Amid Wars in Ukraine and Israel, ‘Long-Planned’ B-1 Task Force Deploys to UK

Amid Wars in Ukraine and Israel, ‘Long-Planned’ B-1 Task Force Deploys to UK

Multiple B-1B Lancers arrived at RAF Fairford, United Kingdom, on Oct. 12, kicking off a Bomber Task Force deployment as tensions rise across the globe. 

More than 100 Airmen deployed to support the B-1s from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, the first Bomber Task Force rotation of fiscal 2024. U.S. Air Forces in Europe emphasized in a release that the deployment was “long-planned,” and was not triggered by events such as Hamas’ incursion into Israel and events since.

USAFE “routinely hosts and supports a variety of U.S. Air Force aircraft and units for training aligned with U.S. European Command objectives,” the statement said. 

Still, the bombers’ arrival and its missions over the next several months will likely be watched closely. As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drags on, fears rise that the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza could spread to other groups and countries in the Middle East. 

B-1s from an earlier Bomber Task Force deployment fired advanced munitions in a live-fire exercise in June, using ranges in Jordan and Saudi Arabia as part of a joint exercise that included Israel. 

During that same deployment Russian fighter jets intercepted the B-1s in the Baltic Sea region. The task force’s bombers landed in Sweden for the first time ever and joined in on the Swedes’ premier air exercise in the Arctic. 

Tensions have only risen since then. In the wake of Hamas’ attack, multiple USAF fighter squadrons deployed to the Middle East in an effort to deter both Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group, and Iran from expanding the conflict while showing firm support for Israel.

Separately, the Ukraine Defense Contact Group also met this week to discuss the country’s long-term air defense, even as questions persist about the U.S.’s ability to keep providing aid. 

Amid all this, the B-1 Lancers’ deployment “provides U.S. and NATO leaders with strategic options to assure Allies and partners, while also deterring potential adversary aggression throughout Europe and across the globe,” according to a USAFE release. 

Officials have touted Bomber Task Forces as a flexible way for the Air Force to reassure allies and project airpower around the world.  

“It seems as though everyone likes to have a bomber in their region,” Air Force Gen. Anthony J. Cotton told reporters this August. 

Space Force Pumps the Brakes on ChatGPT-Like Technology With Temporary Ban

Space Force Pumps the Brakes on ChatGPT-Like Technology With Temporary Ban

Space Force Guardians face a temporary ban on using generative artificial intelligence tools and large language models (LLM) for official purposes.

The move, first reported by Bloomberg, was announced in a Sept. 29 memo from Lisa Costa, the Space Force’s Chief Technology and Innovation Officer.

According to the memo, obtained by Air & Space Forces Magazine, Guardians are forbidden from using government data in generative AI solutions unless they receive official approval.

IBM describes Generative AI as programs “that can generate high-quality text, images, and other content based on the data they were trained on”—platforms such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Ask Sage, a model designed for government work by the Department of the Air Force’s former chief software officer Nicolas M. Chaillan.

ChatGPT logo on a keybaord. Mike Tsukamoto/staff; GuHyeok Jeong/Pixabay

In an interview with Air & Space Forces Magazine, Chaillan argued against the Space Force’s move, citing concerns about the efficacy of prohibiting an entire technology or platform and the potential risks linked to personnel accessing these platforms on their personal devices.

“When people are banned from using government equipment and you’re banned from using your device (to access these platforms), it’s going to push people to use their personal device. People have created personal accounts on the platform, which creates more risk. All you’re doing when you do things like this, is the creation of more shadow IT and more cyber risk,” Chaillan said.

According to Chaillan, Ask Sage was developed on government clouds and constructed to fulfill all cybersecurity prerequisites. He said over the past six months, roughly 500 Guardians utilized the platform, with no reported security incidents. He also said there are presently 10,000 Ask Sage users throughout the Department of Defense.

A Pentagon spokesperson said they were unable to verify the exact number of Ask Sage users, but in a statement, they echoed many of the same concerns Costa referenced in her memo.

“LLMs offer great promise to assist DOD personnel in accomplishing a wide variety of tasks, however we must ensure that sensitive DOD data is safeguarded when using such platforms,” the spokesperson said via email. “Valid concerns have also been voiced about the traceability and validity of answers provided by LLMs.”

Space Force spokesperson Maj. Tanya Downsworth told Air & Space Forces Magazine that Costa’s memo institutes a “temporary, strategic pause to evaluate the best path forward to align this capability into the USSF mission that protects the data of our service and Guardians.”

She added that the service will be looking at risk management methods and encourage pilot programs to gather data to inform decisions.

Chaillan, however, argued any delay with such a rapidly evolving technology means risking losing ground against the likes of China. Beijing has expressed aspirations to take the lead in harnessing the power of generative artificial intelligence across a spectrum of military applications to reshape the future of warfare.

When ChatGPT first gained popularity earlier this year, defense officials all the way up to Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall suggested the technology may have myriad uses, from acquisition to mission planning.

