Meet the Air Force Squadron Preparing PJs for Near-Peer Conflict

Nov. 1, 2023 | By David Roza

In a recent exercise off the coast of San Diego, Calif., Air Force Pararescuemen (PJs) practiced caring for injured patients amid missile strikes, maritime contested airspace, limited supplies, and other challenges meant to simulate what they may face in a war against a near-peer adversary like China in the Pacific.

The three-day exercise, which involved parachute jumps, air-dropped Zodiac boats, U.S. Navy helicopters, resupply airdrops, and patients with bloody make-up, was even more impressive considering that it was put together by a squadron located 400 miles away at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz.

“The Combat Leader Course is a seven-week course of instruction that is a hybrid between a leadership course and simulated exercise,” Master Sgt. Trevor Runyan, the Instructor Flight Chief at the 68th Rescue Squadron, a Formal Training Unit (FTU) for PJs, told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

“That’s one thing that’s extremely unique about us as an FTU,” he added. “While there are organizations trying to innovate these concepts, we are actively employing them.”

air force pjs — U.S. Air Force Combat Leader Course instructors and support staff, assigned to the 68th Rescue Squadron, watch as CLC students parachute into the ocean off the coast of San Diego, Calif., Sept. 5, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Devlin Bishop)

‘Grind and give it everything’

It takes nearly two years to train a PJ, but even when they finish their last day of the Pararescue Apprentice Course at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., a new maroon beret recipient has one more stop before arriving at an operational squadron: the 68th RQS. Dubbed the ‘Guardian Angel FTU,’ the squadron hosts a two-month Combat Team Member Course that brings new PJs through Mission Qualification Training required for deployments and a majority of the Journeyman skill level (a.k.a. ‘5 level’).

Before the 68 RQS stood up in 2014, PJ squadrons around the world each ran internal training, duplicating effort, Runyan said. The FTU fixes that problem, but it takes work.

“The 68 RQS is relied upon as one of the only hubs for the entire career field,” he said. “With that, we get a lot of pressure and demand.”

Besides the Combat Team Member Course, the squadron also runs the Air Force’s only Military Freefall Jumpmaster Course, and the Combat Leader Course (CLC), where PJs with about 6-10 years of experience attend to become PJ team leaders. Just four instructors are dedicated to teaching the CLC, which currently prepares leaders for operating in an INDOPACOM environment. This means organizing complex exercises like the one off the coast of San Diego.

“The culture here has been to grind and give it everything you have,” Runyan said. “The challenge with CLC is balancing planning, logistics, running operations and providing instruction to the students. We can always use more resources and manning to provide the highest level of instruction to the students.”

Targeted

The Air Force as a whole is embracing a strategy called Agile Combat Employment, where Airmen proactively and reactively maneuver for both strategic and tactical advantage. This can mean operating from small airfields on islands across the Pacific, a major change from the sprawling air bases in Iraq and Afghanistan during the Global War on Terror.

To practice agility, the 68 RQS sent CLC students from the simulated ‘main operating base’ at Davis-Monthan to a forward operating site (FOS) near San Diego on short notice with deliberate limitations placed on equipment and personnel. The PJs parachuted into the Pacific with Zodiac boats and boarded a small ship that had been hit by a simulated missile. Once aboard, the PJs provided prolonged field care to the patients aboard.

“It is a priority to practice prolonged field care following a mass casualty in a near-peer conflict,” Runyan said. “We train to conserve resources in order to limit our logistical footprint and improve patient outcome, especially when casualty evacuation is not readily accessible.”

U.S. Airmen, training with the 68th Rescue Squadron, hoist a simulated casualty near San Diego, Calif., Sept. 6, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class William Finn)

Every detail of the operation requires extensive planning. Freefall parachutes deteriorate if left in salt water too long, so the CLC instructors formed a plan for recovering them, transporting them to San Diego, and driving them back to Davis-Monthan to be rinsed and hung in a drying tower within 48 hours.

“In a real-world mission, you would sink the chutes,” Runyan said. “But losing 10 rigs in a training environment would cost the unit about $300,000.”

Each parachute weighed about 200 pounds when filled with salt water, so the team needed a rope system just to hoist the sodden material onto shoreside loading docks. Besides the parachutes, the squadron also had to move food and equipment for about 50 people (40 support staff and 10 students) out to San Clemente Island, located off the coast of San Diego, for the exercise.

While complicated, the ship rescue drill was just the start of the CLC’s time at San Clemente Island. The course’s culminating exercise kicked off Sept. 17 with a simulated missile strike on the students’ position near the island’s airfield. The students had five minutes to scramble and find shelter, then had to search for survivors in a mock town used for urban warfare training on the island. It was another mass casualty event, with about two dozen patients in need of treatment. The students dealt with collapsed structures, fires, and attacks by simulated opposition forces.

