No One-Size-Fits-All Response to Space Attacks, Raymond Says

March 3, 2021 | By Rachel S. Cohen

U.S. officials are trying to hash out the ground rules for extraterrestrial combat more than a year after standing up a Space Force to fend off threats on orbit.

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer for what actions by a satellite could be considered an act of war. Proportional response in a war that extends to space will depend on a broader context than earlier conflicts where the U.S. might respond to a barrage of rockets with its own airstrike, the Space Force’s top general said March 3. The U.S. could counter a satellite attack with a strike in cyberspace or against terrestrial facilities, for example.

“I think it depends on the strategic context that’s going on in the world,” Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond said during an event hosted by the National Press Club.

There’s no such thing as a “space war,” he said—it’s just war.

“How nations might choose to conduct operations in that war, that conflict, either on the sea, or in the air, or on the ground, or now in space, … is just integrated into that larger strategic conflict,” Raymond said.

That ambiguity may complicate global discussions of norms of behavior in outer space as more countries grow their civil, military, and industrial presence away from Earth. The Space Force is trying to drive that conversation to constrain bad behavior and shape a common understanding of what’s acceptable on orbit.

“You can’t put weapons of mass destruction in orbit, and you can’t militarize a planet, a celestial body. Other than that, there’s no rules,” Raymond said. “I’m not naive to think, if there was a set of norms of behavior, that everybody’s going to follow them.”

A recent report on space defense from the Center for Strategic and International Security pointed out that while countries are starting to see an attack on a satellite as an attack on a human, the best response to that threat may be no response at all.

“The challenge for space strategists is to anticipate how this gradual shift from space being more focused on information operations to physical operations will proceed,” the report said. “Further analysis and gaming are needed to explore gray zone competition in space and when it is advantageous (or not) to do nothing in response to an attack or threat of attack.”

Though the Space Force is quick to note the various technologies in development by China, Russia, and others that could look to damage U.S. assets, Raymond declined to talk about what offensive and defensive capabilities his service has in the works.

The CSIS report recommended the Space Force own “non-kinetic active defenses, such as onboard jamming and lasing systems, … to thwart kinetic attacks against high-value satellites.”

“A physical seizure capability should also be explored that could double as an inspector and on-orbit servicing satellite,” the report added. The U.S. last year criticized a Russian spacecraft, which Moscow says is an inspector satellite, for test-firing an anti-satellite weapon in space.

Raymond noted that the Space Force will debut its plan for streamlining the Pentagon’s many disparate space acquisition agencies in “another week or so,” and that he expects to see a Space Force dress uniform prototype in about a month. Officials will finalize which parts of the Army and Navy departments will transfer to the Space Force in the next couple of months as well, Raymond said—though service leadership has promised a shortly forthcoming decision since August 2020.

The federal government’s renewed emphasis on space superiority and exploration hasn’t waned under the new Biden administration, despite less discussion on the subject from the White House, Raymond said.

“This is not a political issue,” he said. “This is about our national security and the foundation of all instruments of national power, and I look forward to continuing our efforts to build this service.”

Al-Asad Air Base Comes Under Rocket Attack, Pentagon Confirms

March 3, 2021 | By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

About 10 rockets attacked Al-Asad Air Base, Iraq, on the morning of March 3, just over a year after Iranian ballistic missiles ravaged base infrastructure and left more than a hundred U.S. troops with traumatic brain injuries, the Pentagon confirmed.

An American contractor suffered “a cardiac episode while sheltering” and died. All U.S. troops at the base are accounted for, and there are no other reports of injuries at this time, the Defense Department wrote in a statement following the incident.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the loved ones of the individual who died,” DOD wrote.

The rockets hit the base just after 7 a.m. local time, Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve spokesperson Col. Wayne Marotto tweeted in the early hours of March 3.

“Preliminary indications are that approximately 10 rockets were fired from points of origin east of the base,” DOD wrote.

Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby told reporters the military has observed “10 impact points” at Al-Asad, but noted that forensics are still underway.

