Yokota Airmen Practice Rapid Response to Crises ‘Under Pressure’

Yokota Airmen Practice Rapid Response to Crises ‘Under Pressure’

Oct. 27, 2023 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

The 374th Airlift Wing at Japan’s Yokota Air Base held its annual Beverly Morning 24-1 training exercise starting Oct. 16, focusing on its ability to rapidly respond to threats and deploy in less-than-ideal conditions across the Indo-Pacific.

“Beverly Morning makes certain we can execute our tactical airlift mission under pressure,” Col. Andrew Roddan, 374th AW commander, said in a statement.

As part of the exercise, aircraft at the base swiftly launched after simulated missile attack warnings, using the principles and procedures of what the 374th FW calls the “Launch to Survive” concept.

“‘Launch to Survive’ ensures that aircrews remain poised to respond rapidly, positioned in close proximity to the airfield around the clock,” a release stated. “This state of readiness guarantees that Yokota’s aircraft can be generated to depart the base at a moment’s notice, effectively safeguarding valuable Air Force assets from potential harm.”

Simultaneously, Airmen conducted Rapid Airfield Damage Repair to practice keeping airfield operations going during conflicts or challenging conditions.

A team of U.S. Air Force 374th Operations Support Squadron Landing Zone Control Officers ensure a C-130J Super Hercules aircrew safely approaches the landing zone during Exercise Beverly Morning 24-1 at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Oct. 22, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Taylor Altier

The training also involved multiple C-130J Super Hercules aircraft launching and landing on the base’s Foxtrot taxiway instead of its runway. The exercise demonstrated the Airmen’s proficiency in executing precise landings on short, narrow, crowded, or unmarked land.

This is the second time in recorded history Airmen at Yokota have performed successful landings on the taxiway, the first time being in 2020.

“We can establish landing zones anywhere that meets our requirements when a conventional runway isn’t available or accessible,” said Tech. Sgt. Ryan Rathke, 374th OSS airfield management specialist.

Such an ability is crucial for the Air Force’s concept of Agile Combat Employment, in which aircraft have to be able to operate from remote or austere locations, sometimes with limited space and resources.

Yokota’s Foxtrot taxiway originally served the legacy C-130H models from 1991 to 2001. After that, they switched to operate on the main runway’s permanent hard surface.

U.S. Air Force and Japan Air Self-Defense Force Airmen also assisted in a unit relocation mission involving MQ-9 Reapers from the 319th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron shifting from Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Kanoya Air Base to Kadena Air Base.

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Andres Lopez, 730th Air Mobility Squadron fleet service technician, operates a K-loader vehicle near a Yokota Air Base C-130J Super Hercules as part of cargo loading operations at Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Kanoya Air Base, Japan, Oct. 18, 2023. The event was also incorporated into Exercise Beverly Morning 24-1, Yokota’s annual, full-scale readiness exercise designed to prepare the installation for maintaining operations in a contested environment. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Manuel G. Zamora

This relocation, incorporated into the exercise, is to enhance regional intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities.

Airmen also conducted drills in response to simulated events like a false credential alarm, an aeromedical evacuation, and a mass casualty scenario to practice response procedures.

Maj. Jason Tingstrom, the 374th AW inspector general, said Yokota Airmen’s performance garnered commendable feedback.

“We’ve placed them in a difficult scenario, but their performance thus far tells me that Yokota will be ready to meet whatever challenges the future holds,” Tingstrom said in a statement

The exercise’s focus on training Airmen for base readiness, crisis communication, and contingency operations aligns with Pacific Air Forces commander Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach’s priorities. He has stated that “not one person is excused from being an ACE Airman” in PACAF, and he recently released an updated “PACAF 2030” strategy.

The strategy emphasizes the need for the command to swiftly respond to crises, enhancing theater posture against demanding circumstances.

