Former AFRL Boss Faces Sexual Assault Charge

Nov. 10, 2020 | By Amy Hudson

A military court will consider a sexual assault charge levied against former Air Force Research Laboratory boss Maj. Gen. William T. Cooley at an Article 32 preliminary hearing in January 2021, the Air Force said Nov. 10.

Cooley is accused of making “unwanted sexual advances by kissing and touching a female victim” on Aug. 12, 2018, in Albuquerque, N.M., according to a USAF release.

Air Force Materiel Command boss Gen. Arnold W. Bunch Jr. relieved Cooley of command on Jan. 15 amid an Air Force Office of Special Investigations inquiry, saying the service had lost confidence in the two-star general’s ability to lead. Cooley was reassigned as Bunch’s special assistant, and Lt. Gen. Gene Kirkland, commander of the Air Force Sustainment Center at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., was tasked with reviewing the evidence associated with the misconduct allegations.

Cooley is charged with a single count of violating Article 120 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, with three specifications related to sexual assault of the woman, according to the charge sheet. She is not a member of the military or a Defense Department employee.

Kirkland reviewed the facts of the case, “including evidence noted in the Air Force Office of Special Investigations Report of Investigation and consulting with legal authorities,” the service said. He preferred the charge against Cooley on Oct. 29.

During the preliminary hearing, which is similar to a civilian grand jury, a military judge will review the evidence and may hear from witnesses before determining whether “probable cause exists that the accused committed a UCMJ offense,” the Air Force said. It is scheduled for Jan. 27, 2021.

“The officer will also provide a recommendation on disposition of any offenses supported by the evidence,” according to an AFMC release.

Brig. Gen. Heather L. Pringle assumed command of AFRL in June. She replaced Brig. Gen. Evan Dertien, who was serving as acting commander after Cooley was fired.

Kirtland Airmen Receive DFCs, Bronze Star for Roles in Al-Asad Missile Attack

Nov. 9, 2020 | By Brian W. Everstine

Two special operations CV-22 Osprey pilots and a special missions aviator on Nov. 3 received awards for evacuating forces before and after the Jan. 7 Iranian ballistic missile attack on al-Asad Air Base, Iraq.

The attack, which came in response to the U.S. killing of Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, injured more than 100 personnel and heavily damaged al-Asad. U.S. forces near Erbil also were targeted. U.S. space-based and other intelligence gave early warning to the attack, which did not kill any U.S. or Iraqi forces.

During the ceremony at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., Lt. Col. Adam C. Darrow, 58th Operations Group Detachment 1 commander, and Tech. Sgt. Samuel T. Levander, 71st Operations Squadron operations section chief, received the Distinguished Flying Cross. Lt. Col. John R. Leachman, an Osprey pilot with the 71st Operations Squadron, received the Bronze Star for his role in the evacuation and other missions during his deployment.

“Today John Leachman, Adam Darrow, and Samuel Levander join in the pantheon of Air Force heroes,” 19th Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Craig D. Wills said at the ceremony, according to a release. “Their names [are] forever associated with courage and bravery, mission accomplishment, and excellence. They follow in the footsteps of the thousands of Airmen who have gone before in the service of our nation and fought so we can enjoy freedoms and prosperity that most Americans take for granted. Most importantly so that we, our people and our allies, can live in peace.”

19th Air Force Commander bestows Bronze Star Medal and Distinguished Flying Cross to recipients — Maj. Gen. Craig D. Wills, 19th Air Force commander, bestows the Distinguished Flying Cross to Air Force Tech. Sgt. Samuel T. Levander, 71st Special Operations Squadron operations section chief, at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., on Nov. 3, 2020. **Photo: Airman 1st Class Ireland Summers**

On Jan. 7, Darrow and Levander were deployed as part of the 7th Expeditionary Special Operations Squadron, Special Operations Command-Central when they received a notice to evacuate because of an “imminent theater ballistic missile threat.” The Airmen prepared for a three-ship of aircraft to evacuate 194 special operations forces, and within about 90 minutes of the initial notification they had flown 132 personnel out of the threat area. To conduct the ordered evacuations, the Airmen filled their Osprey to the aircraft’s maximum gross weight limit.

