Carter Details ‘Force of the Future’ at Syracuse University

By Cheryl Pellerin

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, March 31, 2015 – Defense Secretary Ash Carter spoke with students, faculty and leaders at Syracuse University in New York this morning, describing his vision and plans for building the “Force of the Future.”

The secretary visited the university on the second day of his first official domestic trip, which began yesterday and included a stop in Pennsylvania to speak with students from his high school alma mater in Abington, near Philadelphia.

Afterward he stopped at Fort Drum in Jefferson County, New York, -- home of the 10th Mountain Division. There, he met with troops who recently served in Afghanistan.

Syracuse University includes the nationally ranked Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

Research on Post-service Issues

Also at Syracuse is the Institute for Veterans and Military Families, or IVMF, the first interdisciplinary national institute in higher education focused on post-service social, economic, education and policy issues affecting veterans and their families.

“You have done so much to welcome our veterans and their families,” Carter told the audience.

“And now [you’re doing] what we really need,” he added, “which is to couple thoughtful intellectual work to understand the … tremendous opportunities represented by this amazing group of people we call our veterans.”

On March 17, the department, the IVMF and the Schultz Family Foundation announced the launch of Onward to Opportunity. The new national program will deliver tailored, industry-specific training and certifications to service members and spouses on U.S. military bases before they transition to civilian life.

Onward to Opportunity

Onward to Opportunity is designed to give participants the skill sets they need to qualify for jobs with leading U.S. companies, offering a seamless transition from military careers to civilian employment.

Carter said he’s been in his new job as secretary for five weeks and he has a lot on his mind and a lot he wants to accomplish.

“But uppermost in my mind is ensuring that we have in generations to come what today gives us the finest fighting force the world has ever known. And that's not our technology -- that comes second. It's our people,” he said.

This means the department must recruit and attract the best, the secretary said.

He added, “We need to explain, we need to reach out, we need to recruit.”

Thinking Big

But today’s national security challenges are not purely military in character, Carter said, they are also political, economic and social.

“You see that in the role of social media, you see it in the attention we give to conflict prevention and the connection between issues that we used to think were completely different, like public health or Arctic issues and security,” the secretary added.

That’s another way in which the department needs to think big and broadly, he said, “and our people have a lot of that breadth, a lot of that experience. They're a great asset for our country, so when they leave us we continue to consider them ours.”

The department’s obligation is to help service members transition from military life to civilian life, said Carter, adding that Syracuse University is a pioneer in helping service members and their families to make that transition -– “pioneering in thinking and in doing.”

Changing for a New Generation

“We’ve learned things in the last few years through the research of folks here and through the experience of having 2.6 million service members cycle through two very long wars,” he added.

“We’ve learned, for example,” Carter said, “that it's best for [service members] and therefore best for the country if they start thinking about life after the military as long as they’re in the military.”

This is because people today want to think about their futures, the secretary said.

He added, “They don't like being locked into anything. They like the idea of choice and agility and moving here and there.”

“If we're going to have a new generation we … can't offer them a conveyor belt that you get on and you don't move until you get off,” Carter said. “We're not going to be appealing if we do that, so we're going to need to change the way we think about things.”

New Transition Assistance Component

The secretary said the department has recently put in place an improved transition program that will evolve over time. It’s called the Military Life Cycle Model, a new component of the DoD Transition Assistance Program, or DoDTAP, to be implemented soon forcewide.

The model will help service members start preparing for transition early in their military careers, according to the DoDTAP website. Service members will have key "touch points” throughout their military life cycle that will allow them to align their military career with their civilian goals.

The department is committed to the program, Carter said, and is working with other government, state and local agencies and the private sector to ensure its success.

“I think we can improve our game further, and the way we'll know how to improve is to build our programs on the back of careful research of the kind that … this institution -- and this institution almost alone in our country -- is actually doing,” the secretary added.

Part of Something Bigger

Military service is one form of public service, he said, and other forms include working with the university and its schools, or working in policymaking, journalism and more.

“Even as we need to think about conflict and the solution of conflict in the broadest possible way,” Carter said, “we need to think about public service in the broadest possible way.”

He added, “I look out on all your faces, and you wouldn't be here if you didn't have at least an inkling of this. There's nothing better than getting out of bed in the morning and knowing you're going to be part of something bigger than yourself.”

It’s worth everything, worth all the effort, worth all the trouble, Carter said, “and it’s worth not getting paid a zillion dollars, which you're certainly not going to get in public service.”

‘We Care About the Needs of Everyone’

One of the reasons Carter believes the United States is exceptional, he said, is because of the spirit Americans bring to public service.

“We don't just care about ourselves, we care about the needs of everyone, and that's reflected in the way we conduct ourselves around the world,” he said.

“You guys are part of that so I'm grateful to be on your team,” Carter added.

Remembrance ceremony honors 'true legend'

by Senior Airman Brittain Crolley

4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

3/31/2015 - SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- Retired Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James C. Binnicker said years ago that he wanted to be remembered for always doing his best. He did so, not by achieving the Air Force's highest enlisted rank, but by leaving the service in a better place than when he found it.

With his recent passing, the James C. Binnicker Airman Leadership School at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, held a remembrance ceremony to honor his life, career and achievements, March 27.

"Chief Binnicker built the pillars that we stand upon now," said Tech. Sgt. Sandi Townson, 4th Force Support Squadron ALS instructor. "He served the Air Force for 33 years and even though he retired, he still continued to serve. He was dedicated not only to this nation, but the Air Force as well."

Binnicker's long-tenured career included a stint at Seymour Johnson AFB, where he served as the base sergeant major and the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing's first senior enlisted advisor. He stood as a strong advocate for enlisted issues throughout his career.

As CMSAF, he directed policy that transitioned the Air Force from the Airman Performance Report to the Enlisted Performance Report, which allowed for a better evaluation of an Airman's aptitude and potential, according to Townson. He also developed the feedback system to help ensure the Air Force retained its best people.

"Chief Binnicker laid the bedrock for some of the things that we stand for in the Air Force," said Master Sgt. Jeffrey Stoner, 4th FSS ALS commandant. "During our ALS classes, we spend two days teaching these soon-to-be supervisors how to write EPRs and give their Airmen feedback. Being able to provide that praise and criticism is key to developing our future force."

While his impact on the Air Force has lasted for decades after his retirement, his impression on Airmen will be everlasting through the Air Force Enlisted Village. As president and CEO of the non-profit charity organization, Binnicker helped countless surviving spouses of Air Force service members find quality homes and navigate through financial hardships.

For all the contributions Binnicker made in his career and retirement, the 4th Fighter Wing dedicated the Airman Leadership School in his namesake in 2001.

"It's truly an honor to have our building named after such an inspirational leader," Stoner said. "Through standing on his shoulders, we're able to see the things that he's done and continue to evolve."

Evolution is what kept Binnicker at his best, Stoner added. He embraced change and did everything in his power to make his Airmen's lives better, whether he was a young Airman, a veteran supervisor or the CMSAF.

"The stories that he would tell, the joy in his eyes, and the passion in his voice was a true testament that he was very caring and very devoted, not only as an Airman, but as a human being," said Chief Master Sgt. Jeffrey Craver, 4th FW command chief. "We certainly lost a true legend."

Ray Ira Haas video

DoD Standardization Program Announces 2014 Awards

By Cheryl Pellerin

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, March 31, 2015 – One person and five teams have received awards from the Defense Standardization Program Office for outstanding achievements in 2014.

The awards were presented recently on behalf of Stephen P. Welby, deputy assistant secretary of defense for systems engineering. Hosting the ceremony at the Pentagon were Robert Gold, director of the engineering enterprise, and DSPO Director Gregory Saunders.

Standards are the common use of rules, conditions, guidelines or characteristics for products or processes and production methods, and management systems practices, according to the Office of Management and Budget.

A basic standard, for example, has a broad effect in a particular field, such as a standard for metal that affects a range of products from cars to screws. Test and measurement standards define methods to be used to assess the performance or other characteristics of a product or process.

The DSPO mission is to identify, influence, develop, manage and give access to standardization processes, products and services for warfighters and for the acquisition, logistics and systems engineering communities, department officials said. The program makes interoperability possible and helps reduce costs and sustain readiness, the officials added.

Since 1987, DSPO has recognized people and organizations that have made important improvements in quality, reliability, readiness, cost reduction and interoperability through standardization, they said.

Distinguished Achievement Award

Taking top honors and receiving the Distinguished Achievement Award this year was an Air Force team from the Air Transportability Test Loading Activity that updated MIL-STD-1791, “Designing for Internal Aerial Delivery in Fixed Wing Aircraft,” to enhance support of multinational operations.

The standard’s main benefits are improved safety of flight, by ensuring cargo can withstand severe flight environments; mission time savings, by optimizing airlift resources; streamlined acquisitions, by giving cargo designers the information they need in a single publicly available document; and improved multinational operations and humanitarian airlift, by ensuring domestic and foreign cargo is compatible with Air Force cargo aircraft.

