combat forces - issue12

EDITORIALCOMBAT FORCES NUMBER 12

For the past ten years, air forces from across NATO have been sharing the responsibility for patrolling the skies over their Baltic allies, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Now, the tension has risen, especially since the annexation of most of the Crimean Peninsula, internationally recognized as part of Ukraine, into Russia in March 2014.

The Baltic Air Policing mission is ‘ celebrating’ it’s 10th this year and the author who is visiting Lithuania for more then 20 years and

the Baltic Air Policing mission in particular for 10 years notices some remarkable changes which could not have been predicted a while ago. A total of 15 different nations deployed a total of 36 blocks (actually 38 contingents because 2 blocks had two nations) to ensure the integrity of the airspace above the Baltic States. The Air Policing mission involves the joint and collective use of fighter aircraft to ensure a single standard of security within NATO’s Area of Responsibility. Block 36 is the 36th typically lasts four months from September 01 until January 01, 2015.

Lead Nation is Portugal, augmented by Canada, Germany and Holland.

Salvador Mafé Huertas

[email protected]

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STAFFEditorJavier Valero [email protected]

DirectorSalvador Mafé [email protected]

RedacciónFuerzas de Combate Apartado de Correos, 11017 46080 Valencia - España

SubdirectoresJuan José Fernández Martín, Juan Antonio Guerrero Misa, Rafael Treviño Martínez, Francisco Francés Torrontera

ColaboradoresSantiago Rivas, Wim Das, Kes Otten, Guy Toremans, Horacio Clariá, José Manuel Santaner, Antonio Muñiz, Riccardo Niccoli, Shlomo Aloni, Dirk Jan van de Ridder, Jan Jørgensen, Global Aviation Review Press, Antonio Muñiz Zaragüeta, Javier Sánchez García, Cees-Jan Van Der Ende

Fotos portadaTieme Festner, S. Alon

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Lithuanian AAT in AfghanistanReport: Tieme Festner (DAPPA)

For more then three years a Lithuanian led Air Advisory Team (AAT) trained Afghan National Army soldiers how to maintain and operate a Mi-8/17 unit. Their mission was completed on September 23 and a formal ceremony was held in the Lithuanian Camp Gabriel, Kandahar Airbase Afghanistan.

Lithuanian AAT in Afghanistan

It took 43 months and a total of seven rotations untill the ‘ job was done’. In 2011 the Combined Air Power Transition Force (CAPTF) incorperated another NATO partner into the development of the Afghan Air Force. The CAPTF allready utilized experts from varying countries such as the UK, Hungary and the Czech Republic but in February 2011 Lithuania agreed to supply personnel for a two-year commitment forming the Air Mentoring Team. After a few weeks the name was changed into Air Advisory Team and the team was augmented with Ukrainians, Belgians and Latvians but it remained under Lithuanian Command. The AAT was subordinated to the 441st Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron, 738th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group (441st AEAS / 738th AEAG).

Over the years the AAT consisted of aproximately 15 soldiers from 4 countries; typically being 2 pilots, 2 flight engineers, 2 gunners and some maintenance people. The AAT did not just trained the Afghans how to plan missions, fly and maintain the Mi-8/17, they were also taught for example about logistics and intelligence, that is where the Belgians came in. Being a non Mi-8/17 operator, these tasks were covered by aproximately four Belgian soldiers. Besides training the task of the AAT was also to evaluate the readiness and monitor the progress of the Afghan soldiers before operating independently. Having received training from the AAT, airmen of the Afghan National Army took over technical maintenance and other duties concerning their helicopters and began completing their tasks independently in 2013, so the Aat switched their focus to supervision and control of Afghan personnel’s activities. At the end of the 7th rotation, a rotation would normally last





about six months, the AAT was downsized to aproximately six people. Over the years the Afghan unit learned, developed and grew so there was less and less need for advisors.

