USAF Woes

[MarkOttawa]

Pilot shortage, by air force secretary and chief of staff (note USN, USMC too):

The US Air Force Is Short 700 Fighter Pilots. Here’s Our Plan to Fix That.

Busier but smaller than ever, the Air Force needs higher bonuses and more family time to help compete with commercial airlines and the economy.

In our time in various leadership positions at the Pentagon, we’ve learned many important lessons. One of those might not seem so obvious: What is good for the U.S. economy sometimes creates very real challenges for our all-volunteer military. Low unemployment and hiring booms, while beneficial to the country, often make it very difficult for the armed services to recruit and retain talent.

A case in point is the growing shortage of fighter pilots. That shortfall is expected to grow from 500 to more than 700 pilots by the end of this fiscal year, a 21-percent gap between what we have and what we need to meet the requirements of our commanders around the world. It is a significant deficit and one that has gotten our closest attention. And the Air Force is not alone. The Navy and Marine Corps are facing parallel challenges as the commercial airline industry embarks on a prolonged hiring wave fueled by many of its senior pilots hitting mandatory retirement age. Add to that a recent change in requirements that new commercial airline pilots have 1,500 flight hours under their belts, and suddenly military-trained pilots become even more attractive than usual...
http://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2016/07/us-air-force-short-700-fighter-pilots-our-plan/129907/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

And pilot training woes:

Air Force chief of staff: Pilots getting half the training they need

Air Force pilots today are receiving about half the home-station training that new Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein said he received when he was a captain flying F-16s.

“On average I would go to three flag exercises a year, plus I would do a rotation with the National Training Center, with the Army, and that would be a normal battle rhythm,” Goldfein said Wednesday during his ‘State of the Air Force’ briefing at the Pentagon with Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James.

“Today’s pilot, based on the size of the force, the age of the force, and continuing op tempo demand in Central Command, is getting about half of that,” he said. “We’re able to maintain a higher state of readiness forward, where the combat commanders need it, but the bill payer is home station.”

Goldfein, who’s been in the top job for a month, said one of his first priorities is reducing the strain placed on airmen and allowing them more time to spend at home for both training and family...
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story/military/2016/08/14/air-force-chief-staff-pilots-getting-half-training-they-need/88532884/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[tomahawk6]

There is a trade off between training and combat ops.Right now the combat experience is worth more than anything I can think of.

 

[CougarKing]

More about how the USAF is addressing the aforementioned pilot shortage:

Air Force Times

F-16 Fighting Falcons from Hill AFB to get new homes as pilot training aircraft
Oriana Pawlyk, Air Force Times 4:37 p.m. EDT August 11, 2016

The Air Force will soon stand up interim F-16 training units to increase pilot output, the service announced Thursday.

“We need to increase our pilot production, and soon we will announce the stand up of new F-16 training units,” Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James told reporters at a State of the Air Force briefing with Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein. "We expect to select candidate locations for up to two new training locations by the end of December 2016.

(...SNIPPED)

 

[childs56]

There is a trade off between training and combat ops.Right now the combat experience is worth more than anything I can think of.

Yes and no. If all your doing is flying missions where you may possibly drop a bomb but most of your flight hours are straight and level flying, your not gaining much more then flight hours.
That is not to discredit their service. But if a fighter pilot does not practice all their skills they will be in a major skill shortage when they have to get back and or require the skills.
One can argue all they want, but those Pilots need to practice all their skill sets. Hence why Pilots train so hard and often. So being deployed with little to no time for training leaves your people vulnerable to skill dedergration, with the RED Flags and other training builds on and maintains those skills.

Its a tough one to manage operational tempo and skills training. Especially when you have so much of the force deployed for such a long period of time.
Canada is going to have to be very carefull if we commit troops for a UN mission. Especially if we over commit ourselves on focus and size.

 

[tomahawk6]

For the first time all three heavy bomber types will operate out of Guam.Real world training.

http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/b-1-b-2-b-52-bombers-all-descend-guam-massive-show-force-17352

Talk about unusual. On Aug. 10, the U.S. Air Force announced it had sent its B-2 Spirit stealth bombers to join older, non-stealthy B-52 Stratofortresses and B-1 Lancers on Guam.

It’s an extraordinary show of force in the Pacific region, because for the first time ever, America has based all three heavy bomber types on the island at once.

 

[MarkOttawa]

Basing, er, challenges vs China (all those maintenance issues, e.g. maintaining stealth, when dispersed):

America's F-22 Raptor and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Face Another Big Test

The Pentagon will have to rely on fifth-generation fighters like the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in the event of a conflict with a near-peer adversary such as Russia or China. But unlike during present day conflicts, American forces won’t be able to count on operating from secure bases. Instead, American airpower will have to contend with fighting while under fire from enemy cruise and ballistic missiles—or even air attacks. That means U.S. military commanders will have to pay careful attention to dispersing their forces, logistics and securing their support assets such as aerial refueling tankers and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft.