Team members include Mark Kuntavanish, Eric Treadwell, Susan Breslin, Michael Schneider and Linda Titcombe.

New Class of Microcircuit

An individual award for fiscal year 2014 went to Muhammad Akbar of the Defense Logistics Agency for developing a new class of microcircuit -- a ceramic, nonhermetic package approach to meeting all device requirements for use in space.

The project helped to establish testing and qualification requirements and gives original equipment manufacturers access to state-of-the-art products not previously documented by U.S. military specifications.

Four other teams also received awards for fiscal 2014.

Procuring Aluminum and Aluminum Alloy Powders

An Army team from the Army Research Laboratory, with a member from the Defense Logistics Agency, worked with the United Technologies Research Center to develop a new military specification.

MIL-DTL-32495, “Aluminum-Based Powders for Cold Spray Deposition,” covers requirements for procuring aluminum and aluminum-based alloy powders. The powders will be used in an environmentally friendly, cost-effective materials-deposition process called cold spray for parts repair, coatings and fabricating components and freestanding structures.

Team members include Richard Squillacioti, Victor Champagne and Iris Labuda.

Cleaner Lubricant, Preservative for Weapons

An Army team from the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center determined that a bio-based material could be used in formulating a cleaner lubricant and preservative used for weapons and weapons systems.

The formulation change was made in an amendment to MIL-PRF-63460, “Performance Specification: Lubricant, Cleaner and Preservative for Weapons and Weapons Systems.” Requiring this less-toxic formulation didn’t compromise any performance requirements identified in the specification, officials said.

Members of the include Mark Napolitano, Daniel Prillaman and Richard Wu.

Computer Architecture for Future EOD Robots

A Navy team made important contributions to standards for explosive-ordnance-disposal, or EOD, robotic-system interfaces by developing and defining modular open-systems computer architecture for next-generation EOD robots.

The work led to the completion of 59 documents that define the advanced explosive ordnance disposal robotic system common architecture. The approach will allow emerging technologies from a range of potential sources to be integrated into fielded AEODRSs, officials said, improving the capability of EOD warfighters.

Team members include Michael Del Signore, Todd Zimmerman, Andrew Czop, Adam Shaker and Juan-Roman-Sanchez.

An Air Force team from the Air Force Materiel Command undertook a project to update MIL-DTL-25959, “Tie Down, Tensioners, Cargo, Aircraft.”

Reliable Tie-Down Tensioners

The team’s focus initially was on logistical and weight issues, but after two incidents occurred with the tie-down tensioners in flight, the team also addressed reliability. As a result of their work, MIL-DTL-25959H is now published, giving the Air Force logistical advantages, cost savings and more reliable tensioners.

Team members include Michael Jones, Jeff Friesner, Jonathan Byrd, Carol Hernandez and L.G. Traylor.

Spokane students learn about military medical field

by Senior Airman Janelle Patiño
92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

3/30/2015 - FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- The 92nd Medical Group hosted a Business AfterSchool Program to give students from Mead and Mt. Spokane High Schools the opportunity to learn about the military and the medical field March 26.

The program is a series of Industry Week Open House events for students, educators, parents and community organizations that provide on-site awareness of Spokane's high-demand industries highlighting new technology, research, development and innovation.

The 92nd MDG participates in this program annually. This year, the group hosted 15 students, three teachers and two representatives from the Greater Spokane Incorporated, Spokane Chamber of Commerce.

"Participants received briefings and tours from five different sections within the medical treatment facility," said Lt. Col. Troy McGill, the 92nd MDG Business AfterSchool Program representative. "Briefers shared several facts from what they do in the clinic, the training required and how they impact the Air Force mission."

According to McGill, their goal is to connect the students to business, military, medical or other areas they may have an interest in.

"The Air Force offers a great deal of opportunity to students who may want to enter a technical field right out of high school," said McGill. "Our medical technicians also work in all facets of health care from dental to flight medicine."

According to Airman 1st Class Nathan Dillow, a 92nd Medical Operations Squadron medical technician, it's good to help and give students advice on what options are available for them.

"It's a privilege to be able to help them get a step ahead in their decision making and not be stuck and not know what to do," Dillow said. "The program also gave us the opportunity to share what military life is all about and what types of opportunities are available for them whenever they decide to join."

