Chosen for Chief A Pre-Nomination Interview with Gen. C.Q. Brown | 8 - Air Force Magazine
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Accelerating The Budget Pass-Through 41 | RAF-USAF Integration 52 | PACAF's Top Range 44
Hypersonics
28
Chosen for Chief
A Pre-Nomination Interview with Gen. C.Q. Brown | 8
April 2020 $8
Published by the
Air Force Association
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STAFF
Publisher
April 2020. Vol. 103, No. 4 Bruce A. Wright
Editor in Chief
Tobias Naegele
Managing Editor
Juliette Kelsey
Chagnon
Photo: Senior Airman Mya Crosby
Editorial Director
John A. Tirpak
News Editor
Amy McCullough
Assistant
U.S. Air Force Managing Editor
DEPARTMENTS FEATURES
Master Sgt. Chequita Wood
2 Editorial: 8 Q&A: What’s on the Mind of Gen. C.Q. Brown Ricardo Sepul- Senior Designer
Competition and
COVID-19 An exclusive interview with the PACAF Commander veda finishes a Dashton Parham
quality check on
By Tobias Naegele days before his nomination to be the next Air Force a GBU-31 Joint
Pentagon Editor
3 Index to Chief of Staff. Direct Attack
Brian W. Everstine
Advertisers Munition during Digital Platforms
28 The Hypersonics Push the third annual Editor
3 Letters Air Force Com- Jennifer-Leigh
By John A. Tirpak
5 Verbatim bat Operations Oprihory
Pentagon leaders provide a first look at plans for Competition at Senior Editor
10 Airframes testing and producing future hypersonic weapons. Davis-Monthan Rachel S. Cohen
16 Strategy & Policy: Air Force Base,
32 The Tanker Gap Ariz., Jan. 24.
Production
Putin’s Five New Manager
Nukes By Brian W. Everstine
Eric Chang Lee
18 World: The USAF’s budget seeks to swap capacity now for Photo Editor
Munitions Push; capability in the future, but TRANSCOM is leery. Mike Tsukamoto
Piloted Aircraft
Future; AFRICOM;
36 Missile Testing in the GBSD Era
and more ... By Rachel Cohen
Contributors
27 Faces of the Force A new era in land-based nuclear weapons could usher John T. Correll,
61 Airman for Life in changes to the Air Force’s missile test regime. Robert S. Dudney,
Chapter News; 41 The Budget and the Truth Jennifer Hlad, Air
Pitsenbarger film; Chief Marshall
Field Contacts ... By Amy McCullough Mike Wigston
64 Namesakes: Hill Pass-through funds inflate USAF spending by almost
25 percent, hiding the truth from friends and foes alike.
Is this the year it finally ends?
44 Range Roving
By Jennifer Hlad
Japan’s Draughon Range is now among the most ADVERTISING:
sophisticated training areas in the world. Kirk Brown
ON THE COVER Director, Media
48 Survivors of the Storm Solutions
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory 703.247.5829
kbrown@afa.org
In the face of repeated natural disasters, Puerto Rico’s
Photo: Airman 1st Class Caitlin Russell
Air Guard proves resilient. SUBSCRIBE
& SAVE
52 The Future of RAF-USAF Integration Subscribe to
By Air Chief Marshal Mike Wigston Air Force Magazine
Constant competition and confrontation with rivals and save big off
demand evermore cooperation among allies. the cover price,
Gen. Charles Q. plus get a free
56 The Difference in Korea Brown Jr. See membership
“Q&A: What’s on
By John T. Correll the Mind of Gen. to the Air Force
C.Q. Brown,” p. 8. Association.
Without U.S. air power, United Nations forces would 1-800-727-3337
have lost Korea in 1950.
Air Force Magazine (ISSN 0730-6784) April 2020 (Vol. 103, No. 4) is published monthly, except for two double issues in January/February and July/August, by the Air Force
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APRIL 2020 AIRFORCEMAG.COM 1
EDITORIAL
By Tobias Naegele
Competition and COVID-19
T
his is the era of great power competition, and the means responses to the pandemic, each nation—indeed, each state—is
of competition are growing increasingly clear and diverse. likewise competing, showing its people and its neighbors how
We are building a Space Force because competition and leaders believe the crisis should be handled. Is our country getting
risk is growing in space. The Air Force sent a B-52 bomber to Africa it right? Is there a better way ahead?
in February, not to drop bombs, but to demonstrate U.S. military Competition for superiority applies to every aspect of every
power and strength and communicate American resolve and com- system, including diplomacy, commerce, and emergency response.
mitment. The message was for allies and enemies in Africa—and Meanwhile, the business of government goes on. Even as
for China, which is competing for those allies’ allegiance. So, it is Congress and the administration shift their focus to the crisis
no accident when President Donald Trump calls the coronavirus before them, the legislative sausage-making—that is, the budget
that cased the COVID-19 pandemic “the Chinese Virus.” This, too, process—continues. Here, we can see a different kind of intense
is competition. competition, as the military services grapple for relevance and
It works both ways. funding at the end of an era of plenty.
The virus originated in China’s Hubei province, and was initially Budgets will be flat at best for the foreseeable future. Indeed, in
called, even by the Chinese, the Wuhan virus, after the city where it the aftermath of the pandemic-fueled financial crisis, that may be
began. Now, fearful of a potential international backlash and eager overly optimistic. At the same time, each of the military services is
to leverage its wealth, China is offering aid in the form of masks, busy reinventing itself with an eye toward being capable of wag-
medical advice, and other equipment to eager recipients around ing war with China a decade from now. The Air Force is giving up
the globe. This is the kind of generous aid for which the U.S. has near-term capacity in tanker, fighter, and close-air-support aircraft
long been known. Indeed, during many past crises, to develop future capabilities, including hypersonic
the U.S. was the only nation large and rich enough to This is the era missiles and a combat-cloud-like connectivity that will
provide significant emergency relief. enable everyone in the battlespace to exchange target-
No more.
of great power ing, location, and other data in real time. If successful, it
China’s global charm offensive is competition of competition, will revolutionize warfare by presenting enemies with
another sort. Like its claim that it never “engaged in and the means an overwhelming, complex, and perpetually changing
any form of cyber theft” (see “Verbatim,” p. 5), China’s of competition threat picture.