Counter-Rocket, Artillery, Mortar (C-RAM) systems at the Iraqi base “engaged in defense of” American forces, but Kirby said the Pentagon can’t yet quantify how effective the C-RAM engagement was.

The Pentagon said it doesn’t yet have a full idea of the damage caused by the attack, and can’t yet say who perpetuated it. Iraqi security forces are playing point on the investigation, Marotto wrote, though the Pentagon is on deck “as needed” to back them up.

“I won’t speak for the Iraqis—I don’t know how long this investigation is gonna take them to complete,” Kirby said. “We’re gonna respect that process and let them do their work.”

However, he didn’t rule out the possibility of a U.S. military response.

“Again, I’m not going to speculate and get ahead of decisions that might or might not be made in terms of our response except to say that we will, if it is deemed that a response is necessary, and warranted, we’ll do that in our own way and in our own manner and, obviously, we’ll be mindful of the need to do that in a way that is as effective as possible,” he said.

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III’s team has briefed him on the situation, which he is watching closely, according to a DOD statement.

The attack comes approximately a week after U.S. F-15Es carried out airstrikes against Iranian-backed fighters in Syria at President Joe Biden’s behest, following an earlier rocket attack in Erbil, Iraq, that killed one Filipino contractor and wounded an American service member and four U.S. contractors, Air Force Magazine previously reported.

Congress is pushing back on Biden’s decision to order the strikes without its permission. Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) proposed legislation that, if approved, would revoke the Authorizations for the Use of Military Force that greenlighted the Gulf War and Iraq War, according to a March 3 release from Kaine’s office.

“Last week’s airstrikes in Syria show that the Executive Branch, regardless of party, will continue to stretch its war powers,” Kaine said in the release. “Congress has a responsibility to not only vote to authorize new military action, but to repeal old authorizations that are no longer necessary. The 1991 and 2002 AUMFs that underpinned the war against Iraq need to be taken off the books to prevent their future misuse. They serve no operational purpose, keep us on permanent war footing, and undermine the sovereignty of Iraq, a close partner. I call on Congress to promptly take up this measure, and for the Biden administration to support it, to finally show the American people that the Article I and II branches can work together on these issues.”

Kirby said the Pentagon believes the Feb. 25 strikes were “measured and proportionate,” and were intended to prevent Iranian-backed fighters from being able to use buildings that fighters used to transport weapons into Iraq and to deter future attacks on U.S. personnel in the region.

“Nobody wants to see the situation escalate,” Kirby told reporters.

While he said both the U.S. Constitution and the United Nations Charter support the legality of the Feb. 25 strikes, the Pentagon is open to dialoguing on the AUMF front.

“Legal justification clearly existed under Article 2 of the Constitution, the President’s role as Commander in Chief, and Article 51 of the UN Charter, which allows for nations for self-defense,” Kirby said. “And as the Congress debates and discusses the authorization to use military force, they’ll find a willing partner in that discussion here at the Defense Department,” Kirby said.

The Defense Department Office of Inspector General recently called off its own investigation into U.S. Central Command’s ability to safeguard its key assets from missiles and drones in the wake of last year’s attack at Al-Asad due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, Air Force Magazine previously reported.

Editor’s Note: This story was updated on March 3 at 5:33 p.m. EST to include new information from Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby.

USAFA Boss Defends School’s Discipline Approach Amid Cheating Investigation

March 2, 2021 | By Rachel S. Cohen

The head of the U.S. Air Force Academy on March 2 defended the school’s disciplinary program for students who violate the honor code, as House lawmakers questioned service academy superintendents on a recent spate of cheating scandals.

“We have a very robust honor education system that starts from the day that they walk into the academy,” USAFA Superintendent Lt. Gen. Richard M. Clark told the House Appropriations defense subcommittee.

The school tries to impart those lessons through instruction and mentorship over the course of a student’s tenure at USAFA. If a cadet does slip up, they are sentenced to a probationary period that encourages them to “live honorably and abide by our code,” Clark said.

