First Phase of Taiwan F-16V Program Is Complete

Feb. 5, 2024 | By John A. Tirpak

The $4.5 billion “Peace Phoenix Rising” program to upgrade 139 of Taiwan’s F-16s to the F-16V (Block 70-72) configuration is complete, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center announced Feb. 5. The next step in the boost of Taiwan’s air defenses is to deliver 66 new-build F-16s in a comparable configuration, expected within the next two to three years.

The upgrade gives Taiwan’s F-16s a capability equivalent or superior to those of most U.S. Air Force F-16s. The program is intended to help deter the People’s Republic of China from a military assault on Taiwan.

The last “Viper”-upgraded jet was delivered in December after final checks, AFLCMC said. The Taiwanese Air Force, officially known as the Republic of China Air Force, commissioned its first operational wing of F-16Vs in November 2021.

“This massive upgrade,” as AFLCMC described it, provided Taiwanese F-16s with the Northrop Grumman-built AN/APG-83 Active Electronically-Scanned Array radar, the Sniper targeting pod, Link 16, a helmet-mounted cuing system, precision GPS navigation, capability for advanced weapons, an upgraded modular mission computer, an ethernet high speed data network, a new center cockpit pedestal display, and heavyweight landing gear.

“Additional modifications to the aircraft include a slew of structural upgrades to the wings, fuselage and landing gear that make the aircraft more capable and sustainable. It also allows for a heavier takeoff as well as increased landing weight,” said Nathan Frock, AFLCMC’s acting security assistance program manager for the Taiwan F-16 retrofit program.

The upgrade program began in 2016 and the first completed aircraft was delivered in late 2018. Peace Phoenix Rising is the largest F-16 FMS retrofit program since the F-16 was inducted into the U.S. Air Force in 1979, AFLCMC said. Taiwan bought 150 F-16A/Bs in 1992; most of those were upgraded under Peace Phoenix. The upgrade was originally supposed to cover 144 aircraft, but there have been attrition losses since the original request.

Taiwan requested the Block 70 upgrade and new-jet sale after being rebuffed from buying F-35s.

The completion of the program comes on the heels of a letter from 24 U.S. lawmakers to Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall in November 2023, urging the service to expedite the program’s conclusion and press quickly ahead with the follow-on $8 billion purchase of 66 new F-16Vs approved by Congress in 2019. They noted that the upgrades were running behind schedule and the new-build fighters were delayed by at least two and maybe three years.

“We still consider these FMS cases to be high-risk,” the lawmakers said. The members said the two FMS cases—the upgrade and new-build F-16 sales—were “impacted from their earliest inception by optimistic assumptions about how rapidly new technology and modifications might be integrated” into the F-16 design.

“Taiwan urgently needs these new and upgraded aircraft, and a stronger, more resilient Taiwan will improve stability across the Taiwan Strait,” they said.

Air Force acquisition executive Andrew Hunter replied that the service is exploring “all options to prioritize and expedite” the transfer of new F-16Vs to Taipei.

Although the first two new jets were supposed to be delivered in late 2023, that did not happen; the delay was chalked up by the Air Force and Lockheed Martin to “complex developmental challenges” in developing new software for the fighter. Industry sources now say Taiwan should get its first F-16 Block 70 in the third quarter of 2024.

In their letter to Kendall, the lawmakers urged that the Air Force not make “similarly optimistic assumptions from manifesting in the future. We cannot afford to over-promise and under-deliver to our closest friends.”

President Joe Biden’s administration has pledged to speed up the Foreign Military Sales process, and last week reported that 2023 was a record year for FMS agreements, totaling $80.9 billion, a 55 percent increase over fiscal 2022.

Unlike earlier F-16s, which had about an 8,000-hour service life, newly built F-16Vs will have a 12,000-hour service life.

Aerospace Industry Development Center (AIDC) was Lockheed’s subcontractor in Taiwan. Together, the two companies designed and built Taiwan’s indigenous F-CK-1 Ching Kuo, or Indigenous Defense Fighter, 130 of which were delivered in the 1990s. The jets are considered to have a capability between the Northrop F-5E, which Taiwan also flies, and the F-16. Taiwan’s air force also includes Dassault Mirage 2000s, some of which may be life-extended due to delays in delivering the F-16Vs.

AFLCMC said it’s now working on a second phase of the upgrade project—Peace Phoenix Rising Modernization II—which will add capability for the AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM), an automatic ground collision avoidance system, the MS-110 multispectral reconnaissance pod, and the AGM-154 Joint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOW).

“We know this work is not done, as we continue to accelerate capability upgrades to the Taiwan Air Force’s existing F-16 fleet, but successfully accomplishing this key milestone is definitely worth highlighting,” said Col. Eddie Wagner, AFLCMC’s F-16 FMS Senior Materiel Leader.