declarations in mid-March that it had registered no new Similarly, each of the services is trying to invent a
confirmed cases of the coronavirus are what President are growing in- new future in which its branch of the military is central
Trump might call “fake news” and former Vice President creasingly clear to a future contest with China. The Army is imagining
Joe Biden would dub “malarkey.” When China amended and diverse. long-range artillery with a range of 1,000 miles or
that claim a few days later, saying the only new cases more—taking aim at target sets traditionally left to the
it registered were individuals arriving in China from someplace Air Force or Navy. The Navy is rethinking its aircraft carrier battle
else, China was competing. Its message: China had overcome the groups for an age when maneuverable hypersonic weapons could
crisis, while Western nations were shutting down under pressure. turn those 4.5 acres of floating, sovereign U.S. territory into big,
Was China lying? Not necessarily. China may well have stopped slow targets—or worse, vast, mass graves at the bottom of the sea.
testing its citizens at home; doing so is only useful in tracking the The Marine Corps’ plan is to cut back battalions, helicopters, and
spread of the disease, and once it has spread, further testing is jump-jets—and dispense with tanks—in favor of new, unmanned
essentially pointless. Without a cure, only symptoms can be treated, aircraft and long-range cruise missile batteries it can deploy from
and treatments are the same whether one tests positive or not. high-speed landing craft.
Projecting to the world that China is the good Samaritan, acting Logic must prevail. Not every service will be relevant to every
as a kindly neighbor to its brother nations, is not altruism. It is fight. Investment must be prioritized to fund capabilities and strat-
competition. Unburdened by the ugly business of democracy and egies that will best deliver the needed effects. America will never
debate, China was able to present omniscient competence to a fight a land war in China; it could not possibly win. China’s strategy is
world undergoing unprecedented economic upheaval. This was designed to threaten its neighbors and to keep the United States at
opportunism, not altruism. a distance. Russia’s strategy is similar—it, too, intimidates neighbors
Over the past few years, as Pentagon leaders embraced the and is developing long-range strike capabilities intended to hold
concept of great power competition, many failed to grasp the full U.S. military assets at risk. Both are likewise highly skilled in cyber
context of that message. Now, it should be clearer. This competition warfare, recognizing those skills as critical to threatening Western
is not just a 21st century arms race. It’s a full-on rivalry, the likes democracies and their powerful modern economies.
of which we have not seen since the Cold War. Then, the Space More than any other, two U.S. military services are critical to
Race and the Olympics were tests of national competence, used neutralizing such long-range threats and, if necessary, to defeating
to demonstrate the merits of competing systems. It was messy de- them. Unique in all the world, the capabilities wrought by the U.S. Air
mocracy and capitalism versus centralized, single-party authority. Force and U.S. Space Force are unmatched today. The imperative
It was long-haired American amateurs against grim-faced Russian for the Pentagon and Congress is to ensure that fact remains true
professionals, each playing for national pride. In their different in 2030 and beyond. J
2 APRIL 2020 AIRFORCEMAG.COM
LETTERS
Mission Impossible of these leaders are alive today, Gen. Lance
As a civilian, I read with great interest Lord, who was at one time commander of Air Force Association
Rachel Cohen’s article “Space Force is Here” AFSC, is alive and well. I am sure he could 1501 Lee Highway • Arlington, VA 22209-1198
[January/February, p. 44] and the editorial provide a wealth of hands-on, organizational, afa.org
“Launching the Space Force” by Tobias Nae- and operational perspective that might be
Telephone: 703.247.5800
gele about the challenges facing the newest helpful. I hope that General Raymond will
branch of the military, from its operations to turn to the current space operators and Toll-free: 800.727.3337
its public image. earlier generations to work out the knotty Fax: 703.247.5853
As a science fiction fan, I was admittedly details he is facing..
intrigued by speculation over what the future Col. Quentin M. Thomas, AFA’s Mission
uniforms for the sixth military branch might USAF (Ret.) Our mission is to promote a dominant
entail. Suggestions included necktie-less Woodstock, Ga. United States Air Force and a strong
suits and naval-style sleeve lace to create national defense and to honor airmen and
a distinctive military culture for the infor- Gene Roddenberry based “Star Trek” on our Air Force heritage.
mation age. Project Solar Warden—“The Secret Space
My 2 cents is that a uniform along the lines Program.” It is said that Roddenberry attend- To accomplish this, we:
of the 1990s minimalist Merrill McPeak ser- ed a meeting at the Pentagon just before ■ Educate the public on the critical need
vice dress—but fly-fronted with a mandarin receiving a call from Desilu Productions (Desi for unmatched aerospace power and a
stand-up collar—would look sharp. A retro Arnaz & Lucille Ball)—the truth is stranger technically superior workforce to ensure
peaked bell-style cap and black pants could than fiction. The reason for the similar logo US national security.
complete the uniform. is because of Roddenberry’s vision (along
■ Advocate for aerospace power
On one hand, such a streamlined ser- with some real intel). Of course, the public
and STEM education.
vice dress uniform would be akin to those will not see things this way. The public has
seen in “Star Trek” and “The Expanse,” yet no idea that the “new Space Force” is about ■ Support the Total Air Force family and
it also would be descended from historic 40 years old. promote aerospace education.
uniforms—the blue service dress worn by Donnie Brooke
the U.S. Navy from the 1880s through World Grovetown, Ga. Contacts
War I and the U.S. Army “shell jackets” of CyberPatriot . . . . info@uscyberpatriot.org
the Civil War. McGee’s Flights Field Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . field@afa.org
Benjamin Turon The January/February issue men- Government Relations . . . . . . . . . grl@afa.org
Ballston Spa, N.Y. tioned Tuskegee Airman Charles McGee Insurance . . . . . . . afa.service@mercer.com
being given an honorary promotion to Membership. . . . . . . . membership@afa.org
I would hope that Gen. [John] Raymond the rank of brigadier general, an event News Media. . . . communications@afa.org
and his transition staff will turn to original that I applaud, partly because I have
source documents prepared in the mid-1970s known him for many years. I have spoken Magazine
by Gen. Bob Herres and Maj. Gen. Stuart with him many times. Having worked at Advertising. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . kbrown@afa.org
Sherman Jr., who designed the original Space the Air Force Historical Research Agen- Editorial Offices . . . . . . . . . . . afmag@afa.org
Command from several major Air Force cy for 37 years, I have written multiple Letters to Editor Column. . . letters@afa.org
commands under the watchful eye of CINC/ books and articles about the Tuskegee
SAC Gen. Russell Daugherty. Their bold Airmen. There is one error in your article Change of Address/Email
leadership laid the groundwork for what be- I would like to see corrected. The article In an effort to stay connected with AFA
came Air Force Space Command, under the claimed that McGee’s 409 combat mis- and your local chapter, please update your
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no other Air Force pilot who flew fighters address requires four weeks’ notice.
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APRIL 2020 AIRFORCEMAG.COM 3
Col. Harold S. Snow, with 666 combat (Tactical Air Command) cousins, it could need fuel, especially at night.
missions. perform low-level, terrain-following cruise Gen. Maryanne Miller has the power to
Daniel Haulman at 1.2 Mach. If you wished to go faster (up fix this.
Montgomery, Ala. to 1.5 Mach), you had to hand-fly the bird. Do the right thing, stop production on a
Cdr. John C. Hall, platform that isn’t meeting the specifications
Speed Limits U.S.N. (Ret.) set forth, and send Boeing a message.
I just read the excellent article “The Bone is Newcastle, Wash. Col. Clyde Romero,
Back” by Brian Everstine [January/February, USAF (Ret.)
p. 34]. It was a great summary of the B-1B OK, Boomer Marietta, Ga.
recovery from “overuse” through the devo- The KC-46 tanker issue is a worrisome
tion of devoted maintainers. Unfortunately, one for USAF. Boeing has left no options What is the “operational requirement” that
one piece of questionable information was but to stop production on a platform that drove moving the boomer from the rear of
repeated several times describing the B-1B doesn’t meet the specifications set in the the KC-10 and KC-135 to the front cockpit
as being “supersonic”—including attributing contract. Convene a critical-design review of the KC-46? How were the KC-10 and
its rapid deployment to these supersonic panel and look strongly at the boom pod as KC-135 failing with the boomer in the back
speeds. it’s currently on the KC-10. The remote visual of the aircraft? No one has ever answered
The original B-1A was a supersonic bomb- system isn’t working, and everyone knows it! those questions. For over 60 years, boomers
er. For the production B-1B that was resur- Ask yourself this: Would you like to be have admirably performed the refueling
rected years later, the variable intake ramps refueled by a system that requires multiple mission from the back of the KC-10 and
were removed for cost reasons. This limits cameras and have anyone of them go in- KC-135. There haven’t been any glitches
the B-1B to high subsonic speeds in virtually operable while on the boom? What about with that system.
its entire envelope. The only exception would when the tanker goes through the clouds Now, for some unknown reason, there’s
be a very high altitude dash—which doesn’t and the receiver is on the boom? And don’t a requirement for them to be in the front
help the rapid deployment. Deployability is tell me it hasn’t happened because it’s cockpit, looking at a TV screen that gives
based on range, fuel capacity, fuel burn, and against regulations, because there isn’t a them 20/50 vision with no depth percep-
refueling capability. High subsonic is good fighter pilot out there that has not had that tion, which is delaying full employment and
enough for now. happen to him to her when a tanker went deployment for years. I really hope they
This, by the way, leaves the FB-111A as through the clouds and they stayed on the can articulate an operational requirement,
the last U.S. supersonic strategic bomber. boom to get the gas they desperately need- because if it was for the sake of technology
Back in 1975, we had a training require- ed to complete the mission. The same goes and cool points, we have failed.
ment to make a supersonic high-altitude for the other platforms that are receivers. Col. Seth Bretscher,
dash at 2.2 Mach. We never exercised the It happens all the time. Nothing beats the USAF (Ret.)
low-level speed capability, but like its TAC boomer with Mark One Eyeball when you Lafayette, In.
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4 APRIL 2020 AIRFORCEMAG.COM
VERBATIM
KEEP
OUT
“We are not
going to
fight against
anyone. We
are going
to create
conditions so
that nobody
wants to fight
Photo: Mike Tsukamoto/staff
against us.”
Russian President
Vladimir Putin
in an interview
with the state-run
TASS news agen-
cy about new
Russian weapons,
Space Power
March 2020.
Nuclear
“We now live in a world where there are threats in space, there are actors who wish to do us
harm in space and we need to understand deeply what’s there, who owns it, what its capabilities
Crossroads
are, what it’s likely to do and whether or not it poses a threat. … There are plenty of people who “The entire
are watching and have been watching for decades and those people live in China and those triad is reach-
people live in Russia. ... The first thing they’ve been preparing to do is to take away our space ing the end of
capabilities. The second thing they are doing is recognizing how powerful space power is as its useful life.
part of a joint force.” Either we re-
place what we
Lt. Gen. David Thompson, vice commander of U.S. Space Force, speaking at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium have now, or
in Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 27. start to divest.”
Adm. Charles
Who, Richard head
Illustration: Mike Tsukamoto/staff
of U.S. Strategic
Us? Command
Photo: Roland Balik/USAF
[Defense News,
Feb. 28].
“The Chinese
military has
never en-
gaged in any
form of cyber Think
theft. The U.S.
Twice
accusation is
groundless
and totally
hegemonic.”
Hole-y War Unsung
“Those in sustainment are heroes,
“You don’t get
to shoot at
our bases, kill
“If I see one more slide with a big red keeping old airplanes flying decades and wound
Senior Col. Wu
dome over China I’m going to execute past the point they were originally en-
Qian, spokesper- Americans,
visioned to serve. … That logistics and
son for China’s choke-con on the slide builder. China and get away
Ministry of sustainment is the difference between
cannot put a … red dome over itself. It with it.”
