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Satellites & the Law of War 54 | A Woman Chief of Staff? 48 | Nuclear Propulsion in Space 58
rrig ’s
ian
Ha SAFE
U
AIR POWER IN
AFRICA
USAF Aims to Build
Stronger Ties | 36
March 2022 $8
Published by the
Air Force Association
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STAFF
Publisher
Bruce A. Wright
March 2022. Vol. 105, No. 3
Editor in Chief
Jeff Spotts/United Launch Alliance
Tobias Naegele
Managing Editor
Juliette Kelsey
Chagnon
Editorial Director
John A. Tirpak
News Editor
DEPARTMENTS FEATURES Amy McCullough
Blurring the lines
Assistant
2 Editorial: 10 Q&A: Fired Up for ACE between military Managing Editor
Truth and Conse-
Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian, commander of both U.S. Air Forces in and civilian Chequita Wood
quences space missions
By Tobias Naegele Europe and U.S. Air Forces Africa, in a one-on-one interview Senior Designer
could prompt a Dashton Parham
with Air Force Magazine, discusses Agile Combat Employ- reconsideration
4 Letters Digital Editor
ment, NATO, and more. of the accepted Amanda Miller
4 Index to laws of war. Congressional
Advertisers 36 The Air Force in Africa Editor
See “Resilient
By Abraham Mahshie Architecture vs. Greg Hadley
7 Verbatim
Civilian Risk,” Senior Editor
Niger Air Bases 101 and 201 are models for Air Forces Africa Abraham Mahshie
12 Strategy & Policy mission. p. 54.
Government is Fail- Production
ing the Industrial Manager
44 Dominating the Spectrum
Base Eric Chang Lee
By John A. Tirpak Photo Editor
16 Airframes Mike Tsukamoto
Foreign advances and U.S. neglect have realigned the elec-
22 World: tromagnetic battlefield. Here’s how USAF is fighting back.
The latest in Contributors
Ukraine; Fix our 48 Glass Ceilings Robert S. Dudney
computers; KC-46 By Amy Hudson Christopher Stone
recommendations;
DOD budget pro- America may be on the verge of promoting its first woman to
cess under scrutiny; lead a military service.
and more ...
54 Resilient Architecture vs. Civilian Risk
33 Faces of the Force ADVERTISING:
By Amanda Miller
ON THE COVER Kirk Brown
62 AFA in Action
The Space Force’s strategy to mix military with civilian space Director, Media
|10
Congressman
Satellites & the Law of War 54 | A Woman Chief of Staff? 48 | Nuclear Propulsion in Space 58
rrig s
Ha AFE’
ian
US
raises questions about the law of war. Solutions
Mike Tsukamoto/staff/USAF
Gonzales visits AIR POWER IN 703.247.5829
CyberPatriot Team
58 Powering Maneuvers in Space AFRICA kbrown@afa.org
in Texas
By Christopher Stone
64 Namesakes
USAF Aims to Build
Stronger Ties |36 SUBSCRIBE
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Air Force Magazine (ISSN 0730-6784) March 2022 (Vol. 105, No. 3) is published monthly, except for two double issues in January/February and June/July, by the Air Force Asso-
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MARCH 2022 AIRFORCEMAG.COM 1
EDITORIAL
By Tobias Naegele
Truth and Consequences
A
ny good information operator knows that truth wins said. Unfortunately, cynics see this as part of a pattern: Get out
over lies. But even truth can lose its power in the face of a useful story quickly and correct the record later.
overwhelming doubt. Under Vladimir Putin, doubt may Days after the Abbey Gate incident, a U.S. drone tracked and
be Russia’s most valuable export. destroyed a white Toyota in Kabul, having identified the occupant
Russia’s recipe for misinformation stirs together one part truth, as an imminent terrorist threat. The driver, however, turned out
three parts whopper, then puts it all on a low simmer, fan on, to be a human rights worker, who died in his driveway along
until the stench permeates the internet. It works. with seven of his children. After further investigation, the U.S.
Consider this recent incident. When a U.S. Navy F-35C crashed military acknowledged its error.
in the South China Sea, someone on board leaked video and Terrible mistakes happen in war. When life and death is at
images of the jet’s ill-fated wobbly approach, its fiery collision stake and time is short, some judgments will inevitably prove
with the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, and its crash wrong. Explaining what happened accurately and in a timely
into the sea. As is normal, the Navy said little about the crash, way is harder and more complicated than it looks. Those first
leaving an opportunity for mischief. Fake news purveyors quickly drafts of history are often based on too little information and
produced a backstory in which the pilot allegedly complained often incorrect. So, when the facts change, credibility crumbles.
of chest pains and cursed his COVID-19 vaccination just before Here’s another: After U.S. Special Forces attacked ISIS leader
punching out. Amplified by a few social media posts, the story Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi on Feb. 3, in a multistory
spread. Within 24 hours, well-meaning, retired general officers dwelling at a small village in northwest Syria, Pentagon spokes-
were wondering if it might actually be true. man John Kirby explained to reporters that the United States
The false story was built on a foundation of chose a more complex and risky operation
disconnected truths. The plane really did crash; “If your mother says she to minimize the risk to women, children, and
evidence really was leaked from aboard the Vin- loves you, check it out.” other innocents in the operation. Instead of a
son; the military really does require COVID-19 drone strike, special operators helicoptered
vaccines; myocarditis is a real, if rare, adverse in, risking their lives in the process. They is-
effect of mRNA vaccines. sued warnings. They gave the occupants time. They successfully
Now look at what happened when the Pentagon and the State rescued several children. But exactly how many people were
Department looked to expose a Russian plot to use manufac- killed and who they all were remained unclear. Soon after, aid
tured video of battle scenes and wounded actors to justify an groups questioned the official death count.
