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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
BUDGET
Defense News: Lawmakers: U.S. Air Force Numbers Lack Credibility (1)
Defense Tech: Air Force Won’t Replace JSTARS Fleet (3)
NUCLEAR ENTERPRISE
Ottawa Citizen: No Go On A Nuclear-Powered Unmanned Aerial Vehicle?(4)
WIN TODAY’S FIGHT
Air Force Times: Corruption eyed as motive in Kabul shooting (5)
CARING FOR AIRMEN
Air Force Times: 30 AFA cadets suspected of substance use (9)
MODERNIZATION
Foster’s:Flying to Pease? Base's Air Guard mission tied to new tanker (11)
Air ForceTImes: Lawmakers blast F-35 program at hearing (12)
ACQUISITION EXCELLENCE
USNews: Military's Secret 'Space Plane' Mission Extended Indefinitely(14)
AIN Defense: U.S. Air Force Tries Again for Combat Rescue Helicopter(15)
GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT
Defense Systems: Air Force on verge of awarding streamlined NETCENTS-2(16)
OF INTEREST
Associated Press: Air Force holds memorial in Ohio for military dog(17)
Florida Today: Baffling Air Force crash still confounds families (20)
BUDGET
- Lawmakers: U.S. Air Force Numbers Lack Credibility
(Defense News, 25 Mar 12) … Marcus Weisgerber
Three years ago, then-U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced that he was recommending Congress approve the termination or truncation of 33 programs.
- Air Force extends probe of Afghan plane deal
(Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar 12) …Andrea Shalal-Esa
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Air Force on Friday said it was extending an investigation into an embarrassing mistake that prompted it to cancel a contract, valued at up to $1 billion, to sell Brazilian light attack planes to the Afghan government. Air Force General Donald Hoffman, commander of Air Force Materiel Command, granted investigators more time to look into the issue, said spokeswoman Jennifer Cassidy. She said a decision was now expected in coming weeks.
- Air Force Won’t Replace JSTARS Fleet
(Defense Tech, 23 Mar 12) … Unattributed
It looks like the Air Force can’t afford to replace it’s fleet of E-8 Joint Surveillance Targeting and Attack Radar System (JSTARS) jets that are based on 40-year old Boeing 707s. (To be fair, the jets have been completely refurbished, as JSTARS prime contractor-Northrop Grumman will remind anyone who points out the ex-airliners’ age).
CONTINUE TO STRENGTHEN THE NUCLEAR ENTERPRISE
- No Go On A Nuclear-Powered Unmanned Aerial Vehicle?
(Ottawa Citizen, 25 Mar 12) … David Pugliese
There have been a number of articles lately about the U.S. developing a new unmanned aerial vehicle in secret. Dave Majumdar, at Air Force Times, recently had an article about how the U.S. Air Force’s decision to postpone development of a next generation unmanned combat aircraft suggests that service might be developing something else in the “black world.”
PARTNER WITH JOINT AND COALITION TEAM TO WIN TODAY’S FIGHT
5.Corruption eyed as motive in Kabul shooting
(Air Force Times, 25Mar 12) … Kristen Davis
U.S. advisers had suspected misuse of aircraft by the Afghan National Air Force before an Afghan pilot, a colonel named Ahmed Gul, shot to death eight U.S. airmen and a contractor and then turned the gun on himself a year ago.
6.Serbia marks anniversary of U.S.-led bombing
(Associated Press, 24 Mar 12) … Jovana Gec
BELGRADE, Serbia — President Boris Tadic of Serbia said Saturday the NATO bombing campaign that stopped his country’s onslaught on Kosovo 13 years ago was a crime, and he honored the hundreds of Serbs the alliance killed.
7.U.S., Pakistan plan supply route discussions
(Air Force Times, 23 Mar 12) … Slobodan Lekic
BRUSSELS — The United States and Pakistan will resume talks about possibly reopening NATO and U.S. supply routes to Afghanistan once Pakistan concludes its debate about new terms of engagement with the U.S., an official said Friday.
DEVELOP AND CARE FOR AIRMEN AND THEIR FAMILIES
- Drone technology can be emotional drain for crews
(Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar 12) … David Zucchino
WASHINGTON -- Drone crews protect U.S. ground troops by watching over them 24 hours a day from high above. Sitting before video screens thousands of miles from their remote-controlled aircraft, the crews scan for enemy ambushes and possible roadside bombs, while also monitoring what the military calls "patterns of life."
- 30 AFA cadets suspected of substance use
(Air Force Times, 23 Mar 12) … Unattributed
AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — An Air Force Academy official says about 30 cadets are suspected of using banned substances, which is double the number of cadets the school said it was investigating in January.
- Military leaders assert zero-tolerance for hazing
(Federal News Radio, 26 Mar 12) … Jared Serbu
Following some highly-publicized hazing-related deaths and injuries in the nation's armed services, some members of Congress are pressing the military to do more to end a culture that they say allows servicemembers to be mistreated by their colleagues.
Modernize our Air, Space and Cyberspace Inventories, Orgs and Training
- Flying to Pease? Base's Air Guard mission tied to new tanker
(Foster’s, 25 Mar 12) … Jim Haddadin
NEWINGTON — With the guts of a Boeing 767 commercial airplane, the new KC-46A air refueling tanker, under development by the Air Force, will present a significant advancement in refueling technology when it rolls off the assembly line in four or five years.
- Lawmakers blast F-35 programat hearing
(Air Force Times, 24 Mar 12) … Brian Everstine
The budget season has given lawmakers ample opportunity to criticize the beleaguered F-35 program, telling Defense Department and Air Force officials that the fighter jet’s procurement has become an example of what not to do.
- USAF fields first upgraded F-22 Raptors
(Flight Global, 23 Mar 12) … Dave Majumdar
The US Air Force has begun to deploy Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptors upgraded with enhanced air-to-ground strike capabilities to the operational fleet, starting with the 3rd Wing at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska.
RECAPTURE ACQUISITION EXCELLENCE
- Military's Secret 'Space Plane' Mission Extended Indefinitely
(USNews, 23 Mar 12) … Jason Koebler
Little is known about the Air Force's X37-B or its mission. The military's mysterious, experimental unmanned space plane is doing such a good job that its mission has been extended indefinitely—if only anyone knew what its mission was.
- U.S. Air Force Tries Again for Combat Rescue Helicopter
(AIN Defense, 23 Mar 12) … Bill Carey
The U.S. Air Force has released a draft request for proposals (RFP) for the combat rescue helicopter (CRH) program, a successor to the ill-fated CSAR-X competition to replace the service’s Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk search-and-rescue helicopters.
GLOBAL AIR, SPACE, and CYBERSPACE ENVIRONMENT
16. Air Force on verge of awarding streamlined NETCENTS-2
(Defense Systems, 23 Mar 12) … Kimberly Johnson
After a string of contracting delays, the Air Force is poised to make good on its promise to complete the award of $24 billion in contracts for the much-anticipated Network Centric Solutions-2 (NETCENTS-2) in April, according to a top service official.
ITEMS OF INTEREST
- Air Force holds memorial in Ohio for military dog
(Associated Press, 25 Mar 12) … Unattributed
DAYTON, Ohio – A memorial service in southwest Ohio honored an Air Force dog that died this month after a military career, which included serving in the Iraq War and helping federal authorities with more than 500 arrests.
- BC edges Air Force, advances to final
(ESPN, 24 Mar 12) … Brion O’Connor
WORCESTER, Mass. -- Sweet 16. In the NCAA's opening round of the Northeast Regional, it was the top-seeded Boston College Eagles who came up smelling like roses, netting their 16th straight victory with a hard-fought 2-0 win over the Air Force Falcons at the DCU Center.