“This simulates one of the most likely mission sets we could respond to: mass casualties caused by a missile strike at a forward operating site,” Runyan said.

Joint Integration

Since the airfield had been targeted, the students boarded helicopters to move their patients to safety at another island, or, in this case, a cluster of shipping containers halfway down San Clemente that was simulated as a separate island. Once they arrived at the contingency location, the students continued to care for their patients while arranging for a resupply airdrop and planning for their next mission: rescuing multiple isolated personnel in a contested maritime environment.

“As a 10-man element, they must prioritize missions and determine if and when they should operate as a split team, and the risks associated with that,” Runyan said.

Joint operations were key, as two MH-60 Sea Hawks from the Navy’s Helicopter Sea Combat-23 (HSC-23) squadron flew out to San Clemente for two nights to rescue simulated downed pilots out of the water, while a third helicopter ran resupply missions.

“It is extremely beneficial for the students to integrate with joint DOD assets such as HSC-23,” Runyan said. “Integration between the PJs, HSC-23 crews and maintainers in an austere environment provided invaluable training for all involved.”

Some of the downed pilots were mannequins, while most were live role players. The PJs received the last known location of the downed pilots, then had to track their location 12 hours later by calculating tides, current, and wind speed. The PJs found that a few pilots had drifted into uncontested airspace within range of a helicopter, but most were still within contested airspace, where helicopters could not fly without risk of being shot down.

To reach those pilots, the PJs had to jump out of fixed-wing aircraft with parachute-configured Zodiac boats to enter contested airspace. One at a time, they found the pilots and ferried them back to uncontested waters, where they were rescued by helicopter or rendezvoused with a blue force maritime vessel. The helicopters flew them back to the contingency location on San Clemente Island, where the PJs administered prolonged field care until the helicopters could fly patients to an airfield for fixed-wing evacuation.

The Puck

New technology helped make the exercise much more realistic. In the past, when operating in areas without cell service such as San Clemente Island, instructors might pass information over a radio or give them verbal injects. But at this exercise, the instructors and students carried small, puck-shaped devices that let them share texts, location, and other information through their smartphones.

Made by Somewear Labs, the pucks used the Iridium satellite constellation to send short bursts of data, which are more difficult for adversaries to jam or listen in on. The tech meant exercise participants could immediately communicate and visualize each other’s locations, which made command and control on the remote island much easier.

“All communication was sent with either the Somewear pucks or through HF radio,” Runyan said. “It let the students exercise decentralized command, enabling them to act on mission-type orders and execute on commander’s intent and previously agreed upon risk acceptance.”

The pucks also put the ‘search’ back in ‘search and rescue.’ Usually during ocean drills, instructors hover near simulated downed pilots in a large safety boat, which keeps the exercise safe for human role players but also makes the survivor easier for students to spot. At this exercise, the instructors still stayed close for human role players, but they also sent mannequins adrift in one-man life rafts, using the Somewear pucks to keep track of the ‘pilots’ even when they were out of sight.

It was a massive effort to plan, but the culminating exercise for the CLC involved realistic scenarios that many Air Force officials anticipate in a near-peer conflict. Now for the 68 RQS, it’s back to the drawing board for the next class.

Air Force Terminates ICBM During Test Launch Due To Anomaly

Nov. 1, 2023 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile flying over the Pacific Ocean was effectively terminated by Space Launch Delta 30 on Nov. 1.

The termination occurred at 12:06 a.m. Pacific Time, due to an unexpected anomaly that emerged during the test launch at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif.

An anomaly refers to any unanticipated event during the test, and could stem from various factors associated with the operational platform or the test equipment, Air Force Global Strike Command stated in a release, noting that the test produced valuable data before the termination.

A spokesperson at AFGSC told Air & Space Forces Magazine that more MM III test launches will be held next year, as Vandenberg is the sole Space Force Base that conducts such ICBM tests in the U.S.

An investigation to pinpoint the cause is being assembled by organizations including AFGSC, the 377th Test and Evaluation Group, the 576th Flight Test Squadron, Space Launch Delta 30 Safety Office, and the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center.

Vital data will be gathered through the analysis to correct any errors with the weapon system to guarantee the sustained reliability and precision of the MM III, the release added.

The inception of the Minuteman weapon system dates back to the late 1950s, with the deployment of Minuteman I in the early 1960s.

The LGM -30 Minuteman III has been operational since 1970, characterized by an enhanced range, rapid retargeting features, and the capacity to deliver up to three reentry vehicles to multiple targets with exceptional precision.