But the Space Force’s decision tempers some of that excitement. For his part, Chaillan suggested the possibility of the DOD considering the development of their own technology utilizing generative AI and LLM.

“(It) makes me wonder if they’re thinking of building their own stuff, which is going to be massive taxpayers’ spending,” he said. Chaillan quit his Air Force job in 2021, citing the lack of funding for crucial technologies in the joint all-domain command and control (JADC2) as the tipping point for his resignation.

So far, there has been no public discussions by Pentagon officials about building their own GenAI/LLM model. However, in August, the DOD announced the establishment of Task Force Lima, led by the DOD’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office. This task force is dedicated to advancing national security through GenAI in diverse areas of defense.

Costa’s memo highlighted her office’s participation in Task Force Lima, with a shared objective to “responsibly and strategically utilize the capabilities of GenAI and LLMs.”

Costa also expressed confidence in the long-term utility of the technology, writing that Gen AI will “undoubtedly revolutionize our workforce and enhance Guardians’ ability to operate at speed.”

Regarding the duration of the ban, Downsworth said the CTIO intends to accelerate the formulation and issuance of specific USSF guidance, possibly within 30 days of the memo’s publication.

‘Fighting the Storm’: How Guam Airmen Kept Up Comms Through Typhoon Mawar

‘Fighting the Storm’: How Guam Airmen Kept Up Comms Through Typhoon Mawar

Airman 1st Class Reynold Boateng Mireku was sitting in the data center at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, at around 2:30 a.m. on May 25 when 140-mile per hour winds peeled off parts of the roof, revealing lightning and rain in the early morning darkness overhead. 

“That’s a memory I have that will always stand out,” Mireku told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

Typhoon Mawar had struck Guam, clobbering the Pacific island with heavy rain and hurricane-strength winds. It would be another day before the storm subsided, and until then Mireku and his fellow Airmen at the data center had a job to do: keep the communications systems at Guam intact, even with a force of nature seemingly trying to destroy it. 

“It was a very daunting task,” said a fellow communications specialist, Airman 1st Class Uzziel Toro, “but we were able to make sure nothing went down.”

Initial photos show the damage done to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam after Typhoon Mawar hit the island in late May. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Allison Martin

‘I was lucky’

Despite the challenge, Mireku, Toro, and six other Airmen chose to be in the data center that day. The building serves as a kind of nerve center for communications both on the island and with bases elsewhere in the Pacific and the continental United States. The center handles classified and non-classified internet networks, a communication line directly to Washington, links to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and 157 long-haul circuits, which are fiber paths that connect Andersen to other installations near and far. 

The Airmen split up into smaller teams to oversee the circuits, the communications to Washington, and the network control center. Their task was to keep the electronic equipment there cool, dry, and powered up throughout the storm, and to do their best to make sure the building itself did not collapse.

“I was lucky enough to work with my two best friends, and we all kept ourselves level-headed and worked together to figure things out,” said Toro. “It wasn’t scary, but we were cautious and focused on what we were doing.”

With their posts assigned and supplies of food and water at hand, the Airmen settled in and prepared for the storm.

‘Literally fighting’

Typhoon Mawar poured more than two feet of rain on Guam, all of which had to be kept out of the sensitive electronic equipment in the data center. As the wind picked up and rain pelted the building, the Airmen used sandbags and several rolls of duct tape to keep the doors from being blown off. When water got inside, they used buckets, mops, and even their own shirts and blankets to pick it up and wring it out in the bathroom sink.

“We looked at every crevice to make sure nothing was leaking, nothing was getting wet,” Toro said. “We just fought it the best we could while things were, you know, flying off.”

The Airmen mopped the floors and checked the building for leaks or breaches, but they could not hold back the typhoon entirely. When parts of the roof ripped off, sometimes all they could do was inform their leadership and try to limit the damage. 

To make matters worse, the building fire alarm kept going off, which the Airmen eventually figured out was caused by the extreme wind. The Airmen turned off the alarm and checked the building every 30 minutes for undetected fires.

“We implemented a plan to not only keep ourselves safe, but also try to save our eardrums as well,” Toro said.

Adrenaline kept the Airmen awake for the first two days, but they began catching a few hours of sleep in shifts on the third day. When the storm finally died down, their leadership had to saw through the data center door because there were two or three rolls of duct tape keeping it secure. But the Airmen were successful—throughout the 72 hours, they had removed about 140 gallons of water from the data center and kept communications running, allowing base leadership to stay in contact with higher-ups, NOAA, and anybody else necessary.

“I was thoroughly impressed with what these Airmen and their team went through when they were out there,” said Col. Dustin Born, head of the program management office for the Mawar rebuild effort. “They were literally fighting off the storm … I mean you’re talking, shirt off your back to soak up water.”

From left to right, Airman 1st Class Uzziel Toro, Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force JoAnne Bass, Airman 1st Class Nhat K, and Airman 1st Class Reynold Boateng Mireku pose for a photo at the 2023 Air, Space, Cyber Conference. Courtesy photo

The comms Airmen were just a few of many at Andersen who went above and beyond to limit the damage and get the base back up and running as soon as possible, a tall order considering the ferocity of the storm.

