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In More Depth
As Bad as It GetsBudget sequestration will severely damage Air Force readiness if it is triggered on March 1, 2013, states a memo from the service's leadership to Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter. The Readiness QuestionMoney will come from somewhere, but Air Force leaders hope budget cutters don’t create a hollow force. No Plan BThere're no answers yet why an RL-10 rocket motor malfunctioned during October's GPS IIF satellite launch, said Air Force Space Command boss Gen. William Shelton. |
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Air Frame
Data Points
Jan. 8, 2013— Air activity in Southwest Asia in 2012 through December.
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The Document File
Testimony
Sept. 20, 2012Gen. Larry O. Spencer Vice Chief of Staff House Armed Services Joint statement Sept. 14, 2012Marilyn M. Thomas PDASECAF, FM & Comptroller House Armed Services, Oversight Written testimony Sept. 13, 2012Maj. Gen. Charles W. Lyon Dir. Ops., Air Combat Command House Armed Services, Tacair and Land Forces Written testimony |
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Daily ReportThursday January 17, 2013
Streamlining the Nuclear Stockpile: The  Air Force and Navy are proceeding with a long-term strategy dubbed "three plus two" to streamline the care and sustainment of the nation's nuclear warhead stockpile, Billy Mullins, associate director of strategic deterrence and nuclear integration on the Air Staff, told the Daily Report on Wednesday. Currently, the stockpile features some 12 variants of warheads—including five alone for the B61 nuclear bomb—said Mullins in a Jan. 16 interview. Under the new strategy, the two services will bring this number down to five: three warheads shared between Air Force and Navy ballistic missile systems (with requirements coordinated between the services), and two warhead types for nuclear-capable bombers and dual-capable fighters, he said. "These variants, long term, will take us well into the 21st century," said Mullins. The joint Defense Department-Energy Department Nuclear Weapons Council signed off on the strategy in December, noted Mullins. The strategy has been briefed to Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter and is now going through the budgeting process with all stakeholders involved, he said.—Marc V. Schanz More Time for Lajes: The Defense Department is delaying personnel reductions at Lajes Field, Azores, by several months to October 2014 to allow for analysis of the economic impact on the local community, reported Stars and Stripes. "We will do everything we can to minimize the impact and the hardship to that community," said Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Jan. 15 during a press briefing with Portuguese Defense Minister Jose Pedro Aguiar-Branco in Lisbon. The Air Force in December announced plans to cut the base's uniformed contingent by 400 personnel, along with 500 dependents, by August 2014, reducing the 65th Air Base Wing to a group to save costs—an estimated $35 million annually. Panetta said the United States would send a business delegation to Lajes to meet with the surrounding Portuguese community to discuss ways to mitigate the effect of the drawdown. The United States is "committed to Lajes," said Panetta. "This is an important air base for us. It has important airlift capabilities. It will remain a vital part of our global forward posture," he added. (Includes Panetta- Aguiar-Branco transcript) Reworked MOP Ready for Combat: Boeing's redesigned Massive Ordnance Penetrator is ready for "successful prosecution," according to the most recent annual report to Congress from Michael Gilmore, the Pentagon's top tester. The 30,000-pound bunker-busting bomb underwent two sled tests at Holloman AFB, N.M., last summer "to confirm a successful redesign of a critical part of the weapon system," states the 2012 report, submitted to Congress on Jan. 11. From June 2012 to October 2012, a B-2 stealth bomber successfully conducted five weapon drops—three with live warheads and two with inert warheads—at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., to further evaluate the MOP's performance, states the report. "The sled test results and the additional weapon drops indicate that the weapon redesign is adequate for successful prosecution of all of the elements of the currently defined target set," states the report. (DOT&E report) (See also MOP Up.) Kelly Visits 12th Air Force: Marine Gen. John Kelly, US Southern Command boss, this week visited Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., for the first time since taking command in November, according to a base release. The Arizona installation is home to 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern), SOUTHCOM's air component. During his Jan. 14 stop, Kelly met with airmen assigned to 12th AF, the 612th Air and Space Operations Center—which is the command and control center for air and space activities in SOUTHCOM's area of responsibility—the 612th Air Communications Squadron, and with soldiers from the Army's 1st Battlefield Coordination Detachment, states the Jan. 15 release. SOUTHCOM has responsibility for the US military's engagement in Latin America and the Caribbean, including counternarcotics activities. (Davis-Monthan report by Capt. Justin Brockhoff) Sniper SE Production Cleared: Lockheed Martin received clearance from the Air Force to begin full-rate production of an upgraded version of the Sniper targeting pod, announced the company on Wednesday. Developed as a quick-reaction capability under the Air Force's Advanced Targeting Pod-Sensor Enhancement program, the updated Sniper is capable of pinpointing targets beyond visual range, according to the company. "With Sniper ATP-SE, aircrews and ground forces can identify targets faster and farther away, boosting their situational awareness and ensuring their safety in high-threat