National Guard Takes Cyber Shield 2020 Online Due to COVID-19

Sept. 2, 2020 | By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

The National Guard will conduct the 2020 edition of its annual Cyber Shield Exercise completely online in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The mission of Cyber Shield is to develop, train, and exercise cyber forces in the areas of computer network internal defensive measures and cyber incident response,” National Guard Bureau spokesperson Wayne V. Hall wrote in an Aug. 31 email to reporters. “These capabilities facilitate National Guard Cyber Teams’ abilities to conduct missions to coordinate, train, and assist federal, state, and industry network owners that are threatened by cyberattack.”

The exercise, slated for Sept. 12-27, is projected to include more than 800 Guard personnel from at least 41 states and the District of Columbia, plus U.S. government and private sector partners, according to Illinois National Guard spokesperson Lt. Col. Brad Leighton. NGB expects Air National Guard personnel to comprise about 20 percent of its uniformed participants, he said.

Most Guard personnel will participate remotely, with Microsoft Teams being the main platform used during the exercise, Army Col. Teri D. Williams—commander of the Virginia Army National Guard’s 91st Cyber Brigade and the officer in charge of Cyber Shield 2020—told reporters during a Sept. 2 NGB media call about the exercise. Troops will also have access to email, a ticketing system, and a chat capability, she added.

In contrast with last year’s iteration of the exercise, which featured a single, extended cyber scenario, this year’s event will feature a collection of single-day cyber events and training exercises, said George Battistelli, exercise director and chief of the Army National Guard’s IT Security, Compliance and Readiness Division.

“At the end of the day, we will tear down, we will reconstitute, and have another event and another scenario for the next day, and so on,” he told reporters during the same call.

Battistelli said this format serves two purposes. First, he said, it allows the Guard “to baseline everybody’s training from a DCOE [Defensive Cyber Operations Element] perspective.” Next, it ensures that regardless of Guard members’ cyber strengths and weaknesses, that they all get “on the same page.”

Williams said the Guard intentionally incorporated knowledge gaps and skills shortfalls that were identified via the Command Cyber Readiness Inspection Program into this year’s exercise.

According to Battistelli, this program examines risk posture and open vulnerabilities. He said this year’s exercise will take “open vulnerabilities and potential open exploits” that were trending across the Guard and intentionally attempt to exploit them. That way, he said, commanders can get a specific look at how bad actors—internal or external, alike—could intrude into their networks and gain illicit access.

Illustrating these cause and effect relationships between CCRI findings and network weaknesses also serves as a reality check for commanders, he said, since it forces them to take seemingly low-risk hypotheticals more seriously.

Both Battistelli and Williams were hesitant to divulge the specifics of Cyber Shield 2020 scenarios, as well as the particular kinds of information and cyber skills the exercise will test, for fear of potentially tipping off participants to the challenges that lie ahead.

However, Batistelli said participating personnel could expect to see phishing—which he said “continues to be the number one attack vector”—as well as insider threats. This year’s exercise also will include a greater focus on information operations, he added.

“The first part of the week will focus on … a lot of the things that you see in the news, and … then later in the week, we focus a little bit more on some of the newer technology,” Williams said. “We certainly jump into the … industrial control [systems] … portion of the exercise.”

While a full list of participating ANG wings wasn’t available by press time, Leighton told Air Force Magazine that all three of the Illinois ANG’s wings will be taking part. A small number of Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy personnel are also signed up for the exercise as of Sept. 2, he added.

South Korea Bases Brace for Typhoon Maysak

Sept. 2, 2020 | By Brian W. Everstine

U.S. Air Force wings in South Korea closed or limited operations as Typhoon Maysak hit the country early Sept. 3 local time, bringing high winds and heavy rains shortly after the storm grazed bases in Japan.

Kunsan Air Base announced at about 3 a.m. local time that it was in a Tropical Cyclone Condition of Readiness 1 Emergency, with wind gusts of more than 69 miles per hour. The warning called for all personnel to shelter in place and not report to duty until directed, staying indoors and away from windows.