In addition to environmental challenges, natural disasters, and global health crises that can intensify regional security concerns, the strategy underlines how the authoritarian leaders from China, Russia, and North Korea jeopardize regional security by “threatening or waging wars of aggression.”

The People’s Liberation Army, in particular, is rapidly modernizing its weapon systems and fielding new all-domain capabilities to transform into a force on par with the U.S. military.

Senior Airman Kaleb Byrd, 374th Civil Engineer Squadron pavements and equipment journeyman, participates in Rapid Airfield Damage Repair training during exercise Beverly Morning 24-1 at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Oct. 22, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Samantha White
Air Force Raises Age Limit for Recruits to 42. Here’s How Many It Expects to Get

Air Force Raises Age Limit for Recruits to 42. Here’s How Many It Expects to Get

Oct. 27, 2023 | By David Roza

The Department of the Air Force expects to add about 50 more recruits per year after lifting its maximum age limit for initial accession from 39 years old to 42 on Oct. 24, the latest in a long series of efforts to expand the talent pool in the midst of an ongoing recruiting shortage. The change applies to both officers and enlisted in both the Air Force and Space Force

“This opens the aperture to allow more Americans the opportunity to serve,” Leslie Brown, chief of public affairs for the Air Force Recruiting Service, told Air & Space Forces Magazine. “The accession age of 42 allows an Airman or Guardian to serve a full 20 years, since the retirement age is 62.”

The maximum age limit is 42 for the Navy and Coast Guard, 39 for the Army (with waivers authorized to age 45), and 28 for the Marine Corps, though the age limit is often higher for health care or ministry positions in the military. The U.S. Code of Federal Regulations mandates 17 and 42 as the minimum and maximum age for enlistment.

News of the change first appeared on the Facebook page Air Force amn/nco/snco, which posted an image of a notice about it on Oct. 26. Though 50 recruits a year may not sound like much, every little bit counts at a time when the Air Force is working to stem an ongoing recruiting shortfall—the service missed its goals by about 10 percent in fiscal 2023, but some recruits who were turned away last year could now be brought back.

“AFRS recently discharged 12 members from the delayed entry program who “aged out” due to the processing timeline,” Brown said. “Recruiters will be contacting them and others who may have left processing due to age.”

The new age limit is the latest in a series of changes made by the Air Force over the last few years to usher in new members. Giving qualified applicants an option to retest if they test positive for marijuana use allowed about 165 Airmen to join in fiscal year 2023, while allowing small hand and neck tattoos brought in another 150. Updating the service’s body fat composition rules brought in another 700 recruits, and streamlining the process for trainees to become citizens upon graduating Basic Military Training brought in 200 new Airmen.

Financial incentives have also played a role: reinstating the enlisted college loan repayment convinced more than 200 Airmen to join since March, while $32 million of enlistment bonuses brought in more than 3,800 Airmen in fiscal 2023. 

Still, officials say the most pressing challenge to recruitment is a lack of familiarity with military service among Americans. Propensity to join the U.S. military is at just 10 percent, while 52 percent of young Americans have never considered military service—a historic high, AFRS commander Brig. Gen. Christopher Amrhein told reporters in September.

“Their unfamiliarity with military service and what it really entails means they often rely on the stereotypes and misperceptions they see in TV, movies, or the internet,” he said.

The Air Force is pursuing several outreach initiatives to bring community members onto bases, reach possible recruits online, and form relationships with minority communities. But officials have also called on Airmen themselves to help spread a positive message about service.

“Why did you join the Air Force, and what do you do every day?” said Amrhein, reminding Airmen and Guardians that “you are an influencer just as much as you are a recruiter.”

New Image of B-21 Bomber Tail Shows Different Exhausts and Rear Deck from B-2

New Image of B-21 Bomber Tail Shows Different Exhausts and Rear Deck from B-2

Oct. 27, 2023 | By John A. Tirpak

A new photograph of the B-21 bomber circulating on the internet in the last few days—and the first to reveal what the back of the secret aircraft looks like—shows a different geometry for the aircraft’s exhaust area and rear deck from its predecessor, the B-2.  