environments," said Bill Spangenberg, Lockheed Martin's Sniper program manager, in the company's Jan. 16 release. The pod has already undergone testing and integration on the A-10, B-1, B-52, F-15E, and F-16, and "initial deployment of Sniper ATP-SE pods will occur this year," said Spangenberg. Sniper SE incorporates new sensors and processors and boasts greater image stability and accuracy. The upgrades enhance its utility for reconnaissance augmentation with a high-resolution video data link. (See also Lockheed, Northrop Win Advanced Targeting Pod Work and Full-rate Production for Litening SE Pod.) Input Sought on Future ICBM Concepts: The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center is asking industry for ideas on future concepts for the ground-based leg of the nation's nuclear triad. Center officials requested white papers by the end of February that describe a Ground Based Strategic Deterrent with an operational service life from 2025 to 2075, according to a notice posted last week at the Federal Business Opportunities website and revised on Jan. 15. AFNWC is supporting the Air Force's efforts to examine potential material solutions to modernize or replace the Minuteman III ICBM fleet. To that end, the center seeks input on four types of concepts: continued use of the MM III with incremental changes to close identified capability gaps; a new fixed-site system; new mobile system; and new tunnel-based system. "Each white paper should provide adequate technical, schedule, and cost information to allow feasibility analysis of the concept," states the notice. Service officials intend to take the concepts judged to be "adequate"—including potential continued use of the MM III until 2075 with no attempt to close capability gaps—into the GBSD analysis of alternatives study, states the notice. The AOA will help identify the best option. Across the Table to the Stars: Air Force Space Command finished a new communications satellite control center at Schriever AFB, Colo., according to a base release. Dubbed the Integrated Operations Environment, the center enables face-to-face cooperation between the 3rd Space Operations Squadron and its sister 4th SOPS. The former operates Defense Satellite Communications System and Wideband Global Satellite Communications spacecraft, while the latter unit controls Milstar and Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellites. "The two premier SATCOM squadrons at the 50th Space Wing will have unprecedented situational awareness to recognize, react, and respond to potential hostile actions and satellite anomalies" thanks to the IOE, said 3rd SOPS Commander Lt. Col. Chadwick Igl, in Schriever's Jan. 9 release. Capt. Gail Smicklas, 3rd SOPS project officer, said the IOE will be "a truly integrated MILSATCOM operations center." The two squadrons tested collocated operations last year and were scheduled to move into the center this month, but administrative issues have pushed back the opening to mid-February, 50th SW spokesman SSgt. Robert Cloys told the Daily Report on Jan. 16. (Schriever report by SSgt. Robert Cloys) If You've Got the Time: The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., is slated to open an exhibit in March chronicling how timekeeping has evolved over three centuries and how it influences navigation. "Time and Navigation: The untold story of getting from here to there," will include GPS positioning, navigation, and timing satellites as part of its coverage, states a Jan. 16 release from the 50th Space Wing at Schriever AFB, Colo. The wing's 2nd Space Operations Squadron operates the GPS constellation; Schriever officials provided historical data on GPS for the exhibit, states the release. "The navigation and timing from GPS satellites plays such an important and often overlooked role in warfare," said Capt. Bryony Veater, 2nd SOPS payload systems operator. As part of one exhibit section, a virtual military navigator portrait—modeled on Veater—will be featured on a large screen and will explain to visitors "how atomic clocks in GPS work and how the military uses the technology today," said Thomas Paone, a Smithsonian technician. GPS timing functions have also become integral to the civil world for tasks like financial transactions, search and rescue, communications, farming, recreation, and commercial aviation. (Washington, D.C., report by SSgt. Robert Cloys) (See also Smithsonian exhibit webpage.) |
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On the Record
Protection Mode
"If sequestration hits and the multi-billion-dollar reductions fall on the last two quarters of the fiscal year, there is no way not to impact training, flying hours, and maintenance, which are things, right now, we are trying to protect as long as we can."
—Air Force Secretary Michael Donley during a Pentagon press briefing with Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh, Jan. 11, 2013. Donley said the Air Force isn’t sure now that Congress will be able to prevent sequestration from taking effect in March, so the service is taking steps to lessen the blow of sequestration's steep spending cuts. |
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On the Record
The Courage to Take Risks
"Every airman should constantly look for smarter ways to do business. The person closest to the problem is often the one with the best solution. Leaders should empower airmen to think creatively, find new solutions, and make decisions. Airmen at all levels must have the courage to take risks and learn from mistakes as we pursue a stronger Air Force. As we do this, all of our actions will be shaped by our warrior ethos, bounded by our core values, and underwritten by common sense."
—Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh in "A Vision for the United States Air Force," a four-page document released on Jan. 10, 2013, outlining what Welsh thinks the Air Force should focus on as it gears for the future. |
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