“There was debris everywhere, sheet metal awnings were crumpled like a piece of paper, power lines were down, traffic lights were facing every which way, and thick jungles were stripped bare and looked like east Tennessee in winter,” Lt Col. David Seeman, commander of the 506th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, said in a press release about the storm. 

Even so, Airmen with the 506th and other units managed to clear the airfield of debris the same day the storm subsided, May 26, so that incoming aircraft could land supplies and responders. Service members at Andersen applied the same attitude to helping civilian residents on the island, distributing hundreds of thousands of meals, liters of water, and repairing dozens of roofs.

“The fact that Andersen was able to stay up and running and immediately get to work as soon as the storm ended, I think was a very proud moment for us as Airmen,” said Toro. “We saw people from all types of squadrons get together and start working, focusing on the mission.”

Rebuilding

Five months later, the base is on the road to recovery. Basic amenities like water and electricity are running on the base, though the greater Guam community still suffers occasional rolling blackouts. Much of the debris has been picked up, but nearly 500 facilities sustained some sort of damage and more than 100 need significant repair. 

Base officials are still determining the best approach to make the installation more resilient against future storms, though the reconstruction effort is estimated to cost more than $4 billion. Some of the possibilities include weathertight doors, new roofs that can withstand storms, and underground power lines that will not be torn away by the wind. 

“We are still in the planning stage,” Born said. “There are a lot of great ideas out there, but all of those have to be quelled with what our budget constraints are.”

mawar
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Kevin Vincent, 567th Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineer, uses a chainsaw to cut tree branches at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Akeem K. Campbell

Andersen is not alone in that regard, as the Air Force writ large seeks to prepare its installations for floods, hurricanes and other extreme weather exacerbated by the effects of climate change.

“We cannot launch or recover aircraft on a flooded runway, nor can we operate from installations devastated by hurricanes and wildfires,” wrote Dr. Ravi Chaudhary, assistant secretary of the Air Force for energy, installations and the environment, in the department’s Climate Campaign Plan, the roadmap for keeping the service ready to win wars amid severe weather and for achieving net-zero emissions at installations.

“Our bases are our power projection platforms and as those bases are increasingly impacted by the effects of climate change, adapting to these challenges will be critical to meet our national security obligation,” he added.

Chaudhary praised Mireku, Toro, and their colleague, Airman 1st Class Nhat K, during a media roundtable at the Air, Space & Cyber Conference in September.

“Throughout the storm, we had complete connectivity of our IT both on the unclassified and classified side,” he said. “But that wasn’t because of our robust infrastructure. It was because of our Airmen.”

The assistant secretary’s goal is to make Air Force infrastructure more robust so that future Airmen will not have to show such grit to keep communications running. For example, a new microgrid and underground power lines at Kadena Air Base, Japan kept power intact during a recent typhoon, Chaudhary told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

“We have a whole litany of investments aimed at ruggedizing our installations—everything from microreactor prototypes to wind, geothermal and beyond,” he said. “We are doing ‘black-start’ exercises that test our skill sets in this arena as well. We call them Energy Resilience Readiness Exercises—the more we do, the more we learn, the more adaptable our Air Force gets.”

Back on Guam, Mireku learned an important lesson too: by working together, he and his fellow Airmen managed to hold back Mother Nature.

“Teamwork, teamwork, teamwork is what we take away from this,” he said. “One person can’t build Rome, one person can’t make it happen.”

A-10s Arrive in CENTCOM After Hamas Attacks on Israel

A-10s Arrive in CENTCOM After Hamas Attacks on Israel

A-10 Thunderbolt IIs from the 354th Fighter Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., have arrived in the Middle East, as the U.S. has rushed airpower to the region following the surprise Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 

Their exact location was not immediately clear.

The A-10s will add to the Warthogs from the 75th Fighter Squadron, which are already in the region, according to U.S. officials.

The decision to send U.S. military assets to the region was taken to discourage Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group, and Iran from trying to escalate the conflict and to show support for Israel, which has had more than 1,200 citizens killed and others taken hostage and brought to Gaza.

A senior defense official told reporters Oct. 12 that the message to any state or non-state actors that were thinking of escalating the violence was a simple one: “Don’t.” 

The new deployment comes as Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III heads to Israel on Oct. 13, the Pentagon said. 

The Pentagon had earlier announced plans to send A-10s, F-16 Fighting Falcons, and F-15E Strike Eagles to strengthen the U.S. Air Force presence in the region.

The military did not say whether those F-15s and F-16s have yet arrived. U.S. officials have said F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters are also among the capabilities that may be sent

The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier has also moved to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. It carries four F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter squadrons, as well as electronic warfare and command and control aircraft. The carrier is also accompanied by cruise missile-carrying warships.

“We expect to see more posture increases flowing in over the next week,” the senior defense official said. “We will continue to be responsive to Israel’s requests for air defense, artillery, ammunition, and precision guided munitions.” 