The moderate-resolution photo, posted to Reddit by a user named “u/Mug_Of_Fire” and apparently taken through a fence, shows a B-21 conducting an outside engine test. Its appearance prompted media queries to the Air Force, which acknowledged that taxi tests with the secret stealth bomber are now underway.

An Air Force official, speaking on background as to the image’s authenticity, confirmed “that is a B-21.”

Air & Space Forces Magazine reached out to “u/Mug_Of_Fire,” to establish how and when the photo was taken and did not receive an immediate response.  The B-21 is undergoing taxi tests at Northrop Grumman’s facilities at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, Calif.

This is the first look at the new B-21 Raiders rear-end.
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The light gray aircraft in the image is clearly not a B-2, having different landing gear and lacking the “sawtooth” rear area shaping of that bomber.

The principal revelation from the rear-view image is that the B-21’s exhausts are rounded and hooded/scallop-shaped; similar to but flatter than the air intakes on the B-2, and very unlike that aircraft’s boxy slot exhausts.

Although the angle of the image makes it hard to say for sure, there appears to be a lengthy flat deck behind the exhausts, ending in a slightly upturned tail point. Shadows at the rear of the center “fuselage” of the flying wing bomber seem to confirm this. The exhausts clearly don’t come all the way to the trailing edge of the aircraft, as they have been portrayed in many artist’s speculations.

Nothing about the configuration reveals whether the B-21 has two engines or four, a characteristic the Air Force has so far refused to discuss. The engines are made by RTX’s Pratt & Whitney, but the exact type has never been discussed.

Heat plumes emanating from the back of the aircraft also seem to disperse upwards, rather than straight back, further indicating the presence of an extended deck behind the exhausts. That would be consistent with efforts to attenuate the bomber’s heat signature.

In the image, control surfaces along the trailing edge are deflected or relaxed, in all areas except the tail point, which does not appear to be articulated. That suggests the B-21 may not have the “beavertail” feature on the B-2.

The “beaver tail” on the B-2—specifically the Gust-Load Alleviation System, or GLAS—was intended to give the B-2 more lift and help it get off the ground more quickly in case of a nuclear attack sending blast across the runway. A former B-2 pilot said this control surface was not considered useful and became an almost vestigial feature, not included as part of the integrated flight control system.

A B-2 Spirit stealthy bomber. Photo Credits: Northrop Grumman/U.S. Air Force.

Videos of B-2 control surfaces being deflected as part of a preflight check don’t show the beavertail moving. It’s possible the beavertail was deleted from the B-21 given the operational experience with the B-2. Doing so would strengthen the area and eliminate seams, which are the toughest element of the otherwise glass-smooth aircraft to make stealthy.    

Each wing on the B-21 has two flaperons, while there appears to be a single flaperon along each side of the tail. The image also confirms the “kite” planform of the B-21, in that it lacks the “sawtooth” trailing edge of the B-2.

The original design of the B-2 called for a planform much like that on the B-21, but a late-add requirement for the aircraft to fly low-level required the addition of the “sawtooth” tail; a redesign that added several years and several billions to the B-2’s development. Lacking those features, the B-21 seems optimized for high-altitude work.  

The wingtips indicate a slight anhedral, or downward angle, but the quality of the image makes it difficult to say whether this is simply a factor of the higher camber of the wing versus that of the B-2. Both the B-2 and B-21 must have very stiff wings to remain stealthy, so there should be no wing droop when wing fuel tanks are full.    

Weapons bays do not appear to be open in the image.

An unexplained feature visible in the photo is a different-colored patch on the aircraft’s upper port wing root. This is not a shadow, as that part of the aircraft is in direct sunlight. Aircraft experts were unable to speculate on what this different-colored patch might be.