The base did not announce if it had moved aircraft in advance of the storm, though it recently unveiled 20 new hardened aircraft shelters with improved storm drainage to better protect its F-16s.

Meanwhile, Osan Air Base, which is located further north, near Seoul, was also at TCCOR 1 with delayed reporting for Sept. 3. The base, in an announcement, said it expected 4-5 inches of rain with sustained winds of about 40 miles per hour.

Typhoon Maysak moved toward South Korea with the power equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane, with peak winds of about 130 miles per hour, though it was expected to weaken, according to CNN. The storm is expected to be one of the most powerful to hit South Korea in years, with ships evacuated from coastal waters and flights canceled, according to Yonhap News Agency.

Kadena Air Base, Japan, on Sept. 2 local time, announced it was all clear after the storm passed with limited damage. The base closed to all personnel except for recovery crews as Maysak moved by Okinawa, with no injuries reported.

China Now Tops US in Shipbuilding, Missiles, and Air Defense, DOD Says

Sept. 1, 2020 | By John A. Tirpak

China is making substantial progress in improving its armed forces, now eclipsing the U.S. in the areas of shipbuilding, missiles, and air defenses, according to the Pentagon’s 20th annual assessment of the People’s Republic of China’s military power.

The Defense Department’s annual report, which is usually released in January, says China is spending about $200 billion a year on its military, a 6.2 percent increase from last year. The rate of growth of its Gross Domestic Product has declined from nine percent 10 years ago to six percent today, yet China’s defense spending has nearly doubled over the last decade.

Most of that spending goes to equipment and readiness, versus the U.S., which spends nearly two-thirds of its military budget on pay, pensions, and healthcare for service members. China’s costs for new equipment are also substantially lower than comparable expenditures by the U.S., especially since China pays less for labor and profit and acquires much technology through “licit and illicit means” overseas, the DOD said.

China’s stated plan is to have a “world-class” military by 2049. Although it does not define what that means, the Pentagon report notes, it says China will have completed a basic military modernization by about 2035 and will surpass the U.S. by “mid-Century.” China’s armed forces are also seeking improved capabilities in joint warfare, and China is coordinating the activities of its defense and commercial industrial base, as well as giving most large national facilities “dual use” capabilities.

Beyond its first overseas base in Djibouti, China is courting potential host nations for basing rights in “Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Seychelles, Tanzania, Angola, and Tajikistan.” China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative to build extremely long supply lines around Asia continues apace.

The Chinese Navy is now “the largest … in the world,” according to the report, with 350 ships and 130 major surface combatants, versus the U.S. total of 293 ships. It has by far the largest force of land-based ballistic and cruise missiles, with 1,250 ground-launched ballistic missiles and ground-launched cruise missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers, while the U.S. fields only one GLBM type with a range under 300 km, and no GLCMs.

China is rapidly increasing the precision and numbers of its air-based cruise missiles. Carried aboard newly refined versions of the H-6 bomber, which have aerial refueling capability and capacity to carry more missiles and unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, China’s reach is increasing substantially, the report said. The H-6N is China’s first nuclear-capable, air-refuelable bomber, giving the service a true nuclear triad.

The air defense system around China is also one of the best, if not the best, in the world, the Pentagon said, as China now fields Russian-built S-300 and S-400 systems, as well as its own indigenous copies, soon to have capability for intercepting ballistic missiles. The Pentagon described the system as “robust and redundant.”

The People’s Liberation Army Air Forces and People’s Liberation Army Navy now have the largest combined aviation force in the Indo-Pacific region and the third-largest in the world, according to the report, and the PLAAF “is rapidly catching up to Western air forces.” Overall, more than half of the PLAAF’s 1,500 fighters—not including trainers—are of fourth-gen types, and the overall fleet (including attack aircraft and electronic warfare types) will “become a majority fourth-generation force within the next few years,” the Pentagon said. China has completed its buy of two dozen Su-35s from Russia and is producing the J-20 stealth attack plane on its own, likely expanding the number of missiles that aircraft can carry even as it continues fielding the first unit. The J-10, roughly equivalent to the F-16, is also being improved, with thrust-vectoring and new weapons.