Taiwan was also approved for $500 million worth of infrared search and track systems for the F-16s last August. The Legion IRST systems are considered essential to helping fourth-generation fighters like the F-16 spot aircraft with a low radar cross section, like China’s J-20.

“I am extremely proud of how all stakeholders involved with this [Peace Phoenix Rising] critical modification were able to overcome so many obstacles, including the COVID-19 pandemic, to deliver all 139 retrofitted aircraft by the end of 2023,” said Wagner. “We know the work is not done as we continue to accelerate capability upgrades to the Taiwan Air Force’s existing F-16 fleet, but successfully accomplishing this key milestone is definitely worth highlighting.”

Lockheed has at least six customers for the Lockheed F-16V/Block 70 and delivered Slovakia’s first two in January. Company officials say they are aiming at production of up to 36 F-16s per year by the end of 2024 and 48 per year by the end of 2025 from Lockheed’s Greenville, S.C., plant, where F-16 production moved from Fort Worth, Texas several years ago. However, at these rates, it will be challenging to deliver all of Taiwan’s new F-16Vs by 2026.

O.J. Sanchez, integrated fighter group vice president and general manager at Lockheed, said the company sees substantial F-16 upgrade opportunities, with more than 3,000 F-16s flying around the world. Greece, for example, has accepted more than 10 F-16s upgraded to the V configuration out of 84 expected to be delivered by 2027.

New Photos Show B-1 Lancer Crews Prepping for Feb. 2 Middle East Strikes

Feb. 5, 2024 | By David Roza

The Air Force published a batch of photos and videos this weekend showing B-1B bomber crews preparing for the CONUS-to-CONUS mission that included strikes targeting Iranian-aligned groups in Iraq and Syria on Feb. 2.

The crews and jets are from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., but launched from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, due to an ongoing investigation closing the runway at Ellsworth after a B-1 crashed there on Jan. 4.

Taking off from Dyess, the B-1s flew nonstop to the Middle East, where, along with fighter aircraft deployed to U.S. Central Command, they dropped more than 125 precision-guided munitions on 85 targets at seven facilities, according to the Pentagon.

The strikes were in response to the Jan. 28 drone attack on Tower 22, a U.S. outpost in northeast Jordan near the border with Syria. Three U.S. Army reservists were killed and at least 47 other troops injured. The group of Iranian-backed militias known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attack.

Speaking to reporters Feb. 5, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder said the targets struck by the B-1s included “command and control operation centers, intelligence centers, rockets, missiles, unmanned aerial vehicle storage and logistics and munitions supply chain facilities.”

“Although we continue to evaluate, we currently assess that we had good effects and that the strikes destroyed or functionally damaged more than 80 targets at the seven facilities,” he added. “The number of casualties is still being assessed.”

Even so, Iran-backed militia groups hit back at least twice, killing six allied Kurdish fighters in eastern Syria on Feb. 4. When asked about the ongoing attacks, Ryder said “our responses are not complete.”

“I’m not going to telegraph or discuss what that may be, other than we’ll conduct that at a time and place of our choosing,” he added.

A B-1B Lancer from Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, takes off the runway at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, Feb. 1, 2024. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Leon Redfern)

Meanwhile, U.S. and coalition forces also struck multiple areas controlled by Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have launched dozens of attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea in recent months. The intent is to “disrupt and degrade” the Houthis’ ability to disrupt shipping through the vital channel, Ryder said.

Since the Israel-Hamas war began in October, Iran-backed militia groups throughout the region have used ballistic missiles and drones to attack U.S. forces scores of times. That includes groups in Iraq and Syria, as well as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Whether B-1 crews will make another trip to the Middle East is unclear. For now, Col. Derek Oakley, commander of Ellsworth’s 28th Bomb Wing, seemed pleased with his troops’ performance last week.

“Our Airmen demonstrated once again our ability to conduct long range precision strike missions when tasked to do so,” he said in a press release. “Teaming with our fellow Strikers at Dyess to accomplish the mission is a testament to what we are able to do while further enhancing interoperability and improving our collective readiness.”

An Airman from the 7th Munitions Conventional Maintenance shop prepares Joint Direct Attack Munitions at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, Jan. 31, 2024. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Leon Redfern)

Though it cannot carry nuclear weapons, the B-1B’s three internal weapons bays can carry more guided or unguided weapons than any other Air Force aircraft, including the venerable B-52 Stratofortress. The jet’s four engines can push it over 900 miles an hour, and its swing-wings give it better performance at low speeds while loitering over a battlefield. The crew of four includes an aircraft commander, a copilot, and two combat systems officers who specialize in offensive and defensive systems.