However, while the concept of operating combat aircraft from airfields that are under attack might seem novel, the idea dates back from the Cold War when the U.S. Air Force and its NATO partners assumed that allied air bases in Europe would come under concerted air and missile attack from Warsaw Pact forces. While many of those concepts have fallen by the wayside in the post-Cold War-era, many of those techniques that the U.S. Air Force developed during that period might have applications in the Pacific as China rises to become a potential great power challenger to the United States...
http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/americas-f-22-raptor-f-35-joint-strike-fighter-face-another-17365

Mark
Ottawa

 

[Kirkhill]

An interesting cost-benefit analyses for future historians:

What were the costs that resulted from the instability occasioned by the closure of US bases around the world versus the savings realized from the Peace Dividend?

What will the costs be that result from having to re-establish Forward Operating Locations in "hostile" territory and operate them under fire?

A similar review of Britain's retreat from East of Suez for bonus marks.

 

[MarkOttawa]

USN has its own problems vs China:

War Between the Dragon and the Eagle: USN Carriers up to It?
https://cgai3ds.wordpress.com/2016/08/05/mark-collins-war-between-the-dragon-and-the-eagle-usn-carriers-up-to-it/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[CougarKing]

Ride of the Valk-bees!!!!  ;D

F-22 Raptor grounded by swarm of almost 20,000 bees

the aviationist - Aug 11 2016

192nd Fighter Wing Aircraft Maintainers found a swarm of honey bees hanging from the exhaust nozzle of an F-22 Raptor engine on June 11, 2016 at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. A local honey bee keeper was called to remove and relocate the bees to a safe place for them to build their hive. (U.S. Air Force courtesy photo)
-

192nd Fighter Wing Aircraft Maintainers found a swarm of honey bees hanging from the exhaust nozzle of an F-22 Raptor engine on June 11, 2016 at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. Andy Westrich, U.S. Navy retired and local honey bee keeper, was called to remove and relocate the bees to a safe place for them to build their hive. (U.S. Air Force courtesy photo)

 

[CougarKing]

A problem that may worsen if recruiting shortfalls continue?

Air Force Times

Air Force secretary says she needs more airmen; America should listen
By: Gen. Larry O. Spencer (ret.), August 21, 2016

(...SNIPPED)

In the midst of these heroic and dangerous efforts, the Air Force continued to shrink. The Air Force answered the persistent need for ISR by building a 35,000-person ISR enterprise over the past 10 years, while simultaneously cutting the Air Force by 50,000 people — essentially an 85,000-person cut to other critical Air Force mission areas.

It is now expected the Air Force will be short 700 fighter pilots by the end of 2016 and the number is expected to increase to a thousand in just a few years. Simultaneously the Air Force is 4,000 maintainers short. Lengthy deployments, long separations from family and reduced flying time have exacerbated the problem. Currently, pilots receive only half the flight time and operational exercises they would have received decades ago. This readiness issue is not acceptable and places our nation at increased risk.

(...SNIPPED)

 

[MarkOttawa]

What to do about F-15C/Ds?

Decision Time: Half of US F-15s Need Overhauls — Or Retirement
...
The question now is whether Air Force leaders want to spend tens of billions of dollars to refurbish the C- and D-model F-15s and upgrade their electronics, or to put the money toward newer aircraft.

“This mission is not going away,” Col. Pete Green, vice commander of the Air National Guard’s 104th Fighter Wing, said in an interview here. “There is an ongoing need for air dominance fighters.”

Officially, the Air Force plans to keep the F-15C/D around for another quarter-century. (Its newer cousin, the ground-pounding F-15E Strike Eagle, is slated to serve even longer.) But in recent years, military leaders have retired more warplanes than planned to save maintenance money and buy newer jets. Several Air Force officials have said the service’s top generals are reviewing how the air-to-air-only F-15s fit into that mix.

Among the options: upgrade the fourth-generation F-15, accelerate the purchase of the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II, or pour the money into the warplane of the future, called Penetrating Counterair.

“We are planning to keep the jet around and viable until 2042 until told otherwise [emphasis added],” said John “Heed” McLaughlin, Air Combat Command’s F-15 program element manager at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia and a former Eagle pilot who oversees the upgrades and improvements to the plane...
http://www.defenseone.com/technology/2016/11/decision-time-half-americas-f-15s-need-overhauls-or-retirement/133206/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

USAF begs Congress for help/money:

US Air Force ‘Urgently’ Needs Funds By April

Pass a bill, top leaders tell Congress, warning another delay would 'reverse' badly needed expansions, upgrades, and readiness needed to fight the ISIS War.

Our joint force is fighting ISIS and deterring aggression globally while protecting our homeland every day. Meanwhile, in Washington D.C., we’re quickly approaching the day when our defense funding authorities will expire with the end of the current çontinuing resolution, or CR. To avoid further damage to Air Force readiness levels, we need a defense appropriation by the end of April.

A continuing resolution for the last five months of this budget year would reverse our on-going efforts to restore Air Force readiness and modernize to meet rapidly evolving global threats. Four years ago, sequestration forced the Air Force to ground flying squadrons and reduce training to dangerous levels, resulting in reducing our ability to generate air, space, and cyber capabilities on the timelines and in the capacity needed by combatant commanders.
Our Air Force is the smallest, oldest, and busiest it has ever been.
 
We urgently need a defense appropriation that restores and rebuilds our nation’s Air Force. Twenty-six years of sustained global combat operations, along with budgetary turbulence, have eroded our full-spectrum war-fighting capabilities. We are concerned our competitive advantage against highly-capable adversaries is increasingly at risk. We need to greatly increase our manning levels, modernize weapon systems, and invest in associated infrastructure.

The impact of uncertainties about our budget are exacerbated by the fact that our Air Force is the smallest, oldest, and busiest it has ever been. Specifically, to absorb a significant reduction in our planned budget, the CR would likely cause us to:

    Cut precious flying hours again while we’re heavily engaged in the fight against ISIS 
    Defer important maintenance at our large repair facilities known as depots, hindering our ability to keep an already stressed fleet in the air
    Halt our efforts to grow active-duty Airmen above 317,000 this year, a necessity given the many tasks we carry out around the globe
    Limit critical facility repairs at worldwide operational locations to life, health, and safety only
    Limit upgrades to our key programs, such space technologies and our remotely piloted aircraft fleet – in great demand around the world.

These are only a few of the potential impacts of a year-long CR.

We are working closely with Congress and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and his team to put the Air Force on a readiness and resource recovery path. The Air Force needs to get bigger and healthier to meet the many global demands. Every day, hundreds of our aerial refuelers, fighters, bombers, transport, and surveillance aircraft fly combat missions, counter ISIS and other terrorists, deter aggression globally, and protect our homeland. Meanwhile, thousands of Airmen are processing intelligence and providing other critical support for these missions, working with joint forces world-wide. Finally, thousands more operate constellations of satellites and stand nuclear watch 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.  Your Air Force is always there.

We need a defense appropriation to help restore U.S. Air Force readiness levels and build force capacity and capabilities to counter emerging threats. We are confident we can do this together. The interests of the nation will be well served. Our men and women in uniform are counting on it.

Lisa Disbrow is the acting secretary of the United States Air Force and Gen. Dave Goldfein is the chief of staff of the Air Force.
http://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2017/02/our-air-force-urgently-needs-funds-april/135566/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[Jarnhamar]

How on earth has the US not wiped out ISIS yet? 

 

[MarkOttawa]

No significant number of conventional US boots on ground--and if they had what to do with territory they controlled post-ISIS rule?

Mark
Ottawa

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

How on earth has the US not wiped out ISIS yet?

Because they've been fighting the war with two hands tied behind their back for political reasons.  The strategy is working though, albeit not as fast as some would like.  Rome wasn't built in a day.

 

[Jarnhamar]

I get that you can't really defeat someone without  boots on the ground but considering how long the air war (bombing war? )  has been going on I'm shocked Isis has any vehicles or facilities left.

Am I wrong to guess they lack facilities to produce tanks and munitions?  It seems like we could be doing this for 30 years.  Going off topic though sorry,  I'll bring my uninformed opinion and questions to the appropriate thread  ;D

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

I get that you can't really defeat someone without  boots on the ground but considering how long the air war (bombing war? )  has been going on I'm shocked Isis has any vehicles or facilities left.

Am I wrong to guess they lack facilities to produce tanks and munitions?  It seems like we could be doing this for 30 years.  Going off topic though sorry,  I'll bring my uninformed opinion and questions to the appropriate thread  ;D

Vehicles can be concealed, troop movements can be masked.  Planes don't take and hold ground, they're also limited by weather at times.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

I get that you can't really defeat someone without  boots on the ground but considering how long the air war (bombing war? )  has been going on I'm shocked Isis has any vehicles or facilities left.

It is easy as crap for them to just take vehs and bldg.  It's much harder and time consuming to establish that a particular veh, or bldg, is a valid tgt and get it struck.  There are shitloads of Bongo trucks there.  Or tractor trailers/18 wheelers.  Cars.  The TTPs being used by the enemy can make it hard to validate a target.  Hard targets like AFVs, up-armoured stuff, even striking those can be time sensitive and there just might not be a bomb truck IVO.  Lots of airspace, and ISIS aren't all amateurs.

Take a bongo truck, in the middle of BFN, moving slowly so to not raise dust.  Its tarped/covered, you can't  see what is in the box.  What's in it;  HME, or livestock...a few kids maybe?  There are a LOT of bongos in Iraq and Syria.  If you think it might be a potential, valid target, you have to expend resources to confirm either way.  It might be moving for 8 mins, or 80 kms.  Wash, rinse, repeat...

Take a building, and put some women and kids outside it.  Now you've got a target, but...do you strike it with women and kids there?  http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/30/middleeast/iraq-mosul-isis-human-shields/

This is a great example of why an ISR asset (IMO) should be able to designate and drop on stuff it finds.  The window to strike can disappear quickly. 

 

[Rifleman62]

Reported a while back. ROE's: Obama would not strike the semi oil tankers trucks until Nov 15 which were used to transport black-market oil as the drivers were civilians.Thus ISIS had a revenue source.

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/17/world/middleeast/us-strikes-syria-oil.html?_r=0

U.S. Warplanes Strike ISIS Oil Trucks in Syria