incursion into Ukraine. State Department spokesman Ned Price This is a classic Catch-22. The more the Pentagon reveals, the
held a press conference in early February at which he shared this greater the risk of error. And yet the more that is withheld, the
newly “declassified intelligence,” but Associated Press reporter greater the risk of being accused of a cover up. When a skeptical
Matt Lee wasn’t ready to take Price’s word for it. He asked for public conflates error with lies, all bets are off.
evidence. The two argued for several awkward moments until The hard part is deciphering the difference. Each of us has
an exasperated Price blurted out: “If you doubt the credibility a moral obligation to bring our own thoughtfulness, doubt, and
of the U.S. Government, of the British Government, of other benevolent skepticism to the information we consume. More
governments, and want to find solace in information that the important, we have an even greater obligation to ensure the
Russians are putting out, that is for you to do.” information we convey to others is legitimate. To do this effec-
Price later apologized for the exchange. Lee, after all, was tively, we must first question ourselves and those whispering
doing his job, following the journalism 101 maxim: “If your mother in our ears. The admonition to reporters—“If your mother says
tells you she loves you, check it out.” Sometimes spokesmen get she loves you, check it out”—applies to readers, too. Rephrase it
the facts wrong through no fault of their own. At other times, this way: “Never doubt the possibility that you might be wrong.”
they spin the truth intentionally. They want you to look at the Be a good intelligence officer. Weigh the value of each source.
other side of the Coke can.” When you do, you see it says Co- Decide what to discount. Like a passenger in a canoe, leaning
ca-Cola, not Coke. too far right or left leaves you wet all over. A lone source will
At the Abbey Gate attack at Kabul International Airport, 13 almost inevitably lead to an unbalanced story.
American service members and some 170 civilians were killed. Our nation faces many serious risks and challenges. The
This is a case where the early disclosures turned out to be wrong. unholy and growing alliance between China and Russia, the
Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., Commander, U.S. Central Command nefarious aims of Iran and North Korea, and expanding unrest
described the attack at the time as a complex operation by both in Africa each pose real and present dangers. But the greater
a suicide bomber and ISIS-K gunmen. Nearly six months later, threat to our Republic is our own inability to trust and work to-
McKenzie corrected the record on Feb. 4, following an inves- gether. We can see that plainly in a Congress that cannot pass a
tigation that found the attack involved only a single explosion. budget, and the heated and often hateful arguments over mask
McKenzie hadn’t lied, but he had misreported. mandates and mandatory vaccinations. We must learn to see in
“The fact that this investigation has contradicted what I shades of gray and not just black and white.
originally said, demonstrates to me that the team went into this It is one thing to say we do not negotiate with terrorists. It’s
investigation with an open mind in search of the truth,” McKenzie quite another to see our fellow countrymen in that same light. J
2 MARCH 2022 AIRFORCEMAG.COM
Solving to get more pilots cleared for takeoff. Google Cloud is helping the US Department of Defense to modernize their flight training and make it more efficient, dramatically increasing access for flight personnel. g.co/cloud/publicsector What are you solving for?
LETTERS
Air Force Association
Tanker Tanking If Boeing is serious about any future 1501 Langston Blvd • Arlington, VA 22209-1198
The continued buy of the KC-46 with tanker business it should:
the Remote Vision System (RVS) only 1) Grab the drawings for the KC-46. afa.org
shows us that the Preliminary Design 2) Pull the next KC-46 airframe on the Telephone: 703.247.5800
Review and Critical Design Review assembly line. Toll-free: 800.727.3337
Teams of the RVS for the KC-46 didn’t do 3) Figure out where to put a pod for Fax: 703.247.5853
their job [“KC-46, F-35, Provide Lessons two-plus boom operators in the aft bot-
for Future Testing,” November, p. 22]. tom with a panoramic window (boom AFA’s Mission
Our mission is to promote dominant U.S.
The Critical Design Review is supposed plus instructor—minimum).
Air and Space Forces as the foundation of
to stop a program from going further 4)ADMIT THE TV CAMERA SYSTEM a strong National Defense; to honor and
when it doesn’t meet specifications DOESN’T WORK. support our Airmen, Guardians, and their
by the customer, the customer being 5) Take the old boom and new one and Families; and to remember and respect our
the USAF. make the new one work like the old one. enduring Heritage.
The USAF is scheduled to buy 179 of 6) Refit the produced KC-46s free of
the KC-46 tankers of which over 40 have charge to the new B standard. To accomplish this, we:
been delivered with a mired of issues too Then offer more KC-46Bs to the Air • Educate the public on the critical need
numerous to mention here. Force. for unrivaled aerospace power and a
But the elephant in the room is the Charles McCormack technically superior workforce to ensure
ability to refuel aircraft. Danville, Calif. national security.
The USAF needs to stop the bleeding
and buy the Airbus tanker which is oper- Definitely Uncomfortable • Advocate for aerospace power, and pro-
ational with many of our NATO partners Perhaps it's high time USAF refocused mote aerospace and STEM education and
professional development.
and is being built in Mobile, Ala. on war fighting capabilities [“More Un-
Terminate the team that came up with comfortable Conversations,” November • Support readiness for the Total Air and
the Remote Vision System for refueling 2021, p. 35]. I'm really getting tired of Space Forces, including Active Duty,
aircraft in-flight. They failed miserably hearing about the latest community National Guard, Reserve, civilians, families
and cost the USAF something it can ill health assistance efforts, not to mention and members of the Civil Air Patrol.
afford right now, tanker support. the latest failure to evoke a spirit of real
What’s the USAF term for this, lack of warfighter mentality in all our young Contacts
confidence in a leadership role? people—enlisted and officer alike. Get CyberPatriot . . . . . info@uscyberpatriot.org
What’s it going to take, a lightning it going or get left behind, people! Field Services. . . . . . . . . field@afa.org
strike that disables the camera system Lt. Col. Harvey Lyter, Government Relations. . . . . . . . . grl@afa.org
and a missed refueling of an important USAF (Ret.) Insurance. . . . . . . . . afa.service@mercer.
mission for the AMC leadership to see Meridian, Idaho com Membership. . . .membership@afa.org
this tanker isn’t working? News Media. . . . .communications@afa.org
The AMC commander has had this Our penchant for fairness is running StellarXplorers . . . . . . . .STLX_info@afa.org
problem long enough. Get it fixed, our amok. This is lately expressed in the
Magazine
troops deserve better. form of proposals to draft women. A Advertising. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .kbrown@afa.org
Col. Clyde Romero, much better idea would be to abolish Editorial Offices. . . . . . . . . afmag@afa.org
USAF (Ret.) the draft completely. If the government Letters to Editor Column. . . .letters@afa.org
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4 MARCH 2022 AIRFORCEMAG.COM
not enter any war that its citizens are get educated on what their organizations
unwilling to fight. If we did not have the do in the mission—some of the best advice
draft during the Vietnam War, it would I ever received. Maybe there’s a reason for
likely have ended much earlier and thou- the promotion rates in operations. I’d sure
sands of American lives would have been like to know what “a lack of diversity there
spared. Let’s make sure that we have no has a disproportionate impact” means
more unpopular wars and, at the same in context. Air Force flying is operations.
time, ensure that we do not enslave Support helps the Air Force do its job.
American citizens—men or women. Without the airplane, there’s no reason
Col. Roy Miller, for the maintenance, supply, logistics, etc.
USAF (Ret.) Yeah, I’ve heard it before, without the other
Phoenix sections, the airplane doesn’t fly. Let’s get
the cart and the horse in the right position
I’m now convinced the Air Force (and before you joust that dragon.
other services) are more focused on So, Gen. [Sami D.] Said, how are you go-
being woke than ensuring the services ing to force the population to want to join
are ready to protect this country. I’m not the services so that the services are more
sure why this article is titled as it is—“Un- reflective of the population? Society may
comfortable Conversations”—as these not agree with an organization’s expecta-
issues have been around for more than 50 tions. If the services are to be reflective of
years. In my opinion, it is not until the last society, let’s put the blame where it might
sentence of the article that what is most belong—the leaders, the generals.
important is stated ( … recruiting and I’ve been through Social Actions train-
training the best possible warfighters is ing and Green Dot, Red Dot training
a losing proposition), but the hard words because they were mandated but, in my
are never said. We’ll get to that. opinion, did little to address the “uncom-
It’s not like these issues haven’t existed fortable talk” issues. In fact, when one
for a while. Broad statements inflame is told they’re the problem because of
instead of inform. Underrepresentation in the color of their skin, their gender, or
career fields. Pilots—the least diverse— where they come from, it makes the issue
may have a perfectly good explanation. worse and solves nothing. Perception
The last part of the pushback section had is reality and lots of people don’t like to
the answer—if one looks at qualifications be told their perception is incorrect and
Weapons
for the field vs. diversity. won’t listen to someone trying to edu-
Are warfighting services looking for cate them to help alter that perception.
equal representation of race, color, gen- Don’t you dislike that? If topics are “just
&
der, or whatever in our services, or the uncomfortable to talk about”, maybe
most qualified individual to perform the commanders should have addressed
mission? I vote for most qualified. Brig. them more vigorously.
Gen. [Shawn] Campbell said, “Diverse Let me get this straight: I want an individ-
teams outperform homogenous ones,” ual to go to pilot training. My candidates
Platforms
alluding to one thing, but not saying it. are one that has no experience but has
Diversity is never defined in the article, the qualifications, and one that has 500
and neither is “where we want to be.” hours of pilot time and all the qualifica-
Do we want the most qualified pilots or tions. Note, financial means has no place
someone to sit in the seat? Do we want in this selection. Which do I pick? Or, let’s Air Force Magazine’s
warfighters or bodies to fill a slot? Do we look at that football coach looking for new digital database
want our services to be equally represent- players. He’s got candidates—one has
ed by society or be individuals that are played football since junior high school At last, an unclassified
the best qualified to do the job and have and was the Heisman Trophy winner, and authoritative source for
the desire to do the job? Do the services one who played football in high school
detailed information about
want quotas? Please, general officers, tell but not college. Which one does he pick?
Air Force aircraft.
us what you want. Bad idea to not look at prior experience.
Who do you want leading a wing? The We, the armed forces, have one mission,
Only at:
individual who knows operations inside FIGHT and WIN. It has been said that war
out, or an individual who knows supply? is politics by another name. I wonder if Da-
AirForceMag.com
I’ll take the operations individual. Not vid thought that when he faced Goliath?
saying the supply type isn’t good, but a Col. B. E. Foster,
good operations type has a pretty good USAF (Ret.)
idea of what supply is about. When I Fayetteville, Ark.
was a lieutenant, I was told by a master Coming soon:
sergeant to find myself a chief or senior The Chief of Staff said the pilot selec- More aircraft,
master sergeant in each of the various tion process is being tweaked to reduce Space Force Satellites,
organizations that made up the wing and the value, for example, of prior flight munitions, and more.
MARCH 2022 AIRFORCEMAG.COM 5
LETTERS
training. That will reduce the advantage about the fact that their obsession with listened. The results were summarized,
wielded by someone with the financial instituting the woke politics in our mili- provided, and briefed to staff at the
means to afford private flying lessons. tary has caused them to take their eyes headquarters, who proposed solutions
This is an absurdity. First, a pilot train- off the “ball,” namely, China and Russia, in appropriate areas.
ing candidate with such training is much to the detriment of our national security Subjects included civilians rating mili-
more likely to succeed in Air Force pilot and national objectives. Their preoccu- tary and military rating civilians, traffic,
training than most others, and is more pation with the politics of diversity and and parking rules on base, discrimination
likely to achieve mission-ready status inclusion and white rage is the reason we problems, selection for upgrade training,
sooner than others. I am sure there are had the”very close to” a Sputnik moment, and housing concerns, to name a few.
many cases where such an individual as characterized by Gen. [Mark A.] Milley, We operated under the Full Force con-
worked a second job to cover his or her of the Chinese testing of a hypersonic cept, where the civilian input was import-
flying lessons. missile. ant. For example, today Wright-Patterson
This “political correctness” is all too The Air Force for years has always Air Force Base, Ohio, has about 15,000
common these days. worked admirably at improving the hu- civilian and 1,700 military personnel.