National Defense, having an Air Force and an airshow.
on Feb. 13 in can put a block of Swiss cheese. My Lots of countries have airplanes they Defense Secre-
response to the job is to know where the holes are, can go fly at events. But … to deploy, tary Mark Esper,
U.S. Department get in, and hold targets at risk at the
of Justice charging anywhere around the world? That at a March 12
four Chinese mili- time and place of the Commander in capability is undergirded by that sus- Pentagon press
conference after
tary members for Chief’s choosing.” tainment and logistics enterprise.” Iranian rockets
hacking Equifax, a
struck Camp Taji,
U.S. credit-report- Chief of Staff of the Air Force Will Roper, Air Force acquisition chief, Feb. 28 Iraq, killing three
ing firm, in 2017. Gen. David Goldfein to the House Armed press conference at AFA’s Air Warfare Sympo- and wounding 12.
Services Committee on March 4. sium in Orlando, Fla.
APRIL 2020 AIRFORCEMAG.COM 5
The Rolls-Royce F130 brings a highly reliable and proven engine to the
B-52 Engine Replacement Program. With well over 25 million flight hours in
the family of engines, the F130 is already in the US Air Force fleet in numerous
applications. F130 engines for the B-52 will be digitally engineered, manufactured,
assembled and tested in the US, at Rolls-Royce North America.
American-made power for the B-52.
GTP_10341_2020_AirWarfare_MagSpread_v05.indd All Pages 2/12/20 11:30 AM
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
What’s on the Mind of Gen. C. Q. Brown
The Air Force announced Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr.’s nomina-
tion to become Chief of Staff in March, just days after Air Force
Magazine News Editor Amy McCullough and Editor-in-Chief
Tobias Naegele caught up with him for an interview during the
Air Force Association’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Fla.
Once confirmed, Brown will become the 22nd Air Force Chief of
Staff, replacing Gen. David Goldfein. His comments here have
been edited for space.
Q. The National Defense Strategy focuses on the pivot to
the Indo-Pacific. How do you change the playbook to make
that happen, and what kind of progress are you seeing so
far?
Part of it is education. And, what I mean by that is, the
decision-makers [and] policymakers have to have a better
understanding of the Indo-Pacific Theater. Because of what
we’ve done over the past 25-plus years since the Cold War in
Europe, and in our alliance with NATO, we have a comfort zone
there. I don’t know that the Indo-Pacific is an area that is well
understood. The more we have decision-makers come out and
visit the region and get to know the partners [there], they will
Photo: Mike Tsukamoto/staff
have a better appreciation of the region and how we need to
look at the threat as well as our partners. It’s not one size fits all.
The size of the region is roughly five times the size of the [U.S.
European Command] AOR. But then you also have different
dynamics in the AOR. You know, Japan, Korea, Mongolia,
are a bit different from India, which is at the other end of the
spectrum, or Australia and New Zealand.
The other difference we have there, too, is that our econo- Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., Pacific Air Forces commander,
mies are pretty well intertwined. If you look in the region, a discussed China and agile combat employment during
large percentage of the world’s population is in the Indo-Pa- AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium in February. Brown has been
cific. nominated to be the next USAF Chief of Staff.
Q. What impact does China’s relationship with its neigh- There’s some natural friction that we don’t necessarily have
bors play in the region? with our partners, where we’re able to work closely together.
The Russians aren’t economically intertwined with a lot of Some of our partners have capabilities we don’t have. One
things that are going on in Europe, not like the Chinese [across of the things I share with you is, as I talk to our partners with
Asia]. You’ve heard people talk about, ‘cooperate where you small forces, they look at me and go, ‘You guys are big Air
can, compete where you must.’ Economically, there is a level Force, there’s a lot of things you can do.’ I say, ‘You’re a small
where cooperation can occur. air force, there’s a lot of things you can do that I can’t do.’ You
can be flexible in certain areas. There’s some things we can
Q. You’ve cited increased military cooperation between learn from smaller partners with smaller air forces.
Russia and China in the past. Is that still an issue?
I don’t know, I think they’d be hard-pressed to have a stra- Q. In Europe, the European Deterrence Initiative sets mon-
tegic relationship, partly because I don’t know that they have ey aside for regional defense and reassurance efforts. With
the same outlook on the geopolitical aspects of what’s going the pivot to the Pacific and the focus on countering China, is
on in our region. They have exercised together, but they don’t there a need for something similar in the Indo-Pacific? Has
exercise like we do. You could probably describe it as exercising that been discussed at all?
in the same location, same day; parallel play, less integration. Oh, it has been discussed. We’ve talked about it quite often.
We’re much more integrated and operable with our partners We do need to think about how we invest in the region. It
than they are. doesn’t initially need to be big investments or large invest-
The other part is, because I’ve asked this question rhetor- ments, but we do need to think about how we invest in the
ically, ‘who’s going to be the junior partner?’ Because I don’t Pacific vis-a-vis in Europe.
think either one of them wants to be the junior partner. You I [went] to Ramstein [Air Base, Germany] as A3 for USAFE-AF-
don’t necessarily have to have a junior partner, but you have to AFRICA the week after the Russians went into Crimea. So, that
have an understanding of [the relationship] between the two. event drove what I will call a mini crisis, to actually energize a
8 APRIL 2020 AIRFORCEMAG.COM
lot of things. In the Indo-Pacific, what is the mini crisis? What of, ‘My ACE is better than your ACE.’ And so, what I pushed
is the [chance] the PRC is going to do something that actually for last June, was to get all the Majcoms and get our deputy
is going to drive a big spike to get us to say, ‘yes,’ and throw a commanders to come together in a forum to look at and talk
bunch of money in a different direction? They’re looking at it about ACE. The goal was not to debate ACE. The goal was to
long-term, and I think they do just enough below the radar, so figure out what things can we agree on? We know the first
that it doesn’t spike. Because they don’t want it to spike, but thing you need to agree on is some lexicon, so we’re using the
they are able to do certain things. That’s how the features got same terminology. But then what things are we doing? Okay,
built in the South China Sea. let’s codify that part. And then let’s continue to work on some
other areas that we’re pretty close on.