As the B-21 is now nearing first flight—which the Air Force and Northrop say will occur before the end of the year—high-speed taxi tests will soon be underway on Plant 42’s runway. At that point, more detailed photos will likely become available.    

B-1 and B-52 Bombers Crisscross Europe, Integrating with NATO Allies

B-1 and B-52 Bombers Crisscross Europe, Integrating with NATO Allies

Oct. 27, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

U.S. Air Force bombers have been a regular sight in the skies over Europe in recent days, integrating with a host of NATO allies along the way. 

On Oct. 24, a B-52 from Barksdale Air Force Base, La., conducted a roundtrip flight as part of NATO’s exercise Steadfast Noon. According to NATO Allied Air Command, the bomber flew over northwest Europe, training alongside 13 allied nations during the annual nuclear exercise. 

Aircrew members from the 20th Bomb Squadron prepare to fly a bomber mission in a B-52H Stratofortress on Oct. 23, 2023, at Barksdale Air Force Base, La. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Nia Jacobs

Then on Oct. 26, B-1 Lancers currently deployed as part of a Bomber Task Force rotation flew across central and eastern Europe, according to U.S. Air Forces in Europe. During the mission, the bombers integrated with fighters from the Czech Republic and Hungary and conducted a flyover of Mihail Kogalniceanu “MK” Airbase in Romania. 

Both Hungary and Romania are NATO allies that border Ukraine, which continues to defend itself from Russia’s ongoing invasion. A USAFE release emphasized that the bomber mission was “long-planned,” while saying that such flights “highlight the collective unity of the [NATO] Alliance, while underscoring their commitment to maintain peace in the region.” 

Romania in particular relies on NATO to supply fighters to police its airspace, and leaders in that country have called for an enhanced presence to deter conflict with Russia. The Czech Republic, meanwhile, plans to buy two dozen F-35 fighters. 

“Today’s Bomber Task Force mission serves as another testament to our unwavering dedication to Allies and partners, showcasing our collective capacity to strategize, execute, and synchronize seamlessly together,” Gen. James B. Hecker, head of USAFE and NATO Allied Air Command, said in a statement.  

Separately, USAFE shared images on social media on Oct. 26 of a mission involving the B-1s in which they flew alongside JAS 39 Gripens from the Swedish Air Force. It was not immediately clear when and where the mission took place, and USAFE did not immediately reply to a request for clarification. 

USAFE also posted on social media on Oct. 18 about a B-1 Bomber Task Force mission in which the aircraft flew alongside F-16s from the Royal Danish Air Force. Again, the date and location were not disclosed.

The flurry of activity comes as global tensions rise with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and unrest in the Middle East as a result of the latest Israel-Hamas war. Previous Bomber Task Force rotations in Europe have included bomber flights into the U.S. Central Command region, but there have been no such publicly disclosed missions in this latest deployment, which began Oct. 12. 

US Carries Out Airstrikes in Syria in Response to Iran Militia Attacks

US Carries Out Airstrikes in Syria in Response to Iran Militia Attacks

Oct. 26, 2023 | By Chris Gordon

The U.S. carried out airstrikes against two facilities in eastern Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and militias they support, the Pentagon announced Oct. 26.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said the “narrowly tailored” strikes were intended to respond to a series of attacks against American forces in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed militias. The strikes were carried out by two U.S. Air Force F-16s, a senior military official told reporters.

“Iran wants to hide its hand and deny its role in these attacks against our forces,” Austin said in a statement. “We will not let them. If attacks by Iran’s proxies against U.S. forces continue, we will not hesitate to take further necessary measures to protect our people.”

Iranian-backed militias have carried out 19 attacks on U.S. military personnel in Iraq and Syria in the last 10 days, the Pentagon said Oct. 26.

Earlier in the day, the Pentagon said at least 12 of those attacks have taken place in Iraq while four have occurred in Syria. And the attacks, which U.S. officials say are encouraged by Iran, show no sign of ending, prompting White House warnings about a military response.

