Top two Air Force officials resigning

MSNBC ^ | 6-05-08

[Renfield]

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert Gates ousted the Air Force's top officials Thursday, holding them to account in a historic military shake-up for failing to ensure the security of sensitive materials, including nuclear missile warhead fuses that were mistakenly shipped to Taiwan.

Gates announced at a Pentagon news conference that he had accepted the resignations of Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley and Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne — a highly unusual double firing.

Gates cited two embarrassing incidents in the past year. In one, a B-52 bomber was mistakenly armed with six nuclear-tipped cruise missiles and flown across the country without anyone realizing nuclear weapons were aboard........

[SkyPilot]

While Secretary Gates cited the nuke goofs and the fuses being sent to Taiwan as the primary reason for the firings of both the Air Force Chief of Staff and the Secretary of the AF - that was really just the easiest way to justify it.

People who have been following events lately know there are other, deeper reasons for this.

- The AF leadership pursued an almost myopic view towards modernization, to wit - they wanted more F-22 fighters, and they wanted them badly. In fact, the Air Force has been cutting to the bone (including throwing thousands out of the service involuntarily) to help pay for the F-22. Gates protested, and told leaders the F-22 had "no role in the current war on terror."

My old boss, Gen Carlson, said in February the AF intended to purchase even more of them (despite was the SECDEF and White House had said). Gates called it "borderline insubordination."

- Last month, Gates publicly chastised the Air Force as not doing enough for the WOT, and specifically his request to get more UAVs was "like pulling teeth." The very same day he publicly spanked the Air Force, Gates went to the US Army military academy at West Point and broke down in tears thanking the Army. The signal was lost on AF leaders.

- The AF has been telling Congress the real threats were China and Russia in the future, because this strategy gave them leverage to purchase new and expensive weapons. Gates was furious, and told them to fight the 2 wars on hand we have now.

In short, the F-22 (and to a lesser extent the F-36) caused tunnel vision for the Air Force. The E-ring at the Air Force section of the Pentagon is run by the fighter guys. They could not see the forest for the trees, and now they are paying a price.

The nuke and fuse scandal did contribute to this, but there were many other factors at play.

[SkyPilot]

F-36 = F-35

[A.A. Cunningham]

Gates says Air Force not doing enough in Iraq war effort

Pentagon chief says Air Force should do more

[csvset]

It’s 10:00, do you know where your nukes are?

[neb52]

Other than increase in UAVs, which the Army and Air Force split, what can the Air Force do more of? I would assume they are doing a good job providing close in air support and transport. What does Gates want? The Air Force does need new planes really bad and this is a great time for them to be upgrading with no major air war to fight. Does SecDef expect them to wait until they need the F-22s and F-35s to all of the sudden order them?

[The Sons of Liberty]

The Air Force "leadership" probably should've been replaced after control of the nukes was lost last year, BUT

Gates seems to be ignoring the fact that the current Air Force aircraft are 1970s vintage - or older. F-15s have been disintegrating in mid-air, so there aren't many options. The russians and Red Chinese are building up their military and pose a very serious threat. Sophisticated weapons systems aren't produced overnight. Gates is being very short-sighted in his approach.

[meandog]

Gates is proving up to the job...Rumsfeld, no doubt, would have promoted them and pinned on medals.

[pierrem15]

Exactly: both points are correct-- the AF needs the F22 and the F35 desperately.

The trouble is the Bush admin has never been willing to pay the cost of fighting the current wars and upgrading ALL the services and incresing enlistment after the 10 year procurement holiday and force reductions following the end of the Cold War.

If they think the WOT is hard now, try doing it without air supremacy.

The AF is simply focusing on future threats, while the SecDef is focusing on current battles. If the admin were really concerned, it would spend the money needed (instead of the bull--t tax refunds we just got) and consider some really radical reform, like giving the Army its own fixed wing and UAV support back, just like the Marines.

[A.A. Cunningham]

What’s the average age; in both years and hours of flight, of the F-16 and F-15 fleets respectively?

[Fundamentally Fair]

My old boss, Gen Carlson...

Great guy. I escorted him in DC earlier this year. He was humble as can be.

[Fundamentally Fair]

Rumsfeld, no doubt, would have promoted them and pinned on medals.

Just out of curiousisty, in your world, where do you "promote" a 4-star Chief of Staff?

[SkyPilot]

Yes, he is. Very humble and polite. A smart guy too.

He is a very accomplished fighter pilot as well, with time in F-16s, F-15s, A-10s, and also the F-117. The F-117 was sort of "his baby" too - he worked on many facets of the program since he was a young officer.

[SkyPilot]

Your both right - the AF needs fighter to replace 1970's era F-15s and F-16s.

But here is the problem.

The F-22 is not a budget buster, it is a budget serial killer.

The program is choking the rest of the Air Force, yet senior AF leaders pursue it as like it is the only thing in the entire AF that matters.

That is killing the AF right now. Between that and high fuel costs, the AF is cutting EVERYTHING in order to pay for it.

When Gen Mosley and Sec Wynne testified before the House Armed Services Committee last winter, they could not make the case for more money - so they kept talking about cutting personnel. But, they really didn't know what they wanted in terms of the size of the force, whether to buy more C-17s, or answers to other questions. So the Chairman handed their a$$es to them (and rightly so).

Right now, the proposal is still to cut more troops in the AF (medical costs and personnel costs there and the leaders saw big savings). But, the "savings" that was taken by the cuts last year were grabbed up the Army, or eaten by increased fuel costs - so the AF not only gained nothing, it actually hurt itself. And this year's solution is.........more personnel cuts! These are enlisted, officer, and contractor cuts. But, the mission pressures are expected to not only continue, but increase. Airmen are supporting In-Lieu-Of Missions to the Army at a historic rate. Air Force pilots are flying so much they have to keep waiving safety regulations to keep them flying.

[neb52]

Considering the cost of todays Air Force, could it be time to combine the Army and Air Force back together to share Admin cost? Short of outsourcing assembly of future aircraft to China or India, the aircraft will only get more expensive. Perhaps smaller number of high tech fighters with more lower tech(A-10) figthers to help the budget and field large numbers of planes?

[SkyPilot]

Considering the cost of todays Air Force, could it be time to combine the Army and Air Force back together to share Admin cost?

Great question! That pondering is actually circulating and it scares the hell out of the Air Force.

Plus, the Army kept asking the AF to do more ISR flights in Iraq, and the AF told the Army they could not. Sooooo.....the Army took its own C-12s and started doing it successfully themselves.

HUGE mistake by the AF.

[The Sons of Liberty]

The Air Force leadership has had their heads up their a$$es for a long time - particularly since the Air Force decided in the 70s and 80s to rapidly advance officers, not on the basis of leadership and intelligence, but based on their “political” connections. The chickens have come home to roost.