Air Force Plans May Be Thwarted By Political Calendar

Team Infidel

Forum Spin Doctor
Shreveport (LA) Times
September 16, 2008
By Ana Radelat, Gannett News Service
WASHINGTON — Air Force officials who want to overhaul the service because of problems with nuclear and acquisition programs may run out of time before a new administration imposes its policies.
The future of the Air Force's cyber mission also likely hinges on the swearing in of a president in January, said Loren Thompson, chief defense analyst at the Lexington Institute.
"There is a high likelihood that whatever the Air Force leadership decides will be modified, cut back or simply ignored by a new administration."
The Air Force recently backed out of a troubled bidding process for 179 new airborne refueling tankers.
"Time just ran out," Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said.
Air Force officials were preparing a wide range of recommendations to a new administration for procurement of the tankers, ranging from starting over from scratch "to something much more abbreviated," he said.
The future of the Air Force's cyber mission will top the agenda of a high-level meeting Oct. 1-3 in Colorado Springs, Colo. But no final decisions are expected from that meeting, and they may not be made until there's a new occupant in the White House.
Meantime, Barksdale Air Force Base will continue to be the provisional headquarters of the Air Force's cyber mission. But all cyber mission-related hiring and transfers are frozen, and the creation of a command is in doubt.
Thompson said the Air Force likely will have a smaller role than once envisioned in protecting the United States from cyber attacks and could share that responsibility with other military branches, federal intelligence agencies and the Homeland Security Department.
Acting Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said Monday one reason he paused plans for a new cyber mission is to review the findings of a Pentagon advisory group.
The group, led by former Defense Secretary James Schlesinger, condemned the Air Force for lapses in managing the nation's nuclear arsenal. Among the mishaps was last year's unauthorized flight of a B-52 bomber armed with six nuclear warheads from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., to Barksdale.
Released last week, the Schlesinger report recommends all nuclear missions be placed under one command.
"The (Schlesinger report) was one factor in our decision to pause," Donley said. "But it left cyber to be handled elsewhere."
He also said the Air Force will convene a "nuclear summit" at the end of the month to consider the report's recommendations.
The consolidation and emphasis of nuclear training would be welcome, said retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Peyton Cole, a former 2nd Bomb Wing commander.
"Frankly, anything that would put more emphasis and oversight on the nuclear mission would be welcomed," said the Bossier City resident who headed the wing in the early- to mid-1990s.
"Jim Schlesinger is pretty long on the tooth, but he's still pretty viable and coherent," Cole said. "We've gotten away from the old SAC doctrines and protocols that governed dealing with nuclear weapons. And we certainly need to 'return to the future' by reimplementing those old ways. This is probably a step in the right direction. We'll see if we get the funding and the personnel to pull this off."
Donley made his comments during a three-day Air Force Association conference in Washington. He and Schwartz were appointed by President Bush this summer in a leadership change prompted by the Air Force's troubles. They replaced former Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley and Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne, who made Barksdale the Air Force's provisional cyber headquarters.
"I think we're bringing the Air Force back," Donley said Monday.
His term as civilian head of the Air Force will expire when Bush leaves office. Congress gave Schwartz a two-year term, but any decision he makes could be overruled by the next defense secretary.
Nevertheless, Schwartz said Monday, he is confident the Air Force is on the way to reform. "It's moving back to a level of performance that sustains the trust of the American people."
Times staffer John Andrew Prime contributed to this report.
 
Back
Top