However, Iraqi forces prevented a runway landing, so the Ospreys flew a minimum separation, maximum gross weight formation to rolling landings at a parallel taxiway. When the aircraft returned to the threatened location, they loaded another 62 special operators on board but had to divert to a third location because of a blocked refueling point and a “critical fuel state,” the award citation states. While at the third location, the crews came under missile attack.

“Ensuring his aircraft was safe to continue, despite several flight control malfunctions and an ill crewmember, he flew with the formation to a desert landing site to link up with other contingency forces and executed a zero illumination, low visibility landing in close proximity to 18 other aircraft, 19 hours into a standard 12-hour crew duty day,” Darrow’s citation reads.

Lastly, Darrow and Levander infiltrated special operations forces as part of a 13-aircraft dissimilar formation assault force to reoccupy the attacked base, ultimately ending the flights 24 hours after his crew day began.

Leachman distinguished himself by meritorious achievement during an operation “in support of a Presidentially-directed combat mission,” his award citation states. He led a deployment of Ospreys from RAF Mildenhall, England, to al-Asad, departing within 24 hours of notification. He was tasked with integrating with 15 other aircraft, including fixed-wing and rotary-wing close air support aircraft, rotary-wing assault aircraft, special operations mobility aircraft, and both manned and unmanned intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft, the citation states.

On Jan. 7, while preparing for rehearsal missions, he was alerted to evacuate al-Asad because of the missile threat. He was able to quickly locate all 68 on- and off-duty personnel, loading them on an Osprey within 90 minutes of the notification.

Eighteen days after the attack, Leachman’s unit was specifically requested to carry a fallen service member from the Syrian border through poor weather, long distance, and in a high-threat environment, the award citation states.

“Through his leadership, multiple other missions were flawlessly accomplished, including Army Special Operations Aviation support for ammunition and refueling equipment, Army Ranger movements, and airlift from the Baghdad Embassy helipad for key personnel,” the citation states.

Correction: The Air Force incorrectly identified Lt. Col. John R. Leachman and Lt. Col. Adam C. Darrow in the photos. We have corrected the captions.

Pilot Error, Ejection Seat Problems Caused Fatal F-16 Crash

Nov. 9, 2020 | By Amy Hudson

Pilot error and a series of ejection seat malfunctions led to a fatal F-16CM crash at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., in June, accident investigators said in a new report released Nov. 9.

First Lt. David Schmitz, 32, was conducting his first nighttime qualification training flight on June 30, including his first-ever attempt to refuel in midair and simulated suppression of enemy air defenses. But after unsuccessfully trying to refuel, Schmitz’s training mission was cut short and he headed back to the base.

When nearing the base, Schmitz, an Airman with the 77th Fighter Squadron at Shaw, misinterpreted the approach lighting system. He failed to identify where the runway began, hitting the localizer antenna array on the ground and “severely damaging the left main landing gear,” according to Air Combat Command.

The aircraft briefly touched the ground, then tried to circle back and land again. Shaw Airmen attempted to land the plane by catching the jet on a cable at the beginning of the runway, but the cable missed the tailhook. Damage to the landing gear caused the plane’s left wing to hit the runway.

Schmitz ejected from the fighter after missing the cable, but his parachute never deployed. He died after hitting the ground while still in the seat, according to the release.

The F-16CM is equipped with the Advanced Concept Ejection Seat (ACES) II, which is supposed to be capable of ejecting in any landing gear failure scenario while traveling at speeds up to 200 knots. Schmitz’s aircraft was going 120 knots, or about 138 mph, when he ejected.

“Based on the airspeed and altitude of the ejection, the mishap seat should have initiated a Mode 1 ejection,” the report said. “As the seat exits the aircraft, the Digital Recovery Sequencer is activated, which is responsible for providing seat stabilization, pilot/seat separation, and parachute deployment. For a Mode 1 ejection, the seat’s drogue chute is not used, expediting the deployment and inflation of the personnel parachute.”

