17 USAF Combat Air Squadrons To Be Grounded

An F-22 Raptor from 94th Fighter Squadron Langley Air Force Base, Va., performs an aerial demonstration for an estimated 180,000 spectators March 2 at the Australian International Airshow. The squadron will be grounded when it returns from a deployment in the Pacific that included a stop in South Korea. (Tech. Sgt. Michael R. Holzworth / Air Force)

Reduced Flying Hours Forces USAF To Ground 17 Combat Air Squadrons -- Defense News

The U.S. Air Force will begin grounding combat air squadrons Tuesday in response to forced spending cuts that have eliminated more than 44,000 flying hours through September, according to internal documents obtained by Defense News.

The Air Force’s budget for flying hours was reduced by $591 million for the remainder of fiscal 2013, making it impossible to keep all squadrons ready for combat, according to a memo signed by Maj. Gen. Charles Lyon, director of operations for Air Combat Command. The across-the board spending cuts, called sequestration, took effect March 1 when Congress failed to agree on a deficit-reduction plan.

Read more ....

My Comment: With even more budget cuts foreseen for the future .... this number is probably going to increase.

Budget Sequestration Will Result In 70% Of All U.S. Combat Aircraft Not Being War Capable By July

U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III testifies Feb. 12 with a panel of Defense Department witnesses on Capitol Hill. Welsh addressed looming budget cuts Feb. 21 in Orlando, Fla. (Scott M. Ash / Air Force)

Air Force Chief Says 70% of ALL Combat Aircraft 'Non Combat Capable By July' -- Aol Defense

AFA Winter, Orlando: Imagine if someone told you 70 percent of all American combat aircraft would not be ready to fly in time of war by July. That's just what Air Force Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh told some 600 people attending the Air Force Associations's annual winter conference this morning will happen should the automatic budget cuts known as sequestration occur.

This means 70 percent of all fighters (and MAYBE Remotely Piloted Aircraft and bombers -- except those for nuclear missions and aircraft in ongoing operations --we're checking) will be unready to go to war.

Read more ....

Update: AFA: Welsh Reiterates Warnings over Damage of Budget Cuts -- Defense News

My Comment: Is he scare mongering .... dead serious .... or both? One can have a debate on that .... but there is no question about one thing .... the General has gotten everyone`s attention with such a public announcement.

U.S. Air Force Outlines What Will Be The Impact If Budget Sequestration Happens

U.S. Air Force Outlines Dire Sequestration Fallout -- Defense News

The U.S. Air Force would see flying hours reduced by 18 percent, readiness drop to “sub-optimal levels” and the service could furlough about 180,000 civilians if Congress allows the “sequestration” cuts to defense spending to kick in next month, according to a presentation from the Air Force to Congress.

The presentation provides the most specific information to date about how the Air Force would be affected if lawmakers fail to agree on how to reduce the deficit by March 1, triggering $500 billion in defense spending cuts over 10 years.

The combination of a projected $1.8 billion in cuts to wartime funding and $12.4 billion for sequestration on top of that would be devastating, according to the presentation.

Read more ....

More News On The U.S. Air Force Outlining What Will Be The Impact If Budget Sequestration Happens

Air Force: Sequester, CR Will Slice Flying Hours By 18 Percent, 180K Employees Furloughed -- Aol Defense
Budget cuts would trim flying hours, F-35 orders: Air Force -- Reuters
Air Force sequestration plan includes 180,000 furloughs -- Dayton Business Journal
Air Force outlines sequester cuts -- Dayton Daily News
General: Sequestration Harms U.S. Ability to Deter Nukes -- US News And World Report

Where Air Force Birds Go To Die

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

Aircraft from all military services cover the desert landscape of the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group. Bennie Davis via U.S. Air Force

THE BONEYARD: Where Air Force Birds Go To Die -- Business Insider

Air Force boneyards appeal to the child in us. The rows of rusted out planes look like old, forgotten toys, which a child could reach out and grab and lift into the air again.

The feeling is even stronger for airmen.

In an excellent article in Airman Magazine, Air Force Tech. Sgt. Matthew Bates describes retired Col. Bill Hosmer admiring a derelict F-86 Sabre:

To retired Col. Bill Hosmer, it’s still beautiful. He walks around the old fighter and stares in admiration. He slides a hand over the warped metal fuselage and a flood of memories rush over him.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: The photo gallery starts here.

U.S. Air Force Appalled By The Number Of Sex Assaults In The Service

Air Force General Calls Widespread Sex Assaults Within Service Ranks A 'Cancer' -- Daily Mail

* There were nearly 800 reports of sexual assault cases, ranging from inappropriate touching to rape in 2012
* Dozens of female recruits at Lackland Air Force Base near San Antonio say they were sexually harassed by instructors

Likening sexual assault in the Air Force's ranks to a cancer, the service's top officer resolved Wednesday to tackle the problem by screening personnel more carefully and putting an end to bad behaviors like binge drinking that can lead to misconduct.

But Gen. Mark Welsh, the Air Force chief of staff, underscored the challenge by telling a House oversight committee that the service recorded a disturbing number of reports of sexual assault last year even as it worked to curb misconduct in the wake of a sex scandal at its training headquarters in Texas.

Dozens of young female recruits and airmen at Lackland Air Force Base near San Antonio were victimized by their instructors who sexually harassed, improperly touched or raped them.

Read more ....

More News On The U.S. Air Force's Report On Sexual Assaults For 2012

Air Force Officials Aim to Eliminate Sexual Assault -- US Department of Defense
Air Force Aims To Root Out Sexual Harassment -- Wall Street Journal
Air Force’s top officer tells lawmakers reports of sexual assaults within service grew in 2012 -- Washington Post/AP
Air Force general calls sex assault within service a cancer: 'I will never stop attacking this problem' -- New York Daily News/AP
Scope of U.S. Air Force sexual assault case "stunning:" general -- Reuters
Air Force officials testify about sexual assaults -- Washington Times
Air Force calls number of sex assaults 'appalling' -- FOX News/AP
Air Force Chief Calls Sex Misconduct a ‘Cancer’ -- ABC News
General admits failure in Lackland sex scandal; 32 alleged culprits -- L.A. Times
USAF chief, brass to review sex assaults -- UPI
Air Force appalled by the number of sex assaults -- RT
Air Force chief says sexual assaults are a 'cancer' to be stopped -- Government Executive
Air Force defends handling of sex scandal -- L.A. Times
How the Air Force is fighting sexual assault, post-Lackland scandal -- Anna Mulrine, Christian Science Monitor
Little has changed since Tailhook, based on Lackland scandal testimony -- Joyce Tsai,
Stars and Stripes

U.S. Air Force Gets Ready For Sequestration

U.S. Air Force Looks To Trim Budget Ahead of Possible Sequestration -- Defense News

Driven by the dual threat of operating under a continuing resolution and a potential sequestration, the U.S. Air Force has issued guidance for immediate actions to cut its budget.

In a Jan. 14 memorandum to all major commands, Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Larry Spencer and Acting Undersecretary of the Air Force Jamie Morin laid out a series of “near-term actions” that the service will undertake to minimize the impact of budget stress on the Air Force, which is already operating under fiscal 2012 funding levels and faces larger cuts if no agreement is reached in Congress on a sequestration deal.

Read more ....

My Comment: It is amazing that what was unthinkable a year ago is happening right now.

No Pin-Up Girl Posters Will Be Permitted In The U.S. Air Force

Photo: Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh. Joint Chiefs of Staff

Air Force-Wide Inspections Begin Today -- Air Force Times

Commanders and supervisors in all corners of the Air Force will conduct a widespread sweep of all work spaces and public areas starting today, looking for pictures, calendars and other materials that objectify women.

The order covers all active, reserve and Air National Guard units and must be completed by Dec. 17.

Pictures of scantily clad women in calendars, posters or in briefing slides have no place in a professional workplace, said Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh, who ordered the service-wide health and welfare inspection.

Read more ....

My Comment: This is clearly not your dad's Air Force.

The U.S. Air Force Makes The Case For More Money

Fifteen C-17 Globemaster IIIs from Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., fly over the city of Charleston, S.C.'s Arthur J. Ravenel Bridge Dec. 20, 2007, during a training exercise. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. James L. Harper Jr.