Q. As the coronavirus spreads, what kind of safety pre-
cautions are you taking for Airmen in your theater? What Q. Can you elaborate on the things you agreed on beyond
impact is that having on exercises, and are they being the lexicon?
quarantined when they come back from these exercises? We’re using the expeditionary center to build a training
We’re actually being proactive. We look at every exercise and syllabus for multicapable Airmen. There are certain scenarios
the environment in that particular location, and we look at the where regardless of AFSC, you can do more than one thing. I
additional travel restrictions put in place by various countries. look at when we do our contingent response groups. We have
We don’t want to put ourselves in a position where we send a small team that is multicapable. I wouldn’t say every Air
forces to an exercise, and they get sick. But then, we also don’t Force Specialty Code has to be multicapable. There are certain
want to send a unit off to a location, and they come back and ones that ought to be only capable on one thing because the
have to quarantine for X amount of time. That impacts our thing that they’re doing is really important. But there’s others
ability to go do something else, so we’re being very judicious where they have bandwidth based on the tempo of a conflict,
in our planning as we work through the exercises. or contingency, to do something else.
Q. PACAF launched the Agile Combat Employment (ACE) Q. Should some of those AFSCs be collapsed, or is this like
concept several years ago; the idea of operating from austere a secondary specialty?
bases and quickly getting there. How much have you tested It’s almost like a secondary specialty. It gets rid of some of the
that? What have you learned since that concept was first union cards, and the idea that you can’t do this because you’re
launched? And how is it evolving? not fully trained. If we go into conflict, and we start losing people,
We’ve learned a fair amount. I think the one thing I’ve learned and I need somebody to go refill aircraft or help load an aircraft,
is that if we can give the concept and some broad guidance to or help unload a C- 130, we’re going to figure out some folks
our Airmen, they can come up with ideas on how to do things who can work with someone who is actually trained and go,
differently. There’s an aspect of being able to trust an Airman ‘Here’s what I need you to do. You stand here and you do this.’
to go do what we’ve asked him to do, and then they need to feel What I want to be able to do is to give the Air Staff a one-pag-
confident to go do what you asked them to do without having to er, ‘Here’s what we’re trying to achieve.’ I think on the training
report back to the AOC or ask for permission. So, that is a cultural aspect, because the syllabus is being worked on with the expe-
aspect that we’ve got to continue to work on. As I travel around ditionary center, we’re actually in a pretty good spot.
and talk to squadron commanders, I tell them, ‘I want to trust
you. I do trust you,’ but, unfortunately, some of our guidance Q. The Arctic has been an area of increasing attention
actually lays out all the things that a commander shall, must recently. And you’re probably one of the very few people
do. So, we have probably more work to do. who can say, ‘I’ve been to the Antarctic.’ Why are these polar
We’ve asked commanders at the squadron level to do more regions so important right now?
things, and they probably have the bandwidth, guidance, time, When you look at the Arctic, if you’re a late mover there, op-
and resources that we’ve provided them. I asked them to tell portunities may be lost, whether it’s a great power competition,
me what you can’t do. And then we can talk about the risk as- economically, whatever the case may be. The capabilities that
sociated with this. That dialogue I have with my commanders you need in the Arctic are some of the same capabilities you
[is important], and we should be able to talk about the aspects need today in the Antarctic. And there’s a Russian presence
where I’ve shorted them, or the Air Force has shorted them. on Antarctica. There’s also a Chinese presence on Antarctica.
There’s going to be a risk factor associated with that, and we have And the Chinese presence is growing. And it’s all supposed to
to determine where that risk lies, and then how we approach be about science.
it. Because there’s certain things [where] you can say, ‘We just
can’t get there. We can’t do this.’ And we may go, ‘We’re all good Q. U.S. Northern Command boss Gen. Terrence O’Shaugh-
with that, because we just can’t get there from here, but these nessy has said this is not one of those areas where you can
are things we’ve got to be able to do.’ just hop into and be successful. So, eventually the Antarctic
The other aspect is how do we go lighter and leaner with what is not going to be all about science. Are you considering
support equipment we take? Sometimes we bring things just exercising in that area? How do you do something like that?
in case. What if you didn’t bring it? Or what if we had another I wouldn’t call it exercising, but you know, whatever training
partner who is flying the same airplane at a third location? How we do for Arctic training, Arctic survival, those kinds of things
do we set up an ACSA [acquisition cross servicing agreement], are probably the same things you do in the Antarctic. If you talk
so I could actually borrow that part from you and not have to about the ice melting in the Arctic, there’s potential for the ice
ship it to that location, so having that understanding of what to melt in Antarctica, and it may open up some things. I bring
capacity lays with our partners. it up so we’re thinking about it, and it is not just written off. ...
The last thing I will tell you is that what I found was there If you don’t think about it, when 2040 comes around, you don’t
was a lot of entities across the Air Force doing ACE-like want to go, ‘If I coulda, woulda, shoulda,’ because you weren’t
events, maybe with different names. And there was a little bit thinking about it. J
APRIL 2020 AIRFORCEMAG.COM 9AIRFRAMES
Public health medics from the 51st Aerospace Medicine
Squadron screen occupants of a car outside Osan Air Base
in South Korea on March 4, 2020. At the time, the COVID-19
outbreak was still limited to a handful of countries in Asia and
Photo: Staff Sgt. Greg Nash
Europe. Just eight days later, the World Health Organization
declared a global pandemic, the White House barred travel
by Europeans to the United States, and the Pentagon stopped
nonessential travel as the worst health crisis in a century
came into focus.
10 DECEMBER
10 APRIL 2020
2019 AIRFORCEMAG.COM
AIRFORCEMAG.COM DECEMBER
APRIL 2019
2020 AIRFORCEMAG.COM 11AIRFRAMES
Photo: U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Thomas S. Keisler IV
An
USAFHH-60G
STaggPave Hawk helicopter from the 56th Rescue
Squadron soars over Aviano Air Base, Italy. The all-weather
search-and-rescue unit relocated from Lakenheath, U.K., to
join the 31st Fighter Wing based at Aviano in May 2019. The
Air Force announced in February that the Pave Hawks are
slated to be replaced by HH-60Ws. The new helicopters will
be dubbed “Jolly Green II,” in honor of the Vietnam-era HH-3E
rescue choppers, known as Jolly Green Giants.