However, there was a “critical failure” when the seat left the aircraft, and six of seven “pyrotechnic devices” that should have activated did not.

“This accident is a tragic reminder of the inherent risks of fighter aviation and our critical oversight responsibilities required for successful execution,” ACC commander Gen. Mark D. Kelly said in the release. “The AIB report identified a sequence of key execution anomalies and material failures that resulted in this mishap.”

Accident investigators also found two related maintenance issues with the mishap aircraft. The first was the failure to install a shorting plug on the DRS electronic module, which is designed to prevent noise bias issues in channel three.

“Two of the three channels must be in agreement for the DRS to function properly. DRS failure due to channel three noise bias issues have been observed in approximately 9 percent of all live ejections and sled tests,” according to the report.

A time compliance technical order was issued on Jan. 20, 2016, and work was to be completed on the mishap aircraft seat on Aug. 28, 2017, but it was not completed because not enough parts were available.

Second, the DRS’s 10-year life span expired on Feb. 28, 2019, but the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center issued three temporary extensions because parts once again were not available.

Another contributing factor was the flying supervisor’s decision not to consult Lockheed Martin on using the cable to stop the plane, according to investigators.

A visual inspection of the mishap aircraft concluded the landing gear was “broken and (was) hanging,” though the right landing gear and nose landing gear “appeared normal,” according to investigators.

Schmitz began working off of a checklist meant for landings with an unsafe or undeployed landing gear, but Lockheed flight safety engineers told accident investigators that list “only applies if a landing gear fails to extend normally, not when it is damaged or hanging.”

“Analysis concluded that the [mishap pilot] had a total of 3.475 seconds from when the [seat] left the aircraft to pull the [emergency manual parachute deployment handle] and achieve a successful parachute deployment,” according to the report. Had he not attempted the cable landing and ejected earlier, he would have had as much as six times longer to pull the handle.

In addition, Kelly noted that Air Force instructions require pilots to successfully demonstrate proficiency in aerial refueling during the day before attempting it at night.

“That didn’t occur for this officer, and when we have oversight breakdowns or failures of critical egress systems, it is imperative that we fully understand what transpired, meticulously evaluate risk, and ensure timely and effective mitigations are in place to reduce or eliminate future mishaps,” he said.

Schmitz was a prior enlisted Airman who served as a C-17 loadmaster before earning his commission through Officer Training School, 20th Fighter Wing Commander Col. Lawrence T. Sullivan said in a video at the time of the crash. Schmitz earned his pilot’s license at 17 years old before enlisting in the Air Force.

Read SECDEF Esper’s Final Message to the Military

Nov. 9, 2020 | By Brian W. Everstine

Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper sent a “Final Message to the Department” shortly after President Donald J. Trump fired him in a tweet Nov. 9.

…Chris will do a GREAT job! Mark Esper has been terminated. I would like to thank him for his service.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 9, 2020

In the letter, Esper writes that his time as leader of the Pentagon was the “honor and privilege of a lifetime,” highlighting work on the National Defense Strategy, military modernization, and department reform.

However, he acknowledges there is more work to be done.

Read the full text of the letter below:

