraq would impact the ability to conduct airstrikes in the country.

“The transition of U.S. and other international forces away from combat operations to training, equipping, and assisting the ISF reflects the success of their strategic partnership and ensures support to the ISF’s continued efforts to ensure ISIS can never again threaten Iraq’s stability,” the communique states.

GBSD Passes Integrated Baseline Review, on Pace for IOC In 2029

GBSD Passes Integrated Baseline Review, on Pace for IOC In 2029

April 7, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

Northrop Grumman successfully completed the integrated baseline review for the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent program, which is on track for initial operational capability by 2029.

The integrated baseline review sets the cost and schedule baseline, identifies risk, and ensures there are mitigation plans ready for the program. It occurs within 180 days of contract award. The company and the Air Force worked together early in the process to meet the deadline, according to an April 7 Northrop release.

“Given the sheer size and importance of schedule integration, we had to be agile in meeting this critical milestone, there is no margin for delay,” said Steve Lunny, Northrop’s vice president for the GBSD program, in the release. “Early on, we worked with the Air Force, shoulder-to-shoulder in a virtual setting, to engage at a deeper level and share critical insights throughout IBR to mitigate risks, arrive at a common baseline, and ultimately save time.”

Northrop was awarded a $13.3 billion engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) contract in September 2020, and the Air Force recently signed off on the company’s design for the missile.

The GBSD program will include about 660 new missiles to replace aging Minuteman III ICBMs, along with upgrades to silos and alert centers.

USAF and Defense Department leaders have repeatedly emphasized the importance of GBSD as part of overall nuclear modernization. The Biden administration, however, is expected to take a critical look at the cost of this modernization, as Pentagon budgets are likely to stay flat or decrease. 

F-15EX Named the Eagle II

F-15EX Named the Eagle II

April 7, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

The Air Force unveiled the name of its newest fighter jet—the F-15EX Eagle II—during an April 7 ceremony at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.

ANG Director Lt. Gen. Michael A. Loh said during the ceremony the F-15EX’s improvements will be key to its mission of homeland defense. The Air National Guard will be the first to receive the new jet operationally. 

“The Air National Guard flies 93 percent of homeland defense missions, and along with the F-35A, the F-15EX will help ensure that legacy for many decades to come,” he said. “These brand-new aircraft represent a significant upgrade over the legacy F-15C. A significant upgrade in weapons capacity, including the ability to carry outsize weapons, for these missions and for stand-off roles in the high-end fight.”

The Air Force accepted the first F-15EX on March 10, and it was delivered to the 96th Test Wing at Eglin one day later. The second F-15EX is expected to be delivered to Eglin in the coming weeks, according to Air Combat Command.

Air Force Materiel Command owns the first jet, which is being used for developmental testing, while ACC will own the second F-15EX and use it for operational testing.

“The EX provides a unique opportunity for our test enterprise, as well as the first Air Force aircraft to be completely tested and fielded through combined developmental and operational test,” said Brig. Gen. Scott A. Cain, 96th Test Wing commander, during the ceremony. “This cooperative effort will ensure a rigorous test process that accomplishes rapid delivery to the warfighter.”

USAF plans to buy 144 F-15EXs over 10 to 12 years as its older F-15C/D ages out. The first production lot includes six aircraft, to be delivered in fiscal 2023. Subsequent lots will be delivered to the F-15 schoolhouse at Kingsley Field, Ore., and the first operational base at Portland International Airport, Ore.

Lt. Gen. Duke Z. Richardson, the military deputy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, said during the ceremony that the F-15EX is designed to take advantage of recent advancements in F-15 development funded by foreign partners, and new approaches in digital engineering to speed up the acquisition timeline. The two F-15EXs will be delivered within nine months of the contract award, as opposed to the normal 39 months, Richardson said.  

Recent F-15 FMS sales produced digital engineering models for the EX’s nose barrel and wings, with USAF also funding the digital engineering of the jet’s fuselage. The jet is designed with an open mission systems architecture, along with a high speed fiber optics avionics service bus to allow for new, advanced avionics systems to be installed quickly, Richardson said.

“With its large weapons capacity, digital backbone, and open architecture, the F-15EX will be a key element of our tactical fighter fleet and complement fifth-generation assets for decades to come.”

Since the F-15EX is so similar to the existing F-15 fleet, the Air Force is able to use existing infrastructure to “rapidly transition to F-15EX operations and maintenance” and reduce overall schedule risk, Richardson said.

Quick adoption of the F-15EX is needed because of the state of the current F-15C/D fleet, Richardson said. Ten percent of the fleet is grounded due to structural issues, with 75 percent flying beyond their certified service life, he said. The fleet has an average age of 37 years, and a life extension is “cost prohibitive,” he said.

“Undefeated in aerial combat, the F-15 Eagle epitomized air superiority in the minds of our adversaries, allies, and the American people for over 45 years,” he said. “But it was not meant to fly forever. The F-15C and D fleets, in their current state, places us at great risk.”

Editor’s Note: This story was updated with more information from the ceremony at 8:53 p.m. on April 7.

Investigators Cite Lack of Seatbelts, Inexperience as Key Factors in Fatal 2020 Kuwait Crash

Investigators Cite Lack of Seatbelts, Inexperience as Key Factors in Fatal 2020 Kuwait Crash

April 6, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

Three Security Forces Airmen were not wearing seatbelts and were inexperienced in driving the Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected All Terrain Vehicle when it crashed on Sept. 12, 2020, at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, killing one, according to an Air Force investigation.

