WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War! 001166. CMSAF includes NATO bases in his European visit by Tech. Sgt. Cheryl L. Toner Regional Headquarters, Allied Forces North Europe BRUNSSUM, The Netherlands (AFPN) -- "I don't know much about joint billets, but I'm learning minute by minute," CMSAF Jim Finch said to a small group of enlisted people during a visit here Aug. 1. The chief, on a 10-day tour of European bases, wanted to get more education on NATO billets, to get him up to speed on issues he said he needs to bring to senior leadership. Finch addressed pay, retention and a couple of overseas issues. Regarding pay, the chief said the July pay table reform was a program looked at eight years ago; however, the services continue to review this. "We're studying entry-level pay, we're looking at mid-level NCO pay and we're checking to see where the NCO and officer pay scales intersect," he said. "We're looking at all of that to see if there is a better way to go." Tied to the pay charts are promotion pin-on times. "We need to fix the pin-on time," he said. The chief said the service has started down that road and he cites the percentage of NCOs filling the top four grades. Last year, the Air Force had 48.5 percent in those grades and this year that number rose to 52 percent. The goal, he said, is 56 percent; however, he said that will take a few years. Retention was another issue Finch addressed, noting that the Air Force system is based on the premise that the service will take someone with no experience and train them, a process which takes a long while. "If you have an eight-year staff sergeant who decides not to reenlist, it takes 8 years to replace that person," he said. While the retention rate is better than it was last year, he said the Air Force would like to do better. For example, first term retention is at 51 percent, however, the goal is 55 percent. He also said second term and career retention is "a little below what we want, but it's still good." He then pointed out that although across-the-board the percentages look OK, within specific career fields, the story may be different. A few fixes include selective re-enlistment bonuses -- 152 career fields now have them -- putting more people in critically-manned career fields, and even tempering their deployments. But, he said, one obstacle the Air Force runs into regarding deployments is that "we don't have control over what the world needs are." Even though the Air Force recently announced it met its recruiting goal for 1999, and retention is up, the chief said the service won't rest on its laurels. "It's like pushing a rock up a hill," he said. "We can't stop pushing or it will come back down." Other programs that he addressed were the Thrift Savings Plan and the Women, Infants and Children program overseas. Both were approved last year, "But it's not as easy as flipping a switch," he said. "The services and DOD are working together to make that happen." Finishing up his talk with the enlisted folks here, Finch said that the service is doing what it can to improve its programs; however, he said it's all about selecting the highest priorities. "At the end of the day, it comes down to leadership choosing between different priorities." He compared it to an airman paying his or her bills. The airman will select the highest priority, make a decision, and stand by it. "And that's what senior leadership does," he said. "If someone comes back and says it's wrong, we may have to snip it off and put it back on," but that's how the chief said the selection of highest priorities goes -- as it should. Finch arrived in Germany July 27 and is visiting European bases in Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy and Turkey. 001162. Now Showing: August 7 edition of Air Force Television News SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) -- Crediting an increase in the number of recruiters, a multi-million dollar advertising campaign and monetary incentives, the Air Force has met its recruiting quota for fiscal year 2000. That story leads the latest edition of Air Force Television News, with Air Force Undersecretary Carol DiBattiste saying the other challenge is keeping people in the Air Force once they have signed up. Other highlights include Senior Airman Michael Noel's portrait of a former tanker pilot who is now at the controls of another aircraft, but never leaves the ground. This edition's Eye on the Air Force segment from Senior Airman Eric Kerr profiles the Air Force receipt of its first tilt-rotor aircraft that will replace the Special Operations helicopter fleet. Senior Airman Marty Rush introduces a pilot who, despite having his entire hip replaced, still flies an F-15. And, Staff Sergeant Tony Hughes looks back at the Air Force role in the Korean War as the nation observes the conflict's 50th anniversary. Air Force Television News is a bi-weekly production of Air Force News Service, now made available with closed captioning. It is distributed on videotape to more than 3,000 military and civilian customers worldwide, and is seen on more than 700 cable outlets nationwide. Viewers can access the program on the Internet at either http://www.af.mil or http://www.broadcastairforce.com. Comments on the program can be sent to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] CORRECTION: The July 10th edition of Air Force Television News referred to then commander of Air Education and Training Command, General Fig Newton, as the only active duty African-American four-star general upon his retirement. That was incorrect. General Lester Lyles, current commander of Air Force Materiel Command, has the same distinction. We regret the error. 