The E-8C Joint STARS is an airborne battle management command and control and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platform based upon the Boeing 707-300 airframe. The aircraft utilizes the APY-7 radar to provide commanders Ground Moving Target Indicator and Synthetic Aperture Radar imagery of the battlefield. The re-engining program aims to upgrade the current TF-33 engines with Pratt and Whitney JT8D-219 engines.

"The new engines are predicted to meet operational requirements with more persistent operations above 34,000 feet, increased mission duration, and increased take-off weight," said Maj. Chris Cherry, 633rd Electronic Systems Squadron re-engining program manager. "Since the new engines will replace 1960s-era TF-33 engines, we also anticipate significantly reduced maintenance and improved reliability as well as increased fuel efficiency, leading to improved benefits for the warfighter."

Two re-engining contract efforts facilitated the restart of the program. The Phase IA effort involves the procurement of engines. Phase II is the expansion of an effort to continue design, testing and development work associated with the new engines.

On Feb. 9, Electronic Systems Center officials definitized a $223.6 million contract to Northrop Grumman Corp., for two production shipsets of engines, which include four JT8D-219 engines and the associated pylons and cowlings for each E-8C aircraft. It also includes all work efforts necessary to obtain the FAA certification for this type of engine to be used on a 707-300 aircraft.

On Feb. 25, the expanded Phase II effort was awarded to Northrop Grumman Corp. with $60 million added to the contract. This contract includes flight testing, data capture for flight simulators, modified air certification, pneumatic system development, training, logistics, flight manuals and logistics design efforts.

These contracts resume a program effort that had slowed during the summer of 2009 when several issues arose.

"Concerns about long-term fleet viability and program cost growth led to a delay in execution and outright halt of portions of the program in August," said Maj. Kevin Massie, commander of the 633rd. "In late September, after being presented with several options, the Air Force directed the continuation of the Re-engining System Design and Development phase, with the intention of moving toward a Milestone C decision for production of the remaining E-8C engine shipsets in fiscal 2012."

The Air Force SDD decision was reinforced by an Acquisition Decision Memorandum released on Sept. 30, 2009, by the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics that designated Joint STARS a special interest program and directed the continuation of the re-engining SDD program.

At the completion of the SDD program in 2012, the Joint STARS re-engining program will proceed to a full production decision. This full production decision will be aided by the results of an ongoing Air Force Analysis of Alternatives for the Joint STARS mission area as well as results of E-8C Service Life Studies recommended by the Air Force Fleet Viability Board.

The AoA effort is being led by Air Combat Command specialists and will explore multiple alternatives for the GMTI, BMC2 and associated communications missions currently performed by the E-8C.

Officials with the 633rd ELSS, in partnership with the Joint STARS sustainment manager from the 577th Aircraft Sustainment Squadron at Robins AFB, Ga., is conducting several study efforts recommended by the FVB to support determination of the service life -- the safe, military utility life -- of the E-8C platform.

"As the Air Force looks toward the future of the Joint STARS, the program office has been working diligently the past few months to re-plan and execute funding actions to ensure the SDD can be completed," Major Massie said. "With a strong team effort involving our program management, contracting, financial management and engineering team members, as well as outstanding working relationships with our ACC and Air Staff counterparts, we were able to put a funding path and plans in place to get re-engining back on track."

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More than 4,100 Airmen, civilians and contractors make up the 480th ISRW and handle a flow of approximately 700 gigabytes of information daily.

Wing officials expect this number to increase in the near future.

"It's a growing career field and it's definitely the wave of the future for the Air Force as far as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance," said Col. Dan Johnson, the 480th ISRW commander.

It's very popular right now, it's in high demand and 2,000 more billets will be added within the 480th ISRW, he said.

Members of the 480th ISRW examine information from multiple platforms including the U-2 Dragon Lady, the RQ-4 Global Hawk, MQ-1 Predator, MQ-9 Reaper and now Project Liberty, Colonel Johnson said.

