Top Five Air Force Stories for Jan. 5, 2012

Today's stories include:

Obama: Future force will be smaller, agile, ready 
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123285200

Obama: Defense strategy will maintain U.S. military pre-eminence 
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123285156

SecDef calls deployed Air Force NCO to ring in new year 
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123285154

AWACS crew coordinates rescue in Afghanistan  
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123285121

Commentary - Alcohol does not have to direct your life 
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123285185



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Obama: Future force will be smaller, agile, ready

by Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- At a moment of national transition, the U.S. is reshaping defense priorities and its military force to sustain U.S. global leadership and respond to changing security and fiscal needs, President Barack Obama said Jan. 5 at the Pentagon.

Obama, the first president to address reporters in the Pentagon briefing room, joined Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to introduce a new military strategy that sets priorities for a 21st-century defense.

"The United States of America is the greatest force for freedom and security that the world has ever known," Obama said. "In no small measure, that's because we've built the best-trained, best-led, best-equipped military in history -- and as commander in chief, I'm going to keep it that way."

Even as the tide of war recedes and U.S. forces prevail in today's missions, he added, "we have the opportunity and the responsibility to look ahead to the force we need for the future."

Looking beyond the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and long-term nation-building with large military footprints, Obama said, the U.S. will be able to ensure its security with smaller conventional ground forces and by investing in capabilities that include intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and the ability to operate in environments where adversaries try to deny access.

"Yes, our military will be leaner," he said, "but the world must know the United States is going to maintain our military superiority with armed forces that are agile, flexible and ready for the full range of contingencies and threats."

Panetta said the department would need to make a strategic shift regardless of the nation's fiscal situation.

"We are at that point in history," the secretary added. "That's the reality of the world we live in."

But he stressed that the U.S. military will remain capable across the spectrum.

"We will continue to conduct a complex set of missions ranging from counterterrorism, ranging from countering weapons of mass destruction to maintaining a safe, secure and effective nuclear deterrent," Panetta said, adding that the department will be "fully prepared to protect our interests, defend our homeland and support civil authorities."

The Defense Strategic Guidance document released today says the future force will be led by the world's finest, best cared for and battle-tested all-volunteer military -- one that will be smaller, but that also will be flexible, agile and ready.

The force will be leaner, further reducing the cost of doing business and finding efficiencies in overhead, business practices and other support activities, according to the guidance. It also will be technologically superior, the document adds, and networked across the services as well as with diplomatic, development and intelligence agencies, allies and partners. The strategy also outlines a force that will be able to regenerate and mobilize for an unpredictable future, preserving the U.S. industrial base.

"As a global force, our military will never be doing only one thing," Panetta said. "It will be responsible for a range of missions and activities across the globe of varying scope, duration and strategic priority. This will place a premium on flexible and adaptable forces that can respond quickly and effectively to a variety of contingencies and potential adversaries."

With the end of U.S. military commitments in Iraq and the drawdown under way in Afghanistan, the secretary said, the Army and Marine Corps will no longer need to be sized to support the kind of large-scale, long-term stability operations that have dominated military priorities and force generation over the past decade.

Continuing investments in special operations forces, in new technologies such as ISR and unmanned systems and in space and especially cyberspace capabilities will help the force "retain and continue to refine and institutionalize the expertise and capabilities that have been gained at such great cost over the last decade," Panetta said.

Most importantly, the secretary added, "we will structure and pace reductions in the nation's ground forces in such a way that they can surge, regenerate and mobilize capabilities needed for any contingency."

Building in reversibility and the ability to quickly mobilize will be critical, he said.

"That means re-examining the mix of elements in the active and reserve components," Panetta said. "It means maintaining a strong National Guard and Reserve. It means retaining a healthy cadre of experienced [noncommissioned officers] and midgrade officers, and preserving the health and viability of the nation's defense industrial base."

The strategy, Dempsey said, is sound.

"It ensures we remain the pre-eminent military in the world," the chairman told reporters, "it preserves the talent of the all-volunteer force, it takes into account the lessons of the last 10 years of war, [and] it acknowledges the imperative of a global, networked and full-spectrum joint force."

The strategy calls for innovation -- new ways of operating and partnering, Dempsey said, adding that it rebalances the defense focus by region and mission and makes important investments in emerging and proven capabilities such as cyber and special operations.