Israel has responded to Hamas’s attacks with punishing airstrikes in Gaza, and Israel appears posed to intervene with ground forces, staging large numbers of members of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) near Israel’s border with Gaza. Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to “crush and destroy” Hamas and has formed a wartime cabinet. 

Austin plans to meet with Netanyahu, Minister of Defense Yoav Gollant, and the war cabinet, the senior defense official said, for in-depth talks about “their operational planning and their objectives for this conflict in response to Hamas’s brutal, ISIS-style attack.”

American citizens are among the dead and taken hostage, U.S. officials say. The State Department has announced plans to evacuate some American citizens from Israel.

While U.S. forces are poised to intervene should Hezbollah try to open a northern front in Israel, such a step may not be necessary. Austin said Oct. 12 the U.S. did not have evidence of Hezbollah amassing forces on Israel’s northern frontier. 

“We are also looking for additional things that could widen the conflict here, and hopefully we won’t see those things, but we’ve not seen that to this point,” Austin said.

An F/A-18F Super Hornet, front, attached to the “Ragin’ Bulls” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 37, and an F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to the “Blacklions” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 213, conduct flight operations in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, Oct. 11, 2023. VFA-213 and VFA-37 are deployed aboard the world’s largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) as a part of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8. The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group is currently operating in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, at the direction of the Secretary of Defense. U.S. Navy photo
Air Force Testing Chief: We’re Boosting Hypersonic Test Capacity

Air Force Testing Chief: We’re Boosting Hypersonic Test Capacity

The Air Force is adding new air and ground test capabilities and tapping allied ranges to keep up with the needs of its hypersonic programs, while squeezing as much capacity as it can out of existing assets, the head of the service’s test enterprise said Oct. 12.

Hypersonics efforts—along with a half-dozen other new flight test programs already in or entering their flight test phase—are “stressing” the test enterprise, Maj. Gen. Evan C. Dertien, commander of the Air Force Test Center, said in an interview with Air & Space Forces Magazine, but initiatives are underway to manage the load.

“We’re making investments across all five areas for the test infrastructure to enable faster testing,” he said. Those areas include:

  • ground test capabilities
  • test aircraft
  • ranges
  • data infrastructure
  • people

Air Force and industry officials have said hypersonics efforts are not making the progress they could because of limited test ranges and test infrastructure, requiring months of waiting time between shots. Former Pentagon science and technology officials have said a consistent and frequent pace of testing is essential to progress in hypersonics.    

Dertien said not all the testing delay is due to range and infrastructure availability.

“The reason you do a test is, either you have the data to confirm success, or when you have a failure,” there’s a need to review the data and “go back and make the changes. So a lot of times you scheduled a test, not because you couldn’t execute another test the same day, but you want to review the data,” he said.

“We wouldn’t make design changes before we go back and do the next test. But I think we’re making investments across all five areas for the test infrastructure to enable faster testing,” he added.

The Air Force has added Global Hawk telemetry aircraft to its test portfolio, along with the ability to use control rooms not physically co-located with where the tests are occurring, Dertien said. New ground capabilities in the form of wind tunnels and high-temperature thermal test systems are also coming on line, and the Air Force is even using space assets to monitor lights and collect data, he said.

“It’s a multi-pronged approach,” he said. The test enterprise is improving instrumentation over both East Coast and West Coast water ranges and “working with our foreign partners on ranges they may have.”

The effort is focused on “delivering the instrumentation you need to do these highly developmental shots right now,” he said.

Col. Douglas P. Wickert, commander of the 412th Test Wing, said Australia is also allowing USAF to use its Woomera range to do overland testing of hypersonic systems, but Dertien said the service is only doing overland tests as necessary for now. More overland testing will be needed in the future, and he said work is being done in concert with the FAA to develop the hypersonic test corridors that may be used for that phase of testing.

“We’re starting to link some ranges together and do some hypersonic testing across ranges right now, but more to follow, as far as which corridors are approved. I don’t want to get ahead of the FAA and other folks that are working on those, but right now, we’re satisfying most of the need on the overwater ranges,” he said.

Wickert said some of the tests in Australia start with an overwater launch and “impact on land” on the Woomera range.

The Air Force is also investing in new wind tunnels and aerodynamic arc heating capabilities at Arnold Engineering Development Center in Tennessee, Dertien said, as well as partnering with academic institutions to jointly fund and build infrastructure to test various elements of hypersonic flight.

“Hypersonics is an extremely challenging environment,” he said, “and you’re never going to have one facility that can test to the entire profile.”

The “Dragon Fire” project is being readied to provide extreme temperature arc heating capability to test thermal protection materials, and USAF is also well underway with a “clean-air” variable high-Mach tunnel that will simulate flight conditions for hypersonic vehicles, Derien said.

“This is more of a capacity increase,” he said. “I try to balance our investments across both” capacity and capability, he added.