China’s F-35 look-alike, the FC-31/J-31, is seen as equipping China’s aircraft carrier fleet, now under construction, and as an export fighter for allied nations and non-allied customers.

China “is seeking to extend its power projection capability with the development of a new stealth strategic bomber,” but the Pentagon did not offer its assessment of how soon that capability will materialize. It cited “commentators” speculating that the aircraft may take “more than a decade” to develop.

The reach of Chinese aircraft will also increase as it fields not one but several types of air refueling jets, including a variant of the H-6, a small number of Il-78 Midas tankers it bought from Ukraine, and a tanker variant of its new Y-20 heavy-lift transport, which bears a strong resemblance to the C-17. The Y-20 is in series production, now.

The Pentagon reserved most of its awe for PLAAF development to the category of remotely piloted aircraft, which China is building in a wide variety for every conceivable mission and is exporting to many customers; even some who are not necessarily friendly. These include lookalikes to the RQ-4 Global Hawk and MQ-9 Reaper, but also the Navy’s experimental X-47; the Gongji-11, which appeared in last year’s Chinese military parade. China also displayed types that have no analogy in the U.S. or western air forces, presumably intended as unmanned cargo delivery systems, for electronic warfare and for high-speed attack.

The number of AWACS-type aircraft in PLAAF service is also increasing, with stepped-up deliveries of the KJ-500 AEW&C airplane. These new versions of the older KJ-200 and KJ-2000 can detect and track targets “in varying conditions, in larger volumes, and at greater distances.”

The People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force—roughly equivalent to U.S. Strategic Command—is accelerating its operating tempo, and in 2019 “launched more ballistic missiles for testing and training than the rest of the world combined.” It “continues to grow its inventories” of intermediate range ballistic missiles such as the DF-26, which is dual-capable as a nuclear or conventional delivery system, and is developing a new Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, which will have Multiple Independently-Targeted Re-entry Vehicles.

“The number of warhead on the PRC’s land-based ICBMs capable of threatening the United States is expected to grow to roughly 200 in the next five years,” the Pentagon’s report said. The PRC is also moving to a “launch on warning” posture.

China is stepping up its development of launch vehicles, with a dual-use industrial base producing vehicles for both military and commercial use. One of the “startups” created in imitation of Blue Origin and SpaceX is called “Exspace.” China continues to “rapidly mature” its commercial space ventures and “is growing all aspects of its space program, from military space applications to civil applications such as profit-generating launches, scientific endeavors, and space exploration.”

Beijing’s technological goals line up almost exactly with those of the U.S., seeking advances in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, autonomy, quantum information sciences, biotech, and advanced materials and manufacturing.

China is also merging its information warfare, psychological operations, and elements of cyber warfare and espionage into unified commands. In addition to stealing technology, it is “targeting cultural institutions, media organizations, business, academic and policy communities” in the U.S. and other countries and seeks to condition these institutions to “accept Beijing’s narratives.” It considers open democracies like the U.S. “more susceptible to influence operations than other types of governments,” the Pentagon said.

Raymond to Swear in New Space Force Members at AFA’s Virtual Air, Space & Cyber Conference

Sept. 1, 2020 | By Brian W. Everstine

The approximately 2,400 Active-duty Airmen in the space systems operations and space operations career fields selected to join the Space Force will formally swear in to the new service this month in public and private ceremonies, highlighted by a large virtual swearing-in by the Chief of Space Operations.

The Airmen, officers, and enlisted members in the 13S and 1C6 career fields were initially selected to join the new service in July. CSO Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond will address the new members and lead a virtual swearing-in during the Air Force Association’s virtual Air, Space & Cyber Conference on Sept. 15.

“This is a momentous occasion for the Space Force and for each of these space professionals,” Raymond said in a release. “We intend to give our newest Space Force members and their families the special recognition they deserve, while at the same time share this historic event with the American people.”