"Fundamentally," the chairman said, "our strategy has always been about our ability to respond to global contingencies wherever and whenever they happen. This does not change. We will always provide a range of options for our nation. We can and will always be able to do more than one thing at a time. More importantly, wherever we are confronted and in whatever sequence, we will win."

All strategies accept some risk, he acknowledged.

"Because we will be somewhat smaller, these risks will be measured in time and capacity," the general said. "However, we have to be honest -- we could face even greater risks if we did not change from our current approach."

The outcome is not perfect, the chairman said, but "it gives us what we need -- in this world and within this budget -- to provide the best possible defense for our nation at a time of great transitions. It prepares us for what we anticipate needing in 2020."

The nation faces a difficult fiscal situation and in many ways is at a crisis point, Panetta said.

"But I believe that in every crisis there is opportunity," he added. "Out of this crisis, we have the opportunity to end the old ways of doing business and to build a modern force for the 21st century that can win today's wars and successfully confront any enemy and respond to any threat and any challenge of the future.

"Our responsibility -- my responsibility as secretary of defense -- is to protect the nation's security and to keep America safe," he continued. "With this joint force, I am confident that we can effectively defend the United States of America."

Obama: Defense strategy will maintain U.S. military pre-eminence

by Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- President Barack Obama announced a defense strategy Jan. 5 that he said will allow the military to defend the United States and its national interests while cutting military spending in a responsible, balanced manner.

The president spoke about the conclusions of the defense strategy review at the Pentagon briefing room. The strategy review's bottom line is that the United States armed forces will remain the pre-eminent military force in the world, the president said in a letter attached to the review.

White House and Pentagon planners will use the strategy to fund the budget Obama will submit to Congress in February. The strategy will lead to more than $450 billion in defense cuts over the next 10 years.

"As commander in chief, I am determined that we meet the challenges of this moment responsibly and that we emerge even stronger in a manner that preserves American global leadership, maintains our military superiority and keeps faith with our troops, military families and veterans," Obama said.

The president stressed that this is a moment of transition for the military; after 10 years of war, he said, now is the time to make these changes. He pointed to successes against al-Qaida -- including killing Osama bin Laden -- as well as the withdrawal from Iraq and the beginning of the turnover of areas in Afghanistan to Afghan control as signs that the sacrifices American Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen and civilians are having an effect.

As the conflicts end, the U.S. military will regroup and focus on broader challenges, especially as they pertain to the Asia-Pacific region, the president said. Obama had vowed to shift the focus during a trip to the region last year.

The U.S. also will work to maintain progress in the Middle East, Central Asia and North Africa. "We are supporting political and economic reform and deepening partnership as to ensure regional security," he said.

The strategy is not limited to the Defense Department, Obama said. All aspects of the U.S. government must work together, he explained, including diplomacy, development, homeland security and intelligence.

The president vowed to avoid mistakes made in downsizing the military after past wars, such as the "hollow force" of the late 1970s and early 1980s that followed the Vietnam War. "We will ensure that our military is agile, flexible and ready for the full range of contingencies," Obama said.

The United States will continue to invest in capabilities to combat the full-range of threats, the president said. He specifically mentioned investing in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance programs and counterterrorism capabilities, combating anti-access technologies, countering weapons of mass destruction and prevailing in all domains, including the cyber world.

"Most importantly, we will keep faith with our troops, military families and veterans who have borne the burden of a decade of war and who make our military the best in the world," the president said. While the military must make tough fiscal choices, Obama said, funding will continue to focus on wounded warriors, mental health programs and families.

SecDef calls deployed Air Force NCO to ring in new year

by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy Larlee
438th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

KABUL, Afghanistan (AFNS) -- The NCO picked up the phone in his office at Kabul International Airport and on the other end was the Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta who called Jan. 1, 2012, to wish him a happy New Year.

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Charles Heathman, a rotary wing maintenance adviser with the 438th Air Expeditionary Wing, said the experience is something he will always remember.

"It was really exciting," he said. "I've never talked with someone that has so much importance to our military."

The sergeant, a native of Siloam Springs, Ark., started his day much like he has started every day on his deployment. He walked the flightline mentoring Afghan maintainers about subjects including fleet management, calendar inspections, maintenance practices and supply procedures.

