Friday, 12 August 2011
U.S. Air Force
Morning Report
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
NUCLEAR ENTERPRISE
NSTR
WIN TODAY’S FIGHT
AP: Witnesses: Chinook on fire at time of crash (1)
AFP: Gadhafi Unable to Launch Offensive: NATO (3)
CARING FOR AIRMEN
AF Times: DoD names troops killed in Chinook shootdown (6)
MODERNIZATION
NSTR
ACQUISITION EXCELLENCE
UPI: Maverick variant set for operational tests (10)
GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT
Jerusalem Post: IDF looks to buy US equipment after withdrawal from Iraq (12)
OF INTEREST
AP: Vandenberg loses contact with hypersonic glider (13)
National Defense: Defense Cuts: Super Committee Bark Might Be Worse Than Its Bite (15)
The Hill: Following criticism, official says spy plane costs are dropping (20)
CONTINUE TO STRENGTHEN THE NUCLEAR ENTERPRISE
NSTR
PARTNER WITH JOINT AND COALITION TEAM TO WIN TODAY’S FIGHT
1. Witnesses: Chinook on fire at time of crash
(AP, 11 Aug 11) … Deb Riechmann
KABUL, Afghanistan — The Chinook helicopter that insurgents shot down over the weekend burst
into flames before hitting the ground, leaving wreckage scattered on both sides of a river in eastern
Afghanistan and killing 30 Americans and eight Afghans, witnesses told The Associated Press on
Thursday.
2. Denmark Extends Libya Mission
(Agence France-Presse, 11 Aug 11) … Unattributed
COPENHAGEN - Denmark decided Aug. 11 to extend its participation in NATO operations in Libya
for three months and to allow the rebel National Transitional Council to send envoys to Copenhagen.
3. Gadhafi Unable to Launch Offensive: NATO
(Agence France-Presse, 11 Aug 11) … Unattributed
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MONTREAL - Forces loyal to Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi are no longer able to launch a
credible military offensive, the commander of NATO-led Libyan operations told AFP in an interview
Aug. 11.
4. Top militant escapes retaliatory air raid
Insurgent who fired the rocket-propelled grenade at the US helicopter among those killed on the
ground
(AP, 12 Aug 11) … Unattributed
Washington: International forces killed the Taliban insurgents responsible for shooting down a US
helicopter and killing 38 US and Afghan forces days back, but they are still seeking the top insurgent
leader they were going after in Saturday's mission, the top American commander in Afghanistan said
on Wednesday.
5. Norway Withdraws F-16s from Libya Ops
(Defense News, 11 Aug 11) … Gerald O’Dwyer
HELSINKI - Norway has withdrawn its F-16 fighter squadron from NATO's Operation Unified
Protector (OUP). The return of the F-16s ends Norway's direct involvement in the operation and the
enforcement of NATO's no-fly zone over Libya.
DEVELOP AND CARE FOR AIRMEN AND THEIR FAMILIES
6. DoD names troops killed in Chinook shootdown
(Air Force Times, 11 Aug 11) … Unattributed
The identities of 30 U.S. service members killed last week in the Afghan war’s deadliest episode have
been made public by the Defense Department after several days of debate over whether to release
their names.
7. Names of 30 Fallen Special Forces to go on Tampa Memorial
(WUSF, 11 Aug 11) … Bobbie O'Brien
The Pentagon Thursday released the names of the 30 U.S. military personnel killed in the helicopter
shoot-down in Afghanistan over the weekend. Those names will be added to the Special Operations
Memorial located at Tampa’s MacDill Air Force Base.
8. Wounded Warrior Barracks Open at National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda
(MyFoxDC, 11 Aug 11) … Beth Parker
BETHESDA, Md. - It is a long way from the pressure of the battlefield to a rocking chair in Bethesda.
But rocking chairs line a shiny new building called Tranquility Hall.
9. 3 local AFSOC airmen die in chopper crash
(Fox10, 11 Aug 11) … Russell Colburn
FT. WALTON BEACH, Fla. (WALA) - A dreary, rainy day, coupled with the star spangled banner
flying at half-staff, reflected the mood at Hurlburt Field Thursday afternoon.
MODERNIZE OUR AGING AIR AND SPACE INVENTORIES
NSTR
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RECAPTURE ACQUISITION EXCELLENCE
10. Maverick variant set for operational tests
(UPI, 11 Aug 11) … Unattributed
TUCSON -- The newest variant of Raytheon's Maverick missile is to enter operational testing
following tests by the U.S. military.
GLOBAL AIR, SPACE, and CYBERSPACE ENVIRONMENT
11. Radar upgrade for F-16s in doubt
WAITING GAME:Adding to the uncertainty over the F-16C/D jets that have been requested, Taiwan
must now wait for Washington to decide if it will get AESA radar
(Taipei Times, 12 Aug 11) … J. Michael Cole
As Taiwan awaits Washington’s decision on whether it will sell the Lockheed Martin F-16C/D aircraft
Taipei has been seeking since 2007, rumors are now emerging that Taipei’s request for preferred
radar system for an upgrade program for its ageing F-16A/Bs might also be encountering difficulties.
12. IDF looks to buy US equipment after withdrawal from Iraq
(Jerusalem Post, 12 Aug 11) … Yaakov Katz
The Defense Ministry is in talks with the Pentagon about the possibility of buying American military
equipment that will be retired following the US withdrawal from Iraq.
ITEMS OF INTEREST
13. Vandenberg loses contact with hypersonic glider
(AP, 11 Aug 11) … John Antczak
LOS ANGELES — An unmanned hypersonic glider developed for U.S. defense research into superfast global strike capability was launched atop a rocket early Thursday but contact was lost after the
experimental craft began flying on its own, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency said.
14. U.S. Lawmakers: Save Energy Efforts From Budget Ax
(Defense News, 11 Aug 11) … Kate Brannen
In recent years, the Pentagon has stepped up its efforts to become more energy efficient, hoping to
reduce operational vulnerabilities as well as whopping energy bills. Now, there's concern that the
Defense Department's investment in renewable energy could fall victim to growing budget pressures.
15. Defense Cuts: Super Committee Bark Might Be Worse Than Its Bite
(National Defense, 11 Aug 11) … Sandra Erwin
The fate of the republic — if we are to believe the hype — soon will be in the hands of the 12-member
Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction that must find $1.5 trillion in spending cuts.
16. As Defense Spending Softens, Policymakers Need a List of which Weapons Programs
are Most Important
(Lexington Institute: Early Warning Blog, 11 Aug 11) … Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D.
There's a high likelihood that when Congress grasps the impact of the deficit agreement it embraced
last week, legislators will move to modify the law. With the economy faltering and interest rates at
near-record lows, it's a lot easier to borrow more money right now than live with the fallout from major
cutbacks in federal spending. Nonetheless, there is a real possibility that some of the mandated cuts
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will occur, and Pentagon policymakers therefore need to be thinking about how the reductions would
be allocated.
17. Defense community raises concerns over supercommittee membership
(The Hill, 11 Aug 11) … John T. Bennett
The super-panel tasked with slashing the national deficit will likely lack a pro-military hardliner, but
defense sources are placing their hopes in the inclusion of two senators and the prospect of a grand
deal on entitlement reform.
18. Day of Violence in Afghanistan Kills 7 NATO Soldiers
(Voice of America News, 11 Aug 11) … Unattributed
U.S. and NATO military officials say a day of violence in Afghanistan Thursday has left seven soldiers
dead.
19. Air Force Covers Adele's 'Rolling in the Deep'
(ABC News, 11 Aug 11) … Reshma Kirpalani
The U.S. Air Force’s cover of Adele’s “Rolling In the Deep” is going viral.
20. Following criticism, official says spy plane costs are dropping
(The Hill, 11 Aug 11) … John T. Bennett
An Air Force official said the service has slashed by 10 percent the costs to use its Global Hawk
unmanned aircraft, a revelation that comes weeks after senators sharply questioned the price to
operate the spy plane fleet.
