Top Air Force Stories for Feb. 13, 2012

Today's stories include:

AF 2013 budget: Cuts while keeping agile, flexible, ready force 
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123289948

35 Airmen selected for 2012 Tops in Blue tour 
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123289880

Young girl's curiosity of science leads to becoming first African-American woman in space 
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123289491

Troops, families to benefit from landmark settlement 
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123289699

Feature - Father, son example of one team, one fight 
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123289765



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AF 2013 budget: Cuts while keeping agile, flexible, ready force

by Tech. Sgt. Richard Williams
Air Force Public Affairs Agency

WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- The Air Force released its fiscal 2013 budget Feb. 13 and stressed the need for difficult budgetary cuts to meet the new defense strategy while maintaining the service's agility, flexibility and readiness.

The Air Force is requesting $154.3 billion in the president's 2013 budget, a reduction of five percent from the $162.5 billion the service received in fiscal 2012.

"The Air Force made some very difficult choices," said Maj. Gen. Edward L. Bolton Jr., the deputy assistant secretary for budget. "But it was our priority to tightly align with the new strategy and also stay within the fiscal environment as a result of the realities we are facing economically."

The Air Force Strategic Choices and Budget Priorities paper, released by Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz on Jan. 27, calls for streamlining of the force, making it smaller and more efficient with care to not create a hollow force.

Under the Budget Control Act, the Department of Defense is required to reduce expenditures by $487 billion over the next 10 years with a reduction of $259 billion over the next five.

"It is worth noting that our budget has reduced by 12 percent in real terms since FY09," Bolton said. "So we have seen a consistent trend of reductions in the budget.

"The Air Force budget portion of the Budget Control Act reductions over the next five years is $54 billion," Bolton said.

The Air Force's portion is not a result of simply dividing responsibility between the services. Instead, the budget amount is strategy driven, while maintaining a properly equipped force with the ability to deter, deny and defeat an opportunistic aggressor in a combined campaign any time, anywhere, he added.

"The strategy requires a different force structure and different tools; the Air Force is realigning the total force to address the future," Bolton said.

The service has drawn down many times in the past, but never as a nation still at war. Previous size reductions focused more on maintaining force structure, which left the Air Force with a hollow force, he said.

"It is really about balancing risk among the themes of force structure, readiness, modernization and taking care of our people," Bolton said. "We have sized the force to the strategy within the fiscal constraints we are facing."

The Air Force is looking at a nearly $3 billion reduction in procurement cost because the service divested and is purchasing less hardware. Also, there is a reduction of about $500 million in research, development, testing and evaluation, but the Air Force continued its focus on modernizing key components that will maintain the service's technological edge, Bolton said.

"Funding for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and space remain a priority," he added. "We will continue to develop programs in ISR ensuring we are supplying this skill set to the joint warfighter and coalition partners."

According to Bolton, funding also remains in place for the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter -- the centerpiece for future modernization to be able to prevail in contested environments.

"Ensuring fiscal goals are met and fleet modernization continues are only half of the goal in the new strategy," said Bolton. "Taking care of Airmen and their families is a key component and cannot get lost in talking of mere numbers.

"We are reducing the force by 9,900 Airmen, which will reduce the end strength of active duty, Guard and Reserve to around a 501,000 total force," he said. "This allows us to appropriately size the force structure to the strategy and hardware we are going to have in the inventory."

The Air Force is proposing a 1.7 percent military pay raise in fiscal 2013 and a 4.2 percent raise in basic allowance for housing and 3.4 percent raise in the basic allowance for subsistence as a continuing growth of compensation for service.

"We are budgeting more than $700 million for family programs including child and youth programs and child development centers," Bolton said. "We will continue to take care of our folks; we just need to ensure it is being done efficiently under tighter fiscal constraints."

Housing is a key ingredient to taking care of Airmen and the Air Force is close to reaching its goal of 53,000 privatized housing units force-wide with over 40,000 units in place and the remaining units to be ready in fiscal 2013.

"We've increased our family housing budget by $93 million and this will allow us to meet our goal," Bolton said. "Completing this transition is important because we have found through privatization we are able to increase the quality of housing for our Airmen and their families."