The crash killed Senior Airman Jason Khai Phan, 26, of Anaheim, Calif. 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. It was one of two fatal crashes within days at the Kuwait base.

An Air Force Ground Investigation Board report, released April 5, outlined a culture of lackadaisical seatbelt use reported by some in the squadron, and a lack of oversight for training on the M-ATVs, which saw increased use just before the incident due to “local threats” at the base.

Late Sept. 11, the team of three Airmen loaded into the M-ATV for a 12-hour shift patrolling the area outside the sprawling Kuwait base. Phan was a passenger in the vehicle, which was driven by an Airman who completed local training on the M-ATV the same day the group set out for the patrol.

At about 9 a.m. on Sept. 12, the team was driving on a hard-packed rock and sand road about 2 kilometers from the base when the driver felt the M-ATV pull to the right, like it was getting stuck in sand. To compensate, the driver pulled to the left, and the vehicle then veered left, and the driver lost control.

The M-ATV moved in a serpentine fashion for 100-200 yards, then began to skid at about 43 mph before flipping over and rolling 1.25 rotations before coming to rest on the driver’s side with the back door ripped open. Phan was tossed from the vehicle through the back door, and the other Airman in the vehicle—the truck commander—rushed to him and concluded he had suffered fatal injuries.

The Airman used her personal cell phone to call other Security Forces Airmen to come help, using coordinates from an app to direct them. The other teams in pickup trucks reported the incident to the base’s defense operations center, which dispatched medical support. An ambulance had to follow a SF pickup truck to the incident site, and en route it got stuck on a sand dune. Medical personnel then took the gear they needed from the ambulance and rode in the guide vehicle to the scene, where they pronounced Phan dead.

Investigators, in interviews with members of the squadron, reported a relaxed approach to personal safety and training in the vehicles.

Airmen provided a “wide range of responses” to questions about the culture of safety leading up to the incident, with some saying they would usually buckle the five-point harnesses behind them in the M-ATVs to turn off the seat belt alarm and make it easier to get out.

Additionally, the Airmen in the mishap did not wear their helmets and most of the doors to the vehicle were not locked.

Most of the patrols at Ali Al Salem were conducted using conventional Toyota Hilux pickup trucks, but in the weeks before the incident, leadership directed the use of more M-ATVs per shift because of local threats. However, squadron leadership provided “little involvement or oversight” for local training on the vehicles, according to the investigation. Trainers, who were qualified to instruct, were not appointed by a commander, and did not follow the 47-hour training plan. At least one witness said they expected more experienced drivers to take the first-time operators out, but the flight chief who made the schedule reported not having access to experience levels when making the schedule, the report states.

Valkyrie Successfully Releases UAS in Test

Valkyrie Successfully Releases UAS in Test

April 6, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

The Air Force demonstrated the successful launch of a drone by a larger remotely piloted aircraft on March 26, with the XQ-58A Valkyrie releasing a small UAS from its own internal weapons bay.

The flight test, the sixth for the Valkyrie, marked the first time the aircraft opened its payload bays. Valkyrie also flew both higher and faster than its previous tests, according to an Air Force release.

The Air Force Research Laboratory program, developed with manufacturer Kratos Defense, is designed to be an “attritable” wingman for other aircraft, and can carry additional munitions or more drones. During this test, the Valkyrie released an ALTIUS-600 small UAS, a system designed and fabricated by AFRL, Kratos, and Area-I for the mission.

The Valkyrie conducted its first test flight in March 2019, and was damaged after its third flight in October 2019.

USAF officials have said the service hopes to buy 20 to 30 of the aircraft, which are “lower-end tech” that could be quickly produced. 

USAF Retiring its Two OC-135 Open Skies Aircraft

USAF Retiring its Two OC-135 Open Skies Aircraft

April 6, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

The Air Force is sending its two OC-135B Open Skies aircraft to the boneyard after the U.S. withdrew from the treaty late last year, even though it’s not clear whether the new Biden administration will rejoin the monitoring agreement with Russia.

Because there is no longer “a mission requirement for the OC-135B, the Department of the Air Force has moved to initiate standard equipment disposition actions in accordance with regulations,” an Air Force spokesperson said in a statement. This includes sending the two aircraft from Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group—also known as the boneyard—at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., “in the next couple of months.”

The announcement comes the week after the Air Force sent Congress a report on the viability of the aircraft, as required by the 2021 defense policy bill. Neither the Air Force nor Capitol Hill officials would release the report on April 6.

The Air Force is considering what to do with the legacy wet-film cameras and the Digital Visual Imaging System off the aircraft. “This could include making the items available to allies and partners through the Foreign Military Sales program as appropriate,” an Air Force spokesperson said in a statement.

The two aircraft, modified WC-135Bs, began flying in 1993 and include specialized mission equipment such as side-looking synthetic aperture radar, infrared line scanning devices, video camera, and framing and panoramic optical cameras. The Air Force in recent years worked to update the aircraft’s cameras, and in 2020 canceled plans to recapitalize the fleet.

In 2018, the State Department declared Russia was in violation of the treaty for preventing access to Kaliningrad and the border with Georgia. The Air Force did not fly any sorties at the time, but resumed flights in 2019 and now continues to fly at a low pace.

Before the Trump administration formally withdrew from the treaty in November 2020, U.S. officials repeatedly complained that Moscow violated the agreement, claiming also that satellite systems could provide better surveillance than the aging aircraft.

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 1:23 p.m. April 7 to correct a reference to the aircraft in the photo caption.