The Air Force Needs More Dough; Make Up $30B That Goes To Intel Agencies -- Aol Defense

The Air Force provides the essential capabilities that make America's joint operations possible and has been involved in nearly every military operation overseas since 1991. As the Pentagon delves into the details of the 2014 budget, getting the Air Force budget right is critical to ensure that the nation can count on its indispensable role in a time of shrinking resources.

Our adherence to the idea of a joint force has led to a roughly equal cut of spending among the services. This is not the optimum allocation of scarce resources in coming years if our national strategy is to maintain global presence and communications, as well as to fight cost-effectively and be capable of defeating modernized militaries.

Read more ....

My Comment: In a time when we are facing trillion dollar deficits .... the US Air Force will try their best to make their case .... but .... I am confident to say that they will have problems to raise the money that they need because what politician and voters are seeing are reports like this one.

U.S. Air Force Going Back To Buying Stealth Aircraft

The Air Force will turn to stealthy aircraft such as the F-22 Raptor to meets the Pentagon's Pacific-focused military strategy. Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock / Air Force

Future USAF Acquisition To Focus On Pacific -- U.S Air Force Times

The Air Force will return to its roots in the coming years, tailoring its acquisition needs to meet the Pentagon’s Pacific-focused military strategy by buying stealthy aircraft and systems.

That means the service will look to purchase systems and aircraft — particularly a new bomber — that can fly without being noticed in denied airspace, a reversal of Air Force operations over the past decade.

“I think right now what we’re trying to do is remind everybody that we’ve got to start planning to build systems and to field capabilities to fight in a contested environment again,” Lt. Gen. Charles “CR” Davis, the Air Force military deputy for acquisition, said during his first interview since becoming the service’s top uniformed weapons buyer.

Read more ....

My Comment: It looks like they are going to put their money where their mouth is.

US Air Force Faces Growing Sex Scandal

31 Female Victims And Counting In Air Force Sexual Assault Scandal -- The Atlantic

In what's probably the worst sex assault scandal in the U.S. military in the last 20 years, Air force officials have determined that 31 women have been identified as victims of sexual misconduct and assault at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, where 12 male boot-camp instructors are under investigation for allegedly raping, assaulting, harassing, and having sex with female recruits. "Gen. Edward Rice, commander of the Air Education and Training Command, told Pentagon reporters that a dozen male instructors were under investigation, and that nine of them were from the same unit — the 331st Training Squadron," according to The Associated Press. The San Antonio Express News' Tracy Idell Hamilton notes that Rice said all 31 women were still part of the Air Force.

Read more ....

More News On the Growing US Air Force Sex Scandal

AETC commander addresses recruits' allegations of sexual misconduct -- US Air Force
Revealed: The shocking sex scandal that has rocked a Texas Air Force base, leading to four being charged over misconduct allegations -- Daily Mail
Air Force investigates growing sex-abuse scandal -- Washington Post
Sex scandal widens at Air Force base in Texas -- Reuters
31 victims identified in widening Air Force sex scandal -- CNN
Air Force expands sex abuse investigation -- UPI
Widening sex scandal rocks Texas Air Force base -- MSNBC/AP
Air Force has identified 31 alleged victims in Lackland sex abuse scandal -- Stars and Stripes
Air Force Investigating 12 Instructors on Sexual Misconduct -- SFGate/Bloomberg
Sex abuse scandal rocks US Air Base -- RT
6 US Military Instructors Charged With Sexual Offense Against Women Trainees -- RTT News
‘Aggressive Action’ Follows Sexual Misconduct Charges -- US Department of Defense

F-15E Elephant Walk (Video)

U.S. Air Force To Scale Back Air Shows

Air Force Scaling Back Air Show Demos -- Standard Examiner

HILL AIR FORCE BASE — The Air Force announced that it’s scaling back its participation in dozens of air shows in 2012, in an effort to cut costs and put money into combat operations. But officials at Hill Air Force Base said the upcoming show won’t look much different than it has in years past.

Officials at Air Combat Command eliminated the solo performances of five of its crews based in Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Utah.

Eliminating solo performances by the A-10, the F-16 and F-15E, is expected to save the Air Force $15.5 million and allow about 970 training flights that otherwise would have been canceled.

Read more ....

Update: Air Force cuts back on air show demonstrations -- FOX News/AP

My Comment: Expect even more show cancellations in the future.