Col. Frederic H. Smith, man relations environment. The environ- When studying Air Force-related prob-
USAF (Ret.) ment in the Air Force is not as bad as our lems, do not forget our 171,000 civilians.
Peachtree City, Ga. leadership portrays it to be. However, Lt. Col. Frank L. Powers,
countries like China and Russia will in- USAF (Ret.)
I hesitate to write this letter because terpret these signals by our leadership Schertz, Texas
I know our Air Force senior leadership, as dissension in the ranks and continue
and this supporting magazine, are un- to press the limits such as Russia’s un- Designation Error
der extreme political pressure to “do fettered massing of its troops along the We hear the term, “Total Force,” a great
something” about the imbalances of Ukraine border. We need to stop berating deal during our service careers. Our civil-
racial minorities in career fields and and brainwashing our troops by saying ian population has little knowledge that
leadership positions. However, as a very how bad they are and instead focus on when the military strength of the United
senior former Air Force pilot, the words what unites us in a common cause, and States is projected in news reports it
of General Brown that the pilot selection that is the defense of our country and is seldom broken down to reflect the
process is being tweaked to reduce the the liberties and freedoms many have reality that more or less than half our
selection value of prior flight training sacrificed their lives for. forces are Reserve or National Guard.
got my attention as a policy change very SMsgt. Bob Mienscow Jr., Since Desert Storm, those Reserve and
poorly thought out. Many, if not most, of USAF (Ret.) National Guard forces have been de-
these candidates paid for their private Woodstock, Ga. ployed in an operation tempo that has
pilot training through years of working made the difference between, USAF, Air
summer and after school jobs. This is The No. 1 student in my UPT class was Force Reserve, and Air National Guard
not white privilege. They are focused an Embry-Riddle University graduate almost seamless.
individuals dedicated to becoming the with several hundred hours of flying time On p. 51 of the December issue [“Re-
very best pilots possible and that path when he arrived at Webb Air Force Base, vamping Homeland Defense”] the ac-
is open to anyone who wants to make Texas. That guy lived and breathed flying companying caption identifying the two
the effort. and airplanes. He made a fine Air Force F-16s as Air Force F-16s. In one way, it
We had two candidates in my class pilot. He was the right man for the job. could be a compliment that the Air Force
with prior flight time (not including the If we go to war, I sure hope we have considers those fighter pilots and jets
ROTC Private License Program). They a person that loves their job flying our as equal to the regular Air Force and
did very well, finishing in the top of the aircraft. If you like your work, you usually that we have achieved “Total Force.”
class. These are the pilots we absolutely excel at it. As a component of the “Total Force,”
need in our Air Force. Let’s not let political correctness cause I feel that recognition should be given
Unfortunately, what appears to be hap- us to lose an air war. where it is due. To anyone familiar with
pening today is a return to the quota E.D. Shaw III tail markings, the two F-16s are clearly
system across the board. This tells me Monroe, Calif. Colorado Air National Guard F-16s.
that the decision has been made that we As a proud retired member of another
will be OK with being “good enough” as The article brought to mind Gen. [Wil- marking on the tail, “Mile High Militia,” I
long as the “data” are good … instead of liam P.] McBride’s “Listening Program” would just like to see my current mem-
constantly striving to be the very “best.” at Air Force Logistics Command (AFLC) bers of the Colorado Air National Guard
We can be assured China and Russia are in about 1974. He formed a team of mil- properly recognized as members of the
looking for their very best. itary and civilian representatives from “Total Force.”
Col. Mike Sexton, the various directorates, and armed us SMSgt. Mark Bashaw,
USAF (Ret.) with “lead-in questions” related to a full Colorado ANG (Ret.)
Albuquerque, N.M. range of life at the AFLC bases. Greeley, Colo.
We went to each base where we met
I believe it’s time for our Air Force and with several different small groups of ■ The F-16 description came directly from
Pentagon leaders to have an uncomfort- civilian and military personnel, presented NORTHCOM, but you are correct—we
able conversation among themselves them with subjects for discussions—and should have caught the error.—the editors
6 MARCH 2022 AIRFORCEMAG.COM
VERBATIM
Leadership By
Example United Front
“Russia and China stand against attempts by external forces to
Throwing Darts
at the Map
“I’m only holding undermine security and stability in their common adjacent regions ….
myself account- [The two nations] intend to counter interference by outside forces in
Ding Zengyi/Xinhua via China
able to the same the internal affairs of sovereign countries under any pretext, oppose
standards I expect color revolutions, and will increase cooperation.”
from the amazing
Ministry of Defense
Airmen and families —Joint Statement by China & Russia released after Russian President Vladimir Putin
met Chinese President Xi JinPing in China on Feb. 4 at the start of the Winter Olympics.
that surround me.
… Mental health is
simply health. There
can be no stigma in
my headquarters, “Ten years ago, if
command, or family. we had this kind of
Warrior Heart is disaster, nobody
leadership. Warrior would be talking
Heart is fine tuning about geopolitics.
mind, body, and craft Everybody would
to ensure individual be talking about
and team readiness. how we can help.
It’s a wingman and Now, it shows just
warfighting imper- how contested the
Courtesy
ative necessary to region is. In every
win.” conversation, we
have to talk about
—Gen. Mike Minihan, geopolitics.”
AMC commander, Twitter
Kremlin
post on his upcoming —Jonathan Pryke,
mental health appointment director, Australia’s
[Jan. 28].