It is has been the honor and privilege of a lifetime to serve alongside you as the 27th U.S. Secretary of Defense these last eighteen months in defense of our great Nation and adherence to our sworn oath to the Constitution.
Together, we have made solid progress implementing the National Defense Strategy by modernizing the force, improving its readiness, strengthening ties with allies and partners, and reforming the Department to make it more efficient. We have also made major strides in taking care of our military personnel, spouses, and their families, and launched important initiatives to improve diversity, inclusion, and equity in the armed services. At the same time, we stood up the Space Force and Space Command, recapitalized the nuclear triad, expanded the authorities and resources of Cyber Command, and proposed a bold vision for a future Navy. As such, I am confident the Defense Department’s progress on all of these initiatives has improved the security of the United States and advanced our interests abroad.
I am particularly proud of these accomplishments in light of the challenges we faced along the way: a global pandemic; confrontations with Iran and its proxies throughout the Middle East; continued deployment of troops into conflict zones; domestic civil unrest; malign behavior globally by Russia and China; and a charged political atmosphere here at home. Through thick and thin, however, we have always put People and Country first.
In my first message to the Department in June 2019, I emphasized the great importance I place on a commitment by all, and especially Leaders, to those values and behaviors that represent the best of the military profession and mark the character and integrity of the Armed Forces the American people respect and admire. I want to thank you all for living up to that standard, for remaining apolitical, and for honoring your oath to the Constitution.
While I step aside knowing that there is much more we could accomplish together to advance America’s national security, there is much achieved in the time we had to improve the readiness, capabilities, and professionalism of the joint force, while fundamentally transforming and preparing it for the future.
I will always admire and remain forever proud of the great work our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Space Professionals, and Civilians do each and every day around the world and here at home to keep America safe. Stay focused on your mission, remain steadfast in your pursuit of excellence, and always do the right thing. Following these imperatives will ensure you remain the most ready, respected, and capable military force in the world, which is what our Nation expects and deserves.
Mark T. Esper

Space Force Plans for New Intel Hub, More Training

Nov. 9, 2020 | By Rachel S. Cohen

New Space Force guidance directs the service to create entities like a National Space Intelligence Center, begins to set benchmarks for improving the force, and offers insight into future operations.

Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond rolled out the planning document Nov. 9 to communicate “my intent and [define] the capabilities and culture the USSF will pursue over my tenure,” he wrote. It also elaborates on priorities that military leaders have touted over the course of the Space Force’s first year, like speed, flexibility, technological savvy, and international cooperation.

While the guidance reads much like the Space Force’s first doctrine document that was released in August, it includes several notable updates about how the young service will proceed.

For one, Raymond wants to move parts of the National Air and Space Intelligence Center to create a co-located National Space Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Military officials and experts have floated that possibility over the past year as the Pentagon grapples with improving intelligence collection in space.

“In concert with the Space Force [intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance] enterprise, the NSIC will provide a framework for growth to meet anticipated demand for increased space intelligence at foundational, tactical, operational, and strategic levels,” the guidance said. That ISR enterprise will be spearheaded by the senior intel officer in Space Force headquarters’ operations office.

The service did not immediately answer whether NASIC, which dates back to 1961, would revert to being the National Air Intelligence Center. It’s unclear how soon the NSIC will stand up.

A top military space official said last year the Department of the Air Force needed to have a better understanding of what people, processes, and capabilities would provide comprehensive information on what’s happening in space. The push for more space intelligence support comes as the Space Force is maturing its ties with other agencies that handle the same mission, like the Defense Intelligence Agency, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, National Reconnaissance Office, and National Security Agency.

The Space Force also wants to create a Space Warfighting Analysis Center to “develop future force structures that meet evolving mission requirements, are resilient to the threat, and are cost-informed,” the document said. Much like the Air Force Warfighting Integration Capability group, the SWAC will hold wargames that shape those plans to benefit the joint force.

Officials at Space Force HQ are getting new marching orders as well. The headquarters includes offices to manage human capital, operations, strategy and resources, and technology and innovation, plus a staff director. In the next year, the staff director will set standards for how the Space Force approaches “structured, data-driven decision-making,” Raymond said.

The Technology and Innovation Office will also look for ways automate and digitize daily work so Space Force members can spend 15 percent more time on advanced training.

Raymond’s guidance pushes forward some of the same practices the Air Force has adopted in recent years. He expects subordinates to act on their own authority unless a superior officer specifically needs to make the call. In preparation for a world where artificial intelligence and machine learning increasingly power military software, Raymond also wants commanders to create operational plans that either people or machines can carry out.

Those plans will help warfighters and computers decide when a human should be in charge of a decision, and what tasks software can carry out on its own.