HEADLINES
CNN at 0530
Police: Suspect in principal’s death carried ‘grudge’
Tensions boil over in Iowa GOP debate
Wall Street bounces back, again
FOX News at 0530
Romney Looks to Hold Ground After GOP Hopefuls Spar in Iowa Debate
USPS Seeks to Cut Jobs, Ditch Gov’t Health Plans
Mexico Arrests Trafficker Accused of 600 Killings
NPR at 0530
Iowa Debate Leaves Romney Unscathed As Bachmann, Pawlenty Rumble
Wall Street’s Ups And Downs Leave Investors Worried
Book Closes On U.S. House’s Storied Page Program
USA Today at 0530
‘People-to-people’ Cuba tour start
GOP hopefuls clash in debate
Some Web pages are landmines
Washington Post at 0530
Postal Service seeking 20 percent staff cut
Pawlenty, Bachmann spar in debate
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Stock markets rally on jobs report
FULL TEXT
CONTINUE TO STRENGTHEN THE NUCLEAR ENTERPRISE
NSTR
RETURN
PARTNER WITH JOINT AND COALITION TEAM TO WIN TODAY’S FIGHT
P1
Witnesses: Chinook on fire at time of crash
(AP, 11 Aug 11) … Deb Riechmann
http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/08/ap-witness-chinook-on-fire-time-of-crash-081111/
KABUL, Afghanistan — The Chinook helicopter that insurgents shot down over the weekend burst
into flames before hitting the ground, leaving wreckage scattered on both sides of a river in eastern
Afghanistan and killing 30 Americans and eight Afghans, witnesses told The Associated Press on
Thursday.
Farhad, a resident of Tangi Valley in Wardak province where the helicopter crashed before dawn
Saturday, told Associated Press Television News at the site that it was brought down by a rocketpropelled grenade fired from a hillside that he pointed to.
"As soon as it was hit, it started burning," he said, standing in a field still littered with small pieces of
the chopper, a part of a gun stamped "Made in Germany" and a piece of paper with typewritten first
aid instructions. "After it started burning, it crashed. It came down in three pieces," he added. "We
could see it burning from our homes."
Many of the victims' bodies were badly mangled and burned, said Farhad, who like many Afghans
uses only one name.
The crash of the Chinook CH-47, about 60 miles southwest of Kabul, was the deadliest single loss for
U.S. forces in the nearly 10-year Afghan war.
The crash comes amid fears that the country is far from stable even though U.S. and NATO forces
have begun to leave Afghanistan. U.S. military officials have tried to counter those fears, saying that
while it was a tragic setback, one crash will not determine the course of the war.
The crash killed 17 SEALs, five Navy special operations troops who support the SEALs, three Air
Force airmen, a five-member Army air crew, seven Afghan commandos and an Afghan interpreter.
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Gul Agha, another resident of Tangi Valley who was interviewed at the crash site, also said that after
it crashed, parts of the helicopter were burning on either side of the Tangi river. Some of the debris
also ended up on a nearby hillside.
"When the helicopter came at night, the Taliban were hiding in the bushes around the area," he said.
He said coalition forces worked several days to remove the victims' remains. Then they blew up
sections of the helicopter into smaller pieces and loaded them on trucks and took them from the site,
he said.
Marine Corps Gen. John Allen, the top commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, said
Wednesday that F-16 fighter jets killed the insurgents responsible for the crash. But the military
provided few details to back up the claim.
"We tracked them as we would in the aftermath of any operation, and we dealt with them with a
kinetic strike, and in the aftermath of that we have achieved certainty that they, in fact, were killed in
that strike," Allen said.
The U.S.-led coalition has also said the helicopter was apparently shot down by a rocket-propelled
grenade. But Allen, speaking with Pentagon reporters over a video hookup from coalition
headquarters in Kabul, said the military will investigate whether small arms fire or other causes
contributed to the crash.
In other violence in Afghanistan, a roadside bomb in the south killed five NATO troops Thursday, the
U.S.-led coalition said. Another service member died Wednesday in another roadside bombing and
five Afghan policemen were killed when their checkpoint was attacked by Taliban insurgents, the
coalition and Afghan police said.
The latest deaths, which raised to 374 the number of international forces killed so far this year,
underscored the tenuous nature of the war. The Taliban continues to strike hard even as the
international forces press the militants while readying their Afghan counterparts to take over securing
the country by the end of 2014 when the international combat mission is to end.
Associated Press writers Lolita C. Baldor and Pauline Jelinek in Washington contributed to this report.
RETURN
P2
Denmark Extends Libya Mission
(Agence France-Presse, 11 Aug 11) … Unattributed
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=7366701&c=MID&s=AIR
COPENHAGEN - Denmark decided Aug. 11 to extend its participation in NATO operations in Libya
for three months and to allow the rebel National Transitional Council to send envoys to Copenhagen.
Denmark's multi-party Libya contact group announced at a news conference the Scandinavian
country's six F-16 fighter jets would continue participating in NATO bombing missions over Libya for
another three-month renewable period after the current one expires later this month.
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"There is a broad agreement that the strategy we have chosen is the right one," Danish Foreign
Minister Lene Espersen told AFP after the news conference.
She insisted that Denmark's participation in the NATO operations was creating a possibility for Libya
to become a free and democratic society.
"But the pressure must remain on (Libyan leader Moammar) Gadhafi, so we will maintain our
strategy, but adjust it so that it fits the developments of the past couple of months," she said, adding
there were no plans to pull the Danish fighters out of Libya any time soon.
"We agree that Denmark must be patient and steadfast. We will continue both the military pressure
on Gadhafi and our political efforts to find a political solution to the problems in Libya," Espersen told
AFP.
The foreign minister added that Denmark was prepared to welcome envoys from the NTC as
representatives of their country, after Copenhagen on Aug. 9 declared the two remaining Libyan
diplomats appointed by the Gadhafi regime persona non grata.
"We have chosen to say that we are positively inclined to letting the National Transitional Council
have a political representative in Denmark in order to have a partner for political dialogue so we are
also able to ensure they move along the road of democracy," Espersen said.
She stressed the TNC had not yet applied for such a post, and it was not yet clear whether such a
representative would be able to move into Libya's now empty embassy.
Other parties said they supported the strategy.
"I hope we soon see an end-date (for military operations), but that depends on when Gadhafi leaves
the scene," Mogens Lykketoft, the foreign policy spokesman of the main opposition Social
Democrats, told AFP.
The Socialist People's Party also agreed with the decision, and the party's defense spokesman
Holger Nielsen told AFP that if the left-leaning opposition wins general elections - set to be held in
Denmark no later than November - it would not shift the strategy.
"We have broad consensus among most political parties in parliament about this military mission, so I
do not see any changes in the Danish policy towards Libya," he said.
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P3
Gadhafi Unable to Launch Offensive: NATO
(Agence France-Presse, 11 Aug 11) … Unattributed
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=7366635&c=MID&s=AIR
MONTREAL - Forces loyal to Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi are no longer able to launch a
credible military offensive, the commander of NATO-led Libyan operations told AFP in an interview
Aug. 11.
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"The Gadhafi regime's forces continue to be weakened, both in strength and their will to fight,"
Canada's Lieutenant-General Charles Bouchard said, speaking from his Italy headquarters, as rebel
troops made new advances.
"They are no longer able to launch a credible offensive," he added.
NATO was authorized in March by U.N. Security Council resolution 1973 to defend Libya's civilian
population from attacks by Colonel Gadhafi's regime, which faced a popular revolt after 42 years in
power.
As NATO-led airstrikes have helped the rebels on the ground without managing to decisively turn the
tide in the conflict, Gadhafi has brought in fighters from other African countries to bolster his
embattled forces.
"We're seeing lots of mercenaries, ruthless mercenaries that come from other countries and are
enlisted by Gadhafi's forces to inflict extreme violence on men, women and children," Bouchard said.
"The recruiting of these mercenaries continues," he said. "There is a growing demand for their
services which lends credibility to the fact that Gadhafi's forces are being affected by NATO's actions
as well as defections of generals, policemen and even politicians."
The rebels, meanwhile, have treaded water since scoring early victories that led to their control of
Cyrenaica in the west, and enclaves in Tripoli.
Today, there's "activity" on three fronts, in Brega in the east, and in Misrata and Jebel Nefoussa in the
west. Gadhafi forces are "shooting blindly on civilians," Bouchard said.
"On the three fronts, we're seeing changes as anti-Gadhafi forces march forward to stop the attacks
on the population," he added.
Gadhafi's regime this week accused NATO airstrikes on the village of Majer of killing 85 people,
including women and children, south of the disputed city of Zliten.
"I can assure you that the target was a legitimate one that contained mercenaries, a command centre
and 4x4 vehicles modified with automatic weapons, rocket launchers or mortars," Bouchard said.