The probationary approach is particularly helpful in a cadet’s early years at the academy.

“We’ve had a 95 percent success rate, meaning cadets who get into that probationary status, they never have another incident or issue with the honor code,” Clark said. “We’re very proud of it. … We want our cadets to respect, not fear the honor code.”

The program isn’t without flaws, however. USAFA is reviewing changes to its honor and disciplinary system after nearly 250 cadets were suspected of using online learning to cheat on tests and plagiarize assignments in spring 2020.

One student was expelled and one resigned from the academy because of their misconduct, Air Force Magazine reported when the issue came to light in January. Nearly all others were placed on probation or remediation lasting up to six months. That entails mentorship and journaling to reflect on what happened, while facing penalties like extracurricular limitations.

“The purpose of the review is to provide findings and recommendations for improvement to the Honor Program, ensuring the Cadet Honor Code and Honor Program relevantly and effectively achieve cadet character development,” the school said.

It’s the first time in several years that USAFA will refresh those policies, though the school has dealt with at least six cheating probes over the past two decades. There is no timeline for finishing the review or implementing its findings.

USAFA noted that the student-led process of disciplining the cadets suspected of cheating was taking longer than usual because of pandemic-era constraints.

Clark acknowledged it’s become more challenging to discuss character-building among peers because coronavirus precautions discourage face-to-face conversations. But the school is still trying to spread those messages through large-scale, online conferences.

“Peer-to-peer education is critical, but the virtual world allows us to reach people in different ways,” Clark said. “We’re able to continue our program and still focus on our leader of character framework.”

Though personal connection tends to come more easily when conversations happen in person, it’s hard to quantify whether online discussions are as effective at leadership-building. Still, USAFA is making do with the situation at hand.

“We don’t have time to rest just because COVID is here,” he said. “We still have to develop these leaders, because we still have to graduate these cadets when their time comes so that they can go out and serve.”

New Threats Demand Nuclear Modernization

March 2, 2021 | By John A. Tirpak

Nuclear modernization is an imperative, because the strategic environment has evolved dramatically since the last century, with more and different kinds of existential threats, senior U.S. military leaders said at AFA’s virtual Aerospace Warfare Symposium.

“Deterrence in the 21st century is wholly different than it was in the 20th century,” Gen. John E. Hyten, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, explained in a panel discussion on strategic modernization. The primary reason, he said, is that “strategic attack can no longer just be defined as nuclear attack,” but could be a cyber, chemical, biological, space, or conventional attack—think hypersonic—used against a crucial target that could “cause strategic problems for the United States,” Hyten said. The National Defense Strategy states that such non-nuclear but nation-debilitating attacks may be answered “at a time, place, and [in] a domain of our choosing,” he added.

Strategic deterrence must now be viewed in the context of that posture, taking missile defenses into account as well, he added.

“It’s going to be a difficult problem,” Hyten observed, because “we’ve not fully thought it through.” The academic community which came up with the old theory of deterrence “really has not embraced this new construct,” nor has it worked through its ramifications, Hyten said.

He predicted the Biden administration’s nuclear posture review will examine the new strategic landscape in the context he laid out. But “without the backstop of the nuclear triad, it basically is all impossible” to deter an adversary with strategic capabilities, “because it starts falling apart right from the beginning.”

Modernizing the U.S. strategic deterrent is going to be expensive, Hyten allowed, but “you have to start from the threat, and the threat is significant, … and modernizing.”

Russia, he said, has just completed a 20-year modernization of its nuclear enterprise, with new ICBMs, new submarines and submarine-launched ballistic missiles, new cruise missiles on updated bombers, and all-new nuclear weapons that are not covered by any treaty. These include a nuclear-tipped hypersonic missile and a nuclear torpedo capable of destroying a larger coastal region.

Hyten said he supports the New START treaty, which the Biden administration extended by five years, “because it puts limits and a verification regime in place for the large number of nuclear capabilities, giving the U.S “good insight” into Russian nuclear capabilities and thinking. This is crucial because Russia’s new nuclear systems have to be deterred.