AAT-7 was the last rotation commanded by Major Antanas Matutis. Major Matutis arrived in Kandahar with instant credibility in the eyes of his Afghan partners due to the solid foundation of trust he had developed with them on a previous deployment in the 1st AAT in 2011 acting as a Deputy Commander. Under his command the Kandahar Air Wing’s 379th Rotary Wing Squadron achieved their highest level of professionalism. During the last months all maintenance ground runs and test flights were succesfully executed without any advisory assistance. In addition, with Afghanistan’s Mi-35 helicopters nearing the end of their service life, Major Matutis’ team operationally tested and evaluated new Mi-17 methods that would satisfy this fleeting armed escort and attack capability. His team deployed to Kabul where he led advisors in fit-testing and function checking the GSh-23 machine gun system on the Mi-17V5 helicopter. After a resoundfing succes the team authored a theoratical and flight program of instruction and trained the Command’s first-ever Mi-17 fixed forward fire instructor cadre. Ultimately the team’s efforts were accepted and adopted by the Afghan Air Foce because they provided them with a no-cost, effective and sustainable combat attack and air escort solution using readily available resources and well before the retirmement of the Mi-35 fleet.





In 2011 it was quite difficult because there were hardly English speaking Afghan soldiers and everything had to be done with the aid of interpreters. Nowadays at least the flying crews speak sufficient English. The Afghan crews are very strict and know they operate their almost brand new Mi-17s (3 to 5 years old) close to the operational limits. Because of the environment, the hot weather, the mountains and the elevation (3330 ft above sea level) of Kandahar Airbase the utmost is demanded of these helicopters and their crews. That is immidiately the teaching point for the Lithuanian crews. Other environment, hot weather conditions etcetera.

All maintenance flights starting in 2011 were done by coalition forces; the missions were flown by Afghan Air Force. No combat missions have been flown by coalition crews. The Afghan Air Force has come from a long way, but at this moment the unit is very well capable of planning and operating their missions, handling the logistics and gathering intelligence. For the maintenance part they are still being mentored for the moment by civil contractors.

While exposed to danger and under constant threat of enemy attack, the AAT ensured the succesful execution of over 450 combat sorties by the Kandahar Air Wing’s Mi-17’s. These flight operations were conducted by Afghan airmen in order to secure Afghanistan’s borders, protect their citizens from a raging insurgency, and to guarantee the succesful execution of the 2014 presidential elections. The team facilitated the movement of over


F-15I RA'AM



156,000 kilograms of critical cargo throughout Afghanistan, the timely evacuation of 553 Afghan National Army soldiers wounded-in-action off the battlefield to medical care, the respectful return of 193 Afghan soldiers killed-in-action back tot heir families as well as multiple, fericious air assaults against Taliban strongholds.

NATO allies also appreciate greatly Lithuania’s contribution to training Afghanistan’s airmen to pilot helicopters: there are not exactly plenty of specialists qualified for training pilots for Mi-8/17s, while the experience of the Lithuanian Air Force to fly and maintain this type of rotary wing aircraft became a strong support for the Alliance’s resolve to mentor and train Afghanistan’s armed forces.






US Air Force as Backbone of Global Reach on its 67th Bir-thdayReport: Cheryl Pellerin. DoD News, Defense Media Activity - Photos: USAF

The US Air Force’s dominance in the skies, space and cyberspace is the backbone of the military's global reach and U.S. commitments around the world, a senior Defense Department official said.

THE USAF ON ITS 67TH BIRTHDAY



Frank Kendall, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, delivered this morning's keynote address for Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel at the Air Force Association’s 2014 Air and Space Conference in Maryland. Hagel was scheduled to speak, but was called to attend a meeting with President Barack Obama and other administration officials at U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida.

The undersecretary had read Hagel’s prepared speech before the event and said he was moved to pass the secretary’s message along. As he did so, at times he added his own thoughts.

And before beginning the presentation, Kendall told the audience that Hagel wanted to recognize the sacrifice and achievements of all airmen and women in ongoing and recent military operations.





Broader spectrum of conflict“Today our military as a whole, and the Air Force in particular, are being tested by protracted budget uncertainty, technological and commercial transformations, and the changing character of war,” Kendall said. At the same time, he added, the nation continues to call on its airmen and women to respond rapidly to new sources of instability across the globe while preparing for a broader spectrum of conflict than they faced over the past 13 years of counterinsurgency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“The Air Force's charge today,” the undersecretary said, “is to ensure that America's air power is unrivaled for the next generation, and to do so with fewer resources but more numerous and more sophisticated competitors.”