"I cannot believe that 85 civilians were present when we struck in the wee hours of the morning and
given our intelligence" on the target, he added.
"I can assure you that there wasn't 85 civilians present, but I cannot assure you that there were none
at all."
"Frankly, I cannot say if there were any civilian deaths or how many," said the general, who accused
Gadhafi forces of often leaving already dead corpses at military sites after they have been leveled by
NATO airstrikes to make the bombings appear like blunders.
The NATO mission is due to wrap up in September unless it is extended by states participating in it,
including Britain, Canada, France, Italy and the United States. Their governments are under
increasing fiscal pressure to pull back.
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And if the mission "Unified Protector" is not renewed? "It's just speculation," said Bouchard. "My goal
is to bring this conflict to an end before the mission is over."
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P4
Top militant escapes retaliatory air raid
Insurgent who fired the rocket-propelled grenade at the US helicopter among those killed on the
ground
(AP, 12 Aug 11) … Unattributed
http://gulfnews.com/news/world/afghanistan/top-militant-escapes-retaliatory-air-raid-1.850608
Washington: International forces killed the Taliban insurgents responsible for shooting down a US
helicopter and killing 38 US and Afghan forces days back, but they are still seeking the top insurgent
leader they were going after in Saturday's mission, the top American commander in Afghanistan said
on Wednesday.
Marine Corps Gen. John Allen told a Pentagon news conference that an F-16 airstrike on Monday
took out fewer than 10 insurgents involved in the attack on the Chinook helicopter.
In a separate statement on Wednesday, the military said the strike on Monday killed Taliban leader
Mullah Mohib Allah and the insurgent who fired the rocket-propelled grenade at the helicopter. The
military said intelligence gained on the ground provided a high degree of confidence that the
insurgent who fired the grenade was the person killed. It did not provide further details.
Hot pursuit defended
Allen defended the decision to send in the Chinook loaded with special operations forces to pursue
insurgents escaping from the firefight with Army Rangers in a dangerous region of Wardak province
of eastern Afghanistan.
"We've run more than a couple of thousand of these night operations over the last year, and this is
the only occasion where this has occurred," said Allen. "The fact that we lost this aircraft is not ... a
decision point as to whether we'll use this aircraft in the future. It's not uncommon at all to use this
aircraft on our special missions."
Military investigation
While officials believe the helicopter was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade, Allen said the
military's investigation into the crash will also review whether small arms fire or other causes
contributed to the crash.
Questions remain about why the troops were called in to aid other US combatants engaged in a
firefight, what they knew about the situation on the ground and what role the flight path or altitude
may have played in the disastrous crash.
The investigation comes as the remains of the troops killed in the crash were returned on Tuesday in
an operation shrouded in secrecy by a Defence Department that has refused so far to release the
names of the fallen and denied media coverage of the arrival at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
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P5
Norway Withdraws F-16s from Libya Ops
(Defense News, 11 Aug 11) … Gerald O’Dwyer
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=7368237&c=EUR&s=AIR
HELSINKI - Norway has withdrawn its F-16 fighter squadron from NATO's Operation Unified
Protector (OUP). The return of the F-16s ends Norway's direct involvement in the operation and the
enforcement of NATO's no-fly zone over Libya.
Danish F-16 fighters are seen at the Italian military airport of Sigonella in March. Norway has
withdrawn its F-16 fighters from NATO's Libya operation, but Denmark's fighter jets have continued
bombing missions. (Mario LaPorta / AFP via Getty Images)
The Norwegian Air Force's squadron, comprising six F-16s, flew 596 missions, almost 10 percent of
the total by NATO-aligned aircraft, since March. The aircraft dropped 542 bombs and logged about
2,000 hours of flight time over the four-month period, according to Norwegian Ministry of Defense
figures.
The number of missions flown by the aircraft declined in June when two F-16s were recalled to
Norway from Souda Airbase in Crete. Britain compensated for the partial withdrawal, sending an
extra four Panavia Tornado GR.4 ground-attack jets to replace the F-16s.
By contrast, Denmark's F-16 fighter squadron, which joined the operation in early April, dropped
some 705 bombs, including seven precision bombs, on Libya, according to the latest data from the
Danish Ministry of Defense.
In recent weeks, six Danish Air Force F-16s have been engaged in bombing missions on targets
located between Zlitan and the Libyan capital Tripoli. Targets have included military depots and
support facilities.
The Libyan mission cost the Danes up to $16 million a month, a figure that excludes capital outlay to
replace precision missiles, bombs and other munitions. The Danes' core arsenal includes GBU-49
type 500-pound bombs and 1-ton bunker killer BLU-109 warheads.
The Zlitan area, which lies 160 kilometers east of Tripoli, has seen increased fighting between rebel
groups and forces loyal to the Libyan leader, Moammar Gadhafi, in recent weeks.
RETURN
DEVELOP AND CARE FOR AIRMEN AND THEIR FAMILIES
D1
DoD names troops killed in Chinook shootdown
(Air Force Times, 11 Aug 11) … Unattributed
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http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/08/military-casualty-release-shootdown-081111w/
The identities of 30 U.S. service members killed last week in the Afghan war’s deadliest episode have
been made public by the Defense Department after several days of debate over whether to release
their names.
Among the dead are 22 members of the Navy, including 17 SEALs. Debate had swirled within the
Defense Department over whether to release the names of the troops killed in the Aug. 6 shootdown
by insurgents — in part, officials told The Associated Press, because many reportedly were part of
the elite Naval Special Warfare Development Group, also known as SEAL Team 6.
These men were assigned to an East Coast-based naval special warfare unit:
• Lt. Cmdr. (SEAL) Jonas B. Kelsall, 32, of Shreveport, La.
• Master Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Louis J. Langlais, 44, of Santa Barbara, Calif.
• Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Thomas A. Ratzlaff, 34, of Green Forest, Ark.
• Senior Chief Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician (EXW/FPJ) Kraig M. Vickers, 36, of Kokomo,
Hawaii
• Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Brian R. Bill, 31, of Stamford, Conn.
• Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) John W. Faas, 31, of Minneapolis.
• Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Kevin A. Houston, 35, of West Hyannisport, Mass.
• Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Matthew D. Mason, 37, of Kansas City, Mo.
• Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Stephen M. Mills, 35, of Fort Worth, Texas.
• Chief Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician (EXW/FPJ/DV) Nicholas H. Null, 30, of Washington,
W.Va.
• Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Robert J. Reeves, 32, of Shreveport, La.
• Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Heath M. Robinson, 34, of Detroit.
• Special Warfare Operator 1st Class (SEAL) Darrik C. Benson, 28, of Angwin, Calif.
• Special Warfare Operator 1st Class (SEAL/PJ) Christopher G. Campbell, 36, of Jacksonville, N.C.
• Information Systems Technician 1st Class (EXW/FPJ) Jared W. Day, 28, of Taylorsville, Utah.
• Master-at-Arms 1st Class (EXW) John Douangdara, 26, of South Sioux City, Neb.
• Cryptologic Technician (Collection) 1st Class (EXW) Michael J. Strange, 25, of Philadelphia.
• Special Warfare Operator 1st Class (SEAL/SW) Jon T. Tumilson, 35, of Rockford, Iowa.
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• Special Warfare Operator 1st Class (SEAL) Aaron C. Vaughn, 30, of Stuart, Fla.
• Special Warfare Operator 1st Class (SEAL) Jason R. Workman, 32, of Blanding, Utah.
These sailors were assigned to a West Coast-based naval special warfare unit:
• Special Warfare Operator 1st Class (SEAL) Jesse D. Pittman, 27, of Ukiah, Calif.
• Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class (SEAL) Nicholas P. Spehar, 24, of Saint Paul, Minn.
The soldiers killed were:
• Chief Warrant Officer 4 David R. Carter, 47, of Centennial, Colo. He was assigned to the 2nd
Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), of Aurora, Colo.
• Chief Warrant Officer 2 Bryan J. Nichols, 31, of Hays, Kan. He was assigned to the 7th Battalion,
158th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), of New Century, Kan.
• Sgt. Patrick D. Hamburger, 30, of Lincoln, Neb. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 135th
Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), of Grand Island, Neb.
• Sgt. Alexander J. Bennett, 24, of Tacoma, Wash. He was assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th
Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), of New Century, Kan.
• Spc. Spencer C. Duncan, 21, of Olathe, Kan. He was assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation
Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), of New Century, Kan.