The 400 MM III currently in service across the continental U.S. are expected to be replaced with the LGM-35 Sentinel, formerly known as the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD).

In September, Pentagon acquisition chief William LaPlante said the Air Force is speeding up tasks in the Sentinel project to meet the crucial initial operational capability date of September 2030.

Following that, the Air Force announced its $996 million contract with Lockheed Martin to produce the MK21A reentry vehicle for the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile by 2039.

The incoming Sentinel ICBM, designed to be easier to maintain than the MM III, allows easy upgrades as technology develops between now and 2075, the missile’s planned retirement date.

This new weapon system is the most cost-effective option for maintaining a safe, secure, and effective land-based leg of the nuclear triad, according to the AFNWC.

In recent years, China and Russia have actively engaged in advancing and improving their nuclear capable arsenals programs, including their ICBMs.

The Department of Defense claimed that China is developing new ICBMs, possibly capable of carrying conventional warheads.

If developed and fielded, “such capabilities would allow the PRC to threaten conventional strikes against targets in the continental United States, Hawaii and Alaska,” a senior defense official said at a briefing on Pentagon’s 2023 China Military Power Report.

Operational leaders from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., the sole installation hosting both Air Force legs of the nuclear triad, echoed the palpable threat posed by China.

In October, Russia also claimed its military exercise rehearsed a “massive” nuclear strike in response to an enemy nuclear attack.

According to reports citing the Kremlin’s statement, the exercise involved “practical launches of ballistic and cruise missiles,” including a RS-24 Yars intercontinental ballistic missile fired from a test site in Russia’s far east.

Air Force Gives Lockheed $1 Billion to Build New Reentry Vehicle for Sentinel

Oct. 31, 2023 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

The Air Force has given Lockheed Martin a $996 million contract to produce a reentry vehicle (RV) for its new Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile by Oct. 20, 2039.

Under this sole-source acquisition deal, announced Oct. 30, Lockheed will engineer, manufacture, and design the new RV, dubbed MK21A, in several locations including King of Prussia, Penn.

The contract, overseen by the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, aims to reduce technical risks and ensure the affordability of the RV, according to the Pentagon’s release.

The specialized RV will carry the W87-1 warhead, which entered a new phase this year in its Modification Program involving tests and analysis to validate the chosen design.

National laboratories are developing and producing test hardware for the warhead, expected to deploy in the early 2030s with the Sentinel ICBM.

The LGM-35 Sentinel, formerly known as the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD), is poised to replace 400 Minuteman III ICBMs currently in service for more than 50 years across the continental United States.

The incoming Sentinel project features an open system architecture which allows easy upgrades as technology develops between now and 2075, the missile’s planned retirement date.

It is also designed to be easier to maintain, which should minimize the security forces footprint required during maintenance time.

All components of the MM III missiles will be replaced with new components for the Sentinel, including the motors, interstage, propulsion system rocket engine, and missile guidance set.

However, the number, size, configuration, and design of the nuclear warheads, which are provided by the Department of Energy, are expected to remain the same.

This new weapon system is the most cost-effective option for maintaining a safe, secure, and effective land-based leg of the nuclear triad, the AFNWC claims.

The current Minuteman III ICBMs will be taken out of service through demilitarization and disposal procedures.

Last month, Pentagon acquisition chief William LaPlante said the Air Force is speeding up tasks in the Sentinel project to meet the crucial initial operational capability date of September 2030.

Northrop Grumman, the prime contractor for Sentinel, has been creating mockup versions of Minuteman III silos and systems to make it easier and faster to build or upgrade them.

Lockheed previously received $108.3 million contract for technology maturation and risk reduction on the new MK21A reentry vehicle, awarded in October 2019.

Why the Military May Need Microgrids for Overseas Bases to Win a Near-Peer Fight

Oct. 31, 2023 | By David Roza

A new paper written by an Air Force engineer warns of a major vulnerability on U.S. military bases overseas: their power infrastructure. Most bases are wired into the electrical grids of their host nations, but if that grid fails due to a natural disaster or is destroyed by an adversary, the backup generators on base may not have enough fuel to last more than a week.

“The generators will have to operate for however long the outage is,” Lt. Col. Nathan Olsen, special assistant to the executive director of systems engineering and architecture in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

“If we’re in a contested environment, that means we would have to send technicians out to maintain them, we would have to send fuel to keep them running,” he said, pointing to the example of hospital generators in Gaza running out of fuel due to the Israeli blockade there.

“The military would be in a similar problem, unless they get fuel to the generators and get them operating or get the host nation power back up and running,” he said.

But the military may be able to avoid that problem if it builds more robust power grids at its overseas bases. These ‘microgrids’ could draw power from a range of renewable and nonrenewable sources in order to sustain long-term operations.

“They would almost be like a mini-city, operating their own power plants without the help of the host nation,” Olsen said.

Gridlock

In an article published in the Fall issue of Air University’s Air & Space Operations Review, Olsen pointed out how Russia targeted Ukraine’s infrastructure, causing electricity, heat, and hot water shortages across the country in 2022. Beyond that, Russia also reduced the flow of natural gas to Europe, where several U.S. military bases are located, causing a spike in natural gas prices. Natural disasters, climate change, and cyber disruptions can have a similar effect on a host nation’s power grids, which could be an Achilles’ heel for U.S. bases abroad.

“Undoubtedly, U.S. overseas bases are in a situation where they are predominantly dependent on host-nation and local energy supplies,” Olsen wrote. “Diversifying energy sources and moving toward a localized, U.S.-run energy source—a microgrid—would lessen this vulnerability and increase overall reliability and resiliency.”

A microgrid, he explained, is a localized group of electricity generators that can operate independently of the host nation’s electrical grid. Several features of microgrids make them more resilient to disruption than a group of backup generators. The first is a storage system: batteries that allow bases to retain energy. The second is a central controller, a monitoring system that coordinates the microgrid’s power sources and balances and controls electrical loads, Olsen said.

“In a microgrid with storage, commercial off-the-shelf charge controllers link all power sources and smartly combine them to meet user demand,” he wrote. “If the renewable power source is not meeting demand, the control system draws from the battery storage or from another power generator.”

Having a variety of sources from which to draw power is the third element that could give microgrids an edge over existing systems. A base dependent on fossil fuels to power its backup generators may be paralyzed by a fuel shortage, but a base that uses solar panels, wind turbines, biomass, nuclear microreactors, and/or fossil fuel-powered generators could keep running even if one source was offline.

Energy technology is rapidly advancing, with innovations like new batteries that store energy for longer and solar panels that continue generating power in snowy, overcast conditions. Nuclear microreactors are another promising technology—one the size of a standard shipping container could likely power an entire base, Olsen wrote, and a pilot program at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska seeks to bring one online in 2027.

“That’s the great thing about this—there is a lot of new technology that is increasing the possibilities to generate power without relying specifically on fossil fuels,” he said.

Charging Up

Microgrids are being installed at places like Yokota Air Base, Japan; Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.; and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., which claims it can operate for up to 21 days off a mixture of renewable and nonrenewable energy sources. Still, Olsen said the military needs to be more aggressive pursuing microgrids to be prepared for future conflicts or natural disasters.

“Although the Department of Defense recognizes the importance of reliable power, it is not implementing innovative solutions like microgrids quick enough,” he wrote. “Congress can help increase energy security and reliability in the military by mandating microgrids at overseas bases and providing funding to enact this mandate.”

The Army is setting an example for the rest of the services when it comes to microgrids, Olsen said. Its garrison on Kwajalein Island, which is just 3.5 miles long and a quarter-mile wide, has a microgrid of generators and solar panels that operate independently of the rest of the island’s grid. The service plans to set up a microgrid at every installation by 2035 and develop enough renewable energy and battery storage to make its critical missions self-sustaining by 2040.

Direction and funding from Congress could push the other branches to adopt similar plans, said Olsen, who cited Gen. David Petraeus’ 2011 quote that “energy is the lifeblood of our warfighting capabilities.”

“Our dependence on power and technology has only increased,” Olsen said. “I think being able to provide that secure power will get rid of a potential vulnerability, help us prevent conflict and help our allies and partners in the future.”

How Minot Leaders Are Tackling Quality-of-Life Challenges Amid the Cold and Isolation

Oct. 31, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

Minot Air Force Base, N.D., holds a unique position among Air Force installations. As the only base to host both bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles, it is crucial to the service’s nuclear mission. But it is also isolated, hours away from major population centers and located in the far north of the U.S., creating long and cold winters. Airmen staffing the nation’s nuclear forces also have to put in long hours or even days on the job to be ready at a moment’s notice.

For years, the base has been tagged as one of the least desirable for Airmen to be stationed. Minot leaders are well aware of the stigma and are working to ameliorate some key quality-of-life concerns, they said recently.

“Last week we got about 10 inches of snow. Currently it’s about 18, 20 degrees outdoors with a wind chill of about 8 degrees or so, and we’re still out there doing the job,” Col. Kenneth C. McGhee, the commander of the 91st Missile Wing, said Oct. 30 during a virtual AFA Warfighters in Action event. “Our Airmen are some of the finest American citizens that you will ever meet. … And so every single Airmen, we put our arms around, and there are challenges that we need to make sure we’re taking care of them.”