“The mission we conducted validated that we can respond to any threat anywhere on the globe,” Oakley added. “We continuously train and prepare for these types of situations, and we are always ready to answer the call when it comes.”

New NORTHCOM, NORAD Boss Pledges ‘Relentless’ Homeland Defense

Feb. 5, 2024 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

Air Force Gen. Gregory M. Guillot took the helm of North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command during a ceremony at Peterson Space Force Base, Colo., on Feb 5. Succeeding Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, Guillot is now responsible for the 24/7 homeland defense mission.

“NORAD and NORTHCOM and their complementary missions are more imperative today than ever before,” Guillot said at the ceremony. “We owe the American and Canadian citizens that depend on us a relentless, disciplined approach to defending our homelands in all domains from all avenues of approach against all who intend us harm. Delivering that defense in today’s challenging environment is our commands’ no-fail mission.”

That mission is only growing tougher, Guillot said, in the face of competitors’ increasing capabilities.

“Today, the United States and Canada face an extraordinarily complicated and quickly changing strategic environment,” Guillot said. “Competitors can hold North America at risk in multiple domains from all avenues of approach and are increasing both their capability and their capacity to strike the homeland, either kinetically or non-kinetically, at a rate far exceeding the pace seen just a few years ago.”

Deputy Secretary General Kathleen Hicks echoed Guillot’s sentiment, citing Russia’s long-range aviation capabilities, North Korea’s growing ICBM program, and the Chinese surveillance balloon from last year as examples. Gen. Wayne Eyre, Chief of the Defence Staff for the Canadian Armed Forces, also stressed that competitors’ efforts have escalated over the years.

“Our competitors have become bolder, more active in this space, not just Russia, but China, too, acting on its aspirations of global preeminence,” Eyre stated.

To combat those threats, Guillot and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. stressed the need for robust partnerships and collaboration.

“To the men and women of NORAD and NORTHCOM who deepen our partnership every day, thanks for your dedication, thanks for your sacrifices you all make to strengthen our shared security.“

NORAD, founded in 1958, is a bi-national organization for aerospace warning, aerospace control and maritime warning for North America. NORTHCOM, established in 2002, is focused on homeland defense and providing military support to non-military authorities when directed.

The homeland defense mission gained renewed focus after the Chinese spy balloon incident in early 2023, and VanHerck cited the incident before Congress in pushing for better domain awareness technology to cover “gaps.”

In his farewell speech, VanHerck once again pushed for more resources to tackle the problem.

“To execute our assigned missions, NORAD and NORTHCOM require improved and increased domain awareness, adequate infrastructure, and access to trained, ready, and equipped forces,” VanHerck said.

In particular, he called for global integration across the Department of Defense and modern technologies to enhance awareness and information processing.

“We must process this domain awareness and information more quickly and get it to our decision-makers,” VanHerck said. “The only way you create more time and decision space is you process data and information with the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning and distribute it faster, allowing key deterrence options to be developed, and defeat options, if required.”

VanHerck also used his address to call for lawmakers to take the homeland defense mission more seriously through consistent, stable funding.

“I am concerned for our nation; a divided nation leading to an inability to focus on strategic imperatives and threats,” Vanherck asserted. “Continuing resolutions and the failure of Congress to pass a budget on time in 13 of the last 14 years, hollow promises that don’t equal tangible investments in support of the stated number one priority of homeland defense.”

Now, VanHerck will pass the mantle of leadership on to Guillot after a 36-year career in the military and almost four years at NORAD and NORTHCOM. Guillot comes to the job after stints as deputy commander of U.S. Central Command and head of Air Forces Central, but prior to that he was director of operations at NORTHCOM. He also spent time in Pacific Air Forces and commanded at the wing and squadron level.

When It Comes to Refueling Satellites, Space Force Faces Hard Choices

Feb. 5, 2024 | By Greg Hadley

As Pentagon and Space Force leaders plan for future dynamic space operations where satellites can maneuver as needed and get refueled to prolong their service lives, industry leaders are preparing to deploy new technology and finalizing their concepts of operations for what they agree is an “incredibly hard mission area.”

Refueling Interfaces

In-orbit refueling requires some kind of port or interface for satellites to receive fuel. Industry officials compared such a port to the “inlet of a gas tank” or a “gas cap” on a car. The Pentagon has extensive requirements for such receptacles for aerial refueling, but standards for a satellite equivalent are still being hashed out.