Looking back to the 2011 requirements -- military action and support in Iraq and Afghanistan, supporting NATO missions in Libya, along with humanitarian support to Japan following a major earthquake -- Bolton reinforced the reach and responsibility placed on today's Airmen and emphasized the importance of providing them the tools required for a versatile force.

"We will continue to do everything we can to provide them with the tools they need to continue to be the best Air Force in the world for decades to come," Bolton said.

35 Airmen selected for 2012 Tops in Blue tour

by Erin Tindell
Air Force Personnel, Services and Manpower Public Affairs

SAN ANTONIO (AFNS) -- Air Force Services Agency officials here recently announced the names of 35 Airmen selected for the 2012 Tops in Blue tour.

In January, more than 80 Airmen competed as singers, dancers, musicians, magicians and technicians for Tops in Blue slots during the annual Air Force Worldwide Talent Search at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. The selected Airmen will go on to serve as Air Force ambassadors in the Air Force's premier expeditionary entertainment unit, traveling to more than 20 countries and performing more than 120 shows this year.

Members of the 2012 Tops in Blue tour are:

Vocalists
-- Senior Airman Charles Cooper, Ramstein Air Base, Germany
-- Senior Airman Jessica Cunningham, Tinker AFB, Okla.
-- 1st Lt. Ashley Elmore, Ellsworth AFB, S.D.
-- Senior Airman Robin Elrod, Osan AB, Korea
-- Airman 1st Class Joseph Hardeman, Cannon AFB, N.M.
-- Airman 1st Class Briana Hofreiter, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii
-- Senior Airman Joanell Jackson, Fort Stewart, Ga.
-- Staff Sgt. Tyron Jones, Yokota AB, Japan
-- Airman 1st Class Joseph Kay, Dyess AFB, Texas
-- Airman 1st Class Jonathan Leak, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii
-- Master Sgt. Matthew Lemieux, Ramstein AB, Germany
-- Senior Airman Emmanuel Maldonado Rosario, Keesler AFB, Miss.
-- Tech. Sgt. Tonie Marshall, Holloman AFB, N.M.
-- Senior Airman Kerrilee Meeker, Patrick AFB, Fla.
-- 2nd Lt. Joseph Mitchell, Royal Air Force Lakenheath, United Kingdom
-- 1st Lt. Kandis Rich, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
-- Airman 1st Class Timothy Sentz, Scott AFB, Ill.
-- Senior Airman Brandi Skillman, Minot AFB, N.D.
-- Staff Sgt. Gilbert Tarnate, Travis AFB, Calif.

Instrumentalists
-- Airman 1st Class Alexander Allred, Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
-- Airman 1st Class Kenneth Del Valle Ruiz, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.
-- Staff Sgt. Daniel Knight, Peterson AFB, Colo.
-- Airman 1st Class Jessica Pitts, Spangdahlem AB, Germany
-- Tech. Sgt. Gabriel Stocker, Gunter AFB, Ala.
-- Staff Sgt. Joshua Tarrant, Buckley AFB, Colo.
-- Airman 1st Class Wynton Warren, Kadena AB, Japan
-- Staff Sgt. Anthony Williams, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.
-- Senior Airman Kyle Willis,Whiteman AFB, Mo.

Technicians
-- Senior Airman Ruth Bryce, Tinker AFB, Okla.
-- Senior Airman Brian Corsetti, Nellis AFB, Nev.
-- Airman 1st Class Nicholas Grazulis, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho
-- Master Sgt. Kristopher Kobernus, Ramstein AB, Germany
-- Tech. Sgt. Michael Menges, Eglin AFB, Fla.
-- Airman 1st Class Roger Payne, Shaw AFB, S.C.
-- Airman 1st Class Julian Saviano, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.

After completing a training regimen at Lackland AFB, the new Tops in Blue team will hit the road in June.

For a schedule of Tops in Blue performances or more information, visit www.topsinblue.com. Follow Tops in Blue at www.twitter.com/aftopsinblue, the Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/topsinblue or read blog entries at http://tib.dodlive.mil.


Young girl's curiosity of science leads to becoming first African-American woman in space

FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. (AFNS) -- The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

However, going from a small town in Alabama to miles above the surface of the earth required a few stops along the way for Dr. Mae Jemison, who was the first African American woman accepted to the NASA astronaut program.