The airmen killed, all assigned to the 24th Special Tactics Squadron of Pope Field, N.C., were:
• Tech. Sgt. John W. Brown, 33, of Tallahassee, Fla.
• Staff Sgt. Andrew W. Harvell, 26, of Long Beach, Calif.
• Tech. Sgt. Daniel L. Zerbe, 28, of York, Pa.
Seven Afghan commandos and an Afghan interpreter died alongside the U.S. troops during the
nighttime operation conducted in Afghanistan’s Tangi Valley, according to AP.
The remains of the Americans killed returned to Dover Air Force Base, Del., on Tuesday, where they
were met by top military leaders including President Obama. The dignified transfer was closed to the
media.
Rear Adm. Sean Pybus, head of Naval Special Warfare Command, said in a statement Thursday that
his command suffered a tremendous loss and that it “will honor their service and sacrifice, and
embrace their families as our own, in this time of immeasurable grief.”
Of the U.S. and Afghan troops killed Saturday, Pybus said, “we grieve for all of them, and admire their
teamwork, commitment and courage.”
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D2
Names of 30 Fallen Special Forces to go on Tampa Memorial
(WUSF, 11 Aug 11) … Bobbie O'Brien
http://www.wusf.usf.edu/news/2011/08/11/names_of_30_fallen_special_forces_to_go_on_tampa_memorial
The Pentagon Thursday released the names of the 30 U.S. military personnel killed in the helicopter
shoot-down in Afghanistan over the weekend. Those names will be added to the Special Operations
Memorial located at Tampa’s MacDill Air Force Base.
U.S. Special Forces are known as the “Quiet Warriors.” Most of their missions and many of their
losses never become public. That’s why Geoff Barker, a former member of the British and U.S.
special forces, helped establish the Special Forces Memorial Foundation.
With private funds, the foundation built a memorial to all Special Forces killed in action or in training.
After 9-11, the memorial had to be expanded to handle all the names.
The outdoor memorial has black stone walls covered with tiles that are engraved with the names of
Special Forces lost starting from 1980 to the present.
Barker will soon mount 30 more engraved tiles for each of the men killed in the Chinook helo crash in
Afghanistan.
“I managed to survive,” Barker said. “The least that I can do for those who have given everything for
their country is to place their names there and perform this service for them.“
Barker knows many of those named on the wall. “Most of the names that I see now do not have that
personal connection, but they are let’s just say part of the brotherhood.”
Each Veterans Day and Memorial Day – the Special Operations Memorial Foundation holds a
ceremony where the names of the recently fallen are read.
RETURN
D3
Wounded Warrior Barracks Open at National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda
(MyFoxDC, 11 Aug 11) … Beth Parker
http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/local/wounded-warrior-barracks-open-at-national-naval-medical-center-in-bethesda-081111
BETHESDA, Md. - It is a long way from the pressure of the battlefield to a rocking chair in Bethesda.
But rocking chairs line a shiny new building called Tranquility Hall.
"You're disabled, handicapped, whatever you want to call it, and now you have something that feels
like you're actually human again," said Justin Gaertner.
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He helped cut the ribbon on Tranquility Hall. It is the new Wounded Warrior Barracks on the campus
of National Naval Medical Center, also the site of the new Walter Reed National Military Medical
Center.
Gaertner lost his legs in an IED explosion in Afghanistan. He already feels appreciated.
"Everywhere I go, I get a handshake or a thank you," said Gaertner.
Now, he is seeing that appreciation in the form of this new barracks, with huge handicapped
accessible bathrooms in each apartment. The nearby Warrior Support Complex includes an Olympic
size swimming pool and rows of sleek exercise equipment.
Undersecretary of Defense Clifford Stanley said these aren't just buildings, they're promises.
"We have a covenant with you and our covenant is to care deeply. Our covenant is to take care of
you when you're over there, when you're here and when you leave here. Our covenant is for life and
this is symbolism of that," said Stanley.
In the facilities at Walter Reed, a wounded warrior might have had a small refrigerator. The new
apartments have a full kitchen as well as laundry facilities.
Every moment a warrior spends here will be preparation for the real world.
"Every day is going to be part of physical therapy inside these rooms. They've got a stovetop. They've
got a refrigerator. They've got laundry," said Gaertner.
It is a place where someone could leave a dark time behind and find hope.
RETURN
D4
3 local AFSOC airmen die in chopper crash
(Fox10, 11 Aug 11) … Russell Colburn
http://www.fox10tv.com/dpp/news/local_news/okaloosa/Locals-react-to-losing-AFSOC-airmen
FT. WALTON BEACH, Fla. (WALA) - A dreary, rainy day, coupled with the star spangled banner
flying at half-staff, reflected the mood at Hurlburt Field Thursday afternoon.
The base recently received some heart-breaking news. Three of its own, from Air Force Special
Operations Command (AFSOC) died in a chopper crash in Afghanistan Saturday morning.
“That hits them right in the heart,” said Tyler Donoho, U.S. Air Force.
Those airmen were pararescuemen Technical Sergeants Daniel Zerbe and John Brown and combat
controller Staff Sergeant Andrew Harvell.
All three were stationed in North Carolina, but Harvell trained at Hurlburt. He was only 26 years old.
“No words can express the loss of our soldiers,” said local mother Jennifer Burozski.
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Even though the crash occurred on the other side of the world, it hits home for many in Fort Walton
Beach, as Hurlburt Field and AFSOC are right in their backyards.
“It was quite devastating. I couldn’t imagine what those families are going through,” Burozski said.
“I just left Afghanistan, and being over there you can tell that our Special Forces are the ones doing
everything over there,” Donoho said. “It’s already the single-biggest loss of spec ops in the military’s
history, so it’s really awful. I mean, they’re our work horse over there.”
“It’s a close-knit world we live in, and I hope and pray for all their families,” said Jaye Phillippi, retired
Army Special Forces.
Brown was promoted to Tech. Sgt. posthumously. He died at 33, never knowing the promotion was
his.
RETURN
MODERNIZE OUR AGING AIR AND SPACE INVENTORIES
NSTR
RECAPTURE ACQUISITION EXCELLENCE
A1
Maverick variant set for operational tests
(UPI, 11 Aug 11) … Unattributed
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2011/08/11/Maverick-variant-set-for-operational-tests/UPI-75881313081800/?spt=hs&or=si
TUCSON -- The newest variant of Raytheon's Maverick missile is to enter operational testing
following tests by the U.S. military.
During the tests, the U.S. Air Force conducted aircraft integration, laboratory and flight tests of the
new laser-guided AGM-65 E2/L Maverick on A-10, F-16, AV-8B and F/A-18 aircraft.
The tests culminated in a series of live-fire shots against moving and static targets from A-10 and F16 fighter aircraft.
The U.S. Navy is also testing the missile variant and is expected to complete its flight testing this
summer.
"The joint testing community conducted a series of very demanding tests, including two where the
missile contended with targets moving at 65 and 72 mph," said Harry Schulte, vice president of
Raytheon Missile Systems' Air Warfare Systems product line.
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"As we begin OT, the warfighter will have an opportunity to put the new laser-guided Maverick
through its paces, clearing the way for entry into the inventory of the U.S. and its international
partners."
Like its predecessors, the AGM-65 E2/L can precisely engage fast-moving and maneuvering targets
in urban areas. New capabilities include the ability for a launch aircraft to use its onboard laser
designators to guide the weapon to the target.
The AGM-65 E2/L has an enhanced laser seeker and new software that reduces the risk of collateral
damage and enables aircraft to use onboard, buddy- and ground-based lasing to designate targets.
RETURN
GLOBAL AIR, SPACE, and CYBERSPACE ENVIRONMENT
G1
Radar upgrade for F-16s in doubt
WAITING GAME:Adding to the uncertainty over the F-16C/D jets that have been requested, Taiwan
must now wait for Washington to decide if it will get AESA radar
(Taipei Times, 12 Aug 11) … J. Michael Cole
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2011/08/12/2003510558
As Taiwan awaits Washington’s decision on whether it will sell the Lockheed Martin F-16C/D aircraft
Taipei has been seeking since 2007, rumors are now emerging that Taipei’s request for preferred
radar system for an upgrade program for its ageing F-16A/Bs might also be encountering difficulties.