"It's a very trying, but rewarding job," he said. "There have been a lot of barriers to break down with language and culture, but it is a great feeling to see them start to use what we have been teaching."

Heathman said he has seen marked improvement by the Afghans since he arrived in October.

"Seeing the Afghans take some of these things we have mentored them about and make it their own has been great," he said. "It is a satisfying feeling for me to see them launching missions by themselves."

During the ten minute call Panetta asked the sergeant for his take on the mission in Afghanistan and how things were going in the maintenance world. Panetta then shared with Heathman some of his vision for the future of Afghanistan. After talking about the sergeant's family and letting the maintainer know how much his efforts were appreciated by his country, the phone call ended.

The sergeant was hand-picked as the Air Force representative to receive the call. His supervisor Air Force Capt. Darren Tabor, the flightline maintenance lead here, said Heathman was extremely deserving of the honor.

"Sergeant Heathman has been on the ground for 120 days," said Tabor. "Since he has been here he has demonstrated outstanding leadership ability and has shown a great knack for training the Afghan forces."

The captain has many responsibilities on the flightline and he said having an NCO of Heathman's caliber is extremely helpful. The St. Louis native said it was great to see a maintainer get recognized for his work.

"It's an outstanding feeling," he said. "Maintenance personnel put in a lot of hard work and log a lot of hours on the flightline. It is very neat to see that one of our folks is getting recognized for all of the contributions he has made since he has been here in Afghanistan."



AWACS crew coordinates rescue in Afghanistan

by Staff Sgt. J.G. Buzanowski
380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) -- Helping rescue downed pilots isn't something Airmen aboard an E-3 Sentry do regularly, but that's exactly what happened to one crew from the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Dec. 30.

Two hours into the Sentry crew's planned mission, they received a mayday call, relayed through a KC-135 Stratotanker, from an AH-64 Apache. The Apache pilots' wingmen had crashed in northern Afghanistan. The two pilots were okay, but they were going to need help getting back to base.

That's when the E-3 Airmen diverted from their scheduled flight plan. After all, lives were at stake, said Maj. Paul Lankes, the mission crew senior director.

According to Lankes, rescuing the Soldiers was going to take the combined effort from several elements, but command and control is what Sentry crews do best. The E-3 is an airborne warning and control system, or AWACS, aircraft. With the advanced radar and computer systems aboard the plane, the crews are able to manage a battlespace of more than 250 miles around them.

The Sentry Airmen coordinated actions of several crews engaged in the rescue: the pilots on the ground, the Apache still airborne, senior leaders at the Combined Air and Space Operations Center and even a pair of coalition F-16 Falcons nearby.

"We knew the guys on the ground were going to need armed overwatch, so we called in the F-16s, who were at the end of their patrol, but they flew out to look out for the Soldiers," said Lankes, who is assigned to the 964th Expeditionary Airborne Air Control Squadron. "They told us they were low on fuel, so that meant we'd need a tanker. Fortunately, there was one close and available."

The Sentry team called the KC-135 crew who took the initial distress call to see if they were able to refuel the F-16s, officials said. Two other tankers from the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing took over refueling duties for other jets in the area, so the original crew was free to help the F-16s. Once they were ready again, the F-16s helped the remaining Apache crew provide air cover until a convoy from a nearby outpost arrived to collect the crew. Additional helicopters landed and troops recovered the AH-64 wreckage.

"Eventually the F-16s had to return to base, so a pair of A-10 (Thunderbolt II)s took their place, and then we needed an additional tanker, so another KC-135 joined in as well," explained Capt. Joel Doss, the E-3 electronic combat officer. "Really it all came down to a team effort on everyone's part. We had all the components of our crew, the folks on the ground, the CAOC and all of the other aircrews flying in support. But that kind of orchestration is what we do."

Commentary - Alcohol does not have to direct your life

by Lt. Col. Anthony Carr
14th Airlift Squadron commander

JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. (AFNS) -- The 437th Airlift Wing recently achieved an impressive goal; 120 days without a driving under the influence arrest. This indicates a growing trend of strong wingman support and responsible drinking. As we begin 2012, it's the perfect moment to build on that success by focusing on all alcohol-related incidents.

Gen. Jimmy Doolittle was famous for saying that "if we must fight, we should do so from the neck up rather than the neck down." He was talking about thinking our way through the fight before it ever begins. There is a useful parallel in how we approach drinking. Rather than fixating on how to cope with consequences, we should devote more energy to thinking our way through alcohol use before it becomes abuse.

