Air Force moves to silence members on A-10 divestment

An A-10 takes flight. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Luke Kitterman/Released)

The United States Air Force released a memo, dated March 4, 2014, which is intended to restrict Air Force personnel, and silence any and all opposition to their plans to divest the Air Force of the A-10 and other fleets including the KC-10. The memo includes both changes to military installation missions, and talking points which paint a very different picture than that which is known by tactical support crews, pilots, and troops on the ground.

According to the Public Affairs Guidance memo regarding FY15 Force Structure Plan, the Air Force advises personnel that they must remain silent until the press release included in the memo is disseminated.

The memo was written in anticipation of the president’s Fiscal Year 2015 Budget announced today.

It is crystal clear that it is only an act of Congress that will save the A-10 at this point.

The Air Force talking points provided include the following themes and messages, which are “approved” for use:

• The budget control act and sequestration caps require the Air Force to make difficult choices depressing the A-10 saves the Air Force approximately $3.5 billion over FY DP (Fiscal Years 15-19)

• Close Air Support (CAS) support to our ground commanders remains paramount. While the A-10 provides outstanding CAS it is not the only aircraft that performs this mission. In fact, over the past three years, 80% of CAS in Afghanistan was done by aircraft other than the A-10.

Contrary to the “approved” talking points, according to our sources, from 2006 – 2013 the A-10 executed 43 percent of all the CAS missions in Afghanistan and 46 percent of all the attacks in the Afghanistan theatre of operations.” Further, our sources indicate that the A-10, while conducting these attacks, consisted of only 20 percent of the total CAS cost. In other words, 46 percent of the total attacks for only 20 percent of the total cost.

All USAF fighter and bomber aircraft overseas, except airlift (C-130s, and C-17s), are listed in the Air Tasking Order (ATO) as a CAS mission no matter what they do when airborne. The USAF is sending aircraft overseas, such as the B-1 and B-52, to justify their pursuit of the new long range bomber initiative — they are not suited for CAS and have killed numerous Afghanistan civilians as a result.

• In the current fiscal environment we cannot afford to retain a single mission tactical aircraft limited in scope of operation we must acquire and retain multirole aircraft capable of supporting a wide variety of missions in the contested highly contested environment of the future.

Contrary to the “approved” talking points, the A-10 is not a single role aircraft, in fact, it performs multiple tasks.

• Multi-role platforms including the AC-130, F-15E, F-16, B1 and B-52 currently provide highly effective CAS furthermore the evolution advanced targeting pods and precision guided munitions and refinement of training tactics techniques and procedures will improve the CAS capability of these aircraft these aircraft are planned as part of the inventory well after the F-35 becomes fully operational.

However, the A-10 is capable of providing the CAS without expensive “refinement” of training tactics. The F-35 will not become fully operational until 2025. Even then, many pilots believe that it lacks ability to work in a fluid moving target CAS environment like the A-10 has done for the past 25 years. The precision weapons the USAF cites are not suitable for common events such as weather and moving targets. Further, the A-10 carries all these same weapons and sensors the other aircraft carry with higher fidelity due to their displays and their low working altitudes.

In the memo, the Air Force says it has no plans to transfer the A-10 to the Army. “At this time, the Air Force plans to place the divested A-10 aircraft into the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG).

The Air Force also addresses options for A-10 pilots: “There are several options for A-10 pilots currently stationed at units that will be divesting it’s A-10s. 1) They could request transition to another manned fighter airframe, 2) request a personnel action to a non-flying staff position, 3) request assignment to undergraduate flying instructor duty with a follow-on in another fighter airframe or non-flying staff, or 4) request assignment to the Air Reserve Component via Palace Chase (extended selective reserve assignment for active duty pilots).

On January 28, just days before Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel announced his budget, Arizona’s Governor Jan Brewer quietly issued an Executive Order in which she noted that the “sustainment of existing military installations in Arizona and the more than $9 billion and economic impact from those operations provide a stable foundation and key component of to Arizona’s economy.” Brewer ordered the Military Affairs Commission to develop strategies and provide recommendations on issues impacting Arizona’s military installations.

Brewer tasked the Military Affairs Commission with recommending: “executive, legislative, and federal actions necessary to provide additional value to the DOD through Arizona’s military installations and to prevent military installations from closure or downsizing.” Brewer also tasked the Commission to “determine the continued viability of Arizona’s military installations training routes, restricted airspace, ranges, and any other areas under the jurisdiction of it an active unit or of a reserve component of the DOD.”

Brewer instructed the Commission to “determine what action the state could take to assist installations and adopting new capabilities” or to obtain “new or expanded missions.” She asked them to offer recommendations to the state about actions it could take to “demonstrate support for the existing military installations.”

According to sources, the USAF is promising 18 Block 40 F-16s to replace some of the A-10s being divested. There are no other aircraft being promised to DM. (Please see USAF A-10 DIVESTMENT PLAN ). The Block 40 F-16s will come from Hill AFB when the F-35s arrive. The timeline will slip right, meaning they will not arrive in FY19.

What the USAF is not telling anyone is they have promised more of these Block 40 F-16s than they have to give out when the F-35 arrives. They will not end up sending any F-16s to DM, instead they will go to either Ft Worth (TX ANG) or Homestead AFB (FL ANG) to replace their aging Block 30 F-16s.

At this point, the only hope for the A-10 and the communities that support the aircraft is Congress.

Congressional contact numbers:

Alexander, Lamar (TN)(202) 224-4944

Ayotte, Kelly (NH)(202) 224-3324

Baldwin, Tammy (WI)(202) 224-5653

Barrasso, John (WY)(202) 224-6441

Baucus, Max (MT)(202) 224-2651

Begich, Mark (AK)(202) 224-3004

Bennet, Michael F. (CO)(202) 224-5852

Blumenthal, Richard (CT)(202) 224-2823

Blunt, Roy (MO)(202) 224-5721

Booker, Cory A. (NJ)(202) 224-3224

Boozman, John (AR)(202) 224-4843

Boxer, Barbara (CA)(202) 224-3553

Brown, Sherrod (OH)(202) 224-2315

Burr, Richard (NC)(202) 224-3154

Cantwell, Maria (WA)(202) 224-3441

Cardin, Benjamin L. (MD)(202) 224-4524

Carper, Thomas R. (DE)(202) 224-2441

Casey, Robert P., Jr. (PA)(202) 224-6324

Chambliss, Saxby (GA)(202) 224-3521

Coats, Daniel (IN)(202) 224-5623

Coburn, Tom (OK)(202) 224-5754

Cochran, Thad (MS) (202) 224-5054

Collins, Susan M. (ME) (202) 224-2523

Coons, Christopher A. (DE) (202) 224-5042

Corker, Bob (TN) (202) 224-3344

Cornyn, John (TX)(202) 224-2934

Crapo, Mike (ID)(202) 224-6142

Cruz, Ted (TX)(202) 224-5922

Donnelly, Joe (IN)(202) 224-4814

Durbin, Richard J. (IL)(202) 224-2152

Enzi, Michael B. (WY)(202) 224-3424

Feinstein, Dianne (CA)(202) 224-3841

Fischer, Deb (NE)(202) 224-6551

Flake, Jeff (AZ)(202) 224-4521

Franken, Al (MN)(202) 224-5641

Gillibrand, Kirsten E. (NY)(202) 224-4451

Graham, Lindsey (SC)(202) 224-5972

Grassley, Chuck (IA)(202) 224-3744

Hagan, Kay R. (NC)(202) 224-6342

Harkin, Tom (IA)(202) 224-3254

Hatch, Orrin G. (UT)(202) 224-5251

Heinrich, Martin (NM)(202) 224-5521

Heitkamp, Heidi (ND)(202) 224-2043

Heller, Dean (NV)(202) 224-6244

Hirono, Mazie K. (HI)(202) 224-6361

Hoeven, John (ND)(202) 224-2551

Inhofe, James M. (OK)(202) 224-4721

Isakson, Johnny (GA)(202) 224-3643

Johanns, Mike (NE)(202) 224-4224

Johnson, Ron (WI)(202) 224-5323

Johnson, Tim (SD)(202) 224-5842

Kaine, Tim (VA)(202) 224-4024

King, Angus S., Jr. (ME)(202) 224-5344

Kirk, Mark (IL)(202) 224-2854

Klobuchar, Amy (MN)(202) 224-3244

Landrieu, Mary L. (LA)(202) 224-5824

Leahy, Patrick J. (VT)(202) 224-4242

Lee, Mike (UT)(202) 224-5444

Levin, Carl (MI)(202) 224-6221

Manchin, Joe, (WV)(202) 224-3954

Markey, Edward J. (MA)(202) 224-2742

McCain, John (AZ)(202) 224-2235

McCaskill, Claire (MO)(202) 224-6154

McConnell, Mitch (KY)(202) 224-2541

Menendez, Robert (NJ)(202) 224-4744

Merkley, Jeff (OR)(202) 224-3753

Mikulski, Barbara A. (MD)(202) 224-4654

Moran, Jerry (KS)(202) 224-6521

Murkowski, Lisa (AK)(202) 224-6665

Murphy, Christopher (CT)(202) 224-4041

Murray, Patty (WA)(202) 224-2621

Nelson, Bill (FL)(202) 224-5274

Paul, Rand (KY)(202) 224-4343

Portman, Rob (OH)(202) 224-3353

Pryor, Mark L. (AR)(202) 224-2353

Reed, Jack (RI)(202) 224-4642

Reid, Harry (NV)(202) 224-3542

Risch, James E. (ID)(202) 224-2752

Roberts, Pat (KS)(202) 224-4774

Rockefeller, John D., IV (WV)(202) 224-6472

Rubio, Marco (FL)(202) 224-3041

Sanders, Bernard (VT)(202) 224-5141

Schatz, Brian (HI)(202) 224-3934

Schumer, Charles E. (NY)(202) 224-6542

Scott, Tim (SC)(202) 224-6121

Sessions, Jeff (AL)(202) 224-4124

Shaheen, Jeanne (NH)(202) 224-2841

Shelby, Richard C. (AL)(202) 224-5744

Stabenow, Debbie (MI)(202) 224-4822

Tester, Jon (MT)(202) 224-2644

Thune, John (SD)(202) 224-2321

Toomey, Patrick J. (PA)(202) 224-4254

Udall, Mark (CO)(202) 224-5941

Udall, Tom (NM)(202) 224-6621

Vitter, David (LA)(202) 224-4623

Warner, Mark R. (VA)(202) 224-2023

Warren, Elizabeth (MA)(202) 224-4543

Whitehouse, Sheldon (RI)(202) 224-2921

Wicker, Roger F. (MS)(202) 224-6253

Wyden, Ron (OR)(202) 224-5244

In Arizona call:

Senator John McCain 202-224-2235   602-952-2410     john.mccain@senate.gov
Senator Jeff Flake 202-224-4521   602-840-1891     Jeff.flake@senate.gov
Rep Ann Kirkpatrick(D1) 202-225-3361   520-316-0839     ann.kirkpatrick@house.gov
Rep Ron Barber(D2) 202-225-2542   520-881-3588     ron.barber@house.gov
Rep Raul M. Grijalva(D3) 202-225-2435   520-622-6788     raul.grijalva@house.gov
Rep Paul A. Gosar(R4) 202-225-2315   480-882-2697     paul.gosar@house.gov
Rep Matt Salmon(R5) 202-225-2635   480-699-8239     matt.salmon@house.gov
Rep David Schweikert(R6) 202-225-2190   480-946-2411     david.schweikert@house.gov
Rep Ed Pastor (D7) 202-225-4065   602-256-0551     ed.pastor@house.gov
Rep Trent Franks (R8) 202-225-4576   202-225-4576     trent.franks@house.gov
Rep Kyrsten Sinema (D9) 202-225-9888   602-956-2285     krysten.sinema@house.gov