“The new Dragon Fire facility will dramatically increase our capacity to do … materials testing for all the thermal protection … that you have to put on weapons and different hypersonic vehicles. So that’s in progress right now down at Arnold,” he said.

“The other one I’ll highlight is our new J-5. That’s a hypersonic round test facility to test scramjet engines. And what’s unique about this is, it will probably be the only one in the world [that’s] a clean-air, true-temp test facility. So rather than heating up the air with just a thermal reaction—and you end up getting gas particulates in the air—this will actually be a clean air, true temperature test facility to do hypersonic testing [at] Mach 5+. And that allows us to get much more accurate measurements of the conditions that a hypersonic weapon would experience in flight.”

The facility will also be “variable Mach,” able to shift among Mach 5-plus speeds. That means it won’t require the typical “massive reconfiguration” needed to test at different speeds, Dertien explained.

“It will also increase our capacity, because you will have longer hypersonic runtimes than we do in some of our facilities are right now.”

Both Dragon Fire and J-5 are in “early stages of construction,” Dertien said, but he declined to provide a timeline as to when they’ll be operational, citing security concerns.

In addition to facilities, Dertien said B-52s have been added to help with hypersonic testing, and B-1s are also being modified to carry hypersonic weapons, he said. While it hasn’t been decided if the B-1s will actually be operational platforms for hypersonic missiles, they will be used for testing, Dertien said.

“We’re also leveraging commercial industry [which is] creating platforms for testing hypersonics,” Dertien said.

One such example is StratoLaunch, a startup devoted to high-speed flight tests. Wickert noted that StratoLaunch is located close to Edwards and will have the Talon C “reusable, hypersonic test platform.” He said the influx of commercial entities, a stepped-up Air Force hypersonic program, and rising participation of universities is reminiscent of “the heyday of hypersonic testing in the ‘60s, where we had the X-15 [with] 199 high-speed flights, where we could do materials and sensors and windows and controls, to have a … recurring testbed, that every two weeks you can try something new out. That’s a great capability.”

F-35 Has ‘Changed Completely the Mindset,’ Says Italy’s Air Chief

F-35 Has ‘Changed Completely the Mindset,’ Says Italy’s Air Chief

One of the F-35’s biggest international partners, Italy is expanding plans for the fifth-generation fighter—and using it to draw lessons for a future sixth-gen aircraft, the Italian Air Force’s top officer said Oct. 12. 

Gen. Luca Goretti highlighted the interoperability and versatility of the F-35 during a livestreamed discussion with the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies and echoed many of the same initiatives that U.S. Air Force leaders have pushed: increased focus on the Indo-Pacific and dispersed airfields with common, prepositioned equipment. 

The F-35 “was used to change the attitude of the overall air force,” Goretti told retired USAF Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula. The Italian Air Force was among the very first in Europe to receive the aircraft and has been a “leading nation” in proving its capabilities. 

“The F-35 has to be considered not only an aircraft, but it has to be considered a node of data information,” Goretti said. “So we use that aircraft to change completely the mindset of the people. It is no longer an aircraft to fly but actually is a data machine available in the air for everyone.” 

Italy contributed more to the F-35’s development than any nation besides the U.S. and United Kingdom. With 90 F-35s on order, it is building the fifth-largest fleet in the world, split between 60 F-35As like those of the U.S. Air Force and 30 F-35Bs, like those of the U.S. Marine Corps, which are capable of short/vertical takeoff and landing.  

The B models are crucial for Goretti’s plans for “Air Expeditionary components,” similar to USAF’s Agile Combat Employment.

“We do have many, many short airfields around the world. So we decided, why don’t we take some Bs for short-distance takeoff and landing in order just to be relevant everywhere in the world,” Goretti said. “The Afghanistan scenario gave us a thought on this. So we decided just to get some Bs. And then it turned out to be a wise idea, because if you consider also what’s happening in Ukraine, airfield dispersion can be maybe one day the only way to protect your high-value assets.” 

Just as the U.S. has emphasized the need for prepositioned equipment to support small or austere airfields, the Italian Air Force is also looking to make sure more places have the infrastructure in place to support the F-35. 

An Italian Air Force F-35A Lightning II stealth fighter taxis to the runway at Norway’s Ørland Air Base during Arctic Challenge Exercise 2023, May 31, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Daniel de La Fé

“We decided just to ask to our logistic people to find standard buildings and structures similar to … several airfields in our country, and proposing the same thing also to other friendly countries, in order just to have the same buildings, the same equipment, the same block in the same spot, in case you do have to run away from your main operating bases,” Goretti said. “We cannot afford to lose time. But most of all, we cannot afford to lose our capacity, only because we haven’t planned accordingly in advance a place to run and protect ourselves.” 

While Goretti cited the example of Ukraine, the need to disperse and operate for different locations may be especially crucial among the vast area of the Pacific. On that front, the Italian Air Force has taken steps as well. In August, a contingent of four Italian F-35s flew to Japan for a training exercise

“It was not only just to show the capability to project for the first time European F-35 at so far a distance in the Pacific, but also to see if I was able to sustain this kind of deployment without canceling any other activities that were already in place in Europe,” Goretti said. “That means that I was able to prove to me, convince myself, that my Air Force, especially the logistics system over there, is capable to move fleets and people around without leaving some priorities.” 

