News from the Air Force

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Spotlight: SMSgt. Laura A. Callaway:

One of the Air Force's 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2012, SMSgt. Laura A. Callaway is a physical medicine/emergency department superintendent with the 60th Medical Operations Squadron at Travis AFB, Calif. Callaway led the Air Force's largest physical medicine and emergency departments and forged a clinical practicum, identified as a career field benchmark, with the University of California, Davis. She secured a multiyear contract to ensure on-site care for veterans, reducing diverted care by 30 percent and saving $500,000. She was the architect of a team program for an $8 million rehabilitation center. Her efforts during Operation Pacific Passage were instrumental in the safe evacuation of 2,600 people. She was the ramrod for the Air Force's largest civilian physical therapy training exchange program, chartering agreements with five universities, saving the Air Force $600,000. She also established a splint/amputee/inpatient care in-service program, increasing staff productivity by 30 percent. Callaway's home of record is Ormond Beach, Fla.

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Dyess Gets 23rd New C-130J:

The 317th Airlift Group at Dyess AFB, Tex., took delivery of its 23rd factory-fresh C-130J transport, leaving the unit only five airframes shy of its planned full complement of Super Hercules airplanes. The new aircraft arrived at the Texas base on Sept. 13, piloted by Brig. Gen. Lee Levy, Air Mobility Command's director of logistics. Dyess is expected to receive it remaining five C-130Js by 2013, according to base officials. The new airlift force will replace the group's legacy fleet of C-130Hs. Once the final Super Hercules is in place, Dyess will be home to the largest C-130J force in the world, said the officials. The group received its 22nd C-130J on Aug. 29.

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Building Coalition Airmen NCOs:

The key to building the best NCOs for today's Air Force is training and education, CMSAF James Roy, USAF's top enlisted airmen, said Wednesday at AFA's Air & Space Conference—and, he said, today's airman is one with joint and international experiences and the ability to work with coalitions. In that spirit, Roy said he is working hard to expand international NCO training and exchanges with partner nations' schools and programs. USAF already has a robust exchange with Singapore and Canada where the two countries send their respective Air Force NCOs to train and work alongside their partners. Roy also announced a new position in the Air Force secretariat's international affairs shop—where SMSgt. Manny Pineiro will work to find international opportunities for USAF enlisted members, from exercises to building partnership capacity engagements, all designed to get USAF NCOs more experience working abroad. Roy noted that the number of countries with which USAF can arrange enlisted exchange opportunities is growing. Canada and New Zealand currently offer many such exchanges, and soon Roy expects to announce the opening of NCO partnership exchanges with South Africa. Today and in the future, "it's going to take a coalition airman with a joint background" to lead airmen in operations around the world often working side by side with partner countries.

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Perimeter Defense:

The Air Force has a critical role in the US pivot to the Asia-Pacific, said Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter. As in World War II, where "airpower allowed the United States to leapfrog enemy forces and extend a Pacific perimeter defense," and in Korea, where airpower has helped "deter conflict in Northeast Asia throughout the modern era," Air Force innovations have provided "security to the Asia-Pacific region," Carter told attendees of AFA's Air & Space Conference outside of Washington, D.C., on Sept. 19. The US presence has been the "secret sauce" helping Asian nations prosper, and the United States intends to "continue to play that pivotal, stabilizing role," he said. The United States will maintain forces in the region, support friendly nations with arms sales, and continue multilateral exercises, said Carter. In addition to the US military putting all of its newest gear into the Pacific, the Air Force "can allocate space, cyber, and bomber forces" from the US homeland "with little additional investment," he added. He also suggested that there would be more "rotational presence" of Air Force units in Australia.