“Commanders at all levels must ensure crew commanders and mission directors are proficient at applying warfighting concepts like acceptable level of risk, self-defense, risk to mission, and risk to force, and prepared to make sound tactical decisions in a contingency,” the guidance said. “We will recognize and reward expert system management and prudent risk acceptance to meet commander’s intent.”

The document notes that the Space Force should be less vulnerable to a “first-mover” attack, or a surprise maneuver in orbit that could spur the United States to escalate into a larger conflict.

“Adversaries will target vulnerable segments to degrade the larger architecture,” Raymond added of satellites, ground controls, and other parts of the space combat enterprise. “We must ensure joint commanders are prepared to defend critical space assets that enable joint forces.”

He also noted that he’s willing to pursue more resilient, defensible systems sooner, at the risk of the Space Force’s current inventory. That could mean stopping a development or procurement program before new technologies are ready, even if it limits military operations in the short term.

Raymond told reporters Nov. 9 he expects an implementation plan with timelines and other specifics will be out in December.

Michigan Guard A-10 Pilot Receives DFC for 2017 Belly Landing

Nov. 9, 2020 | By Brian W. Everstine

An A-10 pilot with the Michigan Air National Guard received the Distinguished Flying Cross on Nov. 5 for dramatically guiding his Warthog to a belly landing in 2017 after a catastrophic gun malfunction blew the aircraft’s canopy off and prevented the landing gear from functioning properly.

Maj. Brett DeVries, then a captain with the 107th Fighter Squadron at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich., was flying a training flight on July 20, 2017, when the aircraft’s GAU-8 Avenger cannon malfunctioned, sending a “donut of gas” through the aircraft, blowing off the canopy while flying at 325 knots. The malfunction caused other systems to fail, slamming DeVries’ head against his seat. He was able to gather himself and, with mission-planning papers flying out of his cockpit, made contact with his wingman and maintainers back at Selfridge.

The team decided to fly to nearby Alpena airfield, situated about 250 miles south of the base. DeVries ducked behind the canopy to avoid the wind to try to make an approach to the airfield. When he attempted to lower the landing gear, it got stuck. Maj. Shannon Vickers radioed him to try to retreat the gear, thinking a belly landing would be better than one with partially protruding landing gear.

Vickers flew on DeVries’ wing, guiding him in to a belly landing at Alpena. Video shows the A-10 without a canopy gliding down to a smooth belly landing, and skidding to a stop on the flightline.

DeVries, a senior pilot, has more than 2,000 flight hours, including 830 in combat. Brig. Gen. Rolf E. Mammen, commander of the 127th Wing, said during the award ceremony that DeVries “demonstrated a level of Airmanship to which we should all aspire.”

“As a commander, I cannot tell you how proud I am of Major DeVries and our entire 127th Wing, who work so hard every day to ensure that we are ready to fly, fight, and win,” he said in a 127th Wing release.

Air Force Secretary Barbara M. Barrett presented the award, saying it is the oldest military aviation decoration “awarded for heroism or extraordinary achievement that is ‘entirely distinctive, involving operations that are not routine.’ Today, Major DeVries, you will join the ranks of some other American heroes.”

Trump Fires Esper, Names Christopher Miller as Acting SECDEF

Nov. 9, 2020 | By Brian W. Everstine

President Donald J. Trump on Nov. 9 fired Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper, announcing on Twitter he was appointing Christopher C. Miller, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, to serve as the acting Pentagon boss.

“Chris will do a GREAT job! Mark Esper has been terminated,” Trump tweeted. “I would like to thank him for his service.”

The move comes shortly after the media declared former Vice President Joe Biden the projected President-elect. With only 72 days left of a Trump administration, it is unlikely he will nominate a candidate to take the role permanently.

Miller will be the fourth acting Defense Secretary in the Trump administration. Patrick M. Shanahan served in the role for more than 170 days after Trump fired former Secretary James N. Mattis after Mattis announced his resignation. Esper served as the acting Defense Secretary in July 2019, before he was nominated to serve in the role permanently, and former Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer became acting Secretary for about eight days.