In addition to the AFA event, new Space Force members can choose to have a private event, or local ceremonies where groups can be sworn in. During the ceremonies, the Airmen will officially separate from the Air Force and join the Space Force in their current rank. Enlisted members will take the Oath of Enlistment and sign their contracts, while officers will be administered the Oath of Office and sign commissioning documents. The new members will commit to at least two years of service, according to the release.

“There has been substantial planning behind the scenes between the Space Force and Air Force personnelists to get us to this day,” said Patricia Mulcahy, deputy chief of space operations for personnel and logistics, in the release. “We understand the personal circumstances that influence a member’s decision to volunteer for transfer, and I am incredibly proud of the team’s thoughtfulness put into every decision to ensure we provide members with as seamless a transfer process as possible.”

The Space Force is organizing town halls to answer questions about the process, with details available on the Air Force Portal.

In addition to these approximately 2,400 personnel, the Space Force is still working through the almost 9,000 volunteers who signed up for about 6,500 slots in the service. Those selections are expected this fall, with the transfers beginning Feb. 1, 2021.

While the Airmen will join the new service, they will keep their U.S. Air Force ranks for the time being as the Space Force waits on Congress to determine if they can name their own ranks or if proposed legislation forces the service to use naval ranks, the service’s Senior Enlisted Adviser Chief Master Sgt. Roger A. Towberman said Aug. 26.

The Space Force also announced Aug. 27 that it will largely adopt the Air Force’s uniform regulations for wearing the Operational Camouflage Pattern, with tweaks such as name, badge, and grade insignia in “Space Blue.”

AETC’s Command Chief Talks Priorities, Fighting Sexism

Sept. 1, 2020 | By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Chief Master Sgt. Erik C. Thompson, Air Education and Training Command’s newest command chief, doesn’t want to reinvent the way the command does business.

Instead, he wants to back up its already innovative educators—whom he said are driving training change on a daily basis—in their efforts to reach AETC’s Airmen.

“Our great teaching professionals … are coming up with great and innovative ways for us to reach every Airman, and I want to continue to enforce their ability to do that on a day in and day out basis,” he said during a recent interview with Air Force Magazine. “Really, … I’m the old dog that you’re not looking to … for new tricks. My job is to make sure that the folks that can do the new tricks have the tools, the time, and the resources to do that and make our Airmen better every day.”

Thompson said his biggest priorities in his new position are:

Keep recruiting, training, and educating “exceptional Airmen and space professionals” for USAF and the Space Force
Give commanders the best possible warfighters
Ensure that the command looks out for its Airmen—an action he referred to as “valuing force generation”

Combating Climate Issues

Thompson, who served as 19th Air Force’s command chief master sergeant prior to assuming his current role at AETC, said he’s never seen USAF take the issue of combating sexism and related climate issues within undergraduate pilot training as seriously as it is now.

But, he said, the service can’t afford to let up.

“It’s not something that we’ve beaten,” he said. “It, quite frankly, is something that we have to continue to work on extremely hard every single day.”

An Aug. 3 report by Air Force Times detailed incidences of sexism that erupted during undergraduate pilot training at 19th Air Force’s 47th Flying Training Wing in 2017 and 2018, a resulting commander-directed investigation, and efforts by the NAF and AETC to remedy these climate issues since.

Thompson praised steps that 19AF took in the past two years—such as widening commanders’ and instructors’ toolboxes, placing “more experienced leaders in some of the positions of authority that have the ability to help assist in those issues,” and giving students more ways to alert their chain of command to concerns. He said such actions are proactive things AETC and the rest of the Air Force can do to cultivate a healthier culture overall.

“Sadly, that shouldn’t be revolutionary,” he said. “That should be something that we do as a baseline every day for all of our Airmen.”

Thompson said USAF must “be hypervigilant” about safeguarding Airmen’s “right to serve in an environment free from” this kind of injustice.

“We have to be always listening about that and more importantly, we have to be willing to act on that,” he said.