Compounding those challenges is the fact that many of those Airmen are young—McGhee said two-thirds of the base’s security forces are below the age of 26. He added it is not uncommon for two second lieutenants to be tasked with manning a launch control center—the underground bunkers where missileers work in 24-48 hour shifts on alert to launch ICBMs.

Feeling isolated can be particularly dangerous for young service members, who face a higher risk of suicide. Col. Daniel S. Hoadley, the commander of the 5th Bomb Wing, said the civilian community of Minot, N.D., recognizes the possibility of loneliness and has worked hard to address it.

“I’ve been a lot of places in my 23-year Air Force career and never experienced a level of community support to the level that we see here at Minot. They truly go the extra mile to support our Airmen,” said Hoadley. “And I think that they really understand that for a lot of our young folks … are a long way from home and this is their first assignment.”

As examples, Hoadley cited “Military Appreciation Days” hosted by the North Dakota State Fair and the local Minot State football team offering free admission for military members, as well as the “Home for the Holidays” program, which raises money from the local community to send more than 100 Airmen home for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Tom Ross, Mayor of the city of Minot, North Dakota, and other civic leaders pose for a photo with Team Minot leaders during Norsk Hostfest in the city of Minot, North Dakota, Sept. 30, 2023. The boarding pass represented donations used to send Team Minot Airmen home for the holidays. Photo by Airman 1st Class Trust Tate

Travel is a common concern among Minot Airmen, Hoadley acknowledged, and not just for the holidays. Families who need advanced medical care often need to travel for hours to cities like Bismark (120 miles away), Fargo (280 miles), and even Minneapolis (500 miles) to see specialists.

“It requires them to take a number of days off of work. From a financial perspective, there’s a burden there,” Hoadley said. “Certainly the Air Force is doing our part to reimburse them for that.”

Families also face challenges with child care, particularly with the unique work schedules among ICBM crews. It’s standard for missileers and security forces to be out in the sprawling missile fields for an entire week at a time, McGhee noted.

“We have what’s called missile care, where we do have some providers who the crew members and our families are able to leave their children with family care providers for a period of up to seven days at a time,” McGhee said. “That is expensive and carries a significant burden to those family members, and so sometimes that becomes a challenge and we’re always trying to find different ways to alleviate that challenge.”

The Minot community also supports itself with the family child care program, which trains and pays military spouses to watch other Airmen’s children in their own homes.

“We trade off like every other week with [Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska] on being the number one FCC program in the Air Force,” Hoadley said. “So that’s something that’s definitely a highlight up here.”

Still, both wing commanders noted that capacity remains an issue. While the base moved to expand its child development center a few years ago, staffing is a struggle.

“One thing we can’t organically do is make more people come to work here,” McGhee said. “So we’re trying to find unique ways, different programs in order to increase the number of child care workers to support our men and women every single day.”

“We are putting as many bonuses and hiring incentives as we can against filling the roles there and really just trying to create an environment where individuals enjoy coming to work every day,” Hoadley added.

Ultimately, however, there is only so much Minot can do on its own.

‘We’ve also been engaged with the local civic leaders and political leaders inside of the state of North Dakota to amplify this point,” Hoadley said. “And frankly, it’s a shared challenge. I mean, as they had their legislative session this year, one of the primary topics of discussion is the impact of child care and the role it plays in economic capacity for the state. Whether you’re trying to run a business or provide nuclear deterrence, child care is a key enabler.”

Senior Airman Brydon Ott, Tactical Response Force with the 54th Helicopter Squadron, allows a child to wear his vest at Glenburn Public School, North Dakota, Sept. 27, 2022. Ott and the other aircrew allowed the students at Glenburn Public School to tour the aircraft and flight gear. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Zachary Wright

Space Force Sets Date to Activate Its Europe and Africa Component in December

Oct. 31, 2023 | By Chris Gordon

The U.S. Space Force will officially activate its component for Europe and Africa in just over a month, U.S. European Command said Oct. 31.

U.S. Space Forces Europe and Africa, which will be dubbed SPACE-EURAF, will stand up Dec. 8, U.S. European Command (EUCOM) said in a news release. It will become the fourth Space Force component embedded in one of the U.S. military’s regional commands, joining U.S. Central Command, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and U.S. Forces Korea.

As things stand now, America’s current space capabilities in Europe are nestled under the air component, U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA). That model dates back to before the Space Force became an independent service.

Giving the Space Force its own components elevates the service to put it on par with other branches and allows the USSF to better provide space capabilities to combatant commanders, service officials say.