“My warning to the Ayatollah was that if they continue to move against those troops, we will respond,” President Joe Biden said at a news conference on Oct. 25, referring to Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei. “And he should be prepared.”

The attacks come amid a wave of unrest in the region spurred by Hamas’s Oct 7 attack on Israel and the Israeli air and ground response in Gaza. 

To better protect U.S. forces, the Pentagon is sending a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile battery to Saudi Arabia and Patriot surface-to-air missile systems to a number of Gulf states and Jordan, U.S. officials have said, manned by around 900 troops. Short range Avenger systems are also being deployed. So far, 21 U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria have sustained minor injuries in the attack but returned to duty. A U.S. contractor died when he suffered a cardiac event last week.

President Biden’s first use of force was in February 2021 when he ordered an airstrike against an Iranian-backed militia in Syria. That action came in response to a rocket attack against U.S. forces in Erbil, Iraq, earlier that month. In this and a subsequent military response in March 2023, the White House has stayed clear of striking targets in Iraq for fear of inflaming the political situation in the country where the U.S. still has 2,500 troops.

Some former military commanders say a forceful U.S. response is required and that militias in Iraq should not be off-limits if they mount drone and rocket attacks against U.S. forces.

“I don’t think we should take it,” retired Army Gen. Joseph L. Votel, who led U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) from 2016-2019, told Air & Space Forces Magazine. “We have to be willing to back up our narrative.”

“Iraq is a unique location,” Votel added. “We are there at the invitation of the Iraqi government, and our actions there can have an impact on the internal politics and stability of the country. Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean our troops should have to absorb the risk of being attacked by Iranian-aligned militia groups in Iraq.”

In an Oct. 23 call, Austin urged Iraq’s prime minister to ensure that coalition troops, convoys, and diplomatic facilities are not attacked. But Iranian-backed militias are a potent force in Iraq and the Iraqi government has had difficulty reining them in. 

A broader question is whether the U.S. should maintain a larger military footprint in the region to better deter Iran and its network of proxies.

“There’s this siren call that comes in the Middle East that always draws us back into it despite the fact that we are tired and we’re done with the wars in the Middle East,” Votel said. “The fact of the matter is we have enduring interests in the region and in order to protect those interests, we have to dedicate resources to them.”

Northrop Has to Fly the B-21 to Get the LRIP Contract, Which Will Have ‘Zero Profit’

Northrop Has to Fly the B-21 to Get the LRIP Contract, Which Will Have ‘Zero Profit’

Oct. 26, 2023 | By John A. Tirpak

Northrop Grumman’s low-rate initial production contract for the B-21 bomber will only come after first flight, senior company officials confirmed on their third quarter earnings call, but they are confident the event will happen by the end of this year.

“First flight is a milestone that the Air Force is looking to achieve before they make that award,” Northrop chief executive officer Kathy Warden said Oct. 26.

“The first LRIP contracts will be awarded in the fourth quarter,” added Dave Keffer, Northrop’s executive vice president and chief financial officer. “That’s consistent with our expectations that we’ve described throughout the year, and reliant on first flight occurring between now and that contract award.

Keffer also said Northrop continues to “evaluate our performance and our outlook on the LRIP phase of the program each quarter. We did not make any significant changes to our estimates for that phase during the third quarter.”

The Air Force confirmed this week that the first B-21 has begun taxi tests at Northrop’s facilities at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, Calif. Taxi tests are the last phase of preparation before first flight, but the Northrop executives did not hazard a guess about when that will take place. The B-21 rolled out of the Palmdale facility last December, an event driven by the fact that the secret aircraft would soon be conducting outdoor engine runs and taxi tests and could potentially be seen from nearby public land.    

Warden also reiterated that Northrop won’t make any money on the B-21 in the LRIP phase, due to higher labor costs and inflation on the fixed-price contract.