B-52s Train With 6 Nations Over Baltic Sea

Sept. 1, 2020 | By Brian W. Everstine

Three USAF B-52s flew through the Baltic Sea region on Aug. 31, training with aircraft from six nations and flying over Latvia just days after a Russian aircraft reportedly violated NATO airspace to intercept another B-52.

During the Aug. 31 flight, the B-52s, which are deployed as part of the bomber task force at RAF Fairford, U.K., trained with aircraft from Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, and Portugal, then flew over Riga, Latvia, according to a U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa release. A USAF KC-135 from RAF Mildenhall, U.K., supported the bomber flight.

“It’s been an active first week for BTF. After accomplishing an impressive feat with a single-day mission that overflew 30 NATO countries, we continue to visibly demonstrate our capability to extend deterrence globally,” USAFE boss Gen. Jeffrey L. Harrigian said in a release. “Our forward presence in the Baltic Sea region today shows our solidarity with NATO and sends a clear deterrence message to any adversary.”

The flight comes after the Aug. 28 alleged NATO airspace incursion, during which a Russian Su-27 flew “well into Danish airspace” at the Island of Bornholm, according to NATO. The incursion happened the same day another Russian Su-27 conducted an “unsafe” intercept of a B-52 in the Black Sea, USAFE said. Both incidents happened as the bombers were conducting the “Allied Sky” flyover of all NATO nations.

On Sept. 1, Russian state media claimed another Russian Su-27 intercepted a German P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft in international airspace in the Baltic Sea.

8th AF Boss on Hypersonics, B-21, Long-Range Strike, and B-52 Re-Engining

Aug. 31, 2020 | By John A. Tirpak

The AGM-183 Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon, likely to be the Air Force’s first operational hypersonic missile, could be a temporary measure until more advanced types come along, said 8th Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Mark E. Weatherington.

On a livestream event with AFA’s Mitchell Institute, Weatherington, who is also the commander of the Joint Global Strike Operations Center at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., said the service plans to try out “a range of capabilities” in hypersonics, and industry is competing for those programs right now.

Video: The Mitchell Institute on YouTube

“I think we’ll see kind of an uneven development,” he said of hypersonics. “We’ll see some systems that are early to the fight, and ARRW may be one of those.” Being early, it will “demonstrate some capability” and give Global Strike Command a chance to experiment with concepts of operation for hypersonic systems. It will help the command decide: “What are our considerations for planning and executing and integrating them into the fight?” Weatherington said.

But there will also be “room for … a range of weapons” in different size categories, he said.

“If you’re talking something really large, it’s probably going to be on a bomber aircraft. But you’re also going to want to develop some that are a little bit smaller, that are hypersonic, [with] maybe less range … or payload” that could fit on bombers or fighters. Key to their development, he said, will be understanding “the target, where it’s at, where it’s going, how do we provide updates if there is a longer time of flight, even though it’s hypersonic.”

The Air Force recently asked industry leaders to answer a request for information on an air-breathing hypersonic missile that would be smaller than the boost-glide ARRW. That new system is known as Mayhem, and it builds at least somewhat on the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept, or HAWC, the Air Force has been exploring with DARPA.

On the B-21, Weatherington said the first bomber, which is now under construction, will fly “no earlier than ’22,” which is slightly beyond a late 2021 estimate offered by Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Stephen W. “Seve” Wilson last year. Otherwise, though, he said the new secret bomber is “on track, on schedule,” and coming in at “a little less” than the predicted unit cost.

He confirmed that the Air Force is considering accelerating the program—not its development, but the rate at which the service buys the airplane. That would allow the Air Force to more quickly eliminate the B-2 and B-1 bombers, reducing the logistics and training footprint of the bomber force and helping it become more efficient.

“If we get a steeper ramp, then you’ll see an earlier IOC,” or initial operational capability date, he said.

Weatherington said it’s likely the bomber force will contract before it begins to grow again. That will create a challenge for building a seasoned bomber pilot force, so Global Strike Command is working with Air Education and Training Command to push more B-1 Weapon System Officers into pilot training. There were two B-1 WSOs in the first Pilot Training Next class last year, he noted.