Sanjay Kubsad, a senior student at Mead High School, said the program broadened his knowledge not just about the medical field but also about the military.

"I joined the program so I can explore different parts of the medical field, and I'm glad we got to visit the base and explore different facilities of the clinic," Kubsad said. "It's interesting to see what jobs and career paths are being offered in the military."

According to McGIll, participating in the program also serves as an outreach to the community.

"Fostering strong relationships with local communities is not only beneficial for the MDG but also for the base as a whole," McGill said.

For more information about the program, call Lt. Col. McGill at (509) 247- 8481.

Military Working Dog is man's best friend, during peace, war

by Gina Randall
100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

3/27/2015 - RAF MILDENHALL, England  -- It's said that a dog is man's best friend, particularly while in a deployed location. For Senior Airman Daniel Caldas, 100th Security Forces Squadron Military Working Dog handler from Milford, Massachusetts, while deployed to Qatar, his dog was his lifeline and his companion.

"I've deployed once as a dog team," the Massachusetts native said. "When you deploy, it's just you and your dog. And being six months with each other you grow an unbelievable bond. Being 15 feet behind my dog looking for explosives, it's scary -- but I trust him with my life. At the end of the day it's our job to take that risk; we train to find danger, and more importantly, we trust our partner to alert us to the danger and hopefully we come home safe."

The canines start their career in a similar way to the handler, with extensive training and selection.

"The MWDs initial training starts at Lackland Air Force Base," the handler explained. "The Department of Defense procures them for the program, the training they go through is similar to ours -- they go through basic training. The MWD Dog Training School experts teach, train and inspect the dogs drive in order to capture and capitalize on them. Upon the dog's initial certification, they ship them out to their respective bases to start their new life serving their country. The ages range from 2 to 3 years old at that time."

For the dog, that base becomes their home and the handlers their family.

"Each dog, when they come out of training, is assigned to a base," Caldas said. "Only the handlers move around and change station. At my last base, I deployed with my dog. When I returned, I moved bases and he remained there."

Each dog is assigned their own handler, to ensure they are given the best care and training.

"When the MWDs are assigned to their base, one sole handler at a time is assigned to them, creating a Military Working Dog team," Caldas said. "That becomes their dog, family, job and lifeblood. We don't share dogs; we don't work any other dog apart from ours. You don't want the dog to become confused about who his handler is; this translates into a strong bond."

That all-important bond could save an Airman's life while on duty.

Working with dogs each day may seem like the perfect job, and Caldas wanted to follow in the footsteps of his leaders who were handlers themselves.

"All my supervisors throughout my career were K-9 handlers and I saw what they did and with the passion that I already had for dogs, it seemed perfect," Caldas said. "So now I work with dogs every day. I'm pretty sure nobody in the Air Force gets to do what we do and have as much fun at work. If you have a down day, you come in and see your dog, and it makes you smile."

But the handlers never become complacent when they are assigned a fully trained dog and training is continuous.

"I would say every day is a challenge," he said. "You don't know exactly what you're going to do that day. Our section motto is you have to challenge yourself daily and meet that goal. Advancing them is the challenge; you've got to think outside the box. You come into work and think, 'What can I do to better my dog, and make him proficient and make him stand out?' That's my challenge every day."

In order to advance the dogs and make them greater warriors, Caldas' leadership push him each day, and he rises to it.

"My troop goes above and beyond what's required by being one of the best handlers we have," said Staff Sgt. Matthew Clark, 100th SFS MWD handler from Dodge City, Kansas. "Being an MWD handler is a lot of responsibility, especially as a senior airman, but he handles it with a level of maturity that is unmatched by his peers.

"He is an asset to the Air Force and K-9 family, and I couldn't ask for a better troop. Our MWD heritage is enriched with pride and conviction for what we do, and I am glad his Airmanship mindset is aimed toward tradition and it brings me honor to serve alongside him on a daily basis," Clark said. 

Global strike command tests ICBM, bomber capabilities

by Capt. Christopher Mesnard
Air Force Global Strike Command Public Affairs

3/27/2015 - VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The roar of rocket engines rumbles to life in the early hours of the morning along the California coast. In an instant, a missile longer than a tractor trailer emerges in a blast of smoke and fire, accelerating toward the dark sky, on its journey to a target 700 nautical miles southwest of Guam in the Pacific Ocean.

The launch of an unarmed Minuteman III missile on March 27 rounded off three weeks of operational tests, involving both Air Force Global Strike Command and partner agency personnel and assets, executing three Air Launched Cruise Missile and two Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile tests.