12 DECEMBER
12 APRIL 2020
2019 AIRFORCEMAG.COM
AIRFORCEMAG.COM APRIL 2019
DECEMBER 2020 AIRFORCEMAG.COM 13
13AIRFRAMES
An F-35A Lightning II on the ramp at Nellis
Photo: Airman 1st Class Bryan Guthrie
Air Force Base, Nev., in February. The jet is
among 78 F-35As operating out of Hill in
four operational squadrons. The Air Force is
seeking 48 more F-35As in its 2021 budget
request, well short of the 72 required per
year the Air Force has said are needed
to rejuvenate the fighter force with fifth-
generation stealth and sensors.
14 DECEMBER
14 APRIL 2020
2019 AIRFORCEMAG.COM
AIRFORCEMAG.COM DECEMBER
APRIL 2019
2020 AIRFORCEMAG.COM 1515STRATEGY & POLICY
By John A. Tirpak
What Are Putin’s Five New Nukes For?
A frame grab
from a Russian
Ministry of
Defense video
shows the new
Sarmat heavy
intercontinental
ballistic missile
(ICBM) as it
Photo: Frame grab from Russia Ministry of Defense video via RT
undergoes
its second
test launch at
the Plesetsk
Cosmodrome in
northwest Russia
on March 30,
2018. The Sarmat
is part of Russia’s
new arsenal
announced in
2018 by President
Vladimir Putin.
R
ussian President Vladimir Putin made a grand an- Putin may also see the weapons as a counter to perceived
nouncement in March 2018, declaring that Russia threats from the U.S. and its allies, which he may fear are trying to
is developing five new nuclear or nuclear-powered back a “color revolution” against Russia to achieve regime change
weapons. The new nukes would be in addition to there. While these are not stated U.S. policies, the report states,
Russia’s extant, START-compliant strategic nuclear Russian officials “appear to be genuinely fearful of the possible
forces and thousands of nonstrategic nuclear weap- spread of democracy to Russia with U.S. backing.”
ons ranging from torpedoes to artillery and short-range missiles. On the more speculative side, the Atlantic Council report
Russia’s existing nuclear force already holds the U.S. at risk. posited that Russia could seek a “decapitation” strike against
These new weapons wouldn’t appreciably change the nuclear Washington, D.C., in the event of a war with NATO. “To be sure,
deterrence equation. So why does Putin need them? this would be an extreme scenario, but military plans and postures
The Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Secu- are sometimes developed to deal with remote, but important,
rity took up that question, in conjunction with experts from Los contingencies,” the report noted. Still, a nuclear cruise missile
Alamos National Laboratory. In a March report, “Russia’s Exotic deployed from a commercial vessel could achieve similar effects
Nuclear Weapons and Implications for the United States and less expensively.
NATO,” 28 strategic arms experts confessed they’re still scratch- More mercenary explanations for Russia’s new programs could
ing their heads. It’s hard to see the rationale for expending so include a make-work program for Russia’s defense industrial
much Russian treasure on a prodigious nuclear modernization base or to promote foreign sales of Russian military hardware.
program that doesn’t really give Russia more capability than it “It is unclear,” the report concluded, “what advantages these
already has, participants said. new systems provide.”
Perhaps the most plausible rationale could be “a genuine
paranoia about the vulnerability of Russia’s nuclear deterrent COUNTERS, AND COUNTER-COUNTERS
and a desire to signal Russia’s great-power status to foreign and How should the U.S. respond to Russia’s new weapons? The
domestic audiences.” Atlantic Council offers three options: “Ignoring, or even ridiculing,
A second would be a desire to overwhelm U.S. and allied theater Russia’s new systems; pushing to include a wider range of systems
missile defenses. A third, that the new weapons could be used as in negotiations over New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New
coercive measures in a crisis. The new nukes could be a backstop START) renewal; and strengthening the U.S. and NATO deterrence
to Russia’s conventional weakness as it threatens countries on posture, including by continuing to introduce low-yield warheads
its borders or to achieve what Russia oxymoronically has called to the U.S. nuclear arsenal.” This last step was actually called for
“de-escalation:” the use of low-yield nuclear weapons to scare in the 2018 Nuclear Posture review, drawing widespread debate
adversaries into capitulation to avoid all-out nuclear war. in Congress and criticism from some think tanks.
16 APRIL 2020 AIRFORCEMAG.COMRussia has relied on its nuclear arsenal in the post-Cold War U.S. should also develop countermeasures to Poseidon, it said.
era to preserve its status as a world power and, in recent years “Fond hopes” that the world could be rid of nuclear weapons
has made “explicit military threats” to use it, the Atlantic Council after the Cold War “have not been borne out by the facts,” the
report pointed out. Recent Russian exercises have concluded report said. “Great power competition has returned, and with
with simulated nuclear strikes on European targets, and Putin it, the importance of nuclear weapons to international politics.”
placed his nuclear forces on alert during the Georgian and Such weapons “remain the ultimate instrument of military force,
Ukraine crises. and Russia is emphasizing nuclear force as a central pillar of its
Viewed in this context, “Russia is building the nuclear force pos- military strategy.” Western leaders, therefore, must again make
ture necessary to back up this ambitious strategy,” the report said. effective nuclear deterrence the “foremost priority of the NATO
The Atlantic Council also noted that even while the Intermediate alliance.”
Nuclear Forces treaty was in effect, Russia cheated, “developing
and deploying multiple batteries of nuclear-capable, intermedi- THE EU’S CAPABILITY DEFICITS
ate-range, ground-launched cruise missiles.” The latest comprehensive analysis of the global military balance
from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) suggests
STRATEGIC DEBUTANTES America’s NATO allies will have to invest more in defense if the
Russia’s new nuclear weapons are: U.S. continues to focus on the Indo-Pacific region. In fact, NATO
Sarmat ICBM: Replaces the SS-18 heavy ICBM, code-named allies may fall short by a third of a trillion dollars’ worth of capa-
Satan by NATO. It can carry either 10 reentry vehicles or at least one bility in “enablers” alone if the U.S. devotes the bulk of its military
hypersonic glide vehicle. Russia has said it will begin production attention elsewhere.