“I understand that opinions can differ and that there can be misun- Lowy Institute Pacific
derstandings and even traumatic elements. I know that many EU Islands Program, on his
Changing
country’s response to
countries did not have the same experience in the 20th century the recent catastrophic
as France did. We must not forget this experience. ... However, we volcano eruption and
cannot accept the collective risk of another confrontation between
Space
combating Chinese
spheres of influence in Europe, another period of instability and influence in Tonga. The
Washington Post,
unrest. This is creating new grievances and new threats. Starting a [Jan. 20].
conflict is easy, but ending it and building a lasting peace is difficult.”
“The private sector
is technically and
financially capable
—French President Macron following a meeting with Putin Feb 7-8. Can’t
of developing and Keep Up
operating commer-
Turn Back Time
“We’re struggling
cial low-Earth orbit to be able to make
destinations, with our systems adapt-
NASA’s assistance. able, and that’s a
We look forward to “Call it ‘the Putin Doc-
trine.’ The core element of problem internally
sharing our lessons and externally
this doctrine is getting the
Russia Ministry of Defense
learned and oper- because adversar-
ations experience West to treat Russia as if
it were the Soviet Union, ies—they’re just
with the private moving fast, and
sector to help them a power to be respected
and feared, with special we’re not able to
develop safe, reli- move internally. It’s
able, and cost-ef- rights in its neighborhood
and a voice in every seri- a problem because
fective destinations that means we’ve
in space.” ous international matter.
The doctrine holds that only a few states should have this kind of got these old sys-
authority, along with complete sovereignty, and that others must tems that we can’t
—Director of Commercial
Spaceflight at NASA, Phil bow to their wishes. It entails defending incumbent authoritarian upgrade.”
McAlister, stating that regimes and undermining democracies. And the doctrine is tied
the ISS will be crashed —Preston Dunlap, chief
into Point Nemo—a South
together by Putin’s overarching aim: reversing the consequences of
architect, Department
Pacific Oceanic Uninhab- the Soviet collapse, splitting the transatlantic alliance, and renegoti- of the Air Force, in an
ited Area—in 2031, after ating the geographic settlement that ended the Cold War.” interview on LinkedIn
representing a continuous with the department’s
human presence in space —Angela Stent, senior advisor to Georgetown University’s Center for Eurasian, Rus- former chief software of-
since 2000 sian, and East European Studies and former U.S. National Intelligence Officer for Russia ficer Nicolas M. Chaillan
[Jan. 31]. and Eurasia in Foreign Affairs [Jan. 27]. [Feb. 1].
MARCH 2022 AIRFORCEMAG.COM 7GTP_10461_LibertyWorks New Ad Jan2022_v05.indd 1-2 2/8/22 4:03 PM
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Fired Up for ACE
Gen. Jeffrey L. Harrigian commands
both U.S. Air Forces in Europe and U.S.
Air Forces Africa. His roles include leading
Allied Air Command under NATO and di-
rector of the Joint Air Power Competence
Centre in Germany. Air Force Magazine
Pentagon Editor Abraham Mahshie inter-
viewed Harrigian during the African Air
Chiefs Symposium in Rwanda. Their con-
versation has been edited for length and
clarity.
Q: How is U.S. Air Forces in Europe op-
erationalizing the Agile Combat Employ-
ment concept?
A: Through 2021, we had several
wing-level activities … for us to work
through the command and control at the
operational level that would facilitate the
necessary situational understanding—
and then decision making—for anything
that would require Agile Combat Em-
ployment. We have made tremendous
progress. I’m very proud of our Airmen.
And I will tell you, probably the best part
about Agile Combat Employment is the
Abraham Mahshie/staff
empowerment piece for our Airmen. They
are fired up to do this, and to me, that has
been really the largest benefit that I’m
seeing out of this. We’re going to get the
operational, the strategic capabilities built
over time, but getting back to our roots of
distributing decentralized execution, and Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian, U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa commander,
then empowering our Airmen at the for- speaks to reporters during a press conference during the 2022 African Air Chiefs
ward edge is the foundation of ACE, and Symposium in Kigali, Rwanda, Jan. 27, 2022.
that’s what we’re seeing happening.
As we sort through the logistics, which is everything from
Q: Have you declared initial operational capability for weapons, to fuel, to access, spacing, we’ve now had those
ACE yet? What would that mean, and how will that com- conversations [with our allies]. But we need to think our way
pare to full operational capability? through what FOC really would be before we can throw down
A: We have not yet declared IOC. With everything that’s what those specifics are and what that criteria is, and sort out
going on in the world right now, we’ve kind of been focused how long it will take us to get there.
on those other activities. But I think from a commander’s
perspective, I’m very comfortable with where we’re at. We’re Q: You mentioned things going on in the world right now.
looking at what the right timing would be to declare IOC, and Can you describe USAFE’S ability to quickly protect its forc-
I have no doubt we’ll do it in 22. es and to defend NATO allies in the event of Russian aggres-
But it is, as you highlight just a point on the journey, so as sion?
we look at the full operational capability, we’re still working A: The work that’s been occurring over the past couple of
through the specifics of what that definition actually is. The months to draw USAFE and AIRCOM [Allied Air Command]
key challenge, really, will be the logistics piece of this. And for close together from the headquarters perspective has been
us, in Europe, that means working closely with our partners to tremendous. We have made huge progress. Because as you
make sure they understand what the concept is. Through the can imagine, right now, we’ve been doing a fair amount of
wings’ activities, they’ve brought our partners, our allies into planning. As USAFE staff works through options along the
those discussions, and that’s been really helpful. Now they’re U.S. line and then the AIRCOM does it in the NATO sphere,
quite interested in [ACE], and trying to expand their under- we want to make sure there’s a clear understanding of, not
standing and work with us on that. only what the scheme of maneuver would be, but importantly,
10 MARCH 2022 AIRFORCEMAG.COMwe’ve got the right people talking to each other so as the U.S. sharing this with big Air Force. I think there’ll be a broader dis-
makes decisions it’s aligned with where we’re going in NATO. cussion at the Air Force level on where we go.