"At each one of the units in Afghanistan we have an officer and enlisted Air Force ISR liaison officer working side by side with Army Soldiers, Marines and coalition partners," Colonel Johnson said. "In addition to that we have our line crews who are working with each one of those forward units."

The line crews, or intelligence analysts, are located at five different core sites, one each in Virginia, California, South Korea, Hawaii and Germany.

"Our line mission crews, we call them "deployed in place", have been running these line missions non-stop," Colonel Johnson said. "These folks form a bond working together in chat rooms. They describe to the coalition forces on the ground what ISR platforms are in the air around them."

"From Beale Air Force Base, (Calif.), an Airman was talking to a Marine just about to go out on convoy," he said. "The Airmen tracked the entire line of operations for the convoy to make sure it went safely. This Airmen was able to get ISR serge to that operation and found that there were eight possible (improvised explosive devices) identified, three caches were confirmed and identified and one was a confirmed IED."

"This is (a senior Airman) talking to somebody forward that's directing ISR in support of the mission on the ground," the colonel said. "That's the empowerment that we've been given in our weapon system and it's the folks that work the line crew that should be given all the credit."

"When an IED is discovered that I had a hand in identifying, I definitely feel a sense of accomplishment and, of course, an element of relief that it was discovered in a manner that did not harm our forces," said Senior Airmen Andres Morales, the multi-source analyst at Beale AFB who located the IED.

"Those types of discoveries are more reminders of why you must remain vigilant at all times since enemy forces are constantly challenging our Airmen on a daily basis when they go about hiding and targeting our forces with these types of weapons," Airmen Morales said.

Analysts at the 480th ISRW review approximately 820 hours of full-motion video daily and exploit more than 1,000 targets per day.

"The (remotely piloted aircraft) gives us an unblinking eye," Colonel Johnson said. "It gives you a real world image that can't be modified, so you're looking at exactly what the guys on the ground are facing."

Analysts also can look at the history of enemy activity in a particular area and relay that info to coalition forces on the ground.

"Within our organization, we can store (full motion video) up to 30 days and we can retrieve it within seconds and we work with the National Geospatial Agency that (has stored) FMV since 2003," Colonel Johnson said.

480th ISRW members also used these resources to aid with U.S. humanitarian efforts.

"We just recently supported a Haiti operation where we did a lot of Global Hawk exploitation," the colonel said. "We were very fortunate to have pre-shots prior to the earthquake, and so we were able to do damage assessment in support of the relief effort that was down there. A lot of it was targeting relief areas, looking at massing of populations, and we looked at where we can do infrastructure projects that needed to be worked on.

"It was a little reversal of the tradition combat operations that we support, but it was the same skill set that we use on a day-to-day basis," he said.

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Approximately 90 Airmen and five F-16s were deployed from Misawa AB to Tsuiki AB for the ATR where pilots conducted air combat training with JASDF F-12s and F-15s.

"The opportunity to fly with the JASDF during this ATR has increased operation readiness and bilateral interoperability for both U.S. and Japanese forces," said Maj. Chris Eberth, the Tsuiki ATR detachment commander assigned to the 14th Fighter Squadron. "Flying with the F-2s and F-15s here at Tsuiki (AB) has improved our ability to fly against different weapons systems and opposing strategies, providing a realistic training environment."

While poor weather led to the cancellation of some training missions, the overall objective was met and the ATR was a success, Major Eberth said.

"Anytime we have the opportunity to train with our JASDF partners is beneficial to our working relationship and the overall U.S.-Japan alliance," Major Eberth said. "With this training, I believe both the U.S. Air Force and our JASDF partners walked away with an improved understanding of each others tactics and capabilities."

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"Just as physical security measures at forward and stateside bases are constantly being improved to meet current threats, so also are cyber protection measures taken to protect DOD information," said Maj. Gen. Richard Webber, 24th Air Force commander.