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From the Bear's Perspective:

The Russians regarded the New START agreement as a win-win, said Steven Pifer, director of the Brookings Institution's arms control initiative. They seized the opportunity to cap the US strategic nuclear force structure—and preserve their own strategic power, he said in his address at AFA's Air & Space Conference outside Washington, D.C., on Sept. 18. Plus, there is a great deal of Russian national pride associated with the fact that the United States turns to Moscow when it wants to take up nuclear arms control, he added. Pifer said "Moscow is in a holding pattern on missile defense and arms control" right now until after the US Presidential election. While GOP candidate Mitt Romney has made statements more hawkish-sounding on Russia than President Obama, Romney's approach might change if he moves into the Oval Office, said Pifer. After all, President Reagan pursued arms control negotiations with the Soviets in the 1980s on intermediate nuclear forces as part of a strategy to get NATO to back the deployment of Pershing II batteries in Western Europe, explained Pifer. Arms control was something few observers thought Reagan would take up when he came to the White House, said Pifer.

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Perhaps an Opportunity:

The Air Force's ancient T-38 trainers are "an icon" of the service, said Heidi Grant, the Air Force's deputy undersecretary for international affairs, but they also represent something else, "perhaps an opportunity." Over the past 10 years, 1,500 international students have trained in some version of the T-38—a number that doesn't even include students trained outside the United States, said Grant on Sept. 17 at AFA's Air and Space Conference in National Harbor, Md. But the T-38 will "sooner rather than later" reach the end of its service life, she said. The Talon is so old that Jackie Cochrane trained in one before she became the first woman to break the sound barrier—in 1953. With the Air Force's plans for a T-38 replacement on hold, there may be a chance for the United States and international partners to work together to develop, field, and operate a next-generation trainer, said Grant. She lauded the decades-long relationships developed by nations working together on the F-16 program, and the F-35 has an even more international flavor. In time of austere budgets, can the United States and its partners field a program together, more efficiently and more effectively than the United States could alone? "We have proven, over and over, it is possible," said Grant.

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Sea of Influence:

The United States is not engaged in an arms race with China in the area around the South China Sea, but there's a competition under way for influence and access there, said Gen. Herbert Carlisle, Pacific Air Forces commander. "I don't call it an arms race. I would call it more of an influence race and an access race," said Carlisle on Sept. 19 during the four-star forum at AFA's Air & Space Conference in National Harbor, Md. "Clearly, [China] is in a position of a regional power, and a rising world power, versus the United States as an existing world power," he said. US Pacific Command works hard to stay engaged with partners and allies in that region "to maintain those relationships and that influence," while realizing that these nations also have a relationship with China, said Carlisle. That's an "extremely complex" undertaking, he said. While the United States considers operating in the international waters of the South China Sea and the airspace above it to be freedom of navigation, the Chinese regard it as "containment" and attempting "to infringe upon our backyard," he said.

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China's Raptor Lookalike:

Clearer photos of China's second stealthy-looking fighter design emerged on the Internet as Defense Secretary Leon Panetta kicked off his diplomatic visit to Beijing last week. The Shenyang F-60—also called the J-21 or J-31—resembles the F-22, but with the intakes of an F-35 strike fighter. The F-60 appears to lack the Raptor's stealthy thrust-vectoring engines, and there appear to be no attempts at a reduced radar cross section with the engines currently installed in the airplane. The F-60's canopy, nose, and planform seem to be nearly identical to that of the F-22, and the airplane appears to be not too much different in size from the F-22. The photos seem to show internal weapon bays arranged similarly to the F-22's, as well as a ruggedized undercarriage potentially suited to carrier-deck operations. Photos earlier this year of a heavily shrouded F-60, partially disassembled en route to testing, revealed that the aircraft is smaller than the Chengdu J-20, which the Chinese unveiled at the end of 2010, but little else. While the larger J-20 is likely designed for longer range strike, the F-60 may be optimized for an air superiority role similar to the F-22's.

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F-16s Visit Ellsworth for Training Exercise:

South Dakota Air National Guard F-16s flew long-range strike sorties from Ellsworth AFB, S.D., dropping live ordnance over the Utah Test and Training Range last week. Six F-16s of the 175th Fighter Squadron deployed, along with 90 airmen, from Sioux Falls to Ellsworth on Sept. 17 for live drop training. "Ellsworth was instrumental in allowing us to utilize their resources for our fighters to complete their annual requirements," said MSgt. Shawn Greer, 114th Logistics Readiness Squadron first sergeant. Since the B-1B bombers of Ellsworth's 37th Bomb Squadron are currently deployed to Southwest Asia, Ellsworth had free ramp space to accommodate the exercise, according to the base's Sept. 24 release. "We were able to land on [Sept. 17] and immediately set up our operations," said 175th FS pilot Capt. Steve Shultz. In the air "we met our goal in hitting times over targets as precisely as possible," he added. Live Drop 2012 ran through Sept. 21.

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Air Force Prepares for Third X-37B Mission:

The Air Force has begun launch preparations at Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., for the next orbital mission of an X-37B reusable spaceplane, service spokeswoman Maj. Tracy Bunko told the Daily Report on Sept. 26. "We are on track to launch" next month, stated Bunko. "However, the exact date remains subject to change" based on factors like range conditions and weather, she added. This will be the third mission overall for the two-ship X-37 fleet and the second space trip for the first X-37 vehicle, which returned to Earth in December 2010 after spending 224 days on orbit during its maiden voyage. The second X-37 spaceplane completed its inaugural orbital voyage on June 16 after 469 days in space. Bunko said the upcoming mission's focus "remains on testing vehicle capabilities and proving the utility and cost effectiveness of a reusable spacecraft." Both previous X-37 missions concluded with landings at Vandenberg AFB, Calif. But Bunko noted that the Air Force is "investigating the possibility of using the former [space] shuttle infrastructure" for X-37 landing operations. This means potentially utilizing the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for landings, reports Wired Magazine's Danger Room blog.

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Air Commandos Decorated for Valor:

The Air Force presented the Silver Star Medal to Capt. Blake Luttrell and a Bronze Star Medal with Valor Device to SSgt. Daniel Resendez for their heroic actions in separate firefights in Afghanistan, reported the Fayetteville Observer. Both airmen are members of the 21st Special Tactics Squadron at Pope Field, N.C. "The whole community takes pride in you," said Lt. Gen. Eric Fiel, Air Force Special Operations Command boss, during the Sept. 25 awards ceremony at Pope, according to the newspaper. On Jan. 9, Luttrell repeatedly put himself in harm's way to direct air support against insurgent positions in Afghanistan's Balkh province as his group retrieved the bodies of two Afghan commandos, according to the newspaper. He also fought his way into a cave to render aid to the group's injured medic. Resendez was recognized for a firefight in Afghanistan's Nuristan province in early May 2011. He knowingly exposed himself to insurgent fire to call in air strikes and indirect fire on the enemy positions, states the newspaper. He also directed medical helicopters to the scene. Luttrell is one of the airmen featured in the latest volume of the Air Force's Portraits in Courage series.

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Ready for Anything, Because it Happens:

Regardless of the type of conflict in which the United States is currently engaged, the Air Force must ensure it is always capable of performing the full spectrum of its key missions—from airlift and close air support to long-range strike, said Air Force Assistant Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Frank Gorenc on Sept. 27. "We have been caught short many times in our history, and things happen that were unthinkable," he said during an AFA-Air Force Breakfast Program speech in Arlington, Va. "One of the things we're looking at is making sure that we meet the charter of the 1947 . . . to maintain a holistic view of all of the capabilities that are required to execute airpower," explained Gorenc. For example, in the midst of counterinsurgency fighting in Afghanistan, the Air Force had to react to traditional armed threats overnight in Libya in 2011, he noted. "There was a classic integrated air defense system that had to be dealt with to establish the no-fly zone" over Libya, he reminded.

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Back to the Deep Freeze:

A C-17 from JB Lewis-McChord, Wash., launched aerial resupply activities for the 2012-13 season of Operation Deep Freeze, the US military's mission providing logistical support to US scientific researchers in Antarctica. Active Duty and Reserve airmen of McChord's 62nd Airlift Wing and Air Force Reserve Command's 445th AW deployed with the airlifter to the staging base at Christchurch, New Zealand, on Sept. 29, according to McChord officials. Back in August, a McChord C-17 flew six pre-season missions to the barren continent. McChord C-17s and ski-equipped LC-130 "Skibirds" from the New York Air National Guard's 109th AW in Scotia form the air component of Joint Task Force-Support Forces Antarctica, which moves supplies by air and sea to US research stations on the continent. LC-130 flights ferrying supplies from McMurdo Station, Antarctica, deep inland to the South Pole are slated to begin on Oct. 18, according to the task force's Sept 26 release.