That’s been really important.
As we think about our posture, you’ve seen we’ve been mov- Q: You’re referencing the Ramstein Air Defense Systems
ing airplanes in support of NATO activities. That’s been done Integration Laboratory in Germany, but how do you ex-
internally, but we’ve been able to work that between USAFE pand that elsewhere in the theater?
and AIRCOM because the planners are talking to each other. A: In the near future, we’re going to have the RADSIL at a
And I’ll take that a step further, it’s not only the people, but place where we’re going to start to take the brains of the system
we’ve sorted out a lot of the interoperability challenges we’ve and move it. We’re working through whether we go to Spang-
had of sharing info from our classified systems to the NATO dahlem [Air Base, Germany], or down to Aviano [Air Base, It-
systems. I think some think it just happens, right, but that takes aly] next. We haven’t decided for sure yet, but Aviano will be
an awful lot of work. How do we come together to produce a part of this. And again, as we think about the relationships with
single air tasking order? We figured that out. So there’s some our allies, because we are relying on them as we think about
really specific activities that we’ve made progress on that en- the sensors that are available, the goal is to use that collective
sure alignment between U.S. activities and NATO activities, defense of all of us as we’re focused initially on the base. We
because, as the Secretary General’s talked about, as [Defense] see a lot of potential with this, the brain, if you will, to be able
Secretary [Lloyd J.] Austin has talked about, this is about mak- to leverage that. And we’ll see how big Air Force responds as
ing sure that we keep the Alliance strong and cohesive. And we think about how we take this capability and grow it. We’re
the U.S. being a member of NATO needs to play a very import- always constrained on resources, and if you think about some
ant role in fostering that attitude as we work together to man- of the peer fight potentialities that could happen, defending
age any potential activity that could happen here in the near our bases is going to be an important part of how we execute
future. our mission.
Q: Do you have the air and space assets, and the people Q: Is there sufficient airspace and air training opportuni-
that you need? And if not, what shortages are you experi- ties in the European theater?
encing? A: We have made a huge amount of progress as we prepared
A: We’ve done our analysis of [what we will need] should the to bring our F-35s in. As you know, we’ve got the 495th [Fighter
activities accelerate. We find ourselves with the requirement Squadron] up at [RAF] Lakenheath, U.K., with four jets now.
for more assets. We have worked through that. I don’t really And so in preparation for that, we did a whole bunch of work
want to get into the details, but you can imagine if we find our- with the RAF in the U.K. to refine our airspace and work close-
selves in a situation where there could be some increased ac- ly with them to ensure that the training airspace would be ap-
tivities, there probably will be some specific capabilities we’d propriate for both our F-35s and their F-35s. Then the Dutch,
want to get to. the Norwegians, and their F-35s, that airspace to the north has
The other part that’s important is how we leverage our really got us in a good space. As you look to the south, I was just
people internally to take a long view. In other words, you can in Italy, and we’re working closely with them. The wintertime
sprint for a while, but at some point, we probably need to plus- can be a little challenging here, but they afford us an oppor-
up the number of people in our headquarters to make sure we tunity to go back and look at how do you have the right dis-
can manage 24/7 ops for a period of time. And we’re looking at tances to fly in altitudes. And then you’ve got to think your way
how we do that with our NATO partners and make sure we’ve through emitters and those kinds of things, which the Italians
got the right presence in the right locations. That’s really im- are doing, and I see some potential there.
portant to me, as the commander, to make sure that we’ve got We’ve got work to do, but we’re going to work closely with
the right liaison entities and the appropriate headquarters. our allies and see how we do that so as to be able to ensure
We spend a lot of time talking about platforms, but the people that we have those options here in Europe. And while we’ll
part of it is also really important, particularly as it relates to the still go back to the states for Red Flag and Green Flag, we really
command and control requirements for something that would want to be able to incorporate our F-35s and fourth-gen capa-
be a fairly challenging scenario. bilities with our partners here in theater, because that really
drives home the interoperability requirements. And, frankly,
Q: What is USAFE doing to make sure it can properly de- the trust and confidence between the different squadrons to
fend its bases in Europe? be able to work together. So, I think we’re in a good place.
A: We continue to refine the inner workings of the soft- It’s also important to recognize that as we bring on fifth-gen,
ware capabilities and the sensors that are feeding those sys- we have to have the simulator capability, the virtual capabili-
tems. We’ve been fortunate that we’ve been able to get some ty, to train at the very high-end. There’s some things you just
cross-domain solutions. We’ve focused largely on the bottom- can’t do out on the range with these fifth-gen airplanes, so
up approach of taking the sensors that are available to us and we’re working very hard to ensure that we can connect in the
feeding them into a system that allows us to provide shared simulators with our F 35s, with the U.K., and then with all our
understanding of the situation, so that decisions can be made F-35 partners, so that we can train together in the virtual envi-
more quickly. I think, importantly, what we are trying to march ronment. Because to me that is fundamental to our long-term
to is how do we help build an architecture that takes the data success, as we think about interoperability and recognizing
and then doesn’t require a myriad of people to make the de- that if something happens here, we’re going to be in it togeth-
cision, but refines it in a way that says, ‘Hey, a specific target is er. We don’t want to have to figure it out on Day One. Let’s go
here. Here’s what it recommends you do.’ And I’m oversimpli- work through it, and if we can, do this virtually, where Norwe-
fying it a little bit, but then as this hits another range, here’s the gians are flying out of their simulators, and the Dutch, us, the
next step. That’s the kind of matrix we’re working through from Italians. It’s powerful, and that’s the path we’re on, and we’re
a software perspective, to advance our capabilities, and we’re going to figure that out. J
MARCH 2022 AIRFORCEMAG.COM 11STRATEGY & POLICY
By John A. Tirpak
Why Some Businesses Shy Away from Defense
The National Defense Industrial Association surveyed 400 companies to better understand the current business climate. More than one in three cited
regulatory burdens, uncertain orders, and low profit as the primary deterrents to seeking more government work.