The Air Force mission depends on the availability, integrity and confidentiality of information systems interconnected through cyberspace, officials state. Adversaries are constantly seeking to find and exploit potential vulnerabilities of these vital information systems. All Air Force personnel are responsible for safeguarding these systems, and improvements to network security procedures help them to do so.

The following configuration changes will be implemented within the month of March:

• a) Users no longer will have the capability to send or receive text messages with attached photos or videos. Text-only messaging will remain enabled.
• b) If a device is being synched and its software is out-of-date, a "Force Load" message will appear. The user will have only one opportunity to decline updating the software. Any subsequent syncing attempts will render the device inoperative until the software is updated.
• c) Users will not be able to download additional applications to their devices over the Internet.
• d) Most Bluetooth functionality will be disabled. The only Bluetooth feature that will continue to function will be linking the device to the smart-card reader cradle.
• e) Users no longer will be able to connect their smart-card reader cradle to their computers.

Air Force people who have questions about these changes can contact their local client support administrators. People who notice abnormal operations of any communications devices or equipment are encouraged to contact their local information assurance officer or CSA.

"Mission assurance is the goal for which all changes are enacted to our network and the services provided with it: to protect the Air Force, its people, and its capabilities," General Webber said.

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The Iraqis surrendered their weapons as instructed and maneuvered their vehicles behind the JERVV to form a convoy to their classroom; a barren piece of desert suitable for detonating explosives.

These men had "Police" on their hats but "EOD" embroidered on their shirts. They're the "bleeding edge" of those Iraqi citizens willing to stand up against forces conspiring to drag their country into more violence and unrest. They came to Ali Base to learn the finer points of disarming bombs.

"I have been doing this for two years," said Iraqi police Capt. Mahmoud Sukalsiuk, the chief of the Iraqi EOD unit for Dhi Qar Province. "Here we train for new things from the Americans. They are very experienced."

This seven-week EOD partnership mission brings the Iraqi EOD forces up to speed on the latest explosive disarming techniques. This knowledge will help them prepare to completely assume these duties after the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq.

Just like any EOD unit stateside, the Iraqi policemen began their training with preliminary courses to familiarize them with explosives and progressed to more advanced training with robotics, forensics and evidence processing.

According to Tech Sgt. William Adomeit, the team leader for the 407th Air Expeditionary Group EOD unit assigned to the Army's 84th Ordnance Battalion, Iraqi students learn explosive theories and effects; ordnance recognition and safety hazards; bomb suits, robotics platform, combat lifesaving and more.

On this day, the Iraqi students learned the most efficient method to disable an improvised explosive device using water bottles taped together and armed with C4 explosive and cordite.

The water, contained in plastic drinking bottles used by troops throughout the AOR, is capable of separating the components of an IED.

When plastic bottles are taped together and laced with the proper amount of C4 explosive and positioned in a very specific manner, the energy produced by the explosion uses the water as a carrier and neatly cuts wires and cords, making the IED inoperable.

"We're a defensive force by nature," said Sergeant Adomeit, deployed from Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. "We are trying to preserve what the IED is trying to destroy."

Safety is paramount with the members of the multi-national team here today. Every part of the teaching process is planned and measured.

"This helps the Iraqi police EOD team to know what they are dealing with," Sergeant Adomeit said.

Today, the Airmen are instructing with hands-on techniques where to place the disarming water bottles and exactly what the explosive effects will be.

Staff Sgt. Joe Hernandez, an EOD journeyman a from Luke AFB, said "This simple disarming method requires specific placement and procedures to produce specific results.

"And, you want to be as far away as possible."

To be as far away as possible, the Airmen teach the finer points of using a robotic platform.

Sergeant Adomeit said the Airmen strive to "give the Iraqi EOD team members all the tools and knowledge necessary to save their own people."

"We train constantly for this," said Airman 1st Class Stephen Alvarez, an EOD journeyman from Like AFB. "I came to Iraq with an open mind and I'm happy to be a small part of a much larger picture."

Captain Sukalsiuk agreed.

"We are in partnership to build a new Iraq," he said. "Whatever is humanly possible to save souls, we will do."