“We have to leverage the talent” already in the force, he said.

The arrival of the B-21 will change the complexion of the bomber fleet considerably, Weatherington noted. “Your bomber force will become two-thirds low observable, from one that is only 20 percent LO today.” This is a “big change” and affects “how we plan, operate, the facilities we use, everything.” Spreading the stealth enterprise “across multiple bases instead of just one base, currently at Whiteman (Air Force Base, Mo.), will force us to organize and operate differently than we do now,” he said.

While he’s aware of calls to cancel the Long Range Standoff missile on the grounds that a cruise missile with either conventional or nuclear warheads would be destabilizing, Weatherington said it has been that way for decades with the Air-Launched Cruise Missile. Adversaries also seem to “embrace ambiguity” in capabilities, “from ‘little green men’ to cruise missiles to ballistic missiles,” he said. The LRSO is “not escalatory.”

“I’m sure they would be delighted” if the U.S. unilaterally moved to limit its bomber capabilities, Weatherington asserted. Cruise missiles, he said, “are not new,” and he lamented that “we get trapped in these intense theoretical debates” that limit U.S. capabilities needlessly.

As for the escalatory nature of cruise missiles, “we message intentions. We monitor telltale signs” of adversary movements toward a first strike, he said.

The LRSO program downselected from two contractors to one earlier this year, and that step was also early. This in turn means the program could be accelerated, Weatherington pointed out.

“The sole source [decision] in April provided an opportunity to accelerate some of the milestones; Milestone B or IOC by about a year each,” he said. “Global Strike Command … will look for opportunities to accelerate it.” He said the missile has “good funding and support.”

While the idea of an Arsenal Plane has been around for decades, Weatherington said, there are problems with two ideas recently getting attention: The idea of adapting a commercial airliner as cruise missile or standoff weapon carrier, or of using airlift aircraft to carry “palletized munitions.”

“I think when you do the analysis you find that it’s actually cheaper and more effective to purpose-build an airplane that does all this,” he said, acknowledging that the B-52 already is an “Arsenal Plane,” but not answering a question on why another platform might be needed to supplement it in such a role.

“If there was a way to rapidly and easily convert” an existing platform for such a role, it would be “a neat route to go,” he said.

Before pursuing palletized munitions, he said, planners should think about “how much excess airlift capacity they think we have” and then weigh that against strategies requiring sudden, heavy movement of people, vehicles, and equipment.

“You may not have as much excess airlift [as] you think you have … for delivery of those palletized munitions,” he said, but it’s “something to watch.”

Weatherington said that when the B-52 engine replacement program gets going, the fleet will see some “30-40 refurbs per year” of their powerplants, suggesting the installation program could happen over a period of three or so years instead of the 10 that AFGSC has previously mentioned. However, he noted the B-52 will also be getting a new radar, is finishing a connectivity upgrade, and will see improvements to its internal weapon carriage capability. The latter could provide the capacity equivalent of 20 additional bombers, he said.

The 8th Air Force leader also said there should be some joint analysis about how much long-range strike capabilities the other services require.

“I’m not surprised, given the capabilities that near-peer adversaries possess—and are developing—that all the services are looking for ways to influence warfighting outcomes from a greater range. And to some degree, this exploration of diversity in capabilities is vital” to building a competitive force.

However, the Pentagon “should absolutely conduct some sort of joint analysis of different long-range strike capabilities. Some redundancy … may be needed. Some differentiation is essential.”

NATO: Russian Su-27 Violates Danish Airspace While Pursuing B-52

Aug. 31, 2020 | By Brian W. Everstine

A Russian fighter jet pursuing an Air Force B-52 violated Danish air space on Aug. 28, the same day a separate set of Russian fighters intercepted another B-52 in a manner U.S. officials say was unprofessional and unsafe.

The B-52, deployed to Europe as part of a bomber task force, was flying over the Baltic Sea as part of the “Allied Sky” flyover of NATO nations when a Russian Su-27 scrambled from Kaliningrad and pursued the bomber from international airspace, flying “well into Danish airspace” in the vicinity of the Island of Bornholm, NATO Allied Air Command said in a release. The act is a “significant violation” of Denmark’s airspace, according to the alliance.