“The activation of Space Forces Europe and Africa is a significant milestone in the journey to fortify joint space capabilities within Europe and Africa,” EUCOM said in a statement.

U.S. Space Forces Europe and Africa “will support a wide range of missions, including deterring potential adversaries, responding to crises, and strengthening our alliances and partnerships,” EUCOM added in its release. Many nations in Europe already have a long history of civilian space operations and have put a focus on building up their military space capabilities.

Space Force Col. Max Lantz, who already heads up the space portfolio in USAFE-AFAFRICA, will become SPACE-EURAF’s inaugural commander. Both U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command are located in Germany, and SPACE-EURAF will not solely focus on Europe.

“In the case of Europe, we’re just taking advantage of the fact that USAFE is also the Africa Command support,” Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman explained at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference in September. “Because it’s all done from the same location, it’s easy for us to leverage that same construct and really get a two-for-one, to some degree.”

Despite the immediate concern surrounding the Middle East in the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict and attacks on U.S. troops by Iranian proxy groups, the U.S. military’s long-term focus is on the Pacific and Europe. The Space Force set up its Indo-Pacific component last year as its first step towards creating geographic commands.

Plans to establish a European component for the Space Force were announced around the same time in November 2022. Throughout 2023, senior U.S. military space leaders traveled to Europe to strengthen military space alliances—not an easy task for an often highly classified domain that conventional wisdom held was a safe harbor from military action until a few years ago.

Formally establishing the component, however, took time.

“When you have to work with host nations, there’s an extra few steps,” Saltzman said. “So just going through all those normal coordination processes just took a little bit longer.”

The Space Force is looking forward to having a more vocal role in key decisions in combatant commands in the future, service officials say.

“That detailed integration is much harder to do when you’re thousands of miles separate,” Saltzman said. “What these components require is pretty senior people that understand the business.”

After SPACE-EURAF is established, the Space Force will likely consider other components for combatant commands. Top possibilities include U.S. Cyber Command, U.S. Special Operations Command, and U.S. Forces Japan.

Minot Leaders See ‘Extremely Real’ Threat from China for Both Bombers and ICBMs

Oct. 30, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

The threat posed by the People’s Republic of China is “extremely real” and “tangible,” key operational leaders from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., said Oct. 30, pointing to China’s moves to improve its military in response to the U.S.’s robust bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile fleets.

Col. Daniel S. Hoadley and Col. Kenneth C. McGhee command the 5th Bomb Wing and the 91st Missile Wing, respectively, and work closely together. Minot is the only installation to host both Air Force legs of the nuclear triad. Both keenly aware of how China is working to counter the U.S.—and the significance of staying ready, they said at a virtual AFA Warfighters in Action event.

“The weight of responsibility is not lost on us. It is something our Airmen have internalized and take extremely seriously,” Hoadley said. “And we consider it a high honor to be a bedrock of our nation’s deterrence on a day-to-day basis.”

“It’s extremely important that we understand that through ICBMs, through bombers, through subs, the deterrent capabilities of the nuclear enterprise, we are the backbone of the deterrent capability for the United States,” McGhee added.

On the bomber side, the 5th Bomb Wing regularly deploys on Bomber Task Force rotations all over the world. This summer, around 280 Airmen and four of the wing’s B-52 Stratofortresses spent a month in the Indo-Pacific, operating out of Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.

Two U.S. Airmen assigned to the 5th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron run toward a B-52H Stratofortress assigned to the 23rd Bomb Squadron at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, during pre-flight procedures in support of a Bomber Task Force deployment at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, June 15, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Zade Vadnais

Such deployments replaced the Air Force’s previous system of continuous bomber presences several years ago, with the goal of creating strategic unpredictability for adversaries. BTFs have also been used to reassure allies and partners by showing the U.S.’s global reach and commitment to deterrence, with bombers sometimes making rare or unprecedented stops in other countries. The 5th Bomb Wing landed the first-ever B-52 on Indonesian soil this June.

China has taken note and sought to assert itself. On Oct. 24, at night, a Chinese J-11 intercepted a B-52 from Barksdale Air Force Base, La., over the South China Sea. The Pentagon released footage from the incident, claiming the Chinese fighter came 10 feet from colliding with the American bomber and the pilot’s behavior was “unsafe and unprofessional.”

While the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot was not involved in that particular incident, “more and more, we’re seeing these kinds of adversary reactions to our Bomber Task Force activity,” Hoadley said. “When we park airpower in their backyard, they’re coming out to take a look. Those [Chinese] aircraft are armed with live ordnance. Those are not movie props. That’s the real deal. And so it takes a tremendous amount of grit and courage and professionalism on the part of our air crews to maintain their composure, stay on mission, and react appropriately when those kinds of things happen.”