At the end of the day, one JERVV followed by two white Iraqi police trucks leave the desert and head to the Ali Base gate.

There, the Airmen stop and bid their students farewell until the next class.

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Upon reaching its total aircraft hours of more than 33,220, the Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. aircraft was retired.

"It's a very sad day when an aircraft retires," said Capt. Bradley Allen, the 777th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Unit officer in charge. "A lot of people over many years have put in hard work and countless hours to maintain the aircraft. To see this one go, especially since it is a good flyer, it is a sad day."

Tail number9813 remained vital to the mission as its last few hours of flight were spent over Iraq on an air drop mission. As the C-130 soared over Iraq, cargo pallets of supplies were pushed out the aircraft to aid servicemembers across the area of responsibility.

The aircraft has served in many different roles such as humanitarian missions, airlift transport of troops and equipment, and operations during Desert Storm.

"Some aircraft are old, and they have done their job and have done it well," said Capt. Bradley Buinicky, a 777th Expeditionary Aircraft Squadron C-130 co-pilot. "Most of them are from 1962 to 1972 and flew in the Vietnam War. There is a lot of heritage involved in each airframe and each tail specifically."

Despite the aircraft's age and even though it was heavily flown, tail number 9813 was able to achieve a milestone in the maintenance arena by earning a "black letter initial" in 2007. The aircraft went with no open maintenance issues that entire year and was rated a perfect aircraft; ready for flight.

Such an honor is a reflection on every crew member who turned a wrench or inspected tail number 9813, Captain Allen said.

Tail number 9813 will now join more than 4,000 other aircraft at the aerospace maintenance and regeneration center, otherwise known as "the boneyard," at Davis Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz.

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In the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 3,230 reports of sexual assault were filed.

An increase in reporting was a goal for the department, said Kaye Whitley, director of the Defense Department's sexual abuse prevention and response office.

"Research in the civilian community shows that sexual assault is widely underreported, and we believe that is the same in the military," she said. "As a result, increasing reporting has been one of our key goals. We want people who are victims of sexual assault to come forward so they can get the help that they need."

The department's goal is to create a "climate of confidence" so that people will come forward to report, she added.

One aspect of the program is a confidential reporting option called "restricted reporting," which lifts some of the barriers that can deter military personnel from reporting sexual assault. Unrestricted reporting means the victim's command is notified and an investigation initiated. Under the restricted reporting option, the command is not notified and an investigation does not follow. Still, the victim can receive medical, mental health and all other services without becoming involved in the military criminal justice process.

Ms. Whitley said the number of sexual assaults in the military probably is comparable to the civilian community, but that direct comparisons are hard to make. The overall rate for the Defense Department was two reports of sexual assault per thousand servicemembers. In the Army, the rate was 2.6 per thousand. In the Navy it was 1.6 per thousand, in the Air Force 1.4 per thousand, and in the Marine Corps 1.3 per thousand. Service-specific data, including the total numbers of reports, is included in the annual report.

"Our total number includes both perpetrators and victims," Ms. Whitley said. The data covers eight categories of sexual assault ranging from the least-egregious wrongful sexual contact to rape.

"We need to keep in mind that these are reports where the victim or the perpetrator was a military member," Ms. Whitley said. The reports include sexual assaults reported that involved a military member against a military member, a military member against a civilian or a civilian against a military member, she explained.

Last year, Ms. Whitley said, 123 victims converted their restricted reports to the unrestricted category.

"What we find are those people who are victims of sexual assault, they feel a loss of control," Ms. Whitley said. "Then, when we meet with them and give them these reporting options, they get a little bit of that control back. So often, they will go home and if they feel supported and start feeling comfortable with reporting it, they will change it to an unrestricted report, in which case we can investigate and prosecute."

The restricted reporting option has been in place since 2005, and it fills a need, Ms. Whitley said. "We've had over 3,600 people use that option since then, so that tells me that over 3,600 people wouldn't have come forward otherwise," she said.