On Jan. 29, Northrop Grumman announced that Space Systems Command had selected its Passive Refueling Module (PRM) as a “preferred refueling solution interface standard.” Lauren Smith, Northrop’s program manager for in-space refueling, told Air & Space Forces Magazine that the module went through a “rigorous review” with SSC’s engineering review board and is the only interface to receive that certification to date.

“Standards are important to help the entire satellite service ecosystem grow, and we want to do the right thing for our customers,” Smith said. “There’s a demand signal that preparing satellites for refueling is important moving forward. And since the PRM has been identified as an SSC preferred refueling solution, the approved version of the PRM documentation and specifications will be provided by SSC.”

The plan is to have the PRM flying on satellites in orbit by 2025, Smith added.

Yet an SSC official later told SpaceNews that the selection did not mean the Space Force would use the PRM interface exclusively. And an executive with Orbit Fab, a startup that has developed its own port called the Rapidly Attachable Fluid Transfer Interface (RAFTI), told Air & Space Forces Magazine that its interface will go on Space Force satellites too.

“We have eight RAFTI refueling ports currently going to [Air Force Research Laboratory] and Tetra-5 missions in the short term, and many more headed for spacecraft programs around the world this year and beyond,” chief commercial officer Adam Harris said. “RAFTI is shipping to SSC spacecraft this month.”

Smith said Northrop will retain the intellectual property rights to the PRM, but the government, which helped fund the technology’s development, will have usage rights and can distribute the technical specifications to other contractors, who will not have to pay a licensing fee. Harris said RAFTI “is available for $30,000 to anyone that wants refueling.”

Orbit Fab’s Rapidly Attachable Fluid Transfer Interface (RAFTI).

Getting the Gas to the Customer

Between RAFTI and PRM, more refuelable satellites will likely launch in the coming years.

Actually doing the refueling is another story—and Northrop and Orbit Fab are taking different approaches.

Orbit Fab’s plan is to have operational fuel depots, or what it calls “Gas Stations in Space,” in the next few years. But the depots themselves won’t refuel satellites. Instead, they will stay in place and “shuttles” will maneuver between the two so that the client (such as the Space Force) doesn’t have to burn fuel getting to the depot.

In late January, Orbit Fab announced it was partnering with another startup focused on in-orbit servicing, ClearSpace, to collaborate on operations and key technologies.

“You can think of ClearSpace as kind of being the tow truck in space. So we do a number of different servicing capabilities, whether it’s hauling you off the side of the road, or it’s topping off your fuel tank,” Tim Maclay, ClearSpace’s U.S. general manager, told Air & Space Forces Magazine. “Eventually we’ll be replacing batteries and doing maintenance and that sort of thing. So we’re really sort of the AAA of the satellite world. And so with regard to refueling, think of us really as the last-mile delivery between the fuel depot and the customer.”

Orbit Fab is also working with Astroscale, another startup, on a Space Force project called the Astroscale Prototype Servicer for Refueling (APS-R) that is scheduled to go into orbit in 2026. In January, Astroscale revealed new details on the project, including a concept of operations for how it would use the RAFTI interface and dock with an Orbit Fab depot.

Partnering with other companies to get fuel to client satellites “is the fastest way to get our service to market,” Orbit Fab CEO Daniel Faber told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

Such speed is important, he added, because the Space Force is pushing industry to provide in-orbit refueling on an accelerated timeline.

“The government is now trying to move our timelines to the left,” Faber said. “They’re pushing really hard to make this happen quicker. The generals are saying every single spacecraft should be refuelable from, well, they started by saying the end of the decade, now they’re saying 2028. We’re going to get operational by 2026 and then give them that confidence that it’s going to work and that they can get these things installed and then they’ll get refueled.”

Meanwhile, in the same release announcing the PRM selection, Northrop revealed that it had received a contract from Space Systems Command to develop the Geosynchronous Auxiliary Support Tanker, or GAS-T, a spacecraft that will have enough fuel to maneuver between satellites and refuel them.

“If you had a servicer that was quite small, then you would really need to be going back to a depot frequently. And that’s part of the architecture and the trades—how much fuel is really beneficial for the vehicle that’s interacting directly with the client vehicles? And I think for us specifically, we have enough fuel that we’ll be able to refuel multiple client vehicles,” said Smith. “GAS-T is envisioned to be able to be refueled. So it could be filled up at a depot in the future certainly. But in this architecture today, GAS-T has enough fuel capacity to be able to refuel multiple vehicles. And so as part of this architecture, we don’t have to have a depot today for it to be useful.”

Smith called GAS-T a “pathfinder” program for the Space Force, and while Northrop believes the technology is mature enough to be operational, she said the contract is meant to be “iterative.”