[ItownHosscat]

Hope all the Vets enjoyed the food Saturday.

[BubbleGumTiger]

Hope all the Vets enjoyed the food Saturday.

You guys got a lot of compliments on the bar-b-que as well as the chilli...............excellent

I wiil be dropping an envelope off to Jay tomorrow from the veterans for the scholarship fund........

and a special thanks to Mr Newmann for his contribution.......

[ItownHosscat]

Jays chilli is unreal good or as my better half says "best chilli Ive ever had".

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Tyndall Transitions to Air Combat Command:

Tyndall AFB, Fla., transitioned from Air Education and Training Command to Air Combat Command on Oct. 1 as part of the Air Force's F-22 fleet reorganization. Tyndall, currently home to one Raptor training squadron, will receive a combat-coded F-22 squadron from Holloman AFB, N.M. However, there is "no specific timetable" right now for the arrival of those combat-ready jets due to the impact of the budget continuing resolution on the execution of the move, according to an Oct. 1 release. The CR took effect on Oct. 1 in lieu of enacted defense appropriations legislation for Fiscal 2013. The F-22 moves affecting Tyndall—whenever they will occur—make sense, say service officials. "Co-locating a combat-coded F-22 squadron together with F-22s assigned to the formal training unit . . . provides training, maintenance, and operational advantages that benefit combatant commanders and ensure operational readiness," states the release. The 325th Air Control Squadron, which trains battle managers for assignment to combat air force units, is the only Tyndall-based unit to remain under AETC.

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Inching Closer to Real-World Operations:

GEO-1, the Air Force's first Space Based Infrared System geosynchronous orbit satellite, is certified to commence its dedicated operational utility evaluation and operational trial period, announced service space officials. The certification came on Sept. 27, according to the Space and Missile Systems Center's Oct. 3 release. GEO-1, with its advanced infrared sensors, is designed to warn of missile launches and provide additional intelligence for purposes like battlespace awareness. As part of the evaluation, operators will inject live GEO scanner data, for the first time, into the US military's actual operational networks, states the release. The trial period will culminate when US Strategic Command declares that GEO-1 and its associated ground processing elements are operationally proven and accepted. That milestone is expected later this fall, states the release. GEO-1 has been on orbit since May 2011. SBIRS satellites will replace legacy Defense Support Program early warning spacecraft.

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Newest GPS Satellite Launched into Orbit:

The Air Force and its industry partners launched the third GPS Block IIF satellite into space on Oct. 4. A United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket carried the Boeing-built positioning, navigation, and timing satellite aloft from Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla. "Once again, the 45th Space Wing, working in concert with our talented mission partners, is delivering space assets that will greatly benefit our nation," said Col. Robert Pavelko, the wing's vice commander and the mission's launch decision authority, in a wing release. This was the first launch of a GPS satellite this year, according to the Space and Missile System Center's release. The Air Force expects to set the satellite, designated SVN-65, "healthy" for navigation users in approximately 90 days for an extended navigation signal test, states the release. Controllers confirmed initial contact with the satellite several hours after its launch, according to Boeing's release. Block IIF satellites are designed to provide greater navigational accuracy, a more secure and jam-resistant military signal, a more robust civil signal, and an extended design life. The first IIF satellite entered operational service in August 2010, followed one year later by the second IIF satellite.

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Aircraft, Hangar Damaged in Academy Landing Mishap:

A T-53A aircraft sustained damage when it crashed into a hangar upon landing at the Air Force Academy airfield, announced academy officials. Neither of the two crewmembers suffered injuries in the Oct. 1 mishap, but the hangar was also damaged, according to the Oct. 2 academy release. A board of officers will investigate the accident, and the officials said the academy would release additional details as they become available. The T-53 is a primary flight trainer assigned to the academy's 306th Flying Training Group. The school purchased a fleet of 25 T-53s last year.