Chief of staff addresses future of airpower at conference

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Monique Randolph
  • Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
WASHINGTON (AFPN) --  The Air Force chief of staff wrapped up the three-day Air Force Association's 2007 Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition with an address before a crowd of several hundred Sept. 26 here.

In his address, titled "To fly, fight and win in the 21st century," Gen. T. Michael Moseley drove home the need for recapitalization of the Air Force's aging weapons systems in order to prepare for the demands of the future.

"These conferences are powerful because they give us a wonderful opportunity to share, learn ... and grow," General Moseley said. "We all value these opportunities, and cherish the exceptional relationship the U.S. Air Force and Air Force Association have had for more than 60 years.

"If we focus solely on this tactical piece of Iraq and Afghanistan, or fixate solely on providing expedient tactical solutions, we put our nation's security in danger," the general said. "Instead, we must open our apertures and see the larger issues that concern us. We must consider strategic issues and develop long-term plans to address and solve them.

"Today the Air Force dominates in air and space and is rapidly expanding its capabilities in the domain of cyberspace," General Moseley said. "Today the Air Force provides those decisive effects on a global scale. Today it is universally recognized (as the) source of national strength. Today, your Air Force provides our nation true global vigilance, global reach and global power, but our ability to accomplish all this in the future is at risk."

With forces actively engaged in the war on terrorism and new threats emerging, the Air Force faces the serious challenge of positioning the total force for things to come. 

"(We are) fighting the war with the most combat tested and proven force in history, working feverishly to keep old -- and in many cases, obsolete -- weapons systems flying and fighting, while at the same time preparing for the roles the nation will ask us to accomplish in the future," General Moseley said.

To emphasize this point further, General Moseley relayed the story of an MH-53 Pave Low helicopter that recently crashed near Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. This particular aircraft was manufactured in 1969 and has flown numerous combat missions dating back to 1975. The same aircraft has completed four rotations to the combat theater, returning most recently in June 2007 after a 12-month deployment.

"The MH-53 is a great aircraft, but we've been retiring a few of them every year," General Moseley said. "We've lost six in combat, and now have only 21 left in the inventory. Over the course of the next year and a half, we'll eventually retire the remaining MH-53s."

The MH-53 was supposed to be replaced by the CV-22 Osprey, but because of delays in appropriation, production and delivery, there are currently only six, he said. "In this case and more broadly, we must balance current imperatives with future requirements."

General Moseley also spoke about four "fundamental and indispensable" tasks that Airmen perform for political and joint military leaders: The ability to survey the battlespace from the ground, air and space; the ability to accurately and rapidly strike, supply and provide humanitarian relief anywhere on earth; the ability to provide command and control activities worldwide using airborne, ground, space and cyber-based platforms; and the ability to assess kinetic and nonkinetic effects in real time, or near real time, across the Air Force's warfighting domains.

"No matter where on the planet that activity or that target might be, Airmen can get there in a hurry, link with our coalition partners and respond from one end of the spectrum to another," General Moseley said.

"The Air Force is the only service asked to accomplish these four missions anywhere, anytime," he said. "These indispensable missions epitomize the range, payload and speed that are the heart and soul of airpower, and our nation depends on Airmen to fulfill them now and in the future."

The Air Force is in the midst of the largest modernization and recapitalization effort in history, and Airmen must have state-of-the-art systems and equipment to continue to dominate air, space and cyberspace, General Moseley said.

"These years of flying and fighting have taken a toll on our people, machines and organization; amazing Airmen work miracles to keep these aircraft flying, but we've gone well beyond any engineering data to know what will happen to such an aged fleet," General Moseley said. "I fear that the MH-53 incident will only repeat itself with increasing frequency as this inventory continues to age."

In addition to recapitalization and modernization efforts, General Moseley stressed the Air Force will have to change the way the service is organized, trained and equipped.

"We are at a strategic crossroads, and ... choosing the path of least resistance, failing to change... would lead to failure to fulfill our roles and missions for the nation in the 21st century," he said.

"We must adapt to meet both current and future wartime requirements. We must focus on the mission so that we can continue to dominate in all three warfighting domains. Overcoming the 21st century challenge is not a choice; it's a duty. It's not an option, it's a responsibility," General Moseley said. "I call on you now to be a part of this endeavor; to commit yourself fully to this monumental and history-making effort to realize and redefine American airpower for the 21st century.