The Air Force is the military service most closely associated with cutting-edge technology, he added, but all airmen know that the ability to recruit and retain exceptional people is the foundation of the Air Force's extraordinary capabilities, Kendall said.





Vanguard programsTo compete with commercial competitors, especially in space, cyber and other high-technology areas, the Air Force is working on vanguard programs that other services should strongly consider, the undersecretary said, such as encouraging breaks in service that let airmen gain diverse work experience, establishing specialized career tracks that allow for promotion, and education and training that span a lifetime of service.

“The Air Force must also continue to move beyond tribal cycles of promotion, moving beyond bomber or fighter generals and instead just promoting generals -- leaders who are also world-class strategists, managers, innovators and problem solvers,” Kendall said.

The Air Force also must continue taking steps to expand and diversify its international partnerships.





International partnerships“The United States and the U.S. Air Force do not fight alone,” Kendall noted. “In space, the Air Force is operating a military satellite program with Australia, Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and New Zealand. And it maintains a joint strategic airlift capability in Hungary with 10 NATO allies and two NATO partners.”

The Air Force also has established a NATO MQ-9 Reaper Users Group to enhance alliance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, or ISR, capabilities.

“In the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan last year, decades of Air Force-led training and exercising enabled the coordinated response of C-130s from countries that included Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand, along with other aircraft from 24 nations,” Kendall said.

Especially in times of constrained resources, he added, such partnership initiatives are vital and should deepen and broaden going forward.


CINTILLO



Foundation of U.S. national securityAddressing Air Force capabilities, Kendall said the nuclear deterrent is the foundation of U.S. national security.

“Earlier this year, following revelations about troubling lapses and poor morale, Secretary Hagel traveled to see missileers at F.E. Warren [Air Force Base in Wyoming] and talked to launch control officers underground at Malmstrom [Air Force Base in Montana],” Kendall told the audience. Hagel also ordered comprehensive internal and external reviews of the nuclear enterprise spanning the Air Force ground- and air-based nuclear deterrent and the Navy's submarine-based systems, he said.

Today, Hagel is in full agreement with DoD senior leaders that America's nuclear deterrent is a safe, secure, effective and reliable force, Kendal said. But it has become clear to Hagel and the leadership that a consistent, long-term lack of investment in and support for the nuclear forces “has left us with little margin to cope with mounting stresses,” he added.Support for the nuclear forces

“The fundamental problem has not been a lack of rhetoric or top-to-bottom reviews,” Kendall said. “It has been a lack of focus, attention and resources, and it has been a pervasive sense that a career in the nuclear enterprise offers too few opportunities for growth or advancement.”





Kendall said that is something Hagel knows well from his conversations with personnel within the nuclear enterprise.

“We will fix this,” he said. “DoD will ensure that our joint nuclear enterprise attracts the best people and that it is coherent, integrated, synchronized and on a sustainable path to modernization.” Under the leadership of Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, he added, the Air Force already has taken significant steps in the right direction.

“I was with Secretary Hagel when he visited Kirtland [Air Force Base in New Mexico], and I was with him when he went to F.E. Warren, and I will tell you that he takes this very seriously,” Kendall said. “I’ve had enough experience in the Pentagon – I’m speaking for myself now – to know how seriously your national leadership takes the nuclear mission.

“I had a chance to have dinner with Secretary Hagel in a small Mexican restaurant in Albuquerque after we visited the site at Kirtland,” the undersecretary continued. “We talked a little about the emotional impact of seeing that vast amount of power in such a small confined space, and what it meant to the nation to have responsibility for that enormous destructive power.”





Absolute commitment“It’s not a small thing to our national political leadership,” Kendall said. “It’s not a small thing to the Air Force, and there is absolute commitment to this. It is our most important mission. … I want to reinforce that message on Secretary Hagel’s behalf this morning. He is very serious about this. We will do what needs to be done.”