U.S. Air Force: 1,000 Mock Targets Destroyed By 70 F-15Es In A Few Hours

F-15E Strike Eagles of the 4th Fighter Wing perform an "Elephant Walk" as they taxi down the runway during a Turkey Shoot training mission on Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., April 16, 2012. The wing generated nearly 70 aircraft to destroy more than 1,000 targets on bombing ranges across the state to commemorate the 4th's victory over the Luftwaffe on April 16, 1945. The aircrews are assigned to the 4th Fighter Wing's 333rd, 334th, 335th, and 336th Fighter Squadrons. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Elizabeth Rissmiller/Released)

Air Force Wing Takes Mere Hours to Blast 1,000 Mock Targets -- Danger Room

In World War II, it could take up to 30,000 bombing runs over a period of weeks to destroy a thousand ground targets. On Monday in North Carolina, the U.S. Air Force’s 4th Fighter Wing hit 1,000 targets in a single sweep, using just 70 or so Boeing F-15E Strike Eagles capable of dropping large numbers of small, smart munitions. Estimated time of destruction: a couple hours.

The F-15s’ mass takeoff, depicted above, was itself an impressive feat. The fighters packed the runway and tarmac at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in eastern North Carolina. Wing commander Col. Patrick Doherty took off first, followed by the other aircrews at intervals of just a few seconds.

Read more ....

Update #1: Strike Eagle Extreme; Nearly 70 F-15Es take to sky -- Seymour Johnson Air Force Base
Update #2: 4th FW Airmen to launch aircraft to honor WWII history -- US Air Force

My Comment: Talk about a clear demonstration to the world of U.S. air power.

U.S. Air Force Orders Pilots To Use Less Fuel

A KC-10 Extender aerial tanker refuels f-16s somewhere over Afghanistan. Air Force photo/Capt. Sean Chuplis

Air Force Tells Pilots To Slow Down To Save Fuel -- Stars and Stripes

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — The Air Force has ordered its pilots to fly higher and slower in an effort to slash fuel use while still performing the same missions.

The rise in oil prices has added $1 billion to the cost of fueling the Air Force fleet in 2012, deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for energy Kevin Geiss said last month.

“We use the most energy of all the services in the Department of Defense, and we are the largest energy user in the federal government,” Geiss said. “Every day, we fly 900 mobility aircraft flights around the world moving cargo and fuel and doing disaster response and aeromedical evacuation as well as operations with combat aircraft.”

Read more ....

My Comment: Expect more orders coming out in the future that will limit the use of ..... well .... of everything.

All Of The U.S. Air Force's F-35 And F-22 Fleet Are Now Grounded

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (top) and the F-22 Raptor United States Air Force. Photo from PopSci

All F-35 And F-22s Grounded -- RT

Over 200 of the most expensive aircrafts in the world are used by the US Military, but fleets of war planes owned by the Air Force are sitting on the sidelines, despite costing billions of dollars.

All 20 of the F-35 aircrafts in a fleet manufactured by Lockheed Martin were grounded today after the factory’s Joint Program Office (JPO) identified a failure in the plane’s electrical system while conducting tests on the ground.

An official for the JPO tells Flight International that they are investigating the problem, and once the facts are “understood,” Lockheed Martin will then decide what to do with the fleet of planes.

Read more ....

My Comment: After spending bilions and billions of dollars, this is news that you do not want to hear.

An All-Female Air Force Team Makes History On Afghanistan Mission

The Strike Eagles Of 'Dudette 07': All-Female Crew In Historic Mission Over Afghanistan -- The Daily Mail

* First female F15-E pilot was Lieutenant Jeannie Flynn in 1993
* Mission launched in honour of Women's History Month

A squadron of American female Airman, called the Strike Eagles of 'Dudette 07', made history last week when they launched an air mission over Afghanistan.

The two F-15E jets roared off from Bagram on Wednesday, just west of the Pakistan border, and offered close air support for coalition and Afghan forces.

The quod, made up of two pilots and two weapons system officers, became part of the first mission in U.S. Air Force history to be planned, maintained and flown by women.

Read more ....