China also is building nuclear weapons “faster than anybody on the planet,” with brand-new ICBMs, cruise missiles, and nuclear-tipped hypersonic missiles “that we have no defenses for,” Hyten said. Lacking any arms control agreement with China, “We have no insight into their nuclear doctrine,” he added.

“Our nuclear modernization program … is late to need,” Hyten asserted. The nuclear triad of bombers, ICBMs, and submarine-launched ballistic missiles “is the minimum essential capability for deterrence in the great power world we live in today,” he said. Without “even one,” it “becomes very, very difficult for [U.S. Strategic Command] and the nation to deter our adversaries.”

The new U.S. strategic capabilities in development are the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent, the ICBM succeeding the 50-year-old Minuteman III; the Columbia missile submarine, replacing the Trident; the B-21 bomber, replacing both the B-1 and B-2; and the Long-Range Stand Off missile, replacing the 40-year-old Air Launched cruise Missile.

However, the portfolio needs to be expanded to broaden deterrence beyond that, Hyten argued, with a new sea-launched cruise missile and “a low-yield nuclear weapon that will deploy in small numbers on our submarines,” to counter the “thousands low-yield … and tactical nuclear weapons that Russia is building and deploying,” which are not covered under New START.

“We can’t have interruptions in the program,” Hyten insisted, “because we’re starting late and … they have to be delivered on time.”

The old deterrence theories also don’t cover the possibility of nuclear-armed adversaries “cooperating with each other,” said Lt. Gen. Thomas A. Bussiere, deputy commander of U.S. Strategic Command at vAWS.

Adversaries are relying more on their nuclear arsenals for influence and coercion, and “a variety of options for … limited use.” This “requires us to rethink our approach,” Bussiere said.

The “continuum of conflict” potentially leading to the use of nuclear weapons—“from competition to crisis, to armed conflict, to limited nuclear use to full nuclear exchange” is becoming “coupled and non-linear,” he said.

Eliminating part of the traid, he believes, “would embolden our adversaries to believe they could actually employ nuclear weapons against us.”

Bussiere also noted that while the idea is to keep Minuteman ready until GBSD replaces it, that may not work. The system might suddenly become unsustainable, and “it’s really a choice of replacing them or losing them,” he said.

In addition to the delivery vehicles, the U.S. also needs to modernize its structure to command and control the deterrent, Air Force Global Strike Command chief Gen. Timothy M. Ray said.

Command and control is “the foundational piece’ of a deterrent that can be wielded effectively, and communications is “more contested” than ever before, so it must be “much more relevant and resilient,” he said. Ray called the overarching scheme “Triad Plus” to incorporate the C3 element.

There must also be more clarity about whether the U.S. should embrace the “no first use” doctrine, Ray said, because allies depending on the U.S. nuclear umbrella need to know what the U.S. will and won’t do to protect them.

“What does ‘no first use’ mean to them? Because, if we can’t come up with that really crisp answer, they now have to entertain their own nuclear program” because they are conventionally overmatched by adversaries.

Ray said it’s possible to “put other strategic deterrent capabilities on the table that fall outside of New START” and are “more ambiguous,” but “that’s a really dangerous game.” Better, he said, to stick with a program that’s well understood and reliable.

The systems now being pursued are also more adaptable, Ray said. “It would take me years to integrate a new standoff missile into the B-2,” he said, but with the B-21, given its open mission systems, it will take me months, not years.”

BAE Systems Begins F-15 EPAWSS Low-Rate Production

March 2, 2021 | By John A. Tirpak

Low-rate initial production of the F-15 Eagle Passive Active Warning and Survivability System, or EPAWSS, is underway, BAE Systems announced March 2. The work is being done under a $58 million contract from Boeing.

The EPAWSS will give current and future Eagles more survivability when operating near or in contested airspace. The system allows F-15 pilots to monitor, locate and jam enemy radars, as well as deceive them about the Eagle’s position and heading.

“The system combines multispectral sensors and countermeasures, industry-leading signal processing, microelectronics, and intelligent algorithms to deliver fully integrated radar warning, situational awareness, geo-location and self-protection capabilities,” BAE said in a press release.

The EPAWSS was developed to protect F-15C/D and F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft in USAF’s fleet, and will be standard equipment on new F-15EX models, the first of which is to be delivered to the Air Force in the next few weeks. The company has been working on EPAWSS since 2015, when it was selected for the Technology Maturation and Risk Reduction (TMRR) phase. The engineering and manufacturing development contract followed in 2016.

The LRIP 2 award is expected in fiscal 2022, and full-rate production could come as soon as Lot 3 in fiscal 2023, a BAE spokesman said.

Although the system has already been through a series of ground and flight tests, BAE continues to deliver “incremental updates to the EPAWSS flight software with new geolocation and threat identification capabilities,” the company said. “As a result, system performance continues to improve in ground/flight test and in dense signal environments in hardware-in-the-loop (HiTL) tests” at the Air Force’s Integrated Demonstrations and Applications Laboratory.

The LRIP milestone is “the culmination of years of hard work” by the Boeing, BAE, and the government team, program manager Lt. Col. Dan Carroll said. The EPAWSS will “significantly improve the survivability and utility of the F-15, and will be a great complement to what is already a very capable and lethal aircraft.”

BAE reported that it has invested $100 million “in world-class [electronic warfare] laboratories and factories, and has grown its workforce” in anticipation of the award.

USAF Proves Strike Eagles Can Carry 15 JDAMs

March 2, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

The Air Force is testing new ways to use the F-15E Strike Eagle to deliver bombs.

The 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron recently flew an F-15E with six Joint Direct Attack Munitions on a single side, potentially expanding the number of the bombs the aircraft can carry to 15.

F-15Es are authorized to carry a maximum of nine JDAMs. However, expanding this amount would allow USAF to use the F-15E to deliver bombs to a forward location, where they could be offloaded, according to a 53rd Wing release.

“Strike Eagle can now carry enough JDAMs for an active combat mission, land at a remote location, and reload itself and/or another aircraft—such as an F-35 or F-22—for additional combat sorties,” 85th TES Commander Lt. Col. Jacob Lindaman said in the release.

This means the F-15E could serve a role currently used by mobility aircraft, such as C-130s. It takes two of the airlifters to carry the bombs and personnel, and once at the destination, the JDAMs then have to be assembled, according to the release. Using an F-15E means the JDAMs would already be assembled, and only one C-130 would be needed.

The development of the capability is part of the broader Air Force’s push for Agile Combat Employment—the goal of being able to quickly operate in forward locations with a smaller footprint. The tactic stems from a recent Weapons and Tactics Conference and could be employed in combat in about a month, according to the release.

Air Force OKs Shorts for Maintainers, New Sock Colors, and More Starting March 15

March 2, 2021 | By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Maintainers will soon be allowed to wear shorts, under new rules based on feedback from Airmen and Guardians.

The department plans to publish a “change to Air Force Instruction 36-2903”—which governs dress and appearance for USAF and Space Force troops—that will reflect feedback from service members. Changes will take effect as soon as the AFI tweak is published, the Department of the Air Force said March 2.

“These options came directly from feedback from the field through the virtual uniform board and feedback from commands in the field,” said Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel, and Readiness Lt. Gen. Brian T. Kelly in a release about the policy change. “We appreciated the feedback we received from Airmen and the opportunity to hear their concerns and ideas. Not all of the ideas fit within our standards or culture, but many do and provided us an opportunity to provide options for our Airmen.”

Under the new rules, commanders may allow maintainers to don “dark navy blue shorts” instead of Airman Battle Uniform or Operational Camouflage Pattern pants in certain locations if temperatures are expected to hit or surpass “80 degrees Fahrenheit,” the release said.

“Authorized areas will include the flight line, hangars, and dock areas outside of climate-controlled areas,” the release stated.