“As we’ve consistently said, through the year, we are planning at a zero profitability,” she said. “But we have to perform and we are working hard to ensure” that the company hits its contractual marks. The B-21 will likely become profitable when it reaches full rate production, she has said in previous calls.  

Keffer said he doesn’t expect that a continuing resolution will prevent an LRIP contract from being awarded, due to prior-year funding.

Asked whether the White House’s emergency supplemental request for $2.6 billion for classified Air Force programs affects the B-21, Warden said she could not comment.

“I will simply say we do continue to work with the Air Force on ensuring that we have the resources necessary to make the B-21 program successful,” she added. “We are progressing through ground testing and we’re on track to enter flight testing this year in line with the program baseline schedule.”

Munitions and Missiles

Warden said Northrop is seeing “growing demand” for its munitions, particularly the Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile—Extended Range (AARGM-ER), which is the Air Force and Navy’s successor to the AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missile.

“We’ve now received interest from more than a dozen countries, and just this week, the opportunity for a Foreign Military Sale to Finland was announced,” Warden said.

She also noted that in September, Northrop won a $705 million contract to develop the Stand-in Attack Weapon (SiAW) for the Air Force. The SiAW is “an air to ground weapon with the capability to strike mobile defense targets,” she said. “Our SiAW offering builds on the capabilities we provide with our high-speed AARGM missile, which is in production. Building off a mature product baseline, we’re able to reduce the developmental time, cost and risk to the SiAW program.”

She added that SiAW is “expected to be the air-to-ground weapon of choice for the F-35 and other fighters.”

Northrop felt comfortable bidding the fixed-price SiAW because both AARGM and SiAW “are building off of a mature technical baseline,” she said. Major primes are increasingly shying away from fixed-price contracts due to inflation and overruns that companies don’t want to absorb. L3Harris, for example, did not bid on SiAW, saying it was due to the fixed-price nature of the program.

“I have often said, fixed price is appropriate where it’s either a commercial item or an item that has reached a design maturity and been reduced to where we know what it will take to deliver that product,” Warden said.

“Because of the maturity of AARGM, and having a product line that met the Air Force requirements for SiAW … we are able to reduce cost [and] schedule, and of course, have better risk management. That allows us to have the risk tolerance to bid fixed price,” Warden added.

Warden previously has said Northrop will not pursue the Next-Generation Air Dominance program, suggesting that fixed-price elements played in that decision.    

“In competition, there are many factors, but when a company has invested, and gotten the mature product line, there is a natural advantage that comes with that,” she said. “And that’s the situation we found ourselves in with SiAW.”

Air Force Suicides Go Up in 2022, But Still Below 2019-2020 Totals

Air Force Suicides Go Up in 2022, But Still Below 2019-2020 Totals

Oct. 26, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

The total number and rate of Airmen who died by suicide jumped in 2022 compared to 2021, though both figures are still below the high rates the service saw in the years prior, according to the Defense Department’s annual Report on Suicide in the Military released Oct. 26.

All told, the Active-Duty Air Force tracked 64 deaths by suicide in 2022, for a rate of 19.7 per 100,000 Airmen. That’s compared to 51 total and a rate of 15.3 in 2021. All told, the Air Force had the lowest recorded Active-Duty suicide rate among the services. 

By comparison, the Air Force had 81 suicides in 2020 and 82 in 2019, both times second most among the services. The rates in those years were above 24 per 100,000 service members. 

The Space Force, for the first time, recorded its own data separate from the Air Force—no Guardians died by suicide. The Air Force Reserve saw an increase in total numbers from six to 14, while the Air National Guard had the same number as 2021—15. 

Across the entire DOD, there were 331 suicides among Active-Duty service members, 64 in the Reserve, and 97 in the Guard—492 total. The rate among the Active-Duty declined slightly, although the overall trend since 2011 remains upward. The Guard and Reserve are also slightly down year-over-year, but their trends are more mixed and the report notes lower statistical significance in their findings. 