The human relationship with alcohol is complicated. In modern times, it has been glorified as the key to a good time and demonized as a symbol for irresponsible partying. These oversimplifications mask the complex truth: while alcohol sometimes contributes to disciplinary issues, human decision-making is the universal root cause in alcohol-related incidents. This is a fact worth investigating more closely, but first we must first confront two common myths.

Myth #1: Drinking is for "idiots." Alcohol is woven into our societal fabric and its use is not limited to those having poor judgment or low intelligence. The first evidence of wine production dates back more than 10,000 years and the rise in alcohol use has paralleled the advance of civilization. The industrial production of alcohol for sale and export accompanied the ascent of the Roman Empire; it played economic and spiritual roles in the world's first superpower society. Leaders, followers and peers alike must internalize that alcohol is a fixture in our way of life. Rather than discount it as a lesser activity or futilely try to engineer it out of our collective behaviors, it is best that we approach it thoughtfully.

Myth #2: Alcohol is for troublemakers. Devout monks are just as likely to have a drink in their spare time as serial felons. As a supervisor and commander at multiple levels, I've dealt with many alcohol-related incidents. Occasionally, they involve Airmen with troubled records on their way out of our service. More often, they involve good people who engage in unexpected and uncharacteristic actions. I've yet to come across an Airman who woke up one morning determined to ruin his or her life. If we pretend alcohol-related incidents are reserved for those who are prone to trouble, we will make a critical mistake in incident prevention.

These myths are mental shortcuts that allow us draw convenient but false conclusions concerning alcohol use. When we get past these shortcuts, we begin to see alcohol-related incidents as stories of good people making bad choices. In my experience, three main drivers explain most disciplinary incidents that include alcohol use. Thinking about these drivers before we drink is the key to keeping ourselves and our wingmen out of trouble.

Driver #1: Low Self-Awareness. Why do we drink? It's a tough question because we're socialized to consider drinking and thinking mutually exclusive. We must move past this mindset. We should all understand why we're engaging in this activity in order to build objectives and avoidance areas that will apply. My theory is that some people who drink do so for the feeling of being a little out of control. Adult human beings are subject to professional, personal and societal limits on behavior and can't help but enjoy the feeling of liberation that accompanies a relaxed behavioral grip. Up to a certain point, there is nothing wrong with this. However, we each have a transition point from an acceptable to an unacceptable loss of control. Beyond that point, behavior is unpredictable, sometimes uncharacteristic and often beneath reproach, which is never OK. This transition point is difficult to define and different for each situation. Only through self-awareness can we learn how much alcohol can lead to a loss of control and learn to recognize and arrest its onset.

Driver #2: Lack of planning. When it comes to alcohol, failing to plan is planning to fail. Planning is easier said than done because we've been socialized to consider drinking a carefree activity. This is the wrong mindset; it leads to personal and professional ruin. Plan your night. At a minimum, know where your journey will begin, transit and end; who you will spend your time with; and how much you will drink. Once you have that plan, hold on to it as your playbook for responsible fun.

Driver #3: Impaired Decisions. After even one drink, your decisions are compromised. At a mild level of intoxication, you will readily set aside rules because you're feeling less inhibited. At a medium level of intoxication and beyond, you'll make poor decisions based on shifting criteria. Unacceptable outcomes are a likely result. People who get into trouble while drunk are often mystified at their decisions, feeling as though they were made by someone else. The difficult truth is that we are all poor decision makers when we drink. Therefore, no important decision should be made once drinking has commenced. Anticipate situations and decide on responses while you're still sober. Do your best to ingrain proper decisions into your thought patterns before you chemically disrupt normal brain function.

Alcohol, for better or worse, is a part of our culture and has been for thousands of years. We can't wish it away and we can't engineer it out of our activities. What we must do is reason through the human-alcohol relationship and ingrain patterns of action and decision to keep ourselves and our teammates within the bounds of acceptable conduct. Alcohol can be enjoyed responsibly given a high degree of self-awareness, good planning and sober decision making. If we actively think through our interface with it and learn to master it "from the neck up," we can eliminate its unfavorable consequences.

Please continue to think before you drink and carry these ideas into your safe New Year.