The US government is scheduled to announce on Oct. 1 — national day in the People’s Republic of
China — whether it will proceed with the sale of 66 F-16C/Ds to Taiwan or limit itself to a US$4.5
billion upgrade for Taiwan’s 144 F-16A/Bs acquired in the early 1990s.
Taiwan does not regard the upgrades as an alternative to the F-16C/Ds and maintains that the two
options must be exercised to ensure a balance of air power in the Taiwan Strait.
In addition to new electronic warfare systems, radio, engines and missiles, one key component of the
upgrade would be the acquisition of advanced active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, a
“drop in” modular system regarded as an ideal option to give aging fighter fleets the world over a
second life, especially as countries are becoming increasingly reluctant to acquire the problemplagued F-35.
Aside from nearly doubling the range of the standard mechanically scanned array (MSA) radar
currently used on the F-16, AESA radars can operate in all weather and provide multifunction, ultrahigh resolution air-to-air and air-to-ground coverage.
However, US officials are divided on whether to provide Taiwan with AESA technology over fears of
possible technological transfer to China. One US source recently referred to the AESA program as
currently being “off the radar” in Washington, with no movement on an eventual release.
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Defense experts nevertheless believe the AESA has a better chance of being released as a
consolation prize if the US turns down Taiwan’s request for the F-16C/Ds.
A senior defense industry official involved in the F-16 program confirmed to the Taipei Times at the
Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition yesterday that the Taiwanese Air Force had
signaled its intent to Washington to purchase a total of 144 AESA radar units to retrofit all its F16A/Bs.
The likeliest candidate to provide Taiwan with ASEA radar is Raytheon, with its Raytheon Advanced
Combat Radar (RACR), with Northrop Grumann’s Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) the other
option. Both are optimized to fit F-16 aircraft.
If Taiwan failed to obtain AESA radar, an alternative would be less advanced updates to the current
ones used on its F-16s.
Speaking at the Paris Air Show in late June, Mark Kula, vice president for tactical airborne systems at
Raytheon said the company hoped to have “some sort of go ahead” on a production contract for the
RACR “within the year.”
Defense analysts then said the first customer would be either Taiwan or South Korea, which are both
seeking to modernize their F-16s.
Drew Robbins, manager of the F-16 radar programs at Raytheon, told the Taipei Times yesterday
that the RACR was fully developed and operational and that a number of countries in Asia had
expressed interest buying it, though no orders had been placed yet.
He would not provide figures on cost per unit.
Asked if costs or other considerations were behind the apparently stalled efforts to secure AESA
radar for Taiwan, officials at Raytheon denied this was the case, adding that the problem was more
political and set in Washington.
RETURN
G2
IDF looks to buy US equipment after withdrawal from Iraq
(Jerusalem Post, 12 Aug 11) … Yaakov Katz
http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=233531
The Defense Ministry is in talks with the Pentagon about the possibility of buying American military
equipment that will be retired following the US withdrawal from Iraq.
The advantage in purchasing used military equipment from the US is the price, which is dramatically
lower than buying the same equipment new.
The IDF Ground Forces Command is looking to renew its aging fleet of Humvee combat vehicles with
ones that the US will be phasing out as it reduces its troop numbers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Israel is also interested in acquiring surplus weapons and ammunition the US will no longer require
following the withdrawals.
“It seems that in some cases it is cheaper to sell to other countries than to transport back to the US or
bases in Europe,” one defense official said.
Other countries in the region may also try to buy some of the equipment, such as Egypt and Saudi
Arabia, which are both longtime customers of the US defense industries.
Saudi Arabia, for example, recently received new Black Hawk helicopters and is purchasing $60
billion worth of advanced American military platforms.
Egypt is also the recipient of $1.3b. in annual foreign military aid from the US, and Congress was
recently notified of Pentagon plans to sell the Egyptian military new Abrams tanks. It would be the first
major sale to Egypt since the revolution earlier this year.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, the Israel Air Force completed a week of joint maneuvers with the
Romanian Air Force in the Carpathian Mountains. It was the first IAF deployment in Romania since
the helicopter accident there last summer, although this time it consisted of C-130 Hercules cargo
aircraft and not helicopters.
Six IAF servicemen – pilots and technical crew – were killed when a Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion –
called Yasour in the IAF – crashed into a mountain during a military exercise in which crews were
trained to fly at low altitudes. A Romanian military officer who was observing the IAF crew aboard the
helicopter, was also killed.
An IAF inquiry concluded that the accident was most likely the result of human error.
The air force is interested in continuing to train in Romania and particularly in the Carpathian
Mountains, which are known for the unstable weather as well as thick forests and high mountains,
terrain that Israeli pilots do not often get to train in.
RETURN
ITEMS OF INTEREST
I1
Vandenberg loses contact with hypersonic glider
(AP, 11 Aug 11) … John Antczak
http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/08/ap-vandenberg-loses-contact-hypersonic-glider-081111/
LOS ANGELES — An unmanned hypersonic glider developed for U.S. defense research into superfast global strike capability was launched atop a rocket early Thursday but contact was lost after the
experimental craft began flying on its own, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency said.
There was no immediate information on how much of the mission’s goals were achieved.
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The launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, 130 miles northwest of Los Angeles, was the second of
two planned flights of a Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle-2. Contact was also lost during the
first mission.
Shaped like the tip of a spear, the small craft is part of a U.S. military initiative to develop technology
to respond to threats at 20 times the speed of sound or greater, reaching any part of the globe in an
hour.
The HTV-2 is designed to be launched to the edge of space, separate from its booster and maneuver
through the atmosphere at 13,000 mph before intentionally crashing into the ocean.
Defense analyst John Pike of Globalsecurity.org wasn’t surprised with the latest failure because the
hypersonic test flight program is still in its infancy.
“At this early stage of the game, if they did not experience failures, it’s because they’re not trying very
hard,” he said.
Pike said it’s possible for engineers to still glean useful information about what worked and what
didn’t, despite the flight ending prematurely. The key is to analyze what happened in the final five
seconds before contact was lost.
DARPA used Twitter to announce the launch and status of the flight.
The agency said the launch of the Minotaur 4 rocket was successful and separation was confirmed. It
next reported that telemetry — the transmission and measurement of data from the glider — had
been lost.
“Downrange assets did not reacquire tracking or telemetry,” the agency added. The craft has “an
autonomous flight termination capability,” it noted.
No further details were immediately reported. There was no immediate response to an email request
to DARPA for information on the mission.
The HTV-2 is intended to put theory, simulations and wind tunnel experience to the test in real flight
conditions at speeds producing temperatures in the thousands of degrees and requiring extremely
fast control systems, according to DARPA.
The first HTV-2 was launched on April 22, 2010. It returned nine minutes of data, including 139
seconds of aerodynamic data at speeds between 17 and 22 times the speed of sound, DARPA said.
That craft detected an anomaly, aborted its flight and plunged into the ocean, the agency said.
The military and NASA have also been working on powered aircraft capable of flying at speeds
greater than five times the speed of sound, or Mach 5.
In 2004, NASA’s unmanned X-43A reached Mach 9.6 on a flight off California. Powered for 10
seconds by a supersonic combustion ramjet, or scramjet, that set a speed record for jet-powered
flight.
The X-43A also set the previous record of Mach 6.8 earlier that year.
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The unmanned X-51A Waverider, a demonstrator, developed by the Air Force, DARPA, Pratt &
Whitney Rocketdyne and Boeing, has been tested twice.
Powered by a scramjet, the first X-51A reached about Mach 5 for 140 seconds after being dropped
from the wing of a B-52 in May 2010, according to Boeing. Last June, a second craft had problems in
a flight off the California coast and the test was terminated. Two more flights are planned for the X51A program.
The HTV-2 was launched atop a Minotaur 4 rocket built by Orbital Sciences Corp. from
decommissioned Peacekeeper intercontinental ballistic missiles. The Minotaur 4 made its debut last
year carrying the first HTV-2.
“From what we can tell based on preliminary data, it looked like the rocket did its job,” said Orbital
spokesman Barry Beneski.
Minotaur 4 is part of the Minotaur rocket family. There have been 22 Minotaur launches since 2000 —
a 100 percent success rate. The price of a single flight ranges from $15 million to $30 million
depending on the rocket style, according to the company.
