F-35 Reaches Critical Juncture After Strong Year, Official Says

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON  – The F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter program -- the centerpiece of future tactical aviation and a key to implementing new military strategic guidance -- made strong progress in its development last year, a defense official said today.

Frank Kendall, acting undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, told the House Armed Services Committee that the fighter aircraft is essential to the Defense Department, and that it made “strong progress” in 2011.

“Last fall, the department engaged in a strategy and budget review, where everything -- and I do mean everything -- was on the table,” Kendall said. “After a careful look at the joint strike fighter program, the department determined that we do need the JSF [and] that we need all three variants of the fighter, and that we need the planned inventory of 2,443 jets.”

That said, Kendall added, “you must recognize there is still a long way to go for JSF.” The F-35 flight test program is only about 20 percent complete and “many of the more challenging elements of flight test are still ahead of us,” he said.

Kendall noted the F-35 development has reached a crucial point in the conversion from being conceptualized to actual production.

“The JSF program is undergoing the critical transition from development to production,” he said. “Historically, this is always a difficult phase for any program, but particularly so for a high-performance aircraft.”

That transition has been even more difficult for the F-35, Kendall said, because the program began production very early, well before flight testing had begun.

That decision for early production resulted in an unprecedented level of concurrency, which drove the need for significant changes in the program, he said. “With this year’s budget, I believe we are now set on a course for program stability,” he added.

Navy Vice Adm. David Venlet, program manager for the F-35, also said the program now is on track. “The F-35 has schedule and budget realism now going forward,” he said. “It is transparent in the discovery and correction of issues arising in test that are typical in all fighter aircraft development.”

Venlet told the Congress members he believes the F-35 “is a critical presence in the combined force battle space. It makes many other systems and capabilities and effects better because of the presence of the F-35’s sensors.”

Venlet called the F-35 a “critical presence” to many nations, as well as being a bond of joint strength across all U.S. military services.

“It is a bond of capability and a bond economically across many nations that raises the level of technology benefit in our militaries and our industries,” he said.

Venlet called the F-35 “the best possible growth platform to incorporate future advances in weapons, sensors and networks.”

The F-35 also is an assurance to service members that “they will succeed in every mission and return home safely to their loved ones.”

Guardsmen, Reservists Nominate Employers for Freedom Award

From an Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve News Release

ARLINGTON, Va.  – More than 3,000 reserve-component service members have nominated their civilian-life employers for an award that recognizes outstanding support for the citizen-soldiers and citizen airmen who work for them.

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Defense Department agency, received 3,236 nominations for the 2012 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, the department’s highest recognition for employers supporting members of the Guard and Reserve.

Officials will announce up to 15 recipients this summer to be honored Sept. 20 at a ceremony in the nation’s capital.

Guard and Reserve members, or family members acting on their behalf, nominated their civilian employers for the Freedom Award during the 12-week nomination season. Guard and Reserve members often put their civilian lives on hold when they answer the call to duty, ESGR officials noted. Supportive employers provide a tremendous amount of stability and peace of mind to citizen-warriors and their families, they added, enabling them to continue their service.

"Guardsmen and reservists continue to receive outstanding support from their employers," said James G. Rebholz, national chairman for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve. "America's employers have not wavered in their commitment to these citizen-warriors."

The Guard and reserves make up almost half of the U.S. military. While most employers proudly support their military employees, officials said, Freedom Award recipients go above and beyond what is required by law.

Last year’s recipients were nominated for acts of support such as driving a deployed employee’s children to school, replacing a deployed employee’s broken refrigerator, and working overtime to cover shifts so a service member employee could take part in military training.

Semifinalists for the 2012 Freedom Award will be announced next month, officials said.

Recruiting Stays on Track for Active Service Components

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON  – All of the active service components and five of the six reserve components met or exceeded their numerical year-to-date recruiting goals for fiscal 2012 through February, Pentagon officials reported today.

Here are each service’s recruiting totals -- all at 100 percent of their goals -- for the first five months of the fiscal year, which began Oct. 1:

-- Army: 22,478 accessions, with a goal of 22,350;

-- Navy: 11,978 accessions, with a goal of 11,978;

-- Marine Corps: 9,058 accessions, with a goal of 9,027; and

-- Air Force: 12,314 accessions, with a goal of 12,314.

The Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force all exhibited strong retention through the fifth month of fiscal 2012, officials said.

Here are the recruiting numbers for the reserve components through February:

-- Army National Guard: 19,910 accessions, for 93 percent of its goal of 21,483;

-- Army Reserve: 12,064 accessions, 113 percent of its goal of 10,702;

-- Navy Reserve: 3,099 accessions, for 100 percent of its goal of 3,099;

-- Marine Corps Reserve: 3,816 accessions, for 108 percent of its goal of 3,537;

-- Air National Guard: 3,389 accessions, for 100 percent of its goal of 3,375; and

-- Air Force Reserve: 3,564 accessions, for 100 percent of its goal of 3,564.

All reserve components are on target to achieve their fiscal year attrition goals, officials said.

Family Matters Blog: Military Kids Can Apply for Free Summer Camps

By Elaine Sanchez

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON  – With the temperature rising and the school year drawing to a close, parents across the nation are starting to think about summertime plans. With three young children and a stretch of lazy summer days ahead, it’s definitely a hot topic in my household.

Military families can get a head start on their planning today by applying for the National Military Family Association’s Operation Purple Summer Camp program. The nonprofit organization launched this free program nine years ago to support military children, ages 7 to 17, dealing with the stress of war.

The weeklong camps are open to military children of all ranks and services, both active and reserve. Officials will give priority to children who meet the association’s deployment criteria and have never attended an Operation Purple camp. Families should submit their application by midnight EDT on April 19.

This summer, officials said, 1,400 children will attend an Operation Purple camp at one of 16 locations in 14 states: Alaska, California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, North Carolina, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and West Virginia.

For more information or to submit an online application, visit the NMFA website.

(For more military family-related posts, visit AFPS' Family Matters Blog.)

Wisconsin Guard Soldiers test their skills in the Great White North

By 1st Lt. Peter Owen

1st Battalion, 128th Infantry

Five Wisconsin Army National Guard Soldiers were among the top finishers in an annual one-day military skills competition in Winnipeg, Manitoba, against teams from the Canadian Land Force Western Area and the Minnesota National Guard March 17.

1st Lt. Andrew Adey of Minocqua, Wis.; Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Penttila of Inver Heights, Minn.; Spc. Israel Bursch of Blair, Wis.; Spc. Aaron Cobosco of Eau Claire, Wis.; and Spc. Zachary Pierce of High Bridge, Wis., comprised one of 13 teams in the Skill-At-Arms Competition hosted by the 38th Canadian Brigade Group. The physically demanding day began at 5:30 a.m. with teams having no idea which events they would compete in - only that the events would take place during a road march.

Half an hour into the events, contestants arrived at an equipment cache; they could use whatever they found throughout the day, but they would have to carry that equipment all day as well. The Wisconsin team selected a set of binoculars and military nylon parachute cord.

Teams ran from one event station to the next, carrying their equipment and a 40-pound sandbag. Stations included first aid, basic map reading, distance estimation, marksmanship, assembling weapons from assorted components in a tote, and assembling a field stove to boil water.

"It is a unique opportunity to train and compete internationally as a team," Adey said. "The Soldier skills were basically the same for both of our countries, so it provided a great opportunity to compete in the fundamental skills while building relationships with Canadian forces."

At day's end, Wisconsin finished in third place. Col. Nic Stanton, 38th Canadian Brigade Group commander, said that including National Guard teams from Wisconsin and Minnesota provided an excellent opportunity to interact, experiencing similarities and differences during a healthy competition.

"We were blown away by the hospitality the Canadians showed us," Adey said, "and look forward to more opportunities to train with them."