Esper, during his one year and 109 days in office, focused largely on implementing the National Defense Strategy he inherited from Mattis, aligning department priorities and force structure toward preparing for “great power competition” with potential adversaries Russia and China. This included the “zero-based” reviews of military combatant commands across the globe, seeking to move away from low-intensity conflict and potentially removing thousands of troops from Europe.

He also oversaw the creation of the U.S. Space Force, which became a new branch about five months into his tenure. Esper leaves the Pentagon as the Defense Department is attempting to draw down from Afghanistan amid fraught negotiations with the Taliban, and before Congressional leaders pass a defense authorization bill. Additionally, the military is still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and is expected, through Operation Warp Speed and the distribution of equipment, to be a leading part of the implementation of a vaccine once approved.

Esper, in a Nov. 9 “Final Message to the Department” wrote that he was “particularly proud” of the progress made in implementing the National Defense Strategy, modernizing the military, improving readiness, working with allies, and reforming the department, especially “in light of the challenges we faced along the way: a global pandemic; confrontation with Iran and its proxies throughout the Middle East; continued deployment of troops into conflict zones; domestic civil unrest; malign behavior globally by Russia and China; and a charged political atmosphere here at home.”

“Through thick and thin, however, we have always put people and country first,” he wrote.

In a separate Nov. 9 letter addressed to Trump, Esper writes that he serves “in deference to the Constitution, so I accept your decision to replace me. I step aside knowing there is much we achieved at the Defense Department over the last eighteen months to protect the nation and improve the readiness, capabilities, and professionalism of the joint force, while fundamentally transforming and preparing the military for the future.”

Before becoming Defense Secretary, Esper served as Secretary of the Army in the Trump administration. Multiple news outlets reported in recent days that Esper had prepared a letter of resignation, with NBC News reporting he was helping members of Congress to draft legislation stripping the names of Confederate leaders from military installations—a position Trump opposes. The Pentagon attempted to push back on the reporting, with spokesman Jonathan Rath Hoffman saying Esper had no plans to resign.

In addition to distancing himself from the White House on the Confederate naming issue—and taking steps to ban the Confederate flag from bases, Esper also distanced himself from Trump’s reaction to protests across the country, and specifically in Washington, D.C., following the May death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. Esper, who appeared alongside Trump after Lafayette Square was forcibly cleared, said he opposed invoking the Insurrection Act to further quell unrest.

Trump has publicly disparaged Esper, including referring to him in a speech by the nickname “Yesper” for a reputation of not disagreeing with White House policies. Esper had taken a low profile in recent months, only appearing in recorded speeches or think tank events focused on the National Defense Strategy. He has not appeared at a news conference since July.

Miller has served as the director of the National Counterterrorism Center since August, and previously served as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for special operations and combating terrorism. He is a former U.S. Army officer who also worked on the National Security Council. In selecting Miller, Trump skipped over current Deputy Secretary of Defense David L. Norquist and the current service Secretaries.

Dynamic Force Employment in Aviano’s 31st Fighter Wing

Nov. 8, 2020 | By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

The 31st Fighter Wing’s embrace of dynamic force employment—a type of concept of operations that emphasizes quick deployments and multirole Airmen—will transform various aspects of how Airmen based out of Aviano Air Base, Italy, do business, its commander said during a virtual all-call on Nov. 6.

31st Fighter Wing boss Brig. Gen. Jason E. Bailey—who assumed command on June 5—said quick-turn deployments like the ones the 555th Fighter Squadron recently carried out are “what the future looks like.”

“That ability, what was known and will be known for the future as dynamic force employment, that’s the kinda global capability that we need to train to, organize to, and it is different,” he said during the Zoom call. “It causes us to think about how we move stuff, how we move people, how we position warfighters in the right places, what capabilities go with, and how.”

This approach will frame how the wing prepares for future fights in other theaters, as well as how it approaches in-theater operations and the way its Airmen train on a daily basis, Bailey said.