of Sarmat this year. Plans call for six Sarmat regiments, the first to Since 2019, global defense spending grew by 4 percent, in 2015
be deployed in 2021. dollars, according to the IISS’s annual assessment, “The Military
Avangard Hypersonic Glide Vehicle: This is a very long-range, Balance 2020.” This was the largest increase in 10 years. Non-U.S.
maneuverable weapon that would be difficult to defend against. NATO defense spending was back to where it was before the 2008
It would be pushed to hypersonic speed by Sarmat, eventually, financial crisis.
but in the near-term, it has been fitted to the SS-19, code-named The emergence of a new economic crisis with the global
Stiletto by NATO. Russia tested Avangard successfully in 2016 and COVID-19 pandemic raises new questions about NATO’s ability to
2018 and said it had activated two in December. maintain such spending. Time will tell, but as governments pour
Kinzhal hypersonic missile: This weapon would be carried to funds into bailouts and emergency measures, there could well be
altitude on wing pylons or in bomb bays. Russia has boasted about inevitable calls to curb spending on defense.
having developed such a weapon before the U.S. “The Military Balance 2020,” which was published before
Burevestnik nuclear-powered, long-range missile: Putin the pandemic hit, paints a picture of what could happen in the
claims this weapon has unlimited range. Code-named SSC-X-9 event the U.S. becomes fully engaged in a Pacific war and cannot
“Skyfall”by NATO, its existence was disclosed in 2018 when Putin respond in full force to a European conflict. In such case, NATO
showed a video animation of the missile traversing huge distances allies would be operating at a serious deficiency in key enablers,
on a map—crossing Europe, the Atlantic Ocean, and parts of South such as mobility, airborne tankers, and intelligence, surveillance,
America before approaching a target in Florida. Russia claims the and reconnaissance, the IISS pointed out.
weapon features a low-radar cross section. Indeed, that is also the case with allies in other regions, such as
Poseidon nuclear-armed, autonomous underwater drone: the Middle East. “It may transpire that Washington cannot always
Previously known as “Status-6,” six of these torpedoes could be supply capabilities needed by allies and partners,” the report said.
carried by a Russian guided-missile submarine. Armed with a The IISS estimates that it would cost America’s NATO allies
conventional or nuclear warhead, it would operate at depths too between $288 billion and $357 billion “to fill gaps highlighted by
deep to use satellite navigation, rendering it an imprecise weapon a scenario where they would have to defend their territory without
intended for use against a large target, such as a coastal city. The U.S. support against a state-level attack.”
Atlantic Council report speculated that Poseidon could be “laden Mobility, for example, is a key area where NATO partners are
with a multimegaton warhead seeded with cobalt—which would badly underinvested. The entire European Union tanker/transport
result in particularly deadly nuclear fallout.” fleet totaled just 49 aircraft in 2019, less than a tenth the size of the
The report noted that Russia is having trouble with developing U.S. fleet, which numbered 555.
some of these weapons—Skyfall, particularly, had a noteworthy “Were a crisis to erupt that required rapid mobility of U.S.
accident. But Russia has been “comfortable rushing weapons equipment, for instance in the Asia-Pacific, it is highly likely that
systems into the field at a pace that would not be possible in the the U.S. would look to move relevant enabling assets from where
United States,” the authors noted. they are currently stationed.”
In response, the Atlantic Council report recommends the U.S. While great power competition “continues to dominate long-
Intelligence Community invest resources to capture “more detailed term Western defense policymaking and procurement … there
information about the origins of these programs, and what prompt- is now less apparent coherence than before in terms of political
ed Putin to unveil them in a major public address in March 2018.” responses,” the IISS said. The growing disharmony evidenced by
The authors also suggest the U.S. seek to reassure Russia that it French President Emmanuel Macron’s famous declaration that
is not seeking a first-strike capability while modernizing the U.S. NATO is “brain dead,” means NATO allies will be challenged to
strategic nuclear arsenal. Failing that, the U.S. should proceed on overcome these problems.
the findings of the Nuclear Posture Review, the Atlantic Council The fundamental problem is that military assets are limited. If
said, to “strengthen their deterrent and defensive measures” and the U.S. is suddenly faced with a conflict in the Asia-Pacific, it may
“develop low-yield capabilities.” have no choice but to move ISR, mobility, and other assets out of
The report also urged the U.S. to develop its own hypersonic theaters where they have historically been available, sounding a
missiles and defensive countermeasures to such weapons built by wake-up call to allies that have grown too reliant on those capa-
Russia and China, following a “deterrence-by-denial” strategy. The bilities. J
APRIL 2020 AIRFORCEMAG.COM 17WORLD
USAF Rebuilds
Precision Munition
Stockpiles
An F-15E Strike Eagle
armed with a variety
of Joint Direct Attack
Munitions on a May
7, 2019, mission over
Sgt. Russ Scalf
Photo: Master
Southwest Asia.
Production surge slows as Air Force nears weapons goal.
By John A. Tirpak
A
tory. This rapid usage was exacerbated by allied air
forces “borrowing” munitions from the U.S. because
fter an intense period of restocking, Air their own limited stocks were depleted from action
Force precision weapon inventories are in Afghanistan and Libya.
almost back to acceptable levels, Air Force Precision munitions were the weapon of choice in
leaders say. Now they are throttling back “What I would the fight against ISIS due to the rules of engagement.
planned purchases for fiscal 2021. hope we Because civilians were mixed in with ISIS combat-
“We have been able to make a dent” in the muni- would do, is ants, extremely accurate targeting and strikes were
tions shortage, said Gen. Arnold Bunch Jr., head of required to avoid civilian casualties.
Air Force Materiel Command during the Air Force As- level off … at The shortages prompted the Air Force to surge
sociation’s Air Warfare Symposium in February. The this year’s production of weapons like the JDAM, Small Diam-
sharp reduction of U.S. air attacks against the Islamic level, maybe eter Bomb 1, and the AGM-114 Hellfire.
State group “has allowed us to get in a better place plus or minus In planning the fiscal 2021 budget, Bunch said,
and on a better trajectory” in terms of war reserves. the Air Force had to “focus on the high-end fight,”
a little bit.”
