Sustainment Challenge?

Sustainment Challenge?: Testifying before

the Senate Armed Services airland subcommittee Tuesday, Lt. Gen. Mark Shackelford, the Air Force’s military acquisition deputy, raised questions about long-term sustainment of an F-22 fleet comprising only 187 aircraft. (The actual number, as of today, will be 186 F-22s, factoring the one Raptor lost in a crash. Smaller than the 243 military requirement number recently cited by Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz, and much smaller than the original requirement for 381. Asked by Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) about the decision to halt F-22 procurement at 187, Shackelford said he believes that that number is “sufficient” for the type of threats Defense Secretary Robert Gates anticipates the US will face in the near future. If the Air Force had a concern about the fleet, Shackelford said it would be in the area of sustainment. While 187 F-22s will provide excellent combat capability, keeping them flying and mission-capable could become more complicated at some point. “To sustain that fleet over a long period of time may become a challenge,” he told the panel, without elaborating. Last month Schwartz did shed some light on this issue, telling the full Senate Armed Services Committee May 16 that “small-fleet dynamics are a significant issue.” He said, for example, the Air Force “might have to use combat-coded airplanes to do training as well,” as opposed to dedicated Raptors. This, he noted, “is not as ideal as being able to rely on a constant throughput for training,” but it is one of “the realities of managing a smaller fleet.” At that same hearing, Schwartz characterized the projected Raptor fleet size as a moderate- to high-risk force.

—Marc V. Schanz

6/11/2009

Verbatim

Appreciative Host
"I know you're here during a difficult time. You're here through Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. I promise you, we will find turkeys."
—Republic of Lithuania Chief of Defence Maj. Gen. Arvydas Pocius, expressing his thanks to airmen of the 493rd Fighter Squadron from RAF Lakenheath, Britain, who on Sept. 1, 2010, began a four-month stint with their F-15s in Lithuania to protect the airspace of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania under NATO's Baltic air policing mission.

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Family Momentum
"In many ways, this was what the Year of the Air Force Family was all about—connecting airmen and their families with the resources they need. I have confidence the Air Force will capitalize on this strong momentum in the years ahead by continuing to improve our family support programs and ensuring people know what resources are available."
—Suzie Schwartz, wife of USAF Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz, commenting on the accomplishments of the Year of the Air Force Family initiative that concluded in July, in a statement provided to the Daily Report, Aug. 22, 2010.