Goretti is planning an even bigger demonstration next year—some 25 F-35s to Australia for the RAAF’s Pitch Black exercise. 

“With the geopolitical situation like this today, we cannot afford just to be caught by surprise, to say just in case, some days or one day and say ‘I hope not.’ We have to do something in the Indo-Pacific,” Goretti said. “I cannot afford just to receive an order to deploy somewhere and not be able to move around because of diplomatic clearances, for instance, because I cannot do overflight somewhere.” 

All these lessons on collaboration and flexibility will likely feed into the Global Combat Air Program, a partnership between Italy, the U.K., and Japan on a sixth-generation fighter. While still in its early stages, GCAP is already building on the F-35 and changing the way the Italian Air Force thinks about its future, Goretti said. 

“GCAP no more has to be considered as an aircraft. It is a system of systems, where everybody can play and use the technology and digital information, artificial intelligence, or other means in order to be relevant for the fight of the future,” said Goretti. “With this in mind, the program is not only a way to increase our knowledge on the technical point of view, but also how to increase the knowledge and the power of the people that will fly those kinds of systems.” 

Why Air Force OTS Is Undergoing Its ‘Most Transformational Change’ Ever

Why Air Force OTS Is Undergoing Its ‘Most Transformational Change’ Ever

As new trainees arrived to their first day at Air Force Officer Training School at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., on Oct. 10, they found themselves in the middle of what OTS Commandant Col. Keolani Bailey described as the school’s biggest change in its 64-year history. 

Called OTS-Victory, the new program is meant to give trainees more hands-on experiences; make them better prepared for joint, near-peer conflicts; grow instructors into experts on specific leadership skills; and make it easier for OTS to train more officers in a time of crisis.

“It’s the most transformational change in the history of OTS because every facet of everything we do is different and it’s all done within the same 60 training days,” deputy commandant Col. Derrick Iwanenko told Air & Space Forces Magazine. “Same amount of days, same amount of instructors, but because of how the course is now structured … it’s concentrated in a far better manner to produce a better graduate at the end.”

Modules

Unlike the U.S. Air Force Academy and Reserve Officer Training Corps, OTS turns civilians or prior enlisted service members who already have college degrees into Air Force and Space Force officers over the course of 60 days rather than two to four years. The new course is still 60 days long, but the layout is now broken into five modules. 

In the first module, trainees learn the basics of military life such as customs, culture, drill, dorm, and uniform standards. In modules two and three, they are introduced to Air Force organizational structures, wargaming, and basic leadership skills, while module four prepares them to plan and conduct a field exercise called a ‘mission command experience.’ 

ots-victory
An OTS slide shows the breakdown of the five modules that make up OTS-Victory. Graphic courtesy U.S. Air Force

The fifth and final module trains trainees on concepts they will likely encounter in a conflict, including anti-access/area denial, Agile Combat Employment, rapid mobilization, and ‘strategic competition,’ the Department of Defense’s term for competing with near-peer powers such as China and Russia. It also includes a capstone event known as the Commandant’s Challenge, where trainees will test all the skills they learned over the previous 60 days.

Unlike previous editions of OTS, where a single set of instructors taught the entire curriculum, instructors specialize in a certain module in OTS-Victory. Bailey said the change should reduce lesson-planning time, allow instructors to become experts in certain skills, and give them more breathing room in between classes.

“The instructors become so much more efficient and effective,” under the new construct, Bailey said. “Now they become the experts in their two-week modules, and they are able to deliver that content at such a higher level.”

Hands-On Application

The instruction itself will be revamped to tie in more real-life stories from Air Force service. A typical day might begin with a TED Talk-style presentation by an officer or noncommissioned officer about a personal experience that illustrates the leadership lesson of the day. The presentation is meant to help trainees learn through the ‘affective’ domain—what Bailey described as “through the heart.”

After the presentation, the students then hit the classroom to learn the lesson in the cognitive domain—“through the head”—and then they apply those lessons in hands-on experiences meant to target the behavioral domain, “the training piece.”

There is more emphasis on training in OTS-Victory than in previous iterations, Iwanenko said. For example, if the lesson is on change management, there will be an exercise where trainees must plan an operation, but when they go out to execute it, they will get an “intel drop” that will force them to change the operation and implement the lessons they learned earlier.

