WASHINGTON: Air Force senior leaders testified before Congress recently to present the service’s $115.6 billion budget plan for fiscal 2010.
Along with discussions about the budget, the Air Force officially submitted the 2009 Posture Statement, a document which depicts the “state of the Air Force” and the service’s commitment to invest in capabilities to prevail in today’s operations and prepare for tomorrow’s challenges.
The Air Force secretary and chief of staff answered questions from members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, and the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, outlining the balanced approach they will take in leading the Air Force in the joint fight.
The service is committed to providing combatant commanders with the assets they need to be successful, whether it’s support in the space, cyber, airlift or combat arenas, or any other mission at which Airmen excel, Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley said.
“Consistent with the national defense strategy, the concept of strategic balance guided our reviews (of the Air Force budget),” Secretary Donley said. “The Air Force strives to prevail in today’s fight while being able to respond across the spectrum of conflict to emerging, hybrid threats.”
The secretary added that the Air Force will allocate its investment across 12 diverse but complementary Core Functions as the service organizes, trains and equips its active and reserve components.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz echoed Secretary Donley’s sentiments, saying total force Airmen provide “game-changing capabilities to combatant commanders in the air and on the ground.”
Over several weeks, Secretary Donley and General Schwartz fielded House and Senate questions ranging from ending production of the F-22 Raptors and C-17 Globemaster IIIs, to acquisition programs for a new tanker and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms and accelerated testing and evaluation of the Joint Strike Fighter.
Secretary Donley stated that the Air Force will reshape its portfolio of the fighter force by retiring about 250 of the service’s oldest tactical fighters; completing production of the F-22 fighter at 187 aircraft; and readying the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to become the fighter fleet’s workhorse.
The new tanker program is the top acquisition priority for the Air Force, Secretary Donley said. Both the general and the secretary pledged a fair, open and transparent competition for the new contract and said the Air Force will focus on lessons learned to strengthen the source selection process.
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has weighed in on the proposed KC-X timeline issue as well. During June 9 Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Defense, he said, “I would expect to make the decision on the acquisition process within a week to 10 days; the hope is to put the Request for Proposal this summer. We will fulfill commitment to you all to share the RFP to congress as part of a transparent process.”
On airlift issues, General Schwartz said the Air Force will need at least 38 of the new joint cargo aircraft. Acquisition of the C-27J Spartan was formerly an Army-Air Force program, but the Air Force will now take ownership of providing cargo support for “the last tactical mile.”
“We have a commitment to perform the direct support mission the way the Army needs it done,” General Schwartz said.
In addition to the tanker program, the general said the Air Force will bridge itself from a legacy to a fifth-generation fighter force by increasing the production rates of F-35 as rapidly as the program can sustain, while continuing modifications to the current fighter force.
“We need to have high production rates of the F-35 to … manage the retirements of remaining aircraft in our fleet, upgrade those that will remain and, again, provide the overall attack air capability that the Department requires of us,” General Schwartz said.
The general also said the Air Force plans to enhance its unmanned aerial systems, ISR, and the nuclear enterprise.
“UASs are very useful assets particularly where persistent 24-7 coverage is what is required to get the mission done, and they’re very efficient ways to perform that kind of mission, particularly intelligence surveillance, reconnaissance, and quick-reaction strike in a permissive environment,” he said.
General Schwartz said the Air Force’s projected 24 Reapers in this year’s budget proposal are a manifestation of ISRs effectiveness.
House and Senate members asked about the Air Force’s plan to manage operations tempos.
General Schwartz said about $700 million of the FY10 budget will be devoted to recruiting and retention in stressed career fields such as security forces, engineering, intelligence and medical disciplines.
Secretary Donley added the Air Force has made earnest attempts to provide maximum notice to its members through set air and space expeditionary force rotations of designated lengths, typically ranging from 120 to 179 days.
Committee members also asked about 24th Air Force, which will lead the service’s efforts in cyber defense and warfare. The proposed location for the numbered Air Force, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, was announced last month. The cyber NAF, under the command of Maj. Gen. Richard Webber, will report to Air Force Space Command.
“There is important synergy between cyber work and space work,” Secretary Donley said. “Air Force Space Command is well-suited to organize, train and equip the force so Airmen have the tools they need.”
The secretary said the new dual purpose cyber command is significant in the fight.
“Airmen in 24th Air Force will have two major functions: to defend our networks, which we all know is a necessity, and to also provide an offensive capability essential to the Air Force mission set,” the secretary said. “The Air Force is a provider for combatant commanders and we will have well-trained individuals who can function in the cyber realm.”
In addition to the focus on the emerging cyber missions, Secretary Donley also discussed that the increase in demand for space capability requires the Air Force to closely manage our ability to provide space support to the joint team.
“The demand signals are increasingly on the space and cyber side,” said Mr. Donley. “And we need to think about how our forces are … reconfigured and how this looks going forward for the long term, as we spend just as much time on these space and cyber domains as we have spent over the last decades on our air domain.”
Secretary Donley and General Schwartz assured the members of Congress that the Air Force is “postured for today’s fight” and will continue to “prepare for tomorrow’s challenges.”
“With our core values guiding us, the Air Force will continue to deliver our best military advice and stewardship for the nation and remain the world’s finest Air Force,” General Schwartz said.