Ms. Whitley said she would like to think the rise in reported cases has resulted from the emphasis the department is putting on sexual abuse prevention and the department's efforts to tell people about the program.

Last year, the theme of the awareness and education campaign was "My Strength for Defending: Preventing Sexual Assault Part of My Duty." This year's theme -- "Hurts one. Affects all. Preventing sexual assault is everyone's duty" -- builds on that and concentrates on readiness, Ms. Whitley said.

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Secretary Robert M. Gates also talked about military retention and the proper mix of military members, career civil servants and contractors during a question-and-answer period with servicemembers of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing at an air base in Southwest Asia.

Earlier this week, Northrop-Grumman announced it would not compete to build the KC-X tanker, leaving the field to Boeing.

"I wish that we had had a competition; I wish that both companies had stayed in it," the secretary said at the town hall-style meeting that included many tanker pilots and crews. "I think the request for proposals that the Air Force sent out was fair and balanced and was based on Air Force requirements."

Secretary Gates promised the Airmen that the Defense Department will "certainly be sharpening our pencil when it comes to negotiating with Boeing."

The newest of the Air Force's current KC-135 tanker aircraft now in service were built in the 1960s, and Secretary Gates said the program would experience no more delays.

"The bottom line: I don't see any reason for this outcome to bring any further delays to a long-delayed program," he said.

The secretary addressed a question about the right size and mixture of the department's manpower. One of his first acts upon becoming secretary in December 2006 was to recommend to then-President George W. Bush that the Army and Marine Corps increase in size.

"I came to the job with the view that the Army and the Marine Corps didn't have enough troops to carry out all the missions they were being asked to perform," he said.

Since those permanent increases were approved, Secretary Gates said, he has asked for and received permission for further temporary increases in the Army.

But the Navy and Air Force were having problems, also.

"I had been in the job just a few months when I realized that both the Navy and the Air Force were basically trying to pay for their modernization by cutting people and personnel costs," he said. "So in 2007, I froze further reductions in the Air Force. The service had been headed for 316,000, and I stopped it at 330,000."

That freeze brought to light a philosophical priority for the secretary.

"I think that the men and women in uniform are the country's most strategic asset and, frankly, if I'm given a choice between some equipment and having the professionals to do this job, I'll choose the latter," he said.

The secretary said he also was concerned about too many government-unique functions being done by contractors, and he used pilot training as an example. Basic pilot training -- learning to fly a Cessna -- doesn't require an experienced F-15 Eagle pilot as an instructor.

"But when you get beyond that, you ought to have someone who has military and combat experience," he said.

The secretary also looked at contractors doing inherently governmental jobs on the civilian side of the department. Contractors were monitoring government contractors, and Secretary Gates recommended that function come back under civil-service control.

"In contracting, we're going to convert 10,000 acquisition contract jobs to permanent civil servants who belong to the Department of Defense, and are only looking out for the Department of Defense and not their home company," he said. "Then we will add another 10,000 civil servants to that." Overall, the Defense Department will convert tens of thousands of contractor professional services and management support jobs to civil servants as well.

"This is not disparaging to contractors," Secretary Gates said. "We need them, and we have an important partnership with them in many places, but we kind of let it get out of control, in my view. I think we're beginning to get our arms around the problem by making better choices about what's done by people in uniform, what's done by career civil servants and what's done by contractors."

Personnel matters of other sorts concern him, too, he said.

"Most people in America don't realize -- and probably many in the Pentagon don't realize -- that the Air Force has been at war for 18 or 19 years -- since the first Gulf War," Secretary Gates said. "Another concern that I had when I took this job is that when it comes to the reserve components, we might have pulled a bait-and-switch on people, particularly (noncommissioned officers) and officers that joined before 9/11 and joined a Reserve component that was a strategic reserve, not an operational reserve."

But Airmen who joined the Air National Guard or Air Force Reserve after the 9/11 attacks clearly understand the requirements of that service, Secretary Gates noted. He said that so far retention -- in all components -- has not been a problem.