The AFI change will include specific requirements for these shorts, but troops will need to pair them “with the coyote brown T-shirt and uniform green or coyote brown socks with uniform boots,” according to the release.

While some maintenance units have gotten permission to authorize shorts for flight line Airmen, the upcoming change will be the first time the change is codified department-wide.

“The idea for shorts on the flightline originated at the 95th Aircraft Maintenance Unit from Tyndall Air Force Base. [Fla.], while deployed to Al Dhafra Air Base in southwest Asia,” the 33rd Fighter Wing wrote last September. “The Aircraft Maintenance Unit there was permitted to wear shorts while they were deployed and upon return, the unit reached out for local guidance authorizing the shorts to integrate them at the home station.”

That decision, in turn, inspired other maintenance units—including the 33rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.—to follow suit, the wing said.

Other changes slated to take effect on March 15 include:

Duty Identifier Patches: The updated AFI will also permit USAF and USSF troops in all career fields to wear approved patches representing their job specialties, so long as their duty identifier is no more than five letters long and has “a standard spice brown color scheme,” the release stated.
Sock Colors for PT: “Service members will be able to wear conservative, solid black, white, navy blue, gray, desert sand, tan, Defense Logistics Agency‐issued green, or coyote brown socks with their physical training gear,” the release stated, adding that “small trademark logos” are permitted.
Eyeglass and Sunglass Frame Colors: Wire frames will be permissible in silver or gold, and other frames will be allowed if they’re “black, brown, white, navy blue, gray, or [made of] transparent material,” the department said.
Messenger and Lunch Bags: Airmen and Guardians will be allowed to carry both types of bags. However, if they’re not in an ABU or OCP pattern, they must be “black, brown, gray, or navy blue” and lack any kind of design, the department wrote.
Dressing for the Cold: The department will allow USAF and USSF troops to wear cold weather gear—such as a fleece cap—even if they’re not wearing an approved “outer garment.”

The AFI change will allow commanders to greenlight the use of “headphones or Bluetooth devices” in additional settings, the release said.

“Wear or use of an earpiece, any Bluetooth wireless technology, or headphones while in uniform, indoors or outdoors, is authorized for official duties or may be authorized as determined by the installation commander, delegable no lower than the squadron commander level,” the department wrote.

Finally, the department wrote, once DAF finishes acquiring tactical caps—a process it anticipates will “take approximately a year”—Air Force and Space Force troops will be allowed to wear them with OCPs.

The department is still considering other ideas presented at its most recent virtual uniform board event, and will release details “at a later date.”

The AFI-related announcement came the same day the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center said it had finalized its update to USAF’s physical training uniform. AFLCMC expects the uniforms, which haven’t yet entered production, to be available to Airmen next year, Air Force Magazine previously reported.

Air Force Finalizes New PT Uniform

March 2, 2021 | By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

The Air Force Uniform Office has finished redesigning the service’s physical training uniform, and Airmen will be able to buy it beginning next year, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center announced March 2.

“The new uniform will be available to Airmen in 2022, and there will be a four year transition period for mandatory wear,” according to an AFLCMC release. The center is currently gearing up for production.

Air Force Uniform Office member 2nd Lt. Maverick Wilhite demonstrates wear of the updated Air Force physical training uniform at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, on Feb. 25, 2021. **Photo: Jim Varhegyi/USAF**

More than 150 service members helped test the new outfit, which includes a jacket, t-shirt, pants, and two types of shorts, and marks the service’s first PT uniform change in nearly two decades.

USAF leaders’ primary requirements for the new uniform were that it be something Airmen would actually want to wear, and that its quality meet or exceed civilian athletic gear, Air Force Uniform Office Chief Tracy Roan said in the release.

“The new uniform now includes all of the great performance features that you find in athletic wear today,” she said in the release.