“The information that we’re generating through S&T, getting to the requirements review, SSC will have the option to say we’d like to move forward with this to demonstrate the technology,” said Smith. “ … Ultimately we’re taking SSC’s lead for sort of how they want to move the technology forward.”

An artist illustration of a Northrop Grumman SpaceLogistics Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV). MEV delivers life-extension services; docking with a client satellite running low on fuel and also take over attitude and orbit maintenance. **SpaceLogistics**

‘Connection Toward Unity’: Guardian Wins Polaris Award for Championing Space at USAFA

Feb. 5, 2024 | By Patrick Reardon

The Space Force’s Polaris Awards annually recognize Guardians who best represent the Guardian Spirit. There are four individual award categories based on each of the core Guardian values—Character, Connection, Commitment and Courage—and a Team Excellence category that combines all four values. Air & Space Forces Magazine is highlighting each of this year’s winners before they receive their awards on stage at the 2024 AFA Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colo.

The U.S. Space Force selected Lt. Col. Jessica M. Pratt of the United States Air Force Academy Cadet Wing in Colo. as the winner of the Polaris Award for Connection for “developing, growing, and sustaining connections while treating everyone with dignity, empathy, and respect” in 2023.

Then-Maj. Pratt played an integral role in the second year of USAFA’s Azimuth Space Program, a summer program designed to give USAFA cadets and ROTC cadets from all services a taste of a potential Space Force career. Azimuth started as a single two-week course in the summer of 2022 but, largely due to Pratt’s leadership, expanded into three separate three-week courses in 2023.

“Being part of Azimuth was really exciting because it was USAFA’s first Space Force summer program,” Pratt said. “We took advantage of the proximity to local Space Force units and commercial space partners. All the military, industry, and mission partners we reached out to went above and beyond to invest in the cadets.”

Connecting with Guardians and space professionals from 105 agencies, Pratt built and mentored a 33-person cadre that spent the summer training more than 200 cadets from three service academies and 45 ROTC detachments across the nation on the diverse career fields offered by the Space Force.

Maj. Jessica M. Pratt of the United States Air Force Academy Cadet Wing in Colo. USSF photo.

Following the resounding success of the Azimuth program, Pratt reported that Space Force applications at USAFA have increased by 300 percent.

“Cadets are very interested in the challenges Space Force is working on and enjoy being part of something new, too,” she said. “Right now, the Space Force application process is highly competitive at USAFA. The Air Force Academy has 100 slots for the Space Force and we had 445 cadets apply.”

Pratt also led a team of Guardians who developed and led USAFA’s first-ever space-domain scenario for the final exercise of the Academy’s senior class. The scenario exposed cadets to Space Force doctrine and how space is a crucial warfighting domain, an area of education that’s still growing at USAFA.

“Part of our goal was even just to expose the rest of the community cadets that will graduate into the Air Force and permanent party who just don’t know much about the Space Force yet,” Pratt said. “We thought the exercise was a great opportunity to show how space is a warfighting domain and describe some of the threats.”

Pratt said she looks for any opportunity to represent the Space Force career field at USAFA to help inspire cadets to consider joining the next generation of Guardians. Case in point, Pratt connected with Guardians from units around Colorado to produce static displays for the Air Force vs. Navy football game. The initiative helped demonstrate space capabilities to more than 35,000 attendees.

When asked about what motivates her to pursue the Guardian value of Connection in everything she does, Pratt said it’s a simple matter of loving the Space Force and its mission.

“I think many people just haven’t had the opportunity to learn about the space domain, let alone view it as a contested environment,” Pratt said. “That’s why we do this job, to secure our Nation’s interests in, from, and to space.”

Meet the other 2023 Polaris Award winners below:

Polaris Award for Character: Tech. Sgt. Isabel Childress

Four B-52s Arrive in Guam to Support Large PACAF Exercise with Australia and Japan

Feb. 4, 2024 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

Four B-52 bombers from Minot Air Force Base, N.D. are deployed to Guam to support the Pacific Air Forces’ largest multilateral exercise, Cope North, a PACAF spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine on Feb. 2.

The long-range bombers assigned to the 5th Bomb Wing landed at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam on Jan. 30, according to PACAF’s release.

While in Guam, personnel managing B-52 operations will be assigned to the 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron.

“Finally have some iron on the ground,” Capt. Zachary Holmes, the weapons officer of the 23rd EBS, said regarding the bombers’ arrival in Anderson. “It’s great to finally receive our crews so we’re ready to go out and take part in the mission as well as get our maintenance personnel ready to support where they’re needed.”

The Cope North exercise, scheduled from Feb. 5-23, will be co-led by the Royal Australian Air Force and Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force.

