Combat Air Forces restructuring plan announced

  • Published
  • By PACAF Public Affairs
HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii --  Pacific Air Forces will be accelerating the retirement of more than 40 aircraft as part of the service' s Combat Air Forces restructuring plan announced this week.

The plan calls for moving up the retirement of many of the Air Force's oldest fighters, to include the F-15 Eagles assigned to Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, and Hickam AFB, Hawaii, and three A-10s at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea.

"This move is part of a larger effort to bridge our current force structure with a smaller, more capable future force composed primarily of fifth-generation aircraft," said Gen. Howie Chandler, PACAF commander.

As part of the restructuring, all 15 Hawaii Air National Guard (HIANG) F-15 Eagles will depart by the end of FY 2010 and be replaced by 18 F-22 Raptors, with delivery beginning in early 2011.

The 28-year presence of F-15s at Elmendorf AFB will draw to a close in 2010 when the last of the its 24 F-15s depart. Thirty-six F-22 Raptors have replaced the Eagles and are currently being upgraded to Block 35 aircraft, the most modern version of the F-22.

Cost savings of $355 million across the Air Force in fiscal year 2010 and $3.5 billion over the next five fiscal years would be used to reduce current capability gaps. The Air Force would invest most of the funds in advanced capability modifications to remaining fighters and bombers. Some would go toward procuring munitions for joint warfighters, to include the small diameter bomb, hard target weapons and the AIM-120D and AIM-9X missiles. The remainder would be dedicated to the procurement or sustainment of critical intelligence capabilities such as the advanced targeting pod as well as enabling technologies for tactical air controllers and special operations forces.

"We've taken this major step only after a careful assessment of the current threat environment and our current capabilities," said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton A. Schwartz. "Make no mistake, we can't stand still on modernizing our fighter force. The Air Force's advantage over potential adversaries is eroding, and this endangers both air and ground forces alike unless there is a very significant investment in bridge capabilities and fifth-generation aircraft. CAF restructuring gets us there."

The CAF restructuring plan, which will require appropriate environmental analyses, would enable the Air Force to use reassignment and retraining programs to move approximately 4,000 manpower authorizations to emerging and priority missions such as manned and unmanned surveillance operations and nuclear deterrence operations. This realignment would include the expansion of MQ-1 Predator, MQ-9 Reaper and MC-12 aircrews, the addition of a fourth active-duty B-52 squadron; and the expansion of Distributed Common Ground System and information processing, exploitation and dissemination capabilities for continued combatant commander support in Afghanistan and Iraq, among other adjustments.

"In the long term this program will provide increased capabilities to Pacific Air Forces, sooner than would have otherwise been attained by a traditional transition of forces," said General Chandler. "I have confidence in this restructuring, its outcome, and the increased capabilities it will provide in the Pacific theater."