Air Force Uniform Office member 1st Lt. Avery Thompson wears the updated Air Force physical training uniform t-shirt and running shorts at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, on Feb. 25, 2021. **Photo: Jim Varhegyi/USAF**

The uniform overhaul includes a variety of innovations, according to AFLCMC, including:

The use of “soft, quick drying,” and antimicrobial fabrics to assist with moisture and control odors, as well as “stretch materials to provide comfort and increase performance.”
A more tailored jacket that’s crafted from a less noisy fabric than the old uniform and includes “a zipper chest pocket” that can hold a Common Access Card.
A uniform t-shirt engineered so that Airmen can wear it untucked while exercising but tuck it in “as required by command.”
The inclusion of two types of shorts to meet the demands of different kinds of workouts: shorter ones for running, and longer ones for other forms of exercise. “The all-purpose shorts are unlined knit with zipper hip pockets you can close,” the release stated. “The runner’s are a lightweight stretch woven fabric with mesh side panels to improve airflow and [an] improved stretch liner for modesty.”

“A long sleeve t-shirt and a hoodie are in development,” AFLCMC added in a photo caption accompanying the announcement.

Drones Could Be SOCOM Armed Overwatch Contenders, Slife Says

March 1, 2021 | By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Unmanned aerial vehicles are fair game for U.S. Special Operations Command’s armed overwatch platform competition, Air Force Special Operations Command boss Lt. Gen. James C. “Jim” Slife told reporters on Feb. 25. However, he said, the MQ-9 Reaper drone might not be up to the challenge in its current form.

The manned vs. unmanned platform question is one that SOCOM’s upcoming armed overwatch demonstration—the date of which has yet to be determined, but is expected to be in this fiscal year—hopes to answer, Slife said during a media roundtable held during the Air Force Association’s virtual Aerospace Warfare Symposium.

“I’m just looking to get the mission done,” Slife said, noting he doesn’t have a preference.

However, while the MQ-9 Reaper may have an easy time flying in the kinds of environments SOCOM expects to operate its armed overwatch platform in, Slife said the “runway length” it requires and the ground infrastructure its operations demand may make it a dubious choice for the job.

“That doesn’t mean that the MQ-9 couldn’t be made more compatible with the mission,” he said. “It just means we haven’t seen it yet.”

Slife said he couldn’t definitively say which platforms—including the Reaper—would be represented at the upcoming demo. However, he said he anticipates “somewhere between … four to six or seven” proposals to take part.

“It’ll depend on how SOCOM is able to scope out the funding they have to support the vendor demonstrations, but I think it’ll … certainly be more than one or two companies that bring platforms for us to take a look at,” he said.

He said SOCOM has considered unmanned aircraft participation and “looked at everything from existing Air Force platforms—both ISR, close air support platforms to off-the-shelf industry platforms, to non-developmental platforms that industry has been working on [with] their own funding for the last several years.”

“I don’t want to get in front of the headlights of the SOCOM acquisition executive who’s gonna run the demonstration for us, but we have certainly indicated in the past that we would welcome MQ-9 participation in that,” Slife said.

Slife also expects participating platforms to present “a spectrum of capabilities and a spectrum of different ideas” about how SOCOM can carry out its armed overwatch mission.

Although the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act blocked SOCOM from buying armed overwatch aircraft this fiscal year, there is still enough funding for demonstrations. SOCOM is still aiming to procure 75 armed overwatch aircraft, Slife added.

“That’s where I think the sweet spot is, both in terms of being able to sustain a training base, to be able to have a sustainable force generation model, and to be able to support the number of ground teams that we anticipate being out in these very small, disaggregated environments where we anticipate the armed overwatch platform operating,” he told reporters.

About a week prior, he told AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies that SOCOM needs to finish the demonstration before it can decide “what an acquisition program would look like,” including how many platforms it’ll choose and whether it’ll lease or buy them, Air Force Magazine previously reported. The demonstration will help SOCOM assemble its “final requirement document” before it makes its ultimate “procurement decision,” he added.

Video: Mitchell Institute on YouTube

Editor’s Note: This story was updated on March 5 to correct the date of the vAWS media roundtable.