A B-52H Stratofortress lands at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Jan. 30, 2024. Bomber missions familiarize aircrew with air bases and operations in different Geographic Combatant Commands areas of operations. The aircraft is deployed from the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Alyssa Bankston

This year’s iteration boasts an increase of some 30 additional aircraft and 400 more personnel compared to last year. About 700 service members from the RAAF, JASDF, French Air and Space Force, Royal Canadian Air Force, and Republic of Korea Air Force will join forces with 1,700 U.S. Airmen, Marines, and Sailors for the exercise.

Japan is deploying six F-15J/DJ Eagles, six F-2As, two search and rescue aircraft (U-125A and UH-60J), an E-767 AWACS aircraft, and a C-130H transporter, along with some 500 airmen to Guam.

Australia has dispatched a C-27J Spartan aircraft along with 215 aviators to Anderson, according to the RAAF’s release.

ROK’s defense media reported the country is deploying two CN-235 cargo aircraft and approximately 30 personnel for the joint exercise, including pilots and maintenance personnel.

All told, 85 aircraft from these six nations are scheduled to fly 1,400 missions across three islands and six airfields. The locations include Andersen, Guam International Airport, and Northwest Field in Guam, as well as the islands of Tinian and Saipan, about 120 miles north of Guam.

The three-week exercise will emphasize integrating airborne forces for large-scale and agile combat deployment. Aviators taking part in the exercise will contribute to agile operations conducted from remote airfields.

PACAF aims to enhance security and stability to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific by bolstering interoperability and cooperation with allies.

“The scenarios have been designed to allow our aviators to exercise agile operational concepts that enhance force projection, resilience and survivability of our allied air combat forces,” RAAF Task Group Commander, Group Captain Kylie Green said in the release.

The multinational training will also “reinforce unit capabilities and cooperation procedures between the countries through Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief training,” according to the JASDF’s release.

Launched in 1978 as a quarterly bilateral drill held in Japan, Exercise Cope North relocated to Andersen in 1999. The B-52 bombers from Barksdale Air Force Base, L.A., were previously featured in the exercise in Guam in February 2022.

Air Force Historical Foundation Honors MQ-9 Wing, Trailblazing General, Airpower Expert

Feb. 2, 2024 | By John A. Tirpak

The Air Force Historical Foundation announced the recipients of its most prestigious awards for 2023 on Feb. 1:

The 432nd Wing, which flies the MQ-9 Reaper remotely-piloted aircraft

Ret. Air Force Lt. Gen. and astronaut Susan Helms

Benjamin Lambeth; author, educator and contributor to numerous think-tanks and advisory boards

432nd Wing

The 432nd Wing received the AFHF James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle Award, which recognizes an active duty Air Force or Space Force unit for “gallantry, determination, esprit de corps, and superior management of joint operations” in accomplishing its mission under difficult or hazardous conditions in various conflicts.

“The 432nd Wing continues to be at the forefront of the USAF’s persistent attack and reconnaissance mission,” the AFHF said in its release. It is the first unit to win a second time, having previously received the Doolittle Trophy in 2017.

Throughout 2023, the 432nd Wing and its subordinate units have supported military operations in virtually every regional theater with the MQ-9, which can conduct persistent surveillance and strike.

Over the course of the year, the wing generated more than 8,579 sorties, killed more than 67 enemies, and conducted more than 222,000 hours of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance activities, in support of U.S. European Command, Africa Command, Central Command and Indo-Pacific Command.

The wing trained and equipped 205 maintainers to support force deployments in Operation Atlantic Resolve, which bolstered forces to Europe in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Hunters also “demonstrated exceptional agility” by swiftly outfitting and dispatching 13 “crucial assets” for time-sensitive operations in Juniper Shield (formerly Enduring Freedom) combatting terrorism and drug trafficking.

Responding to a Presidential Directive, the Hunters shifted two MQ-9 squadrons in the region to respond the Israel-Hamas conflict within 72 hours of the order. The Hunters drew assets from three other combatant commands to accomplish “persistent ISR support” of U.S. Navy operations in the area.

Lt. Gen. Susan Jane Helms, USAF (Ret.)

Retired Lt. Gen. Susan Jane Helms is the recipient of the AFHF Gen. Carl “Tooey” Spaatz Award, which recognizes individuals who have made significant lifetime contributions to the Air Force or Space Force. She is the first woman to receive the award.

Helms commanded 14th Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) and Joint Functional Component Command for Space at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. She retired from the Air Force in 2014.

She was the first military woman in space and was a mission specialist on five Space Shuttle missions; she was the first woman to make two trips to the International Space Station. On her second spaceflight, she was an ISS crew member for 167 days in 2001, during which she and fellow astronaut Jim Voss conducted a record 8-hour and 56-minute spacewalk.