The rate of military suicides remains comparable to the general public. Young, enlisted men continue to be the most at-risk for suicide.

“Even one suicide is too many,” Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said in a statement. “We have much more work to do to reduce suicide across our force, and owe it to our service members and our military families to provide the best possible care; to identify risk factors and spot warning signs; and to eliminate the tired old stigmas around seeking help.” 

In March, Austin announced new steps in a multiphase plan to improve mental health and suicide prevention in the military, outlining 10 steps the Pentagon would take at the recommendation of an independent review committee. In September, he followed that up with a broader plan to implement dozens more of those recommendations, broken down across five lines of effort: 

  • Foster a Supportive Environment 
  • Improve the Delivery of Mental Health Care 
  • Address Stigma and Other Barriers to Care 
  • Revise Suicide Prevention Training 
  • Promote a Culture of Lethal Means Safety 

However, Austin declined to take action on some recommendations, several related to more closely regulating firearm purchases by service members on DOD property and others aimed at quality-of-life issues like housing. 

While the DOD works on some issues, the Air Force is also taking steps. On Aug. 30, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass highlighted efforts such as centralizing support services, making resiliency training part of the leadership development program, and establishing “integrated wellness teams” at bases.

Bass also promised that more efforts would be revealed soon. She helps lead the Department of the Air Force’s “Fortify the Force” initiative, a team of 50-60 leaders and experts tackling barriers to Airmen and Guardians seeking help with mental health, wellness, and resilience. The panel has received more than 300 suggestions so far. 

The department is also seeking to better understand the suicides that do take place to inform their efforts. Through a first-of-its-kind suicide analysis board, the DAF is partnering with researchers to pull information from personnel records, investigation reports, medical records, and Department of Defense Suicide Event Reports (DoDSER) and compile over 1,000 data points for each person who died by suicide. That report was due this spring, though the results were not publicly released. 

Service members and veterans who are in crisis or having thoughts of suicide, and those who know a service member or veteran in crisis, can call the Veterans/Military Crisis Line for confidential support available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Call 988 and press 1; text 988; or chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat. 

Space Force Solidifies New JTAGS Mission With Stand-Up of Squadron and Detachment

Space Force Solidifies New JTAGS Mission With Stand-Up of Squadron and Detachment

Oct. 26, 2023 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

The Space Force has taken key steps in recent weeks to build out its new Joint Tactical Ground Station mission, after officially assuming control of the missile warning system from the Army on Oct. 1.  

The 5th Space Warning Squadron reactivated under Space Delta 4 at Buckley Space Force Base, Colo. on Oct. 13, taking responsibility for JTAGS. On Oct. 25, the 5th SWS activated its Detachment 4 at Misawa Air Base, Japan.

The new squadron is commanded by Lt. Col. Michael A. Provencher, who gained extensive missile operations experience in both the Air Force and the Army before transitioning to the Space Force, according to a service release.

Lt. Col. Michael Provencher, 5th Space Warning Squadron commander, and his family thank attendees following the 5th Space Warning Squadron activation and assumption of command ceremony at Buckley Space Force Base, Colo. U.S. Space Force photo by Airman 1st Class Aleece Williams

Since its activation in 1999 under the Army’s 1st Space Brigade, JTAGS has aided theater missile warning operations by providing 24/7 real-time missile warning data, acquired from overhead sensors.  

Japan is one of the four strategically positioned nations that host detachments, alongside Italy, Qatar and South Korea.

The JTAGS’s transition from the Army to the Space Force was first announced in January this year. The mission is now under Space Delta 4, which is responsible for operating and supporting satellites and radar systems.

Col. Ernest Schmitt, Space Delta 4 commander, highlighted the strategic significance of Delta 4 and its JTAGS mission at the 5th SWS reactivation ceremony.