The Department of Defense's nuclear deterrence strategy, built on the foundation of what's known as the nuclear triad, encompasses nuclear capable bombers, intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine launched ballistic missiles; of which the Air Force oversees and maintains the testing and evaluation programs for bombers and ICBMs.

During the test time frame, three ALCM Nuclear Weapons System Evaluation Program test flights originated out of Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, followed by two ICBM operational test launches, involving maintenance and operations crews from F. E. Warren AFB, Wyoming, and Malmstrom AFB, Montana.

"The United States' nuclear deterrent forces play a foundational role in guaranteeing international stability at the strategic level, providing assurance to our allies and deterring adversaries alike" said Maj. Gen. Michael E. Fortney, AFGSC Director of Operations. "As the force provider for two legs of the nuclear triad, the Air Force is responsible for ensuring these weapon systems meet reliability checks and operational standards."

Each test was planned and executed individually, allowing multiple teams to exercise their training, but they all integrated into an overarching AFGSC focus to ensure operations, maintenance and support personnel could carry out the tests under a condensed timeline.

"We're confident we know what we're doing day in and out, and we go do it as proficiently as possible," said Senior Airman Jake McBroom 90th Missile Maintenance Squadron cage man, F. E. Warren AFB. "[Our] job is important because it's the first hand for America's nuclear deterrence. We're actually putting these missiles on alert; setting ourselves up for success, by keeping our nation safe."

Proficiency at all levels helps ensure the command's weapons systems remain reliable for operational use.

"Our procedures, our training and everything from start to finish [are] to help us successfully deliver a weapon on target," said Capt. Colin Blouse, 69th Bomb Squadron radar navigator, Minot AFB. "When it comes to testing it's something you want to have controlled well."

The nuclear strike capability of both the B-52 and the Minuteman III serve as critical components for ensuring the nation retains a high standard of security.

The B-52's air-to-air refueling makes it a literal around-the-world standoff strike option, able to use both conventional and nuclear weapons anywhere on the planet and use standoff weaponry to negate contested air space. For such missions, many hours of training and familiarization with the weapons systems are required to achieve peak proficiency.

"We show up and we study the entire process, we get the brief on why we're doing it and how we're going to go about performing it," Blouse said. "After that it's a lot of sitting down and talking through the steps that we're going to perform, because our biggest goal for this is to eliminate human error as best possible."

In addition to the standoff capabilities of the B-52, a key aspect of the bomber is the relative lag time in its ability to deliver a weapon, giving the President flexibility to show force and recall the weapons system as necessary.

"Strategic deterrence, that's part of what the B-52 is meant to do and it's just one of the things the President has available to him," said Capt. Corrine Bird, 5th Operations Support Squadron Nuclear Support Flight commander, Minot AFB. "We can [take off] as a deterrence factor and be recalled, and it comes down to the crew to process [message] traffic from the President to determine if we need to launch or retain our missiles as appropriate."

The Minuteman III, on the other hand, serves as a rapid nuclear response capability with the missiles from the most recent operational test launches reaching their target range near Guam in about 40 minutes. The test launch on March 23 set a new record for the Minuteman III covering a distance of over 6,000 miles, traveling farther than any other ever tested.

"We provide a credible deterrent that has prevented global conflicts from escalating to the scale of WWI and WWII," said 1st Lt. Benjamin May, 490th Missile Squadron Missile Crew commander, Malmstrom AFB. "Since the atom bomb was employed at the end of WWII, there hasn't been a similar conflict with such high casualties, and that's what nuclear weapons provide [to the nation]."

Both ICBM test launches and the three NucWSEPs followed "cradle to grave" formats, meaning the tests incorporated all aspects of what personnel could actually expect to go through if they had to employ one of these weapons systems.

"The testing validates that everything is safe and reliable prior to installing the test equipment," said Staff Sgt. Aaron Ruan, 705th Munitions Squadron maintainer, Minot AFB.

The consistency of these cradle-to-grave tests validates the processes and systems that keep the Air Force's nuclear arsenal ready and reliable.

"There are thousands of people in 20th Air Force who spend 24 hours a day, every day of the year, operating, maintaining, protecting and supporting this weapons system," said Capt. Joe Liles, 576th Flight Test Squadron ICBM Field Test Management chief, Vandenberg AFB. "We have the privilege here [at Vandenberg] of demonstrating the capability of that weapons system physically to the rest of the world. To show the rest of the world that this system works well, and that's all part of the strategic deterrence mission."