“The way that we would assess change management previously would be through an academic assessment, a test,” he said. “That’s more just rote memorization. Now we’re purposeful in having them exercise through the behavioral domain, that actual hands-on application, the theory they just learned about in the classroom.”

ots-victory
The first class of Officer Training School-Victory listen for instruction as they in-process at OTS Headquarters, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. Oct. 10, 2023. U.S Air Force photo by 2nd Lt Kip Turner

Bailey added that the real learning takes place during the debrief afterwards, where trainees get feedback on their decisions. Another example of the behavioral domain is the mission command exercise during module four. The MCE could take the form of a multi-domain lab, where trainees use flight simulators and command-and-control networks to oversee or execute a mission; a wargame where trainees lead a combined joint task force in a fictional conflict; or a capstone event where trainees practice agile combat employment operations, a concept where Airmen operate from small airfields that may be isolated from higher levels of command. Practice makes perfect, so each trainee will participate in 15 MCEs during the course and lead at least one.

“They plan, they brief, they write mission-type orders, execute the mission, and then debrief,” Bailey said. “They get lots of reps and sets going through this experience so it becomes natural for them to then operate in the joint environment we need for the future fight.”

Shock Absorber

Since OTS takes less time than ROTC and the Air Force Academy, the school acts as a “shock absorber” that can ramp up officer production in times of need, Bailey explained. OTS-Victory amplifies that capability by graduating 20 or 21 smaller class sizes per year–with a surge capacity of 26–instead of five graduations of larger classes a year under the old system. The change should make it easier to schedule trainees and instructors.

“These different levers that we’ve orchestrated into this structure allow us to be more responsive to increases or decreases in demand,” he said.

Under the old model, each graduating class was about 500 to 550 students, while the new model will be about 155, with capacity to max out at 175. The yearly output under the old model was 3,000 students a year, which Bailey said was difficult to meet under the old construct. OTS-Victory should allow the school to meet that goal more easily, with room to scale up if the need arises.

ots-victory
The inaugural class of Officer Training School-Victory in-processes at OTS Headquarters, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. Oct. 10, 2023. U.S Air Force photo by 2nd Lt Kip Turner

Under OTS-Victory, there will typically be five different classes in session, each at a different point in the training course. The staggered schedule means trainees in modules four and five are considered ‘upper class’ who can mentor their colleagues in the lower modules, a construct that has not existed at OTS since at least 2009.

There may be growing pains in the months ahead as the school implements the new changes, but Bailey is sure of their course.

“We’re four hours into it with this first day of OTS-Victory, so we’re excited today but I’m sure there’s going to be things that we learn and improve” he said Oct. 10. “But the nice thing about it is the structure that we’ve created has really built in a system of continuous improvement, feedback and growth.

“Everything we do is geared towards building that warrior-minded leader of character,” he added, “one who embodies a disciplined mindset, willing to accept challenges, persevere, and overcome for those they serve.” 

Air Force Two-Star Charged with Sexual Assault

Air Force Two-Star Charged with Sexual Assault

The former head of Air Force pilot training faces charges of alleged sexual assault and drinking alcohol within 12 hours of controlling an aircraft. An Article 32 preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 24 at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas.

Maj. Gen. Phillip Stewart was relieved of command of 19th Air Force on May 9 due to “loss of confidences in his ability to lead” by Lt. Gen. Brian Robinson, head of Air Education and Training Command (AETC). 19th Air Force is responsible for air crew training for some 30,000 students annually.

AETC said in an Oct. 11 release that Stewart is currently working in a limited capacity at an alternate duty location at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph.

At the Article 32 hearing, similar to a civilian grand jury evidentiary proceeding, the presiding officer will review the evidence to determine if there is enough cause to continue to a court-martial. 

Stewart faces four charges and multiple specifications, according to the charge sheet provided by AETC.

Among them are:

  • Two specifications of violating Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, failing to obey a lawful order or regulation, first for allegedly failing “to refrain from pursuing an unprofessional relationship” and second for allegedly controlling an aircraft within 12 hours after consuming alcohol. The first specification allegedly dates to March 6 and May 9, while the second allegedly dates to on or about April 14 at or near Altus Air Force Base, Okla.
  • Two specifications of violating Article 120 of the UCMJ, which covers rape and sexual assault, for alleged nonconsensual sexual contact, dated on or about April 13 and 14 at Altus.
  • One specification of violating Article 133 of the UCMJ, conduct unbecoming an officer, at or near Denver, Colorado, on or about March 6 and March 8, where it alleges that Stewart, “while on official travel, wrongfully invite [redacted] to spend the night alone with him in his private hotel room[.]”
  • And one specification of violating UCMJ Article 134, which refers to “all disorders and neglects to the prejudice of good order and discipline in the armed forces, of a nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces,” for allegedly engaging “in extramarital conduct” on or about April 13 and 14 at or near Altus.

The charges were preferred to the Article 32 hearing on Sept. 21 by Lt. Gen. Andrea Tullos, head of Air University.

Only one Air Force general officer has ever faced court-martial. In April 2022, Maj. Gen. William Cooley, former head of the Air Force Research Laboratory, was tried and convicted in a military trial of abusive sexual contact for forcibly kissing his sister-in-law in 2018. Cooley’s sentence was to be reprimanded and forced to forfeit $10,910 a month in pay for five months. He was demoted to the rank of colonel upon retiring June 1.