“This mission coupled with the capabilities all the combat squadrons of Delta 4 bring to the fight, and the capabilities that are planned for delivery for the next few years, ensures that Delta 4 can provide the necessary warfighting capabilities that will be needed to meet adversary threats now and to the future,” said Schmitt.

The detachment in Japan will oversee active/passive defense and attack operations as part of the Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibility.

“Today is important as it marks the change in mission responsibility of theater missile warning from the U.S. Army to the Space Force,” Army Capt. Gideon Bernthal, 22nd Space Company commander, said in a statement. “It has been an honor and privilege for the Army to have that mission, as the core is protecting all the joint forces on the ground from incoming missile threats.”

According to Sgt. 1st Class Andra Watson of the 22nd Space Company, the branches have been working together for this transfer throughout last year.

“The Army will continue to support the Space Force until we officially deactivate the company in April 2024,” added Watson. “At that moment, the Army will permanently change station from Misawa.”

The 5th SWS was initially established and activated in 1992 in Australia, operating as the only ground station in the Southern Hemisphere. The squadron provided global and theater early warning reporting on ballistic misses launched in the Eastern Hemisphere until it was deactivated in 1999.

U.S. Space Force Specialist 4 Joshua Henriques, 5th Space Warning Squadron (SWS) Joint Tactical Ground Station operator, and U.S. Army Specialist Jario Perez Martinez, 22nd Space Company, perform satellite checks at Misawa Air Base, Japan, Oct. 5, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Patrick Boyle
INDOPACOM: Chinese Fighter Comes 10 Feet from B-52 in ‘Unsafe’ Nighttime Intercept

INDOPACOM: Chinese Fighter Comes 10 Feet from B-52 in ‘Unsafe’ Nighttime Intercept

Oct. 26, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

A Chinese fighter jet closed within 10 feet of a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber in a nighttime intercept over the South China Sea on Oct. 24 that U.S. Indo-Pacific Command deemed “unsafe and unprofessional.” 

The incident marks the latest close call between Chinese and U.S. aircraft in the region. The Pentagon recently claimed in its annual China Military Power Report that there have been 180 instances of “coercive and risky behavior” between the fall of 2021 and fall of 2023, more than all of the previous decade combined. The Defense Department also released images and videos of 15 such incidents. 

The Oct. 24 encounter stands out, however, as it is the first time INDOPACOM or the Pentagon have noted an unsafe intercept of a U.S. bomber, and because it occurred at night. A video released on social media seemingly shows the J-11 fighter approaching and momentarily disappearing behind the B-52 before reemerging. 

Courtesy video, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command

“The PRC pilot flew in an unsafe and unprofessional manner, demonstrated poor airmanship by closing with uncontrolled excessive speed, flying below, in front of, and within 10 feet of the B-52, putting both aircraft in danger of collision,” INDOPACOM said in a release. “We are concerned this pilot was unaware of how close he came to causing a collision. The PRC intercept was conducted at night, with limited visibility, in a manner contrary to international air safety rules and norms.” 

In previous instances, the Pentagon has highlighted aggressive, unprofessional behavior by Chinese pilots, including the use of explicit language when contacted over radio by U.S. crews, obscene gestures, and aircraft “flashing their weapons.” 

There have been a few occasions DOD has noted a Chinese fighter closing within 10 feet of a U.S. aircraft. 

The Air Force currently has multiple B-52 bombers in the region as part of a Bomber Task Force rotation. One Stratofortress made a rare landing on the Korean Peninsula and participated in the first ever trilateral air exercise with the U.S., South Korea, and Japan. The bombers, from Barksdale Air Force Base, La., are operating from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, for their deployment. 

“The U.S will continue to fly, sail, and operate—safely and responsibly—wherever international laws allow,” INDOPACOM stated in a release. “The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Joint Force remains dedicated to a free and open Indo-Pacific region, and we expect all countries in the Indo-Pacific to operate in international airspace safely and in accordance with international law.”