Beyond the nuclear enterprise, he added, the Air Force is responsible for maintaining America's air superiority in any operation, now and in the future. Preparing for the decades ahead requires careful planning and investments and hard choices, he said.





Cutting-edge technologySavings achieved by retiring older platforms will help the Air Force maintain and acquire more cutting-edge technology and weapon systems, Kendall said.

“That is why the president's budget protects investments in next-generation jet engine technology,” the undersecretary said, “as well as priority modernization programs including the new long-range strike bomber, the KC-46 tanker and the F-35 joint strike fighter.”

High-end platforms like the F-22 and F-35 have a vital role in the fleet, he added, and the F-22 will underwrite America's air dominance for a generation.

“The F-35, with its unique networking capabilities coupled with its electronic warfare, advanced sensors, stealth and advanced weapons systems, will enable the United States and its closest partners and allies to dominate in the air and conduct joint operations more effectively than ever before,” Kendall said.

A primary mission of fighter squadrons is to open the door for the rest of the air fleet and the military to enable less-sophisticated platforms such as the Air Force’s remotely piloted aircraft, to operate freely and successfully, Kendall noted. The demand for remotely piloted aircraft has grown from around 7,000 flying hours in 2001 to more than 300,000 last year, he said, adding that this year they will account for 15 percent of all Air Force flying hours, and that the number would only increase.

In space, the undersecretary said, the Air Force must adapt to a new environment in which space is no longer a sanctuary, but instead is contested by other nations, an environment in which next-generation space architecture is being deployed by the private sector rather than by governments, and an environment in which resilience is becoming as critical as capability.

“We can't predict the direction of technological change,” Kendall said, “but imagination and vision and the innovation, operationally and technically, that must accompany them are what Secretary Hagel calls on the next generation of airmen and women to reach for in the years ahead.”

Decisive' Air Power Thwarts ISIL's CapabilitiesAir power has stymied Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists, with the Air Force accomplishing 74 percent of the more than 240 airstrikes in Iraq and Syria since Aug. 8, a senior Air Force official told reporters at the Pentagon on September 30.

Maj. Gen. Jeff Harrigian, the Air Force's assistant deputy chief of staff for operations, plans and requirements, said airmen are working closely with joint and coalition partners to





execute current operations as part of the "persistent and sustained" campaign against the terrorist group.

"Air power's targeted actions are disrupting ISIL's command and control, their logistics and infrastructure, and their freedom of movement," Harrigian said. "We see air power as one of the fundamental components of the comprehensive strategy."

The general also reported that the Air Force's decisive capabilities have prevented large-scale force massing, have degraded ISIL's command and control capabilities, and will, over time, stanch ISIL's financing, which he acknowledged will require a whole-of-government approach to address.

The Air Force has executed some 50 percent of the airstrikes in Syria thus far, and 70 percent of the more than 3,800 total sorties in Iraq and Syria, Harrigian said. The Air Force, he added, also has accomplished 95 percent of the almost 1,300 tanker sorties essential to persistence and range requirements, as well as 700 intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sorties in support of the operation.

Noting his dual role as Air Force operations deputy to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Harrigian explained that the Air Force has worked for years to develop airmen across the theater, training them both downrange and in garrison to seamlessly integrate into operations and ensure necessary interoperability.

But U.S. air power alone, the general asserted, will not destroy ISIL.

"We've been working with our coalition partners and sister services for years to develop the full array of air power capabilities that we're bringing into this fight, leveraging our lessons from both combat and training to execute these current operations," he said. "This broad coalition has been and will continue to be the cornerstone of the strategy against ISIL."

The F-22 Raptor fighter jet has been an important part of the effort, the general said, bringing stealth, speed and integrated avionics that facilitate situational awareness for the pilots, planners and joint terminal air controllers.

"Ultimately, ... air power offers a broad range of capabilities to the combatant commander, and ultimately, the president," Harrigian said. "Beyond airstrikes, we'll continue to provide ISR, the tankers, command and control platforms and humanitarian assistance as required to meet the enduring and ... emerging requirements that will occur over the course of the operation."





combat forces - issue12

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air forces

baltic air policing

air mentoring team

afghan air force

complete issue

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lithuanian command

baltic allies