“This incident demonstrates Russia’s disrespect of international norms and for the sovereign airspace of an Allied nation,” said USAF Gen. Jeffrey L. Harrigian, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and NATO’s Allied Air Command, in the release. “We remain vigilant, ready, and prepared to secure NATO airspace 24/7.”

Danish Quick Reaction Alert aircraft launched to “counter the violation,” but the Russian fighters had turned back. The Danish jets stayed airborne and patrolled the area.

The intrusion was the first of its kind “for several years and indicates a new level of Russian provocative behavior,” NATO said.

Earlier the same day, the two Russian Su-27s intercepted another B-52 in the Black Sea in an “unsafe and unprofessional manner,” crossing within 100 feet of the nose of the B-52 while at the same altitude and in afterburner. Video of the intercept showed the B-52 experiencing turbulence because of the maneuver.

“Actions like these increase the potential for midair collisions, are unnecessary, and inconsistent with good airmanship and international flight rules,” Harrigian said in a release about the incident. “While the Russian aircraft were operating in international airspace, they jeopardized the safety of flight of the aircraft involved. We expect them to operate within international standards set to ensure safety and prevent accidents,” he added.

Incirlik Air Base Trains ‘Multi-Capable’ Airmen

Aug. 31, 2020 | By Brian W. Everstine

The Air Force’s push for deployable, multi-capable Airmen has extended to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, a base on the southern flank of NATO, near Russia’s doorstep.

Agile Combat Employment, or ACE, has taken hold service-wide, with wings and major commands exercising how it can have one Airman serve in multiple roles when needed, to be able to run combat operations with a small footprint. At Incirlik, Airmen from across the 39th Air Base Wing trained with U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawks deployed to learn these new capabilities, Wing Commander Col. John B. Creel said in an interview.

“If you know more than just your one job, I can send that person that knows how to do more than one thing and I don’t have to send maybe more than that one person,” Creel said. “So the footprint that I need to move to another location for a shorter period of time, that can then project the … combat power, is smaller than if I have to send every single person that does this specific job.”

Airmen from different Air Force Specialty Codes first attended a three-day ACE “Academy,” where they worked in the classroom and on the flightline with the Army learning how to protect, fuel, marshal, and get parts for the Black Hawk. Some Airmen had never been around helicopters before, but they learned the basics on how to keep a small base of the choppers running if necessary. These Airmen, who got a certificate and coin showing their “multi-capable” role, will help direct future training events and exercises so in the future the base can send aircraft to austere locations for larger-scale events, and work with Turkish personnel as well, Creel said.

“We’re trying to make it to where our Airmen own the training, they just go out and have classes on other jobs,” Creel said. “So, if you’re a logistical Airman, maybe you go learn how to guard an aircraft. Maybe you’re an airfield manager, maybe you learn how to not only refuel the aircraft, but you also know where to go to get parts for the aircraft. We’re trying to do that to where you have the multi-capable Airman, and not just a specialty Airman on one thing.”

Bases across U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa did not get specific tasks, but instead were directed to “look at what we had available” to train on ACE, Creel said. Other wings have done training events where they have forward deployed aircraft, for example. Eventually, the wings will come together for additional exercises.

“We’re not just going to be doing this here at Incirlik,” Creel said. “It’s going to be in every other wing, and we’re fine tuning how we’re going to do it at each base initially, and then we’re going to start working together.”

Creel said the training at Incirlik is just beginning. It needs to extend beyond his tenure at the base, or the time each individual is based in Turkey. It needs to be a “three- to five-year plan, maybe even 10.”

“It needs to be a strategic thought,” he said. “It’s not just something that we’re going to do for a while and then, you know, focus on something else. This is how we deter aggression here on the southern flank. … This is extremely important way down south on the (U.S. European Command) side. It’s all about the location and [ability] to project the power when we need to.”