Not a deterrent Moderate deterrent Significant deterrent
3
100 6 6
12 13 7
18 22 7
21
75
22 34
35
38
90
Percent
50
88
73
66 53
25
47
40
0
Requirements Burden of Uncertain Low Obligation Employee Other
for separate government prospect of profitability to civilian discontentment
defense-unique paperwork continuing relative customers with the U.S.
production volume of to civilian military
processes business production
Source: NDIA
Government is Failing the Industrial Base
T
he COVID-19 pandemic imposed supply chain and labor NDIA offered no recommendations or legislative prescriptions.
shortages on the defense industrial base, earning the Wes Haulman, NDIA’s senior vice president of strategy, said the
current business climate a failing grade from the National unique value of Vital Signs is that it is the only comprehensive and
Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) in its third annual report unclassified assessment of the defense industry’s health.
on the health and readiness of the defense industry. A huge drop—36 points—was recorded in the “cash conversion
NDIA scored the business environment as 69 on a 100-point cycle,” which illustrates how quickly companies “regain a dollar in-
scale, citing COVID, cyber espionage, and Congress’ inability to vested in product inventory as cash receipts,” the NDIA said. Longer
pass timely defense budgets as key factors in its “Vital Signs” cycle times indicate that companies “face greater difficulty in rely-
report. Developed in cooperation with the federal spending data ing on sales for the liquidity necessary to fund critical operations.”
firm Govini, the latest report represented a decline from a “C” in There were also inventory problems—an eight-point decline from
2020, and NDIA suggested scores could get worse before they a score of 75 last year—and only 12 percent of respondents said
get better. they expected supplier networks would be more reliable in 2022.
Vital Signs is based on a survey of 400 businesses that work in Haulman said that a possible “silver lining” of the pandemic is
the defense sector, both large and small. It examines their expe- that it’s highlighted underlying supply chain issues, such as the
riences on workforce availability, intellectual property rights, the availability of computer chips and reliance on overseas suppliers.
speed of obtaining security clearances, workplace productivity, He added, NDIA now has a “company by company” visibility into
regulatory burdens, public opinion, and profitability, among other supply chain problems. Inflation pushed indices lower on supply,
factors. broadly.
NDIA President and Chief Executive Officer Gen. (Ret.) Herbert Competition remains under threat, the report shows, with“30
J. “Hawk” Carlisle said the survey offers a “sobering” indicator that percent of respondents … [reporting] that they were the sole
dangerous military shortages could loom without greater attention eligible provider of a product” for the Defense Department. “This
from Congress and the Pentagon. is a risk to innovation,” NDIA noted, citing “an overreliance on a
“We can’t admire the problem anymore,” Carlisle said. The pan- smaller pool of entrants [that] may create production or innovation
demic has had a “moderate or large negative” impact on business, shortages in the future.”
according to 71 percent of respondents, and they expect that to This dwindling supply base, Haulman said, creates “more and
be a lasting effect; only 14 percent said they don’t expect their more fragile networks.”
business to return to pre-pandemic norms. Govini CEO Tara Murphy Dogherty said government must make
“We expect scores to be further impacted next year as supply working for the Pentagon more attractive to small, innovative
chain disruptions and inflation rise as concerns with the continued businesses. Perhaps the most troubling vital sign was industrial
follow-on effects of the pandemic,” the report said. security, according to NDIA, citing a grade of just 20 out of 100.
12 MARCH 2022 AIRFORCEMAG.COMCybersecurity vulnerabilities “continue to rise at a very high rate,” Haulman added that Senate delays in confirming nominations
NDIA said, describing “steadily declining” new intellectual property also puts a drag on the Pentagon. Nominees “need to set a stra-
investigations by the FBI and an uptick in “newly reported common tegic vision and they need to carry [it] out,” but many nominations
IT cybersecurity vulnerabilities.” Industrial security faces “escalating languish, he said.
risk” in the future, it said. “Without having those folks there, we lose something we can
Of the companies surveyed, 78 percent said that the availabil- never get back, and that is time,” Haulman said. “We harp on the fact
ity of skilled labor was a “moderate or significant problem.” The that time wasted is time that we actually cede to our competitors.”
report said the industry’s “output gap,” a proxy indicator for the China and Russia do not have to operate under a CR, which
ability to surge defense production, plunged in 2021, falling from only exacerbates the uncertainty of doing business with the
a score of 48 to 20. government.
The impact of COVID “continues to reinforce” the need for surge “We need to leverage the creativity” of the civilian economy, he
capacity, the NDIA said, noting that “surge readiness” scores fell said, and CRs discourage companies “to make those investments
to 52 from 67 in a year. … or jump into this sector,” Haulman said.
The slow pace of security clearances also continues to hinder Mark Lewis, head of NDIA’s Emerging Technologies Institute
business. Nearly two in three respondents called this a moderate and the former Pentagon deputy undersecretary of defense for
or significant problem, even as they reported a somewhat quicker research and engineering, said declining government investment
speed of clearing workers. Companies face similar difficulty finding in basic research is also troubling. NDIA reported that “between
workers with clearances, trade skills, or STEM—science, technology, 2011 and 2016, U.S. government funding for R&D projects fell by
engineering, math—degrees. 12 percent in absolute terms.” By contrast, Russia increased R&D
In its “political and regulatory” section, the report compared the investment by 13 percent and China by 56 percent over the same
number of hearings and examples of congressional interest from period. The score for corporate R&D investment also declined by
year to year, showing growth in attention to artificial intelligence, two points since 2019. Healthy investment by both industry and
microelectronics, and biotechnology, but a decline in interest in government in basic R&D is “crucial” to innovation, the NDIA stated.
hypersonics, space, directed energy, autonomy, and other key NDAA said raw materials supplies, particularly for rare earth
fields since 2019. The NDIA cautioned that, due to its reliance on elements sourced from overseas, remains a problem, but compa-
unclassified data, the reality may be a little bit different than the nies seem less concerned than in prior years.
numbers suggest. Nick Jones, NDIA regulatory policy director said the U.S only
“Evidence points toward a significant drive for technological has about 32 percent of global rare earths mine production, so
innovation by members of Congress,” the report noted. “For ex- “it’s definitely an area of concern,” but the industry perceives im-
ample, the creation of a Congressional Hypersonics Caucus is provement, with the Vital Signs score rising from 10 to 39 in the
a strong indication of continuing interest in that area, despite a past two years. Concern over rare earths prices also improved
drop in hearings.” slightly, from 75 two years ago to 83 today.