RETURN
I2
U.S. Lawmakers: Save Energy Efforts From Budget Ax
(Defense News, 11 Aug 11) … Kate Brannen
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=7366314&c=AME&s=TOP
In recent years, the Pentagon has stepped up its efforts to become more energy efficient, hoping to
reduce operational vulnerabilities as well as whopping energy bills. Now, there's concern that the
Defense Department's investment in renewable energy could fall victim to growing budget pressures.
In an Aug. 10 letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., urges the
Pentagon to continue to invest in renewable sources of energy.
"Recognizing the critical importance of mission energy requirements, we urge you to prioritize the
Department's energy policies and budgets," writes Hinchey, who serves as co-chair of the new
congressional Defense Energy Security Caucus.
Other members of the caucus signed the letter with him, including Reps. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md.; Jack
Kingston, R-Ga.; and the office of Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., who also serve as caucus co-chairs.
"Investments in smart energy plans will not only show returns in security and mission success, but
they will contribute to future cost savings and have a unique opportunity to help foster innovative and
diverse energy and clean technologies to strengthen our economy," the letter says.
On Aug. 10, the congressional caucus hosted Rear Adm. Neil Morisetti, the United Kingdom's climate
and energy security envoy, who spoke about possible partnerships between the U.K. and DoD.
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There is undoubtedly a cost associated with investing in new sources of energy and more efficient
technologies, he said. And industry is somewhat skeptical of the military's commitment to renewable
energy initiatives, especially as budgets fall.
"But we don't have a choice," Morisetti said. "Energy is no longer a critical enabler, but a critical
vulnerability, too."
Last year, the Pentagon spent $15 billion on energy; 75 percent of that was operational. Moving this
amount of energy around the battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan is expensive and creates supply
lines that are under constant attack.
To mitigate this risk, Army Gen. David Petraeus asked commanders earlier this summer to better
manage the military's fuel consumption in Afghanistan.
"Commanders will push for rapid technology transition of new fuel savings methods to field, where
appropriate, and will pursue existing, proven alternative energy options that reduce the use and
transport of fuel," Petraeus wrote in a June 7 memo.
Morisetti said the cost of energy is growing faster than manpower costs in defense budgets.
RETURN
I3
Defense Cuts: Super Committee Bark Might Be Worse Than Its Bite
(National Defense, 11 Aug 11) … Sandra Erwin
http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/blog/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=490
The fate of the republic — if we are to believe the hype — soon will be in the hands of the 12-member
Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction that must find $1.5 trillion in spending cuts.
House and Senate members of the “super committee” shortly will be gearing up for their first meeting,
which is expected to take place by mid-September. They will have until Nov. 23 to vote on a deficitreduction proposal that would go to the full Congress before year’s end.
Panic already has set in across federal agencies and their contractors.
For the Pentagon, the most dreaded outcome is deadlock. If the panel fails to agree to a
comprehensive plan of spending cuts and revenues that reduces the national debt by $1.2 trillion,
there will be across-the-board budget reductions, and half would come from defense. These
automatic “sequester” cuts would be implemented beginning in 2013.
The Pentagon already is moving to cut $350 billion as part of the debt agreement that was signed last
month. But the sequestering would result in total cuts of nearly a trillion dollars over 10 years.
Defense already has pushed back, with Secretary Leon E. Panetta warning that the trigger option
would have “catastrophic” consequences. The defense industry also is mobilizing to persuade the
super committee that these cuts would be devastating to one of the few sectors of the U.S. economy
that creates high-paying jobs and exports big-ticket products overseas.
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Analyst Todd Harrison of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments says the trigger
provision would inevitably bring down the 2013 base defense budget to approximately $472 billion,
compared to the administration’s earlier projections of $571 billion. Adjusting for inflation, funding
would hold near that level for the following eight years.
“DoD should immediately begin contingency planning for how to handle such a reduction,” says
Harrison.
Some insiders just see empty threats. The super committee is just buying time for politicians to get
through next year’s elections so they can convince voters that they are serious about tackling the
debt, says John M. Simmons, a senior adviser at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, a lobbying
firm in Washington, D.C.
“This is all about the 2012 election,” he says.
What about sequestration? “I don’t believe it’s ever going to happen,” says Simmons. There is no
plausible scenario under which the Pentagon would be able to cut $600 billion on short notice, he
says. It would be the fiscal equivalent of trying to stop a freight train on a dime. “You can’t
immediately get rid of personnel, you can’t cut operations in the middle of ongoing wars,” Simmons
says. The easy targets are the procurement and technology accounts, but that only would achieve
relatively minor savings.
Sequestering would be nearly impossible to implement on the prescribed timeline, says Simmons.
But defense and industry leaders still worry that the super committee will give the Pentagon a big
haircut without the benefit of proper analysis on the merits of particular programs. “Anything that is
across-the-board cuts sounds good to the public, but is very bad policy,” Simmons says.
Also undermining the panel’s weightiness is that it will be working on the assumption that the Bush
tax cuts will be allowed to expire in 2012. If that doesn’t happen, several more trillion dollars in cuts
would have to be made to keep the deficit under control.
Simmons says the panel should help the Pentagon pare back on wasteful spending by proposing
another round of base closures. Despite being political footballs, BRAC rounds in the end save the
government money, he says. “I would be shocked if the super committee does not come forward with
a recommendation to go through a base closure round.”
There is enough low-hanging fruit across the Defense Department, he says. The Air Force alone has
20 percent more bases than it needs, given its shrinking fleet, Simmons says. “They don’t have
enough money to maintain the existing facilities,” he says. The savings from closing bases could be
used for infrastructure improvements that would save even more money down the road, such as
replacing old buildings with energy-efficient ones.
Industry lobbying is ramping up, and will focus on preserving procurement programs. The Aerospace
Industries Association unveiled a messaging campaign — called “Second to None” — that taps into
fears that the United States may become a second-tier power unless investments are made in key
technologies. The association is asking its member companies to engage elected officials.
AIA worries that the deficit debate has been hijacked by “extreme” voices. “Many are saying we need
to take a meat axe to the very aerospace and defense programs that have made us the world’s only
superpower, built this country’s middle class, and driven world-changing innovation like the Internet,
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cell phones, GPS and life-saving breakthroughs like CAT scans and dialysis,” says an AIA advisory to
members.
Voices of reason are being drowned out, the memo warns. “Moderates are calling for a more careful
approach that cuts waste and gets rid of things that don’t work or that we don’t need. … Even as we
balance budgets, the United States must do what it takes to remain second to none.”
Simmons says these lobbying efforts are only marginally effective, unless they are precisely targeted.
The bottom line is that the 12 individuals on the super committee pretty much can do anything they
want, he says. But if the pundits are right, the panel will spend more time demagoguing and posturing
than cutting the deficit, and before we know it, it will be 2013, with many new leaders in office.
Depending on the outcome of the elections, Congress could repeal any of the super committee’s
proposals, he says. “I don’t believe we’re going to be here in January 2013 talking about sequestering
with $1.2 trillion.”
RETURN
I4
As Defense Spending Softens, Policymakers Need a List of which Weapons Programs are
Most Important
(Lexington Institute: Early Warning Blog, 11 Aug 11) … Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D.
http://www.defpro.com/news/details/26760/?SID=bca6d39cf4f4b5b3209421f83dfdcb9a
There's a high likelihood that when Congress grasps the impact of the deficit agreement it embraced
last week, legislators will move to modify the law. With the economy faltering and interest rates at
near-record lows, it's a lot easier to borrow more money right now than live with the fallout from major
cutbacks in federal spending. Nonetheless, there is a real possibility that some of the mandated cuts
will occur, and Pentagon policymakers therefore need to be thinking about how the reductions would
be allocated.
Secretary Gates left office insisting that the time had come to rein in military pay and benefits, while
protecting the modernization accounts that will purchase the next generation of weapons. However,
that was not the approach that he exhibited while in office, and it is not the natural inclination of the
political system. When the going gets tough, Washington prefers to protect people programs and
slash investment. Thus, there will probably be additional cuts to modernization accounts even though
those accounts had already taken big hits before the deficit accord was signed into law.
The irony of the deficit agreement is that it will probably increase waste at the Pentagon even as it
reduces spending, because weapons programs will be nudged off of carefully planned schedules to
save money in the near term. In other words, the weapons will cost less each year, but ultimately cost
more as economies of scale and production efficiencies are sacrificed to deficit reduction. One way of
avoiding such waste is to eliminate programs that aren't essential while keeping high-priority efforts
on their current vector. But in order to do that, the department needs to agree on what its highestpriority investment programs actually are. Right now, no such list exists.