Helms serves on NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel and was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center (2014-2016). She is also on the board of the Association of Space Explorers and was elected to the Board of Trustees of The Aerospace Corporation in 2017.

Helms has received many awards, including the Gen. James V. Hartinger Award; the Thomas D. White Space Award for Outstanding Contributions to Space; the Dr. Kurt H. Debus Award; the Women in Aerospace Outstanding Achievement Award, and the the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal. She was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2004, and the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame in 2018.

Dr. Benjamin S. Lambeth

Lambeth received the AFHF Maj. Gen. I.B. Holley Award, which recognizes an individual who has made “sustained, significant contributions to the documentation of Air Force and Space Force history during a lifetime of service.”

Lambeth has been “one of the most informed and prolific observers of military affairs for the past several decades,” the AFHF release stated.

Since 2011, he has been a nonresident senior fellow with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington, D.C. Previously, he worked at the RAND corporation for 37 years. Earlier, he worked with the CIA’s Office of National Estimates, at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and at the Institute for Defense Analyses.

A civil-rated pilot, Lambeth has checked out in or received orientation flights in more than 40 different types of fighter, attack, and jet trainer aircraft with all U.S. and eight foreign air services. He attended Air Force’s Tactical Fighter Weapons and Tactics Course and Combined Force Air Component Commander Course, the Aerospace Defense Command’s Senior Leaders’ Course, and portions of the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) and Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Instructor’s Course.

In 2002, Lambeth was elected an honorary member of the Order of Daedalians. In 2008, he was appointed by Defense Secretary Robert Gates to serve an eight-year term as a member of the Air University Board of Visitors.

Lambeth is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Air Force Association, the U.S. Naval Institute, the Association of Naval Aviation, and the Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association. He also previously served on the editorial advisory boards of Air and Space Power Journal and Strategic Studies Quarterly.

Lambeth has authored numerous articles, papers and books, including articles for Air & Space Forces Magazine (formerly Air Force Magazine).

His book, “The Transformation of American Air Power” was recognized with the Gill Robb Wilson Award for Arts and Letters in 2001.

Lambeth has also written numerous other books on airpower around the world.

Haugh Becomes First Airman to Take Command at CYBERCOM

Feb. 2, 2024 | By Greg Hadley

Airmen took command of two major defense intelligence organizations Feb. 2, as Gen. Timothy D. Haugh succeeded Army Gen. Paul M. Nakasone as head of U.S. Cyber Command, and Lt. Gen. Jeffrey A. Kruse became director of the Defense Intelligence Agency.

Haugh is the first Airman to lead CYBERCOM, which was founded in 2010 and only became a unified combatant command in 2017. Kruse is the first Airman to lead the DIA since 1996.

As head of CYBERCOM, Haugh is also director of the National Security Agency, continuing the dual-hat arrangement that has existed for the past six years. Haugh voiced support for the double assignment during his Senate confirmation hearing. In his new roles, Haugh leads some 27,000 military and civilian staff, the vast majority employed at NSA, the nation’s foremost signals intelligence agency. He will be the chief officer responsible for countering cyber warfare threats from Russia, China, North Korea, and others.

Haugh moves up after 18 months as Nakasone’s deputy. Prior to that, he commanded Air Forces Cyber, also known as the 16th Air Force. He has commanded at the squadron, group, wing levels as well, and had a stint as director of intelligence at CYBERCOM.

As the 16th Air Force’s first commander after its reactivation, Haugh was tasked by Air Combat Command boss Gen. Mark D. Kelly with leading ACC’s shift in culture from a focus on short-term combat to one of long-term competition. In that role, he built a new command responsible for cyber, spectrum, and information warfare, areas in the so-called “gray zone” of conflict.

Now he’ll lead the nation’s joint cyber forces as they look to combat growing threats. Just a few days before he assumed command, the FBI announced it had shut down a Chinese-backed hacking group that was targeting critical U.S. infrastructure. In January, a report alleged North Korean hackers had targeted information security professionals. And Russia has used cyber warfare to attack critical Ukrainian infrastructure during their invasion.

Haugh is the fourth Airman currently leading a combatant command, the most the service has had since May 2010. Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost heads U.S. Transportation Command, Gen. Anthony J. Cotton is in charge of U.S. Strategic Command, and Gen. Glen D. VanHerck will lead U.S. Northern Command for a few more days before handing off to Air Force Gen. Gregory M. Guillot. Space Force Gen. Stephen N. Whiting also leads U.S. Space Command.

DIA

Kruse takes over at DIA after spending the last four years as the military adviser to the Director of National Intelligence. He’s also commanded at the squadron, group, and wing level within the Air Force and had stints as director of intelligence for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S.’s anti-ISIS campaign.