At the same time, Hoadley argued such incidents show the importance of the USAF bomber fleet and its unique capabilities.

“The adversary is coming out to react because they’re taking notice of what we’re capable of doing,” he said. “It’s a capability they don’t have, to reach across the globe and provide a long-range strike capability at a time and place of our choosing. And so, from my side, I think it’s equal parts a demonstration of fear and that they are taking notice of what we’re doing and are trying their best to provide their own assertive reaction to it, albeit with a short-range platform.”

While the 91st Missile Wing does not deploy to the Indo-Pacific, its Airmen are also aware of the advances China has made with its ground-based missiles, said McGhee. China has significantly expanded its nuclear arsenal, outstripping previous Pentagon projections, and much of the growth has been in constructing new nuclear silo fields.

“The rise of the Chinese nuclear program has been dramatic, has been dynamic, and has been impressive,” McGhee said. “I’ll be honest with you, over the past few years, they’ve developed a capability, especially within their ground-based strategic nuclear force, that is impressive. And so it is imperative for us to understand at every level that the threat coming from China is extremely real.”

To respond to that threat, McGhee emphasized the importance of keeping his own wing’s Minuteman III missiles ready to go at a moment’s notice.

“I have the opportunity, I have the mission to provide a nuclear deterrent capability across our missile fields … to deter the rising and the pacing threat that China provides us and that they pose to us,” he said.

Airmen from the 91st Missile Wing Security Forces Squadron prepare to perform escort duties for an asset convoy at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, Aug. 31, 2022. U.S. Air Force Photo by Airman 1st Class Alexander Nottingham

Attacks on US Forces in Iraq and Syria Continue After American Airstrikes

Oct. 30, 2023 | By Chris Gordon

U.S. troops have been attacked by Iranian-backed militias at least 23 times in less than two weeks, Pentagon officials said Oct. 30, providing the most comprehensive account of the American military’s recent confrontation with Tehran’s proxies in Iraq and Syria.

At least fourteen of these rocket and one-way drone attacks have occurred in Iraq, while another nine were carried out in Syria, the officials said.

Several of the militia attacks took place after the U.S. launched airstrikes against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the groups it backs in eastern Syria on Oct. 26 in an effort to deter further hostilities.

“Iran’s strategic objective has not changed,” a senior defense official told reporters. “Iran’s objective for a long time has been to force a withdrawal of the U.S. military from the region. What I would observe is that we’re still there.”

U.S. troops are in Iraq and Syria to advise and mentor local partners who are working to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State group. Some 2,500 U.S. troops are in Iraq working with Iraqi forces, while 900 troops are in Syria.

There had been a truce of sorts with the Iranian militias for more than six months as the U.S. held quiet talks with Iran about the release of American detainees and the pace of Tehran’s nuclear program. But that came to an end after Hamas, a militia long supported by Iran, attacked Israel on Oct. 7, prompting a fierce Israeli response.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an Oct. 28 press conference that Iran has provided critical military and financial support to Hamas, although he said he had no firm evidence that Tehran orchestrated the Oct. 7 attack.

“Iran supports Hamas,” said Netanyahu, who added that Tehran provides over 90 percent of Hamas’s budget.

The most intensive attacks by Iran-aligned groups against U.S. forces occurred Oct. 17 and Oct. 18, when 21 American military personnel were injured in attacks at the Al Tanf Garrison in Syria and Al Asad Air Base in Iraq. Those troops have since returned to duty, but a U.S. contractor died of a heart attack during the strikes.

In response, President Joe Biden ordered airstrikes against weapons and ammunition storage sites used by the IRGC and Iran-aligned militias, which the Pentagon announced Oct. 26.

The Pentagon initially said the airstrikes were conducted by a pair of F-16s Fighting Falcons using precision munitions. But officials later added that the mission was carried out using F-15E Strike Eagles as well.

The facilities were destroyed, deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh said Oct. 30. The U.S. military action appeared timed to minimize the risk of casualties, and the Pentagon says it believes no Iranian or militia personnel were killed.

“They were proportionate, focused, precision self-defense strikes,” the senior defense official said.

Even though many of the recent attacks against U.S. troops have been conducted in Iraq, the Biden administration has stayed clear of striking targets there over the years for fear of inflaming the political situation there, Middle East analysts say.

U.S. troops are in the country at the invitation of the Iraqi government to mentor Iraqi forces who are fighting ISIS. Michael Knights of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy said attacks by Iranian-aligned militia groups in Syria appeared to have increased at a greater pace in recent days.