The Army went through an analogous exercise during the Reagan years, highlighting the "Big Five"
weapons programs most important to its future effectiveness. Secretary Panetta might initiate a
similar undertaking, asking each one of the military departments to identify its five highest-priority
investment programs, the programs that must be nurtured and protected even as military spending
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heads into a prolonged downturn. Panetta's office could act as an arbiter to assure service priorities
exhibit sufficient jointness. For instance, if the Air Force's priorities neglected space programs
benefiting the entire joint force in order to focus exclusively on things with wings, Panetta's staff could
intervene to adjust the list.
The end result would be a list of fifteen top-priority weapons programs -- five from each military
department -- that the executive and legislative branch agree must be preserved because of the
extraordinarily high leverage they would bring to future military campaigns. The Air Force would
undoubtedly single out the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and KC-46 aerial refueling tanker for inclusion on
its list, since both are crucial to the preservation of U.S. air dominance. The Navy would probably
single out the Virginia-class submarine and upgrades to Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, while leaving
the Littoral Combat Ship off the list because its contribution to future warfighting is not yet clear.
Being left off the list wouldn't doom a program, but it would signal that the program is a suitable
candidate for restructuring if budget needs dictate. Programs on the list, though, would be viewed as
sacrosanct -- efforts that must be kept on their current schedules to assure U.S. forces can fight and
win in the future. Every player in the system would know what the Big Five programs of each military
department were, and that would make it harder for "bean counters" to impair the progress of those
critical efforts. Having such a list is no panacea for the budgetary chaos that lies ahead, but it would
be an improvement over the present situation, where there is little clarity in Congress or the executive
branch as to which programs must be protected for the sake of national security.
RETURN
I5
Defense community raises concerns over supercommittee membership
(The Hill, 11 Aug 11) … John T. Bennett
http://thehill.com/news-by-subject/defense-homeland-security/176397-supercommittee-membership-dicey-for-defense-community
The super-panel tasked with slashing the national deficit will likely lack a pro-military hardliner, but
defense sources are placing their hopes in the inclusion of two senators and the prospect of a grand
deal on entitlement reform.
With nine of the 12 supercommittee members now known, recommendations from pro-defense
lawmakers and lobbying organizations have so far gone unheeded. Only House Minority Leader
Nancy Pelosi (D) has yet to name her selections, and the consensus in defense circles is the
California liberal will not pick a hawk.
At first glance, the panel’s membership appears to point to large Pentagon budget cuts. But
congressional aides and defense insiders say there are reasons to believe that won’t happen.
Washington’s defense proponents had hoped that House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) would put
a hawk on the supercommittee.
He did not, opting instead for Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.), Energy
and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and House Republican Conference Chairman Jeb
Hensarling (Texas) to serve on the panel. Hensarling will be one co-chairman.
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There is not one pro-Pentagon hardliner in that group, but that does not mean Boehner is endorsing
big military budget cuts, according to a senior House Armed Services Committee (HASC) majority
aide.
“It appears this committee has been, as far as Speaker Boehner’s selections go, to take a hard look
at entitlement spending,” the HASC majority aide told The Hill. “And that is entirely appropriate since
there are no more savings possible in the DOD budget.”
Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.), HASC chairman, issued a statement commending Boehner and Senate
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on their choices for the supercommittee, and said
committee members “have no easy choices ahead of them.”
“During negotiations over the Budget Control Act, I encouraged leadership to focus the joint
committee on entitlement spending and also to include a strong defense voice,” McKeon said.
“Members like Sen. [Jon] Kyl [R-Ariz.] understand well the dangers associated with further cuts to our
military and the need to keep the faith with military retirees. I am also encouraged that the committee
members are well-versed in entitlement programs. It is only through reform of this mandatory
spending that we can find the savings we need. I will be the first to remind them that additional cuts to
the military would come at an unacceptable cost to our national security.”
“The principal purpose of the supercommittee is to negotiate a broadly acceptable compromise on
entitlement cuts, in exchange for targeted tax increases,” said Jim McAleese, the principal at
consultancy McAleese & Associates. “Ironically, the more focused the supercommittee is on
negotiating compromise on both entitlements and revenues, the more likely defense will be protected
by default.”
That’s because the special panel could spend most of its time zeroed in on the difference between
the cost of entitlement programs and federal receipts, McAleese said. That would leave little time to
focus on “the $1.1 trillion federal discretionary budget, of which DOD comprises 50 percent,” he said.
Wherever the special panel places its focus, pro-defense lawmakers, Pentagon officials and the
industry want the group to agree on some kind of accord by Nov. 23.
That’s because a deadlocked special panel’s inability to strike a deal would set off a “trigger” in the
debt-ceiling law signed Aug. 2 by President Obama requiring around $600 billion in defense and
national security cuts over 10 years, on top of the $350 billion the law mandated over the same span.
Pentagon and industry officials say the $350 billion cut over a decade is achievable, but total cuts
approaching $1 trillion would be devastating for military readiness and the defense industrial base.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said last week a $1 trillion cut to national security agencies — most
of which would come out of the Pentagon’s budgetary hide — would be “dangerous.”
That’s why the defense caucus wanted one if its own on the committee — to block big panelorchestrated DOD cuts while finding a way to get an agreement on other areas of federal spending.
In addition to Kyl, McConnell appointed Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), a budget director in the George
W. Bush administration, and Tea Party favorite Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.).
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Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) appointed three liberal senators with close ties to leadership:
Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John
Kerry (D-Mass.) and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (Wash.).
Although it did not get a hardliner, the defense caucus believes it might have gotten the next best
thing in the appointments of Sens. Murray and Kyl, congressional and industry sources said
Wednesday.
Murray was long a vocal advocate for Boeing’s entry into a decade-long Air Force aerial tanker
contract, and is regarded highly in defense circles.
“There is strong appearance that Patty Murray was picked because she chairs the Democratic
Senatorial Campaign Committee,” McAleese said. “The upside is that she also is a fairly strong
advocate for defense on the Senate Armed Services Defense subcommittee.”
Kyl is not regarded as being as hawkish as McKeon, and senators like John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Joe
Lieberman (I-Conn.), but he is a missile defense proponent. Raytheon, a top Pentagon contractor,
has a big presence in Arizona.
What’s more, during the debt-ceiling drama, he made his position clear.
“We will need to work very hard to restore spending necessary for our national security and commit to
reject the threat of Armageddon inserted into this bill by the White House,” Kyl said in a floor speech
earlier this month, referring to the $600 billion in cuts the trigger option would bring, according to an
Associated Press report.
“The way a supercommittee works, Sen. Murray cannot protect Boeing, and Sen. Kyl cannot protect
Raytheon,” said Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute. “But both have a strong grasp of defense
issues, and can speak during the supercommittee about the connections between military power and
economic power.”
Not everyone in the defense realm, however, was so cautiously optimistic.
Raymond Pritchett, a consultant with contacts in the investment community, told The Hill: “Nobody
was pleased on the defense side. The defense investment community reacted to the Harry Reid picks
with a very concerned 'ugh.' "
Minutes later, after the next six names were announced, Pritchett tweeted: “Attention DOD. You will
have no representation on the SuperCongress panel. Expect major, major cuts.”
Gordon Adams, a former senior Office of Management and Budget official, predicted last week that
the committee will be made up of leadership loyalists and that this diminished the chances for a
bipartisan compromise.
Kerry might be more interested in protecting State Department and foreign aid programs than
defense spending lines, Adams said. "Kerry may do more for international affairs than anyone has
done so far in this fracas — but they will all listen to their leader.”
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I6
Day of Violence in Afghanistan Kills 7 NATO Soldiers
(Voice of America News, 11 Aug 11) … Unattributed
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/Bomb-Kills-5-US-Soldiers-in-Afghanistan-127541373.html
U.S. and NATO military officials say a day of violence in Afghanistan Thursday has left seven soldiers
dead.
U.S. officials say a roadside bomb killed five U.S. soldiers in southern Afghanistan. Another NATO
soldier was killed in southern Afghanistan by a Taliban attack and a seventh soldier died in a blast in
eastern Afghanistan.
Elsewhere in the south, Afghan officials say five Afghan police officers were killed Wednesday when
Taliban insurgents attacked their checkpoint in Helmand province.
Violence in Afghanistan remains at a high level nearly 10 years after the start of the war. Almost 390
foreign troops have been killed so far this year, compared to 711 deaths in all of 2010.