The secretary told the servicemembers he would like to see more "dwell time" at home stations between deployments, and that the services are moving in that direction. The Marine Corps is now up to about one year deployed and 1.7 years at home. The surge into Afghanistan probably has slowed the Army's progress, he acknowledged, "but they're still at about 15 months at home to a year deployed, and headed toward 18 or 19 months by the end of this year or the beginning of the next," he said.

Secretary Gates pledged that all services will keep a sharp eye on retention and the tools and incentives the department uses to manage the force.

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Airmen will receive an electronic notification of their eligibility for the High-3 Choice retirement plan that allows members to choose a $30,000 career status bonus in exchange for lower retirement pay under Redux.

The notification will inform Airmen of their option to elect CSB, advise them on how to accept the bonus, and instruct them on how to initiate the payment request.

Members who do not respond to the notification will automatically revert to the High-3 retirement plan.

"A relatively low interest in the CSB led to the change in the notification and election process," said Col. William Foote, the director of personnel services at the Air Force Personnel Center here. "Streamlining this procedure reduces the strain of paperwork for Airmen and returns valuable time back to members, commanders and support staffs."

Ann Lacey, an AFPC retirement procedures specialist, explained that all members were previously required to initiate a CSB election whether they desired the bonus or not, requiring all eligible Airmen to complete a DD Form 2839, Career Status Bonus Election, and commanders to review their records. However, only a little more than 20 percent of Airmen were electing the bonus.

"These changes are going to greatly reduce the workload for all parties involved in the CSB process," she said.

The change eliminates the need to complete the form for members who do not wish to elect the CSB after notification has been acknowledged, thereby saving Airmen and their units time by reducing paperwork.

The Redux retirement plan affects members initially entering the military or uniformed service Aug. 1, 1986, or later. Redux is one of three retirements plans in effect based on an Airmen's date of initial entry to the uniformed service and currently applies to more than 92 percent of the active force.

For information about CSB visit www.afpc.randolph.af.mil and type "Career Status Bonus" or "Redux" into the search engine, or call the Total Force Service Center at 800-525-0102.

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When KC1-35R tanker engines were originally purchased from CFM International, it marked the first time in history military officials bought a commercial engine for its aircraft. Upon purchase, the engine model, CFM56-2B, was designated as the F108 model by the Air Force.

Like the other F108 models, the engine from McConnell Air Force Base will be refurbished and returned to service.

Before being removed, the engine was used March 1 in two refueling missions. While preparing the aircraft for a third refueling mission, Airmen from the 22nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron noticed the blades on the engine's turbo fan were unlatched at three positions around the rotor.

"With some difficulty, the blades were re-latched and an engine run was accomplished, after which the blades were observed to be un-latched again," said Brad Mehlinger, a CFM International field service engineer. "This is not considered abnormal on engines with high operating hours."

He said the maintainers attempted to latch the blades again, but weren't successful.

"After two hours we determined that the engine required removal," said Tech. Sgt. Jake Salinas, a 22nd AMXS engine mechanic.

During its 26-year career, the engine accumulated 13,409 hours of flight.

"This engine was hanging tough until this happened," Mr. Mehlinger said. "Even after more than 26 years in service, this engine was not due for scheduled maintenance for another two or three years."

The 8,000-pound engine was removed March 3, by four members of the 22nd AMXS. It took them 24 hours to remove the engine and wrap it before sending it to the 76th Propulsion Maintenance Group at Tinker AFB, Okla.

Members of the 76th PMG workforce will disassemble, inspect, repair, re-assemble and perform diagnostic testing on the engine and its parts before it takes flight again, a process that can last approximately six to eight months.

"This engine was the first to be delivered to the Air Force in the United States, and it's the last remaining original R model," said Capt. Jacob Sullivan, the officer in charge of the 22nd AMXS Green Aircraft Maintenance Unit. "It was impressive that it ran this long without repair, but everything wears out eventually."

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