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 say, to be manned by around 900 troops. The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower is also headed to the Middle East, and the U.S. has increased the number of Air Force fighter and attack aircraft in U.S. Central Command to six squadrons.

The Harpers Ferry-class dock landing ship USS Carter Hall (LSD 50) conducts flight operations with an unmanned aerial vehicle in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations, Oct. 23. Components of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group and 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) are deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to help ensure maritime security and stability in the Middle East region. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Moises Sandoval

Numerous warships are already in the Middle East and eastern Mediterranean Sea, including the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and amphibious assault ship USS Bataan, both of which carry fighters and other aircraft. The warships can also conduct air defense, which the destroyer USS Carney demonstrated in the Red Sea when it shot down four land attack cruise missiles and numerous drones launched by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen on Oct. 20 that the Pentagon says had the range to strike Israel.

Biden said in a notification to Congress he ordered the airstrikes because of the “grave threat” to U.S. personnel and that they were “conducted in a manner to limit the risk of escalation.” But U.S. officials have said the Biden administration is prepared to use force again if required.

“Deterrence includes both demonstrating the preparedness and the willingness to take military action, as well as messaging, which is why we have been very clear about what we want, which is for Iran’s senior leaders to direct its proxies and militias to stand down and stop these attacks, and we’ve backed it up with the use of force,” the senior defense official said.

US, South Korea, Australia Kick Off Large-Scale Exercise with 130+ Aircraft

Oct. 30, 2023 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

More than 130 aircraft from the U.S., South Korea, and Australia are participating in a joint exercise dubbed “Vigilant Defense 24” that kicked off Oct. 30.

Hosted by the Seventh Air Force at Osan Air Base, South Korea, the exercise will last through Nov. 3, focusing on interoperability between the allies and a broad range of mission sets.

More than 25 types of aircraft are participating, including fighter, cargo, tanker, and reconnaissance planes, according to a release from the Republic of Korea Ministry of National Defense.

The U.S. Air Force will contribute F-35, F-16, and A-10 fighter/attack aircraft, as well KC-135 aerial refuelers. The Republic of Korea Air Force will fly its own F-35s, as well as its E-7 for airborne early warning and control and KC-330. The Royal Australian Air Force will contribute the KC-30A multirole tanker transport.

80th Fighter Generation Squadron Airmen observe an F-16 Fighting Falcon while conducting preflight systems inspections on F-16 Fighting Falcons during Vigilant Defense at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, Oct. 28, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Samuel Earick)

Col. Michael G. McCarthy, 8th Operations Group commander, said in a statement that opportunities like these are “truly invaluable to refining the necessary tactics, techniques and procedures that ensure the combined force can operate as one cohesive unit, should we ever be called upon.”

The release from the 8th Fighter Wing highlighted that the training exercise is routine, “entirely defensive in nature,” and not in response to current real-world threats or situations.

During the five-day event, the U.S. and South Korea will practice integrating different kinds of aircraft and different kinds of operations including air defense, close air support, and emergency air interdiction, according to ROK’s Ministry of National Defense.

Another goal will be improving interoperability and coordination between the fourth- and fifth-generation fighters. South Korea has already ordered and started taking delivery of 40 fifth-gen F-35s, and is looking to buy 25 more in a deal valued at $5.06 billion, which was approved by the U.S. State Department in September.

The joint training between the three allies does carry the possibility of provoking a response from North Korea.Last year’s exercise, named ‘Vigilant Storm,’ featured around 240 aircraft from the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, and, Army, along with South Korea and Australia.

North Korea objected to the exercise through its state media. During and after the extended exercise last year, Pyongyang test-fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles and attempted an intercontinental ballistic missile launch, which ended in a failure.

Leaders from the U.S. and South Korea have pledged to conduct more regular, large-scale exercises together to bolster the alliance and deter North Korea.

North Korea, however, continues to test new missiles. Most recently, it fired off two short-range ballistic missiles ahead of a bilateral summit between leader Kim Jong Un and Russian president Vladimir Putin on Sept. 13.

After that summit, the U.S., ROK, and Japan criticized North Korea for providing military equipment to Russia against Ukraine, warning that such actions violate U.N. Security Council resolutions and could “significantly increase the human toll of Russia’s war of aggression.”

The joint statement released on Oct. 25 by U.S. Secretary of State Anthon Blinken and South Korea and Japan’s Foreign Ministers claimed Pyongyang is seeking military assistance from Moscow to advance its own capabilities. It also raised concerns regarding potential exchanges of nuclear or ballistic missile technology between them.

Russia and North Korea have denied such exchanges, but satellite images and assessments from think tanks indicate increased rail traffic and suspected munition shipments from Pyongyang to Moscow.