Born Oct. 17, 1956, in Decatur, Ala., and raised in Chicago, Jemison was a studious child, spending hours in the school library reading about astronomy and other sciences. Her parents - a carpenter father and teacher mother - encouraged her curiosity, even allowing her to study pus when she got an infection from a splinter.

"It sounds a little gross, but I was fascinated with pus," Jemison said during a 1996 interview with "Stanford Today." "I ran and showed it to my mother and she was telling me it was pus. I was like, 'Well, what is that?' And I ended up doing this whole project, reading about pus."

This desire to learn about nature and how it all fits together eventually led her to pursue a degree in chemical engineering from Stanford University, which she started at 16 years old in 1973. By 1981, Jemison had her Doctor of Medicine degree from Cornell Medical College.

During her time at medical school, she traveled to countries like Cuba, Thailand and Kenya to provide medical care, so it was no surprise that after she finished her internship at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, she joined the Peace Corps as a medical officer. Her position took her to Liberia and Sierra Leone, as well as gave her an opportunity to work with the Center for Disease Control. Through all of this, she was continuing her childhood desire of learning about how the world works.

It wasn't until 1992, however, that another childhood desire was achieved: she launched into orbit above the earth aboard the space shuttle Endeavour. Inspired by the "Star Trek" character Lt. Uhura, played by actress Nichelle Nichols, Jemison always thought she'd go into space. She was so determined, in fact, that even though her first application to NASA was turned down in 1983, she reapplied in 1987. After being selected for the astronaut program upon her second try, she was assigned to launch support activities at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

After working on the ground for five years, Jemison was finally sent into space as the science mission specialist on STS-47 Spacelab-J mission from Sept. 12-20, 1992.

"The first thing I saw from space was Chicago, my hometown," Jemison said in a 2003 interview with the "New York Times." "I was working on the middeck where there aren't many windows, and as we passed over Chicago, the commander called me up to the flight deck. It was such a significant moment because since I was a little girl I had always assumed I would go into space."

This mission made Jemison not only the first African American woman accepted to the astronaut training program, but also the first to travel in space. She highlighted this fact, according to Doris L. Rich, the biographer of Bessie Coleman, by bringing a photo of Coleman with her into space. Coleman was the first African American woman to fly an airplane in the U.S.

Although she helped make significant advancements for both women and African Americans in space-related science and travel, Jemison left NASA in March 1993. Not one to rest on her laurels, she went on to become a college professor; found an international science camp; advocate for education and healthcare in Third World countries; and push for science and technology to enhance daily life.


Troops, families to benefit from landmark settlement

by Elaine Sanchez
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON -- Service members and their families are among the Americans who will benefit from a "landmark" $25 billion foreclosure settlement between the government and banks, federal and state officials said today.

The federal government and 49 state attorneys general reached the agreement with the nation's five largest mortgage lenders to address mortgage loan servicing and foreclosure abuses. This agreement includes substantial financial compensation for military homeowners -- above and beyond the $25 billion -- and sets up significant new protections for troops and their families for the future, officials told reporters during a conference call today.

"On my travels to military communities across the country during the past year, I have repeatedly heard about the devastating impact of the housing crisis on military homeowners," said Holly Petraeus, assistant director for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Office of Servicemember Affairs. "I have spoken out about the unique challenges to service members caught in this current housing crisis, and I am pleased that this settlement addresses those challenges."

Petraeus, alongside Tom Perez, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's civil rights division, and Delaware State Attorney General Beau Biden explained how this settlement will affect distressed homeowners and, in some cases, all military members and their families in the days ahead.

To start, four lenders -- JPMorgan Chase & Co., Wells Fargo & Company, Citigroup Inc. and Ally Financial Inc., formerly GMAC -- have agreed to conduct a full review, overseen by the civil rights division, to determine whether any service members were foreclosed on in violation of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act since Jan. 1, 2006, Perez explained. The SCRA offers a wide range of financial protections to active duty and deploying service members in areas such as credit card debt and mortgage payments.

For violating the law, Wells Fargo, Citigroup and Ally will be required to provide any service member who was a victim of a wrongful foreclosure a minimum payment of $116,785, plus the service member's lost equity and interest, Perez said. The service member's payment could be higher as a result of the review conducted by banking regulators, he added.