Bunch has previously referred to ups and downs reducing its appetite for JDAMs. The Air Force bought
in purchasing as a “sine wave” that plays havoc with —Gen. Arnold 30,872 JDAMs in fiscal 2019, which was its high water-
budgets and frustrates weapon producers, who have Bunch, head of mark. It requested 37,000 in fiscal 2020, but Congress
had to add tooling and shifts to meet USAF’s urgent Air Force Materiel only approved 25,000. The request for fiscal 2021 is
demands for replacement weapons in recent times. Command only for 10,000 JDAMs, including both “base budget”
“What I would hope we would do, is level off … and Overseas Contingency Operations accounts.
at this year’s level, maybe plus or minus a little bit,” Production of the SDB 1 increased from 5,743 units
Bunch said. in fiscal 2019 to 7,078 in fiscal 2020; USAF is seeking
During Operation Inherent Resolve, the Air Force only 2,462 in fiscal 2021.
was using up Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) Was the munitions downshift a bill payer for other
so quickly that they were being loaded onto combat programs? Or was it a signal that the Air Force in-
aircraft in the Middle East a scant 24 hours after being tends to start buying longer-range weapons that can
crated up and shipped from Boeing’s St. Louis fac- be released farther away from enemy air defenses?
18 APRIL 2020 AIRFORCEMAG.COMProduction Slowdown
The Air Force is seeking to slow production of six key precision munitions in its 2021 budget request, as combat demand throttles
down and concern over shortages abates.
2019 2020 2020 2021
Weapon (Enacted) (Request) (Enacted) (Request)
JDAM 30,872 37,000 25,000 10,000
SDB I 5,743 7,078 7,078 2,462
SDB II Stormbreaker 510 1,175 1,175 1,133
AGM-1145 Hellfire 2,771 3,859 3,859 2,497
AGM-158 JASSM-ER 360 430 390 400
AGM-158C LRASM 15 - - 5
“It might be a little bit of all of of the weapon.
those,” said Gen. James “Mike” With help from Congress, “we
Holmes, head of Air Combat stood up an additional JASSM
Illustration: Boeing
Command. “After several years Boeing’s production facility,” which is now
of the Air Force working hard to Powered JDAM, now in development, under construction, Bunch said.
replenish the JDAM stocks, we’re would add a motor and wing kit to extend the Lockheed Martin Missiles and
approaching the objectives that weapon’s range by 20 miles or more. Fire Control builds the JASSM and
we set, and those objectives are LRASM in Troy, Ala.
set by looking at the war plans Bunch said the National De-
and the different contingencies.” fense Strategy tells the Air Force
Holmes said “the right bal- “we need to take more risk in the
ance of risk was to continue to near, and look for the far. Those
Photo: 1st Lt. Savanah Bray
acquire those weapons, but as standoff and those more advanced
we approach the objective, to weapons are the far, and we’re try-
start slowing down a little bit on ing to make the move to that area.”
the JDAM,” which is a gravity-fall Multiple studies have argued
weapon. for increased purchases of lon-
The Air Force is investing in ger-range weapons in recent years.
“the things we’ll need for long- Some have suggested adding mo-
range fires, across the joint force, An F-16 loaded with a JASSM-ER prior to an operational tors to conventional gravity weap-
to challenge a peer adversary,” test sortie at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The Air Force ons. Indeed, Holmes has told Air
Holmes said. “When you look wants to buy 400 of the weapons in 2021. Force Magazine that USAF needs
at everything that had to fit in new munitions that combine lon-
the budget, some pretty good work was done over the last ger range and a degree of stealth in an package that’s inexpen-
several years to replenish the JDAM stocks and work toward sive enough to buy in mass quantities.
the objective, and in the Department they made the decision The Air Force developed the precision-guided GBU-39
that they’re getting close enough that they can slow down that Small Diameter Bomb I because it found that JDAM-sized
buy rate a bit.” weapons were too large for the small, precise attacks necessary
While contractors have purchased tooling and hired staff in wars like the counterinsurgencies in Afghanistan and Iraq.
to meet larger production goals, the Air Force footed the bill, Its 250-pound warhead was a better size for many targets, and
Holmes said. “When they go to tool, we actually pay for it,” he its lighter weight meant USAF aircraft could carry more weap-
explained. “The industry comes to us and says ‘to go to what- ons. The SDB I uses GPS/INS, laser, and even radar-homing
ever rate, this is what it will cost you.’” Now that the tooling is guidance for some variants, and has a range of about 45 miles,
in place, it provides the potential to surge production in the for use against stationary targets.
event of a large-scale conflict, Holmes said. The GBU-53 SDB II, built by Raytheon and named “Storm-
Bunch said the Air Force budget plan does not throw con- Breaker,” increases that range to some 70 miles. It adds Link
tractors back to low production, but rather creates an “op- 16 connectivity and can attack moving targets in brownout or
portunity” for allies to replenish their stocks, as well, through adverse weather. An F-15E can carry up to 28 SDB IIs.
increased foreign military sales. U.S. military demand had Boeing, the maker of JDAMs, showed off a new variant of
made such sales difficult in recent years. Now the Air Force that bomb at the AFA 2020 Air Warfare Symposium. Called
wants allies to know those weapons are available again. “Powered JDAM,” it adds a wingset and power module to
“We want them to buy ahead,” so the U.S. is not seen as the increase JDAMs’ range by 20 times. The company is pitching
store in a contingency. “We want them … to replenish, buy the munition as a lower-cost alternative to a cruise missile.
ahead, so they’re prepared,” Bunch said. The munitions would have the range to “stand outside the
The longest-range conventional weapon the Air Force is engagement zone,” said Wade Kirkbride, a business develop-
buying is the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Munition (JASSM), ment representative for Boeing, calling the weapon the “cen-
which is on its fourth variant. The JASSM-ER (for Extended terpiece” of the company’s plan to “evolve JDAM for the future.”
Range) has maintained a steady production rate, with buys of The munitions, which could use any of a number of sensors
360 in 2019, 390 in ’20, and a request for 400 in ’21. Beginning for targeting, could also be used as a decoy for more expensive
in 2021, the Air Force would also acquire five Long-Range missiles such as JASSM, which cost more than $1 million per
Anti-Ship Missiles, or LRASMs, the counter-maritime version round. J
APRIL 2020 AIRFORCEMAG.COM 19You can also read