Last week, 30 American and eight Afghan troops were killed when their CH-47 helicopter crashed
after being shot at by Taliban insurgents in Tangi Valley in Wardak province. It was the deadliest
single incident for U.S. forces since the war started.
The commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, General John Allen, said Wednesday that
a precision air strike by coalition forces killed several Taliban militants, including the insurgent who
fired the fatal shot at the helicopter. Taliban officials on Thursday denied that the militant responsible
for the crash was killed, saying the fighter is "busy conducting jihad elsewhere."
The crash last Saturday killed 17 Navy SEALS, five Navy special operations troops, three Air Force
special operations personnel, and five members of the Army. Previous reports said that 22 SEALS
were killed.
Thursday, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta released the names of the American service
members killed in the crash. Officers at the U.S. Special Operations Command objected to
announcing the names because of security concerns.
A probe is under way to review the circumstances of the helicopter crash. General Allen said a
rocket-propelled grenade was at least partly to blame, but said small arms fire also may have played
a role.
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I7
Editor’s Note: Article included due to widespread and growing media pick-up of story, especially
through social media sites.
Air Force Covers Adele's 'Rolling in the Deep'
(ABC News, 11 Aug 11) … Reshma Kirpalani
http://blogs.abcnews.com/screenshots/2011/08/air-force-covers-adeles-rolling-in-the-deep-.html
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The U.S. Air Force’s cover of Adele’s “Rolling In the Deep” is going viral.
As of this afternoon, the YouTube video of the band Sidewinder, which was posted on Aug. 8, had
more than 220,000 views. In it, lead female vocalist, staff Sgt. Angie Johnson, of the 571st Air Force
Band, 131st Bomb Wing, Air National Guard, does a pitch perfect impression of English singersongwriter Adele’s hit single. She is supported by a cast of seven other band members: Three strum
guitars, one thumps on a drum set, and another plays a bright blue string instrument. The group
sports simple band attire: Army green t-shirts and camouflage fatigue pants.
AreYouSurprised, the soldier who posted the video, wrote, “Just taking a break, and enjoying some
underpaid talent,” under his latest YouTube post. Apparently, he’s surprised at how the cover’s taken
off. The Middle East stationed soldier who describes himself as a “military member in the closet,”
tweeted on Aug. 9, “Holy crap...my latest video is getting blown up like crazy.”
Sgt. Johnson was similarly surprised when TV celeb, Carson Daly, contacted her via Twitter. Daly
tweeted: “Staff Sgt. Angie Johnson from the band Sidewinder, the 571st Air Force Band, 131st Bomb
Wing, Air National Guard! I need to reach you!”
Sgt. Johson replied: “@carsonjdaly Totally can't believe I'm tweeting with you right now.
Jaw.On.Floor.” And later, “@carsonjdaly I'm in the Middle East with Sidewinder now! Internet is
spotty. I just found out about all of this a couple of hours ago!!!”
Sgt. Johnson has since tweeted to NBC’s The Voice and Mark Burnett. She also expressed her
gratitude to the soldier responsible for her growing fame. She tweeted, “Mr. Are You Surprised
Soldier who posted the video of Sidewinder on YouTube, you are crazy rad man!!! Thanks for the
love like whoa.”
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I8
Following criticism, official says spy plane costs are dropping
(The Hill, 11 Aug 11) … John T. Bennett
An Air Force official said the service has slashed by 10 percent the costs to use its Global Hawk
unmanned aircraft, a revelation that comes weeks after senators sharply questioned the price to
operate the spy plane fleet.
The costs of operating the unmanned aircraft “are coming down,” Air Force Lt. Col. Rick Thomas, the
service’s Global Hawk functional manager, told The Hill on Wednesday at a Washington conference.
When pressed, Thomas said officials have wrung up to 10 percent from the Global Hawk program’s
operating costs.
Thomas questioned the Pentagon’s own initial cost estimates for the program.
“It’s a complex system and we’re not always sure how much it’s going to cost,” he said. “For example,
in 2002, it was supposed to cost $10 million a copy — but no one knows where that number came
from. Somebody said, ‘It was supposed to cost $10 million,’ and we went back and tried to find out
who said that. There was no rigor, no data behind that.
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“Already, the costs are starting to come down as we realize what it takes to operate it, what things are
more reliable. The [people involved with the] U-2 [have] had many, many years to figure [that] out.”
The new cost projection comes just weeks after the Senate Armed Services Committee slammed the
price of the Global Hawk program. The declaration also comes as the Pentagon is looking for ways to
find $350 billion in savings over a decade, while bracing for the possibility of nearly $1 trillion in cuts
over the same period.
The Senate panel’s version of 2012 defense authorization legislation proposes blocking the Air Force
from retiring any U-2 spy aircraft until the Pentagon acquisition chief “certifies that the operating and
sustainment … costs for the Global Hawk are less than the ... costs for the U–2 on a comparable
flight-hour cost basis,” according to a report accompanying the bill.
The drone is a remotely piloted spy plane that can fly at high altitudes — up to 60,000 feet — to
evade easy detection. Its primary role is to take pictures, while also picking up enemy communication
signals and electronic signals such as those from a nuclear detonation.
It is expected to completely replace the military’s U-2 spy aircraft fleet in a few years.
The Air Force has purchased 16 Block 30 Global Hawks and plans to buy a total of 42. It expected to
spend $3 billion on the remaining drones.
The service wants to buy three Block 30s in fiscal 2012, and sought $485 million for that procurement
in its budget request. That puts the price per model at around $162 million.
The Air Force, in its 2012 budget plan, announced plans to halve its planned 22-plane Block 40
purchase. That move freed up hundreds of millions of dollars for such things as additional satellites
and rockets.
According to a report from the Senate committee, Pentagon data show “the average hourly cost per
flight hour of the Global Hawk is approximately $35,000 as compared to a cost of approximately
$31,000 for the U–2.”
The costs associated with personnel for a mission performed by the unmanned plane are
“substantially higher” than those of the manned U-2 spy aircraft — “despite the fact that the number of
flight hours for the Global Hawk, and the number of aircraft, are substantially below those of the U–2,”
the committee wrote.
When pressed by The Hill, Thomas said the Global Hawk’s operating costs have come down by “5
[percent] to 10 percent” in recent months as the Air Force has deployed it and learned how best to
use it.
“For a billion-dollar program, that’s significant,” Thomas said.
But after numerous breaches of program cost projections that have been revised repeatedly, should
such declarations from Pentagon officials about the unmanned aerial vehicle program be believed?
“This is precisely the kind of assertion and promise that should be the subject of independent audit
and/or evaluation by an agency like [the Government Accountability Office], which has access to data
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records in DOD,” Winslow Wheeler, a former Senate staffer now with the Center for Defense
Information, said Thursday. “Until then, the promise should be understood as from an interested
party.”
Wheeler suggested the Pentagon’s internal program-cost-evaluation shop examine Thomas’s revised
figures, but he warned that the office “need[s] to be audited and evaluated by outsiders, as well.”
The Pentagon’s testing and evaluation office in a recent report also highlighted the Global Hawk
program’s price tag, saying its overall cost is $8.6 billion. Some independent cost estimates are even
larger.
A Northrop Grumman official deferred a question about Thomas’s savings projections to the Air
Force. But he said there is an ongoing effort between the prime contractor and the air service to cut
the price.
The firm “remains committed to reducing costs on the Global Hawk program,” George Guerra, a vice
president with Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, said Thursday in an email. “Working closely
with the [Air Force], we continue to evaluate nearly 200 initiatives for potential savings.
“These initiatives span all aspects of the program including development, production and
sustainment. The joint [Northrop-Air Force] team will be conducting an affordability workshop this
month as we work together to achieve additional savings for the program.”
Meanwhile, the Senate panel warned that the Northrop Grumman-built Global Hawk’s operating costs
could climb even higher as the Air Force introduces two new versions of the UAV with new
intelligence-gathering and radar systems.
The committee is worried these same kinds of costs will show up when the Navy rolls out its Broad
Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) unmanned spy plane, which is a derivative of the Global Hawk
aircraft.
The Senate Armed Services Committee’s bill would require Air Force and Navy officials to fashion
and deliver to lawmakers a plan to pare Global Hawk and BAMS operating costs. That is due to
Congress on April 1.
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END OF FULL TEXT
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