OK, it is looking more and more like the Air Force under the leadership of General Norty Schwartz is really considering doing the unthinkable from just a couple years ago: getting serious about counter-insurgency airpower. For years, Air Force leaders, their surrogate talking heads, and hired think-tanks have made the claim that the Air Force was really engaged in the COIN fight: strike aircraft hitting targets, ISR support, cargo hauling. Basically, that the Air Force of the post Cold War era was good enough, so why look at a fleet of low end COIN aircraft?
Inside Defense news has two headlines of great interest to me, both require subscriptions but here’s a link to a forum that has posted the first one regarding the AT-6’s. Interestingly, in those forum discussions, there are claims that many USAF personnel are very interested in both the new RC-12 ISR aircraft as well as speculation that a buy of armed AT-6’s might be imminent. This story here says the USAF is buying a fleet of 40 RC-12 ISR aircraft to supplement the UAV fleet.
The two titles for the articles (subscriptions required for both):
-- Propeller-Driven Light-Attack Aircraft at ‘Forefront’ of ACC Plans
-- ACC Officials Want Air Force Irregular Warfare Fleet of Aircraft
The fact that these articles are being written at all is significant but the pace at which the service is considering change is depressingly slow. Today, Noah Shachtman in Danger Room writes about the fact that USAF leaders are “coming around” to agree with SECDEF Gates on many of these issues, interestingly, the General quoted, LtGen. Raymond Johns Jr., is a T-38 IP/airlift/test pilot and not a fighter guy. Noah apparently interviewed the general and some comments are here. .
And here comes a AF Times story that reenlistment rates in the Air Force are plummeting. You know, people really hate it when you screw around with their careers and ability to serve their nation (that concept formerly known as “force shaping” which was a euphemism for kicking out people because you are a terrible personnel planner) all the while trying out new uniforms. Hopefully, the fact that our leaders have begun to take care of the here and now and not totally obsess with the future may be paying dividends.
Here’s one of the quotes from the discussion with LtGen Johns:
"I need enough fighter attack platforms to make sure we can defend the homeland, to respond to crisis globally. But some of these irregular war[s] may not require the highest, the most [advanced fighters]," Lt. Gen. Johns says. "But they require an MQ-9 [Reaper drone]. They may require an A-10. They may require a lower-end platform. So I'm into being cost effective."
Here’s another suggestion for LtGen. Johns: fire some of those high priced think-tanks and consultants, they haven’t seen the GWOT goal posts since kickoff.