- Air Force Academy Gets $3.6M Aritificial Turf Airstrip
(CBS Denver, 23 Mar 12) … Unattributed
AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) — The Air Force Academy has a new landing strip for its glider planes carpeted with more than 1.3 million square feet of artificial turf. The school unveiled the $3.6 million installation on Tuesday.
- Baffling Air Force crash still confoundsfamilies
(Florida Today, 23 Mar 12) … Unattributed
ROCKLEDGE — Six decades after his brother’s plane with 53 airmen aboard ditched in the Atlantic Ocean and disappeared after survivors were spotted in rafts, Keith Amsden and other family members clamor for answers.
21.U.S. Army Launches App Marketplace Prototype
(eWeek.com, 25 Mar 12) … Darryl K. Taft
The U.S. Army has launched a prototype app store known as the Army Software Marketplace that will enable Army personnel to access apps for their smartphones and tablets.
HEADLINES
CNN at 0530
Official: North Korea moves long-range rocket to launch pad
In Afghan killings, victim No. 17 remains unknown
7.1-magnitude earthquake strikes central Chile
FOX News at 0530
ObamaCare Hits the High Court
Santorum: 'Bad Math' Inflates Romney Lead
Afghan Shooting Suspect's Wife: 'He Wouldn't Do That'
NPR at 0530
Along Korea's DMZ, No Sign That Tensions Are Easing
4 Questions Could Make Or Break The Health Care Law
Some Cuban-Americans Wary As Cuba Welcomes Pope
USA Today at 0530
Obama urges N. Korea to "pursue peace"
Another Japan reactor shuts down; only one left
Papal visit offers hope in Cuba
Washington Post at 0530
Muslim Brotherhood asserts strength in Egypt
Supreme Court to hear arguments on timing of health-care ruling
GSA looking for bidders for energy retrofits
FULL TEXT
BUDGET
B1
Lawmakers: U.S. Air Force Numbers Lack Credibility
(Defense News, 25 Mar 12) … Marcus Weisgerber
Three years ago, then-U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced that he was recommending Congress approve the termination or truncation of 33 programs.
With total contract values in the hundreds of millions of dollars, the programs collectively touched just about every state, sending lawmakers on both sides of the aisle into a frenzy over the possibility of losing jobs in their districts.
“[I]t was basically a blitzkrieg on the Hill because everybody’s ox was getting gored,” Gates said on March 14 after accepting the Elliot L. Richardson Prize for Excellence in Public Service from the National Acacemy of Public Administration as he reflected on his 2010 budget proposal. “And that prevented [lawmakers] from forming alliances, and ultimately we were successful.”
It’s unclear whether Gates’ strategy for killing or shrinking programs will apply to the Pentagon’s 2013 budget proposal, which the Defense Department sent to Congress in February.
The Air Force, for example, has faced stiff opposition in Congress for decisions to cancel two programs, the C-27J cargo plane and the Block 30 variant of the Global Hawk UAV.
At congressional hearings over the past two months, Republicans and Democrats have argued against both decisions. Moreover, they’ve called into question the Air Force’s analysis and rationales used to justify those decisions.
This could cause what Air Force and other Pentagon leadership have called a “strategy driven” budget proposal to unravel.
Critics of the plan to cancel the Alenia Aermacchi C-27J have questioned the Air Force’s life-cycle spending estimates, or how much it will cost to purchase and operate one aircraft over a 25-year period.
That argument has been raised not only by the Air National Guard, which is slated to lose at least 21 planes, but also by lawmakers and congressional staffers.
Numerous Air Force documents state the aircraft’s life-cycle cost is somewhere between $111 million and $308 million per aircraft, a broad margin that has created skepticism in both chambers of Congress.
“There’s a big gap there that I don’t think they adequately explained at all here today,” Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said after a March 20 hearing with Air Force leaders.
As for the Northrop Grumman Global Hawk, the Pentagon changed its requirements for high-altitude reconnaissance, which favored the venerable U-2 spy plane over the UAV. The Air Force also says problems with the Global Hawk sensor drove its decision to cancel the Block 30 version.
The Air Force still plans to buy other versions of the Global Hawk, but plans to retire 18 Block 30s.
The decision puzzled many because last summer top DoD acquisition officials expressed their support for the program to Congress.
“It’s completely inconsistent with what [these officials] said just a few months earlier, that there was no substitute for the Global Hawk,” said Todd Harrison, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. “I think on some of these decisions, at least the way they’ve communicated them publicly, is creating a credibility problem.”
Also complicating matters: The Air Force had to make “not only some of the most politically controversial decisions but more than any other service,” said Mackenzie Eaglen, an analyst with the conservative American Enterprise Institute.
“Congress is sensitive to these Air Force decisions in particular because they don’t just impact programs,” she said. “They affect entire units and bases around the country and therefore livelihood. This means job loss and future base closure.”
Asked about the Global Hawk decision, Eaglen said it is “equally as flimsy and goes out the window depending on which assumptions or tweaks” are made to the requirement.
The Air Force’s “service cost position” is that one C-27J will cost $308 million over its lifetime. This number is the sum of procurement, development, military construction, operations, personnel and spare parts costs over 25 years divided by the number of aircraft, in this case 38.
The $308 million number, Air Force budget officials said, was finalized in May 2011.
“It’s based on actually how the airplane is laid in; four airplanes per base, nine bases, the number of personnel at each location … all of the things that were essentially the plan for the service, to include the Guard, to base, man, employ, operate the C-27J,” an Air Force official said. “Anything beyond that is an excursion that changes the set of assumptions associated with how we plan to operate, employ, base the C-27J.”
But if you change the assumptions, the life-cycle cost estimate could plummet.
Air Force budget and analysis officials have acknowledged that, when based similarly to the C-130H, using Guard or reserve crews, the C-27J life-cycle cost could fall to $166 million per plane. But this lower number comes into play only if the Air Force buys more than its 38-plane program of record and excludes sunk costs, such as development, military construction and depot standup.
The Air Force argues such a comparison of the C-27J and C-130 was not “appropriate” during the budget process because the basing, manpower and employment factors were what the Air Force would have been required to fund for the existing fleet of C-27J aircraft, according to a senior Air Force official.
Because the C-27J — used to shuttle troops and supplies around the battlefield — will be operated only by the Air National Guard and based at numerous locations in small four-plane squadrons, its costs are more than the C-130s, which are typically part of larger squadrons and spread across the active and reserve components, the Air Force officials said.
The Air Force also notes that the Pentagon’s new strategic guidance, which DoD officials say drove their budget decisions, justify the decision for canceling the C-27J program. Because the strategy calls for fewer ground troops and not fighting two land wars simultaneously, demand for intratheater airlift is less. That also led to the Air Force’s decision to retire 65 C-130s. Both aircraft perform the intratheater airlift mission.
“If you didn’t reduce [the C-27J], you would have to reduce more C-130s or some other intratheater airlift asset,” the Air Force official said.
Since the C-27J costs more, the Air Force opted to eliminate all of the aircraft from the fleet before reducing C-130s.
Further confusing lawmakers is that numerous draft Air Force reports state that the C-27J life-cycle cost is $111 million. The number appeared in at least two draft reports to Congress that have yet to be delivered to lawmakers. The Air Force claims the number is not accurate and was dismissed last fall.
“I challenged it against these guys [other service analysts]a little bit because it wasn’t a good number,” the Air Force official said. “It was a draft report that we were having some pretty vigorous discussions inside the Air Force about and eventually ... people got around to it and said: ‘No, that’s not the right number.’”
But the lower number has raised suspicion in Congress and among analysts.
“There must have been some assumptions that you could plug into their model that result in that number,” Harrison said. “What went into that to make that number and how does it differ because maybe those assumptions are realistic.”