001164. Eglin test team best in Air Force by 1st Lt. Craig Goolsby Air Armament Center Public Affairs EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) -- The 46th Test Squadron's Defensive Systems Test Team here has been named the 1999 Air Force Test Team of the Year. The team, which also won the 1999 Air Force Materiel Command Test and Evaluation Team of the Year award, was selected based on its performance during the year, particularly during Operation Allied Force. According to Capt. Rick Dennery, Defensive Systems Test Flight commander, the test team's role is developmental testing, helping with operational testing and some life-cycle testing to protect combat aircrews against ground-based and air-based threats. "We put a high priority on protecting the aircraft . . . that's what we do for a living," Dennery said. In 1999 the team tested 21 defensive systems, which is roughly a third more than a normal year, Dennery said. They also tested systems for nine airframes. And, during OAF, they completed three Quick Reaction Tests. The QRTs were top priority test taskings that came directly from major commands needing the defensive systems for combat aircrews, Dennery said. For example, one of the QRTs required the Defensive System Test Team to examine the HH-60G Blackhawk Self-Protection System. It took them only 21 days from the time they were notified until they had data in the users' hands. During the three-week period, the team generated 15 sorties to test the Blackhawk's integrated missile warning sensor, infrared jammer and flare dispenser. And, the team had no relief from their normal test load during these tests; they continued their regular tests while making the QRTs their top priorities. "We just put in a lot of long hours to get those three tests off. . . we like using (our) capabilities to make sure the aircrews have the best protection we can give them," Dennery said. According to Lt. Col. Mark Erickson, 46th Test Squadron commander, knowing combat aircrews immediately used the test results made the intense work rewarding. "That's what makes it all worthwhile -- to see some direct benefit to the warfighter," Erickson said. The team will receive its award at the Air Force Association's national convention in Washington, D.C., in September. (Courtesy of AFMC News Service) 001170. AFOSI finds fugitive, ends 18-year flight from justice by Capt. Mike Richmond Headquarters Air Force Office of Special Investigations ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md. (AFPN) -- An 18-year flight from justice came to an end July 28 for an Air Force airman who disappeared in the middle of his court-martial in 1982. Froilan Marasigan Abilar, a former senior airman assigned to Clark Air Base, Republic of the Philippines, was arrested in the Philippine province of Mindoro after a lengthy investigation led by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. Abilar was a materiel facilities specialist assigned to the 3rd Supply Squadron at Clark AB when he disappeared Jan. 19, 1982, during a recess in his general court-martial at which he was charged with theft of government property. While the court had not yet reached its findings of guilt or innocence at the time of Abilar's disappearance, the court proceeded in his absence and eventually found him guilty. A subsequent sentencing hearing sentenced him to confinement for four years, reduction to the grade of airman basic, a dishonorable discharge, a fine of $5,000, and forfeiture of $500 per month for 48 months. The effort to find Abilar and other fugitives was given priority by the AFOSI in 1997 when the agency implemented a Fugitive Retrieval Program specifically dedicated to the task of locating and pursuing fugitives. "Prior to that, the AFOSI's role in locating fugitives was essentially limited to entering their names into the National Crime Information Center database and relying on civil and federal law enforcement authorities to locate and apprehend them," said Mike Speedling, chief of the AFOSI's criminal investigations division. "But it became apparent that without active participation by the AFOSI, the job was just not getting done." Since standing up the Fugitive Retrieval Program, the AFOSI has located and overseen the apprehension of more than 50 fugitives. With the program in full swing, AFOSI Det. 602 in Guam opened a case to find Abilar in November of 1998. Special Agent Brent Culver led the investigation, teamed with Special Agent Steve Richardson from AFOSI's Region 6 headquarters at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. Following a lead discovered in a record and database search, Culver and Richardson determined Abilar's whereabouts. They then built an operational plan and coordinated it with numerous Philippine agencies, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, 13th Air Force, the 36th Security Forces Squadron, and the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate at the 36th Air Base Wing. Following Abilar's arrest, which was conducted by the Philippine officials, deportation paperwork was completed in Manila. With the assistance of the U.S. Marshