Obama Tells Central Command Troops America Will Lead

By Jim Garamone

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17, 2014 – In the fight against the Islamic State in Syria and the Levant, America will lead the right way, President Barack Obama told service members at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, today.

Obama and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel received a briefing from U.S. Central Command commander Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III detailing the fight against the terrorist group in Iraq and Syria. The president also met with representatives of 40 countries allied in the fight against the militants.

The president thanked the service members for their contributions in 13 years of war, and told them he must call on them again to battle the newest menace in the Middle East. Still, the president stressed that American service members will lead the fight against ISIL, but will not shoulder the entire burden.

“We’re going to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL through a comprehensive and sustained counterterrorism strategy,” Obama told the troops. “And whether in Iraq or in Syria, these terrorists will learn the same thing that the leaders of al-Qaida already know: We mean what we say. Our reach is long. If you threaten America, you will find no safe haven. We will find you eventually.”

Destroying ISIL

Destroying ISIL is not America’s fight alone, Obama said. The United States military has unique -- and decisive -- capabilities it can bring to the fight, he added, but this does not mean American troops will engage in ground combat. “The American forces that have been deployed to Iraq do not and will not have a combat mission,” the president stated, but rather will advise and assist Iraqi forces.

“As your commander in chief, I will not commit you and the rest of our armed forces to fighting another ground war in Iraq,” he said. “After a decade of massive ground deployments, it is more effective to use our unique capabilities in support of partners on the ground so they can secure their own countries’ futures.”

America will provide air power and air mobility, the president said, and U.S. service members will train and equip partners. “We will lead a broad coalition of countries who have a stake in this fight, because this is not simply America versus ISIL, this is the people of the region fighting against ISIL,” he added. “It is the world rejecting the brutality of ISIL in favor of a better future for our children, and our children’s children.”

In addition to providing capabilities, the United States also will provide leadership, “because in an uncertain world full of breathtaking change, the one constant is American leadership,” the president said.

Effort will be different

But this effort will be different, because America has learned the lessons of the past, Obama said. “We’ve got to do things differently,” he told the troops. “This is why we’ve spent the past several weeks building a coalition to aid in these efforts. And because we’re leading in the right way, more nations are joining us. Overall, more than 40 countries so far have offered assistance to the broad campaign against ISIL.”

Obama said France and the United Kingdom already are aiding the effort, flying missions over Iraq. Others have promised help, he added.

Other nations will support the forces fighting ISIL terrorists on the ground, Obama said. Saudi Arabia has agreed to host efforts to train and equip Syrian opposition forces, he noted, while Australia and Canada will send military advisors to Iraq. German paratroopers will offer training.

Still other nations have helped in resupplying arms and equipment to forces in Iraq, including the Kurdish Peshmerga, the president said.

Arab allies

“Arab nations have agreed to strengthen their support for Iraq’s new government and to do their part in all the aspects of the fight against ISIL,” Obama said. “And our partners will help to cut off ISIL funding, and gather intelligence, and stem the flow of foreign fighters into and out of the Middle East.”

Finally, almost 30 nations have helped with humanitarian relief to help innocent civilians ISIL has driven from their homes and villages.

“In a world that’s more crowded and more connected, it is America that has the unique capability to mobilize against an organization like ISIL,” he said. It is also why the world turns to America when another threat -- this time from the pathogen Ebola in Africa -- threatens.

Who do they call?

“That’s the story across the board,” Obama said. “If there is a hurricane, if there is a typhoon, if there is some sort of crisis, if there is an earthquake, if there’s a need for a rescue mission, when the world is threatened, when the world needs help, it calls on America. Even the countries that complain about America, when they need help, who do they call? They call us. And then America calls on you.”

The president said the world asks a lot of American service members. But that is because of the U.S. military is one of the few organizations in the world with the expertise, knowledge, reach, equipment and agility to accomplish these diverse and challenging missions, he explained.

“Even when it seems like our politics is just dividing us, I want you to remember that when it comes to supporting you and your families, the American people stand united. We support you,” he said. “We are proud of you. We are in awe of your skill and your service. Only 1 percent of Americans may wear the uniform and shoulder the weight of special responsibilities that you do, but 100 percent of Americans need to support you and your families -- 100 percent.”

Defense Leader Praises Air Force as Backbone of Global Reach

By Cheryl Pellerin

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17, 2014 – The 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 here today.

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, Kendal 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 programs

To 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.

Foundation of U.S. national security

Addressing 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 technology

Savings 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.”

Youngstown comm Airmen provide high-tech capabilities for Idaho spray mission

by Master. Sgt. Bob Barko, Jr.
910th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

9/17/2014 - MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho  -- A group of Citizen Airmen assigned to the Air Force Reserve's 910th Airlift Wing, from Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio, began a two-week mission to aid in fire prevention by using the wing's unique aerial spray capability to control invasive cheat grass on the nearby Saylor Creek Bombing Range here, Sept.16.

Before the aircrews climbed aboard their modified C-130 aircraft or maintainers loaded a drop of herbicide into the Modular Aerial Spray System, members of the 910th Communications Squadron were busy setting up a mast antenna and a wide array of sophisticated equipment to support the air and ground operations in the coming days.

The five-person communications team travelled aboard the aerial spray flight's support C-130 aircraft along with their pallet of equipment and quickly set up shop just off the flight line here. The team joined the Mountain Home mission to provide internet and commercial and Defense Switching Network phone and Video Tele-Conference capabilities via a satellite system, known as Joint Incident Site Communications Capability, to the aerial spray aircrews, maintenance and ground support involved in the operation. The team also provided access to laptop computers, printers and communication back to home station for all of the YARS Citizen Airmen working here. Additionally, they brought Ultra High Frequency, Very High Frequency and High Frequency radio capabilities to the ongoing aerial spray mission.

Senior Master Sgt. Robert Fisher, 910th CS Cyber Systems superintendent, indicated the chance to travel across the country to support the Department of Defense's only large -area, fixed-wing aerial spray capability was a two-fold opportunity.

"Not only is this a chance to train our Airmen in the flexibility and capability we have with our equipment," said Fisher, "but we can also give the aircrews and maintainers the familiarity of what we can provide to the mission in the way of VTC, e-mail, printers and more."

Additionally, this mission provides valuable hands-on familiarity with these communications capabilities in the event the JISCC and radio systems are ever needed in a more dire situation.

"The comm squadron has been called upon to support aerial spray operations during Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Gustav and during the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (response)," said Fisher. "Supporting the mission here in Idaho will keep us trained and ready to go if another real world contingency or emergency operation were to happen."

Air National Guard Director Clarke discusses three-part 'balanced strategy' at conference

by Maj. Mary Harrington
Air National Guard Readiness Center Public Affairs

9/17/2014 - WASHINGTON -- Lt. Gen. Stanley Clarke, the director of the Air National Guard, provided an overview of the ANG at the 2014 Air Force Association's Air & Space and Conference and Technology Exposition in Washington, D.C., Sept. 15.

During his address, Clarke discussed current operations and end strength, but focused mostly on the people and Airmen.

Clarke shared that the ANG supports federal and state missions with 105,400 members in 89 wings, spread throughout the 50 United States and three territories and the District of Columbia. ANG membership is comprised of 12 percent Air Active Guard Reserve, 18 percent technicians, and 70 percent drill status Guard members.

The general introduced his three-part "balanced strategy," focused on the ANGs position in the total Air Force as a proven choice, the first choice and an enduring choice.

"The first point of the balanced strategy is the Air National Guard is a proven choice for the war fight and overseas operations," Clarke said. "I didn't say the only choice; I didn't say the best choice. I said a proven choice for the war fight."

"(We are the proven choice) for a lot of reasons ... the main one being the Air Force makes sure we are," Clarke said.

To help illustrate this, Clarke noted that Airmen serving in the ANG have earned twenty-five Silver Stars since the ANG's start in 1967 and 1,116 Bronze Stars since September 11, 2001. In 2014 alone, Clarke awarded three Silver Stars and 34 Bronze Stars.

Clarke used real-world stories of the ANG's most recent recipients of the Silver Star, which included Master Sgt. Michael Sears, a member of the New Jersey ANG, and Master Sgt. Roger Sparks from the Alaska ANG. Sears and Sparks are Guard Airmen who risked their lives to save lives in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Sears was assigned to an Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit. While traveling in a convoy, he defused two improvised explosive devices, but his convoy was later attacked. Injured and under fire, Sears saved others all while continuing to fight back for hours.

Sparks' story was similar, in that he provided life-saving care for others, while under fire and after being hit by a rocket propelled grenade. He never left, until he was the last one, saving the lives of others.

Clarke also recognized members of the Oregon Air National Guard, the 125th Special Tactics Squadron, including Tech. Sgt. George Thompson, Staff Sgt. Chris Jones, Staff Sgt. Matt Matlock and Tech. Sgt. Douglas Matthews.

"If you know anything about the special tactics world ... you understand that they work with special operations forces in a variety of scenarios and often can be very complex," he said.

Clarke shared the words of a Navy SEAL admiral, who said, "'he gets more out of the special tactics squadron, from the Air Force, than anybody else." Clarke noted that this is a heck of an accomplishment.

He made special note of Tech. Sgt. Douglas J. Matthews, a Special Tactics Airman, who was recognized as an ANG 2014 Outstanding Airman of the Year, and an Air Force Outstanding Airman of the Year. Matthews was in a firefight with the Taliban in Afghanistan, and saved lives, called in air support, and refused evacuation despite injuries, until the excursion was over.

As the second point of the ANG balanced strategy, Clarke stated that the Air National Guard is the first choice for homeland operations and domestic response.

"We are constitutionally organized that way," he noted.

Clarke mentioned the Air Guard C-130 Spectres used to fight wildfires in the West, ongoing search-and-rescue missions in Alaska and ongoing Southwest border operations.

"If you have a Guardsman returning from a deployment from Afghanistan, the very next day they could be responding to tornado, flood or hurricane, or something at home ... and doing that again, with a part time force," he said. ""It's a remarkable organization with remarkable people."

Introducing the final third of the ANG balanced strategy, Clarke heralded the ANG as an enduring choice for security cooperation and building partnerships.

Clarke pointed to the Guard's State Partnership Program, or SPP, in which states have enduring long-term relationships with countries with similar values and interests, paramount for meeting defense goals in today's global environment.

"No one else can provide the enduring relationships that we build," he said using specific state SPP programs as examples. This included Arizona's SPP with Kazakhstan, Rhode Island's SPP with the Bahamas, and Missouri's SPP with Panama.

He mentioned a visit in March 2014 to the 105th Airlift Wing, Stuart Air Base, New York ANG. He showed a picture of members of the base, who were deployed last year to Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan; he noted that, during the deployment, the Wing tragically lost a member in a firefight on Sept. 5.

The squadron includes a family of a mother, father and son who are "Air National Guard family....you'll see that quite often," he said.

Clarke emphasized the seamless integration with the total Air Force and the unique ANG strengths and capabilities, as a result of both state and federal missions. He discussed that the ANG's experienced Guard Airmen and a unique community-based organization with a dual-role, dual-use, unit structured, unit-equipped construct, which enables the ANG to excel. Clarke also emphasized the importance of active associations with the active duty Air Force.

Clarke highlighted that members of the activity duty Air Force, who have decided to separate from active duty, are often recruited right into the ANG. He also pointed out that ANG members are not often moved or retrained, giving them long-term experience and expertise in their career fields.

Almost 100 percent of the ANG's equipment can be used for both federal and state mission support, and Clarke emphasized the community-based force across the United States and territories.

"This builds trust between the military and America, and lends community support to military efforts at home and abroad," he said.

Clarke also addressed concern about recapitalization the ANG's aging fleet, as well as the National Guard Reserve and Equipment Account, or NGREA, and the importance of these monies for the warfighter or domestic operator. He noted the aging fleet with aircraft average ages of about 30 years for the F-15C Eagle; about 24 years for the F-16C Fighting Falcon; about 23 years for HH-60G Pave Hawk; and about 53 years for the KC-135R Stratotanker.

He specifically pointed to the Illinois ANG's 126th Air Refueling Wing and their aging and limited number of KC-135s, but all working, comparing the aircraft to his personal, antique 1961 Corvette.

"Yes, I love that car," he said. "It looks cool ... It turns on a dime, turns heads and runs like the wind ... but I don't trust it beyond 10 miles. But we're asking Airmen to fly these 1961 tankers and older ... across thousands of miles, over open ocean, at night, sometimes in adverse conditions, and they do a great job, but it'd be much nicer if we recapitalized and didn't have to fly airplanes that were much older than the members themselves."

NGREA was another area of emphasis expressed by Clarke.

"NGREA allows the Air National Guard to put the right capability in the hands of the warfighter or domestic responder - now," he said.

He cited a list of NGREA initiatives, to include: the Mobile Emergency Operations Center, fatality search and rescue teams, Expeditionary Medical Support modernization, Joint Incident Site Communications Capability, disaster relief bed-down sets, Security Forces Less-than-Lethal Kits, firefighting equipment, disaster relief mobile kitchen trailers and Common Operation Picture system.

Clarke concluded with a photo of three Airmen - one Guardsman, one reservist, and one active-duty - that Gen. Mark A Welsh III, the chief of staff of the Air Force had previously shown. He pointed out there is no difference in their appearance, and that all three are serving in either the office of the Secretary of the Air Force or the Chief of Staff of the Air Force.

"Yes, there is strength in the three components Air Force," he said.

Clarke also recognized the Air National Guard's 2014 Outstanding Airmen of the Year, including Senior Airman Christian Goldsmith, Airman of the Year, New Mexico ANG; Tech. Sgt. Douglas Matthews, Non-commissioned Officer of the Year, Oregon ANG; Master Sgt. Joseph Ashwood, Senior Non-commissioned Officer of the Year, Texas ANG; Master Sgt. Linda Schwartzlow, First Sergeant of the Year, Wisconsin ANG; Tech. Sgt. Amy Ough, Honor Guard Member of the Year, New York ANG; and Master Sgt. David Coker, Honor Guard Program Manager of the Year, Wisconsin ANG. He made special note of Tech. Sgt. Matthews, who also recognized as an Air Force Outstanding Airman of the Year.

The well-received speech ended with a video on ANG and Air Force Airman of the Year, Tech. Sgt. Douglas Matthews, with combat footage from his life-saving firefight in Afghanistan in November 2012, for which Matthews was awarded the Silver Star.

"I am so proud to serve with these real-world heroes, these Guard Airmen," he said.