DIA is both a component of the Pentagon and a member of the Intelligence Community, with more than 16,000 employees. It provides intelligence on foreign militaries for combat-related missions and for the secretary of defense, Joint Chiefs, and combatant commands.

“The world is in the throes of several concurrent challenges: geopolitical, technological, military, economics, and increasingly in the economic space,” Kruse said during the change of command ceremony. “My pledge is to ensure DIA remains an irreplaceable source of insights into tailored action … in securing the nation’s future.

Why Does It Take So Long to Get a CCAF Transcript?

Feb. 2, 2024 | By David Roza

Air University formed a task force last month to address the lengthy delays in processing official transcripts and graduations from the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF), following months of mounting frustrations for Airmen.

The average processing time for official transcripts used to be 72 hours, an official told Air & Space Forces Magazine. The goal is now 14 days for high-priority requests and 90 days or more for other requests. Priority requests are ones that have implications for promotions, commissioning, developmental special duties, retirements, or separations.

The CCAF website says the current wait time is 150 days for processing transcripts coming into the college and 85 for those being sent to a third party such as an educational institution or employer. By comparison, civilian universities often process transcripts in one to five days.

“Our eventual goal is to be in line with the civilian standard, so that within a 72-hour turn time, you’d be able to get a transcript request,” Col. Damian Schlussel, head of the Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education, told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

CCAF offers associate degrees and professional credentialing programs for enlisted Airmen and Guardians. Last June, the college launched the Air University Student Information System (AU SIS), which was supposed to replace a dozen outdated systems and make it easier for students and educators to check academic progress.

But after the switch, the data coming out of AU SIS proved to be inaccurate. Schlussel likened it to patching a software update on an iPhone—except here, the system is connected with legacy systems that are also being updated, so that “every time we push a patch or an update, sometimes the code that underlies the digital backbone needs to be tweaked.”

In the meantime, every request has to be processed by hand, with program managers validating every line of every transcript, from the student’s name to the courses they have taken to their number of credit hours. While the new system is not specific to CCAF, the college has a much higher number of degrees to process than other institutions at Air University. On a typical day, CCAF processes about 500 requests, but with about 400,000 total force enlisted Airmen and Guardians around the world and 22,000 degrees a year, a backlog was inevitable.

“We’re getting more requests than what we can manually stay up to speed with, or ‘hand jam’ to ensure data accuracy,” Schlussel said.

Airmen and Guardians have noticed, with many airing their frustrations on social media. Several described losing out on scholarships because the application deadline passed while waiting on a CCAF transcript. When asked if there have been consequences amidst the rocky transition, Schlussel, who took command at Barnes a week after AU SIS came online, said he and his team are “more concerned with how we can make improvements into the future,” rather than “worrying about what got us here.”

Part of the objective of the new task force, which began Jan. 8 and was announced Jan. 30, is to figure out lessons learned from the experience. The task force is consulting with industry experts on resolving the technical and software issues, Schlussel said in a press release.

“Nothing is off the table,” he told Air & Space Forces Magazine. “We want to make sure that we hold faith with promises made to our Airmen for what CCAF could and should be. Whether it is help from the larger Air Force or contracting solutions, we are looking at all of those options and abilities through Air University.”

Besides fixing AU SIS, the task force has a range of other efforts, such as streamlining the user experience by making Air University online systems easier to understand and reducing the number of clicks needed to navigate them; consolidating registrar offices; working on a regular five-year re-accreditation process; and improving communications with Airmen past and present.

“We want to have better communications about what is happening, what the current problems are, what you can expect, and when things are going to get better,” Schlussel said.

The colonel advised troops affected by the delay to consult their chain of command.

“If an Airman is being adversely affected by what is going on with CCAF, their squadron or group leadership have the ability to reach out directly to us and we can adjust an Airman’s priorities based on that input,” he said. “I really encourage folks to use their chain of command.”

The CCAF transcript issue is one of several technological frustrations Airmen have dealt with in recent years. Others include a buggy ‘myDecs’ platform for approving decorations that was recently replaced, and a malfunctioning ‘myEval’ evaluation platform that was relaunched in May after the branch stopped using it in 2022.

Brian Ferguson, a spokesperson for the Barnes Center, which oversees CCAF and enlisted Professional Military Education, said Air University staff and leadership are working as hard as they can to fix the transcript issue.

“I know it sounds cliché, but this is a top priority here,” coming from “an individual concern for the service member out there,” he said.

Editor’s Note: The original version of this article misidentified some degrees offered by the Community College of the Air Force. It was updated Feb. 5 to correct the error.