More News On An All-Female Air Force Team Making History On Afghanistan Mission

All-female team launches historic mission over Afghanistan -- US Air Force
All-female Air Force team, the 'Strike Eagles of 'Dudette '07', make history on Afghanistan mission -- New York Daily News
All-girl flight crew makes history -- The Sun
Dudette 07, First All-Women U.S. Air Force Team, Makes History In Afghanistan -- Huffington Post

My Comment: I am not surprised that this has happened .... I am just surprised that it has taken this long for this to be done.

Secretary of Defense Gates Critical On The Direction Of U.S. Air Force

LUNCHTIME WAVE - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates gives a wave to Air Force Academy cadets having lunch break in Mitchell Hall after he taught classes as part of the Capstone Seminar at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., March 4, 2011. DOD photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Jerry Morrison

Gates: Air Force Must Find Balance For Future Wars -- Stars And Stripes/AP

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) -- The Air Force must balance its legacy of combat fighters with the surveillance, space, transport and cyber missions that will dominate future wars, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday.

He told cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy that there still a pressing need for American air supremacy as countries such as China and Iran pursue longer range weapons and air defense missiles.

Read more ....

More News On Gate's Remarks At the U.S. Air Force Academy

Remarks by Secretary Gates at the United States Air Force Academy -- U.S. Department of Defense

Gates Urges New Air Force Leaders to Think Creatively -- US Department of Defense
Gates: Air Force Must Prepare For 21st-Century Threats -- US Department of Defense
Gates Warns on ‘Real Air Force Normal’ -- Wall Street Journal
Gates Says U.S. Air Force May Resist Change Once He Leaves -- Bloomberg
Gates warns Air Force to prepare for range of threats -- Reuters
Gates: Air Force must find balance for future wars -- AP
Gates warns Air Force to prepare for range of threats -- CNBC
Gates to Air Force: Get Used to Drones, Cargo Runs -- The Danger Room

Top U.S. Air Force Generals Are Being Reprimanded

Thirteen Air Force general officers have received letters of admonishment since the summer of 2008. One lieutenant general received a letter of reprimand. Staff graphic

Brass Sanctions ‘Unprecedented’ -- Air Force Times

The bad marks are piling up for generals. Thirteen Air Force general officers — from four-star commanders to brigadiers in staff assignments — have been handed letters of admonishment since Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz and Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley took over in the summer of 2008. One lieutenant general received a letter of reprimand.

“This is unprecedented,” said Charles Dunlap, who retired in June as a major general and deputy judge advocate of the Air Force. “It certainly seems that the Air Force is applying a tougher standard than anyone else in the Department of Defense.”

Read more ....

My Comment: This is unprecedented, I just would like to know why the other services are not doing the same thing?

Avoiding Air Force Tragedies

Another Avoidable Air Force Tragedy -- Time Magazine

Back in September, I posted about this crash of a B-52 bomber after a pair of Navy choppers did some illicit dipping into Lake Tahoe. The B-52 crashed in 1994, during practice for an upcoming air show, killing all four on board. The Air Force has just released its probe into the July 28 crash of a C-17 cargo plane in Alaska...during practice for an upcoming air show, killing all four on board:

Read more ....

My Comment: Check out the comments section in this post .... they are a must read for those who want to know more about the men and women who fly our planes, and why studying accidents and understanding them is a necessary requirement.

Russian Fighter Development Threatens U.S. Air Dominance

Russian Fighter Development Threatens U.S. Air Dominance, Group Says -- Sky Talk

The conservative Heritage Foundation has issued a report warning that Russia's plans for development of a new top line fighter jet could threaten U.S. air superiority since the Pentagon is shutting down Lockheed Martin's F-22 program.

With America’s closure of the F-22 production line and the recent debut of Russia’s PAK FA fifth-generation stealth fighter, American air supremacy for the foreseeable future is not as assured as the U.S. Department of Defense once predicted. Indeed, Lieutenant General David A. Deptula, recently departed Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance in the U.S. Air Force, recently made the startling announcement: “For the first time, our claim to air supremacy is in jeopardy.… The dominance we’ve enjoyed in the aerial domain is no longer ours for the taking.”[1]

Read more ....

My Comment: With the U.S. F-35 experiencing development and cost problems, this can become a reality sooner than what many analysts fear. On a side note, the Russians have made it clear that procurement for new aircraft is a priority for the Russian air force.