Before Cooley, Maj. Gen. Thomas Fiscus, once the service’s top lawyer, was demoted to colonel and directed to retire in 2005 after an investigation found he had engaged in extramarital relationships with 13 women, some of whom were subordinates. Fiscus, who also received an official reprimand and forfeited some pay, was dealt with administratively, however, and not court-martialed. The following year, in 2006, Brig. Gen. Richard Hassan was demoted to colonel, also by means of nonjudicial punishment, after he engaged in “an unprofessional relationship” and acted in a “sexually harassing” manner with subordinates.

Stewart remains innocent unless proven guilty, AETC’s statement noted on Oct. 11. “Airmen are afforded the right to due process … in accordance with the Uniform Code of Military Justice.”

SDA Director Says He’s Willing to Be the ‘Bad Cop’ to Challenge Pentagon Bureaucracy

SDA Director Says He’s Willing to Be the ‘Bad Cop’ to Challenge Pentagon Bureaucracy

Derek Tournear, director of the Space Development Agency, has made it his mission to spearhead innovation and change in the Pentagon’s approach to space acquisition. In a recent LinkedIn post, he doubled down on that commitment to “constructive disruption”—and pushed back on what he said was internal criticism of his style.

“Change is hard; change is necessary. And nothing fights change like the paralyzing behavior of going along to get along,” Tournear said in the post.

SDA and Tournear have prioritized speed in acquisition over performance, preferring to deliver proven capabilities faster rather than waiting for systems that meet DOD requirements.

SDA
Director of the Space Development Agency Derek Tournear speaks at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference, Sept. 21, 2022. Staff photo.

Tournear stressed that this transformation sometimes necessitated someone willing to assume the role of the “bad cop.”

“Recently, I was told to stop playing the role of ‘bad cop’ on behalf of the Space Development Agency and our mission. It was suggested that I might damage relationships among my peers,” Tournear wrote, without specifying who told him to do so.

Voicing his frustration with inefficient procedures, Tournear pledged that he would continue to “be a ‘Maverick,’ a ‘wild card,’ and a ‘bad cop’ if it helps SDA meet its mission and serve the warfighter.”

Tournear’s post was applauded by former Air Force chief software officer Nicolas M. Chaillan, who commented that “If you’re liked by 100 [percent], you’re not doing your job.”

Chaillan himself authored a candid Linkedin post in 2021 when he quit his Air Force job, citing the lack of funding for crucial technologies in the joint all-domain command and control (JADC2) as the tipping point for his resignation.

Like Tournear, Chaillan also described facing resistance within the Pentagon bureaucracy as he pushed for a faster development approach. Within software and IT, Chaillan championed DevSecOps, which involves breaking development into smaller pieces and rapid updates, in contrast to slower traditional methods like “waterfall” development.

Similarly, in 2022, Preston Dunlap, the first-ever Chief Architect Officer of the Department of the Air Force, garnered attention with another LinkedIn post highlighting the need for systemic changes to the Pentagon bureaucracy.

Many of his critiques and proposed solutions echo the fast-moving approach both Tournear and Chaillan favor.

Dunlap outlined four steps to overcome bureaucratic obstacles:

  • shock the system
  • change the way acquisitions are carried out
  • prioritize timely delivery
  • overcome obstacles in project development

In his post, Dunlap also advocated for transforming the Pentagon’s acquisition process by embracing commercial technologies, concentrating on outcomes, involving external innovators, and adopting a rapid pace.

Of the three, Tournear is the only one still within the department, and SDA is pushing forward with its approach for at least the next several years as it builds out the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA), a massive planned satellite constellation in low-Earth orbit.

In September, SDA launched 13 satellites as part of Tranche 0 for that constellation. This was the agency’s second successful launch, with plans for a third launch before the end of 2023.

While Tranche 0 is a test phase for the PWSA, Tranche 1 launches are planned for fall 2024, and Tranche 2 in 2026. Contracts for Tranche 1 have already been awarded, and the agency started handing out deals for the Tranche 2 Transport Layer this summer, tapping Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin for 36 tactical communications satellites each.

Tournear’s goal with PWSA is to deter China and Russia from shooting down satellites by making it more costly to destroy a single satellite than to build one.

To make this strategy work, the SDA aims to keep satellite costs under $15 million each while improving their performance, much like how cell phones have advanced without a significant increase in price over time. The latest Tranche 2 contract was worth $1.55 billion, with an average cost of about $21.5 million per satellite.

All told, SDA has awarded contracts or launched more than 270 satellites, compared to roughly 80 total in the Space Force’s entire inventory.

Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture

TRANCHELAYER# OF SATELLITESCONTRACTORS
0Transport20York Space Systems, Lockheed Martin
Tracking8SpaceX, L3Harris
1Transport126York Space Systems, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman
Tracking35L3Harris, Northrop Gumman, Raytheon
Demonstration and Experimentation System12York Space Systems
2Transport72Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin
Transport100TBA
Transport44 (approx.)TBA
Tracking52 (approx.)TBA
Demonstration and Experimentation System20 (approx.)TBA