This paradigm shift, however, doesn’t mean the wing will totally abandon more traditional deployments that involve “a pre-deployment preparation cycle,” shipping out, carrying out the mission, and recovering, he said, noting that multiple squadrons from the wing are currently on deployments that followed the more typical model.

Rather, he said, Airmen need to build the muscles necessary to do both to prepare for the operations of tomorrow.

Bailey promised that the wing would work to provide its Airmen “as much stability around that” as possible so as “to build in a surge capacity to be flexible.”

“The future of exercises is not the baseline … operational readiness inspection you’ve done in the past, where we just plan to dream up a scenario against a fictitious adversary, and then we train as if we’re gonna push forces forward, or how we might fight from some mythical base,” Bailey said. “We are forward postured. We are in multiple threat lanes. And we’re gonna think about that, and we’re gonna have the components of our organization who help feed us that information educate us, and we’re gonna adapt.”

According to Bailey, this adaptation includes considering new partnerships with “different bases,” assessing the way the wing moves and shifts within the U.S. European Command area of responsibility, and constructing “capability packages.” And these packages won’t be limited to maintainers and logistics Airmen, he noted.

“It goes across the entire wing,” he said.

The shift towards dynamic force employment also means an increasing focus on “multi-domain” operations, he said, noting that the wing’s communications squadron is working on boosting competitiveness “in the cyber domain.”

“We have to change everything from authorities to certain classifications and accesses to different types of teams, and the way that we organize within that comms squadron to posture for the future and what’s gonna happen,” Bailey said.

He also said that dynamic force employment will impact how the wing deters and dominates its competitors “across multiple domains and … levels of conflict,” and that the wing will still conduct operations in Africa.

During the same event, Bailey noted the wing will soon exercise closer to Russia, calling its recent activity in Bulgaria—which included a multilateral agile combat employment exercise and a subsequent stint backing up NATO’s enhanced Air Policing mission over the nation’s skies— “the tip of the iceberg” when it comes to heeding Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr.’s call to “accelerate change, or lose” with respect to allyship.

In addition to continuing collaboration with Bulgaria, Slovenia, and Croatia, Bailey said the wing will “also … move further outward” to include activity in Hungary and Romania.

This eastward movement is consistent with the kind of geographic refocus Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper recently told the Atlantic Council is necessary to more effectively deter Russia and reassure the nation’s partners and allies in Europe.

Pease Receives 2 KC-46s, Including 1 Previously Delayed by Electrical Issues

Nov. 8, 2020 | By Brian W. Everstine

The New Hampshire Air National Guard received its eighth and ninth KC-46 on Nov. 6, one of which was delayed for more than a month due to electrical issues.

The 157th Air Refueling Wing at Pease will receive 12 of the tankers. Pegasus No. 8 was originally expected to be delivered the week of Sept. 28, but the Defense Contract Management Agency discovered an electrical issue on the aircraft during a pre-acceptance inspection. Since Boeing did not have a tanker readily available to complete the inspection process, delivery was delayed until Nov. 6.

Boeing said at the time the issue was a poor electrical connection in the aircraft’s radar warning receiver that needed to be removed and reinstalled. While the part showed a fault in flight, it was not a design flaw and the aircraft was still safe to fly. The Air Force said the issue was specific to the individual aircraft, and was not a “systemic, fleet-wide” problem.

Separately, on Nov. 6 another KC-46 experienced another minor issue while taking off from Boeing Field south of Seattle. Crews on the ground saw “light smoke” coming from the plane’s right main landing gear. The aircraft landed shortly after at the company’s Paine Field in Everett, about 30 miles north, where no smoke or other problem was “noted on landing,” Boeing said in a statement. During post-flight inspection, crews noticed excessive grease on the aircraft’s main landing gear, which was likely the cause.

That KC-46 was a Boeing test and evaluation aircraft that was ferried to the production aircraft inventory in Everett via a special flight permit, according to the company.