Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Aerospace Daily & Defense Report
December 7, 2007 U.S. Air Force Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) chief Gen. Norton Schwartz says the U.S.'s global reach is "not nearly as robust" in certain areas as necessary, creating potential for problems in the future.
The C-17's unrefueled range is fairly good, Schwartz told a group on Capitol Hill Dec. 6. "We're pretty well postured to support traditional contingencies," he said, "but less so in other cases." An "intricate network" of airfields is key to U.S. capability and reach, he added. "Our network is pretty robust east and west," Schwartz said, "but not nearly as robust in the south."
The emergence of the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) will pose its own set of challenges, Schwartz said. "Africa is a huge continent and gaining access there is a challenge," he said. "Perhaps the routing shouldn't be just from Central Europe. Perhaps we need to have something in South America that allows us to go east-west instead of north-south. We're working that angle."
Schwartz also took aim at diplomatic matters, saying that global basing access is "vital to our national security." Access to Uzbekistan is particularly important because much of the fuel headed for Afghanistan passes through there, he said. "Yet there are folks that want to pound on the Uzbeks for things that happened years ago," Schwartz said. Likewise, the U.S. government's accusation of Armenian genocide in Turkey does not benefit TRANSCOM either, Schwartz added. "If we need access, you have to keep it all in balance."
Schwartz said his ideal fleet mix would include 205 C-17s and 111 C-5s. As to why TRANSCOM is using AN-124s to transport Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles to Iraq, Schwartz quipped, "They're great vehicle carriers and they take off on time."
-- Bettina H. Chavanne
December 7, 2007 U.S. Air Force Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) chief Gen. Norton Schwartz says the U.S.'s global reach is "not nearly as robust" in certain areas as necessary, creating potential for problems in the future.
The C-17's unrefueled range is fairly good, Schwartz told a group on Capitol Hill Dec. 6. "We're pretty well postured to support traditional contingencies," he said, "but less so in other cases." An "intricate network" of airfields is key to U.S. capability and reach, he added. "Our network is pretty robust east and west," Schwartz said, "but not nearly as robust in the south."
The emergence of the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) will pose its own set of challenges, Schwartz said. "Africa is a huge continent and gaining access there is a challenge," he said. "Perhaps the routing shouldn't be just from Central Europe. Perhaps we need to have something in South America that allows us to go east-west instead of north-south. We're working that angle."
Schwartz also took aim at diplomatic matters, saying that global basing access is "vital to our national security." Access to Uzbekistan is particularly important because much of the fuel headed for Afghanistan passes through there, he said. "Yet there are folks that want to pound on the Uzbeks for things that happened years ago," Schwartz said. Likewise, the U.S. government's accusation of Armenian genocide in Turkey does not benefit TRANSCOM either, Schwartz added. "If we need access, you have to keep it all in balance."
Schwartz said his ideal fleet mix would include 205 C-17s and 111 C-5s. As to why TRANSCOM is using AN-124s to transport Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles to Iraq, Schwartz quipped, "They're great vehicle carriers and they take off on time."
-- Bettina H. Chavanne