Carlisle cited the damage and disruption of continuing resolu- The economic disruptions of 2021 indicated how crucial it is
tions (CR) to fund defense, mentioning delays to new starts and to keep Congress focused on the health of the defense industrial
uncertainty as undermining orders for long-lead-time materials base, Carlisle wrote in the report. It is a reminder that: “Our indus-
and supplies. try’s work … can never be taken for granted.” J
Pass a Budget and Cut the Red Tape
Defense contractors see many ways to improve the business environment, but two factors stood out in a survey of 400 companies by the National
Defense Industrial Association: budget stability and streamlined acquisition.
200
Number of respondents
150
139
103
100
58
50
29
19 19
0 3
All of the above Simplify Provide more Enhance Ensure budget Streamline the Other
the security support for funding stability acquisition
clearance workforce for R&D of process
process technical emerging
skill training technologies
programs and
defense-unique
production
processes
Source: NDIA
MARCH 2022 AIRFORCEMAG.COM 13SPONSORED CONTENT
From Warning to Tracking: Defending America
Against Hypersonic Missile Attacks
F
rom Warning to Track- orbit (MEO) and low-Earth orbit developing commonality across our
ing: Defending America (LEO). spacecraft and payload designs to
Against Hypersonic Mis- But flying at MEO—between have economies of scale across all
sile Attacks 1,243 and 22,236 miles above those orbits.”
China’s August launch Earth—and LEO—altitudes up to Millennium is applying the latest
of a nuclear-capable hypersonic 1,243 miles—has its own unique design and engineering technologies
missile that circumnavigated the challenges. to ensure its design and manufac-
globe before reentry demonstrates “At GEO, the satellite is going turing process is as efficient and
the need for innovative solutions to around the Earth at the same rate proven as possible before launch.
spotting and tracking such threats. that the Earth is turning, so the sat- “We’re implementing digital and
Unlike conventional intercontinen- ellite sees exactly the same place on model-based systems engineering
tal ballistic missiles, which follow Earth all the time,” Paxton said. “As upfront to manufacture and deliver
a predictable ballistic arc, China’s you move to these lower altitudes, these large constellations on faster
hypersonic glide vehicle circled however, the satellite is actually go- schedules,” Kim said. “Then once
the world at low-Earth orbit, a path ing faster than the Earth’s rotation, launched, we can operate those
current missile warning systems so there is relative motion between systems with more autonomy and
cannot easily track. the satellite and the places on the onboard processing, which speeds
Millennium Space Systems, a Earth you’re trying to watch.” up the timeline from sensing to
subsidiary of The Boeing Company, That relative motion is like the shooting.”
sees this challenge in line with the blur experienced when looking out This digital design process fol-
U.S. Space Force’s Track Custody the side windows of a moving car. lows Phase 1 of the Track Custody
Prototype program. “We have to suppress that relative Prototype program, in which various
“The threats are getting more motion,” Paxton said. “Using a car approaches were considered. The
advanced, so that’s why the Space analogy, if you look through the Space Force then awarded Mil-
Force pivoted to this Track Custody window and focus on a tree as it lennium Space Systems a Phase 2
Prototype contract,” said Jason Kim, goes by, you can see the tree crisply contract, beginning an 18-month
CEO of Millennium Space Systems. because your eyes are tracking that Payload Critical Design Review of
Today’s Space-Based Infrared spot—called ‘back-scanning.’ We their mission architecture.
System (SIBRS) satellites fly in can do the same thing on a satellite.” “This program enables Space Sys-
geosynchronous orbit (GEO) some Each orbit also comes with its tems Command to ‘try before you
22,236 miles above the Earth, using own distinct advantages and disad- buy,’” Kim said, referring to Chief
infrared sensors to detect heat from vantages. of Space Operations Gen. John
the missile plumes of ICBM boost- “At GEO, you can cover the entire “Jay” Raymond’s preference for
ers during launch. Earth with fewer satellites—but if greater assurance before committing
“[SBIRS] was developed as a it’s a dim target, you might not see vast resources to a project.
missile warning system for the tra- it,” Paxton explained. “At LEO, If the design review is successful,
ditional ballistic threat,” said Dr. you can identify a dim target, but the Space Force can pursue Phase
Kevin Paxton, Senior Technical the target may move outside of your 3 of building and hosting the tech-
Fellow at The Boeing Company. field of vision, so you need a lot of nology on a bus for flight-tests and
“Now that hyperglide vehicles can satellites to cover the Earth. MEO demonstrations in space.
be deployed to change an ICBM’s strikes a balance in between, where “We’re well-positioned to meet
direction, we must transition to a you can track dimmer targets with the ultimate delivery timelines of
missile tracking architecture that fewer satellites.” 2025 on our Track Custody Pro-
uses a more proliferated network of Therefore, Millennium Space totype contract and can accelerate
satellite constellations to contain its Systems sees a unique opportunity the schedule with the appropriate
entire trajectory.” in using satellites across multiple funding and resources,” Kim said.
To meet this goal, Millennium orbits. “We look forward to seeing progress
Space Systems proposed a satellite “It requires a layered, robust ar- on fielding systems for the Track
constellation that is flexible across chitecture and not just a single orbit Custody Prototype program that will
orbits, including medium-Earth of systems,” Kim said. “So we’re address these advanced threats.”
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