To ensure consistency with an earlier private settlement, JPMorgan Chase will provide service members who were a victim of a wrongful foreclosure either their home free and clear of debt or the cash equivalent of the full value of the home at the time of sale. "In addition," Perez said, "service members will receive compensation for any additional harm suffered."

Citigroup, Wells Fargo and Ally also have agreed to conduct a review to determine whether service members -- from Jan. 1, 2008, to present -- were charged interest in excess of 6 percent on their mortgage after a valid request to lower the interest rate, in violation of the SCRA, Perez said. Lenders will be required to provide these troops with a payment equal to a refund, with interest, of any amount charged in excess of 6 percent, plus triple the amount refunded or $500, whichever is greater.

JPMorgan Chase already has compensated service members charged interest in excess of 6 percent on their mortgage through the private settlement, Perez added.

All four lenders have agreed to numerous other measures, he said, including SCRA training for employees and agents. The lenders also will repair any negative credit report entries related to wrongful foreclosures and will not pursue any remaining amounts owed under the mortgages.

The settlement also involves expanded protections for service members and their families.

The SCRA prohibits foreclosures on service members without court orders on mortgages that were originated before military service began. This settlement extends this protection to all service members, regardless of when their mortgage was secured, if they were receiving hostile fire or imminent danger pay and were stationed away from their home within nine months of the foreclosure, according to a Justice Department news release.

"The provisions relating to the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act in this agreement will help ensure that members of the military won't be denied critical consumer protections or face foreclosure when they are deployed to a war zone," Petraeus noted.

The agreement also requires all five lenders to provide some service members ordered to relocate access to loan modifications without going into default, Perez said. If they must sell their home at a loss but are ineligible for funding through the Defense Department's Homeowners' Assistance Program, lenders must, in some cases, provide troops with short sale agreements and mandatory deficiency waivers.

"The cost of this program will not be paid by DOD and the taxpayers, but rather by the servicers," Perez noted.

The banks had neglected to discuss options, such as short sale agreements, with military families faced with a mandatory move. As a result, these families often stayed behind when the service member moved, Biden noted. "We simply should not force families to be separated" due to a military move, he said.

Biden, a military lawyer and major in the Delaware Army National Guard, said he takes this settlement personally. He served alongside troops affected by lenders' wrongdoing while deployed in Iraq for a year, he said. Troops and their families already serve and sacrifice and shouldn't have to bear another hardship, he added.

Petraeus lauded the settlement and said she hopes it will bring peace of mind to military families dealing with housing-related challenges.

"I urge financial institutions to pay heed to these provisions and ensure that our men and women in uniform have better options than accepting foreclosure or leaving their families behind when they go to their next multiyear assignment," she said.

The settlement, Perez added, will enable service members "to focus on the critical role they play in protecting our nation."

Service members and their families who believe their SCRA rights have been violated should contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance office. Additional information is available at http://www.servicemembers.gov.

Perez also invited service members who believe they're entitled to compensation under this settlement to directly contact the Justice Department at 1-800-896-7743.

However, he added, service members don't need to apply for this relief. The Justice Department will have access to information that will determine victims of wrongdoing and will contact these service members.

Perez declined to give a specific compensation deadline. "The investigative process of reviewing these records will take some time," he explained. But we are going to be working to ensure it's as little time as possible."

In remarks yesterday, President Barack Obama noted the significance of the $25 billion settlement.

"We have reached a landmark settlement with the nation's largest banks that will speed relief to the hardest-hit homeowners, end some of the most abusive practices of the mortgage industry, and begin to turn the page on an era of recklessness that has left so much damage in its wake," he said.

"No compensation, no amount of money, no measure of justice is enough to make it right for a family who's had their piece of the American Dream wrongly taken from them," he added. "And no action, no matter how meaningful, is going to, by itself, entirely heal the housing market. But this settlement is a start. And we're going to make sure that the banks live up to

Feature - Father, son example of one team, one fight

by Staff Sgt. Heather Skinkle
451st Air Expeditionary Wing

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (AFNS) -- (Editor's note: The interviewees' names are exactly the same, but Airman 1st Class Walter Josephs Jr. is referred to as Josephs Jr. on second reference for clarity purposes in this article.)

It isn't every day that a father has a chance to observe his son at work, especially if that son is in the Air Force and deployed to Afghanistan.

While Army 1st Sgt. Walter Josephs Jr. is on his sixth deployment, his son, Airman 1st Class Walter Josephs Jr., is on his first.

For Josephs, a field artillery instructor deployed from Fort Hood, Texas, to Kabul, Afghanistan, deployments are nothing new, especially after 25 years in the Army. When he found out he would be deployed to Afghanistan at the same time as his son, who is a 451st Air Expeditionary Wing services journeyman deployed here from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., Josephs couldn't resist checking in.

"I know the Air Force will take care of him, but nothing short of a presidential order could keep me from visiting my son to see him settling in," Josephs said.

Going the extra mile, quite literally, is the norm for Josephs, whether it's for his family or the Army. While Josephs was stationed in South Korea and Josephs Jr. went through basic training and technical training, Josephs flew out not once, but twice, to attend both graduations. Seeing his son's shocked expression on basic training graduation day was worth the 16-hour flight, said Josephs, but visiting his son while deployed is even more special.

"That God gave me the opportunity to be with him means more to me than winning $100 million dollars," he said. "It's truly priceless."

For Josephs Jr., he considers himself lucky to be able to see his father down range.

"Everyone around me is missing their family, so seeing my dad here is great," Josephs Jr. said.

Family isn't the only thing Josephs Jr. appreciates at Kandahar Airfield.

"This deployment has helped me realize how fortunate we are in the States," he said. "We have so many luxuries that most people don't have."

Josephs knows something about not having enough. He grew up in Panama and immigrated to the U.S. a in 1980. He even remembers the exact day he entered the U.S.

"(It was) Sept. 6, 1980," Josephs said. "I decided to leave and do something better with my life."

Six years later, his dreams of citizenship and serving in the Army were realized. Since then, he has risen through the ranks and has been selected for sergeant major, a rank very few achieve. Josephs attributes his successful career to keeping a focused but helpful attitude.

"You should be like a racehorse with blinders on -- just watch your lane," he said. "Don't worry about what others do. As long as you do what is right, you can make a difference."

Both father and son share a drive, attention to detail and willingness to help others.

"My dad taught me to give 110 percent in whatever I do," Josephs Jr. said.

Giving it his all is what Josephs Jr. does at home station and here.

"I'm in school for a medical career, but with services I'm a cook," he said. "I hate to cook, but I don't just throw things together. I try and do it right."

At Kandahar Airfield, Josephs Jr. works at the morale, welfare, and recreation building at Camp Samek. A chief at the MWR even complimented Josephs on raising such a nice, respectful son. Josephs said that makes him feel good.

"I'm so proud of the young man he's become and how he's contributing," Josephs said. "Watching him help provide a place for service members to eat, play games, rest and forget about their jobs for a little while is amazing."

Josephs said he's proud to explain to people what his son does in the Air Force. He tells people all the time, especially service members who might not feel their job is critical, that whether you are a cook or a pilot, everyone's role is important to the mission.

"Without cooks, the pilots wouldn't eat," he said.

Josephs Jr. doesn't plan to stay in one area of services for his entire enlistment, though. Once his education is complete, he hopes to be transferred to the gym where he can be an athletic trainer.

"I like a challenge," Josephs Jr. said. "I'm bored if things are simple. You don't improve that way."

Both father and son are driven to improve their lives. Josephs Jr. continues to challenge himself through education and Josephs hopes that by attaining a higher rank, he can continue to give back and make a difference. They are both examples of how exerting willpower helps not only their lives but others as well.

But even an energetic and committed person like Josephs experiences fatigue occasionally. After staying up on the night shift to be with Josephs Jr., he called his wife and explained he was having a hard time staying awake.

"She told me I could sleep later and that I should be cherishing this time with my son!" Josephs said.

Josephs's cherished albeit quick visit with his son had to come to an end. He was needed back at Kabul, where he continues doing what he's done throughout his career: taking care of Soldiers.

"Parents entrusted us to do that," he said.

Josephs said he realizes that just as he's watching over his Soldiers, the Air Force is watching over his son.

"I need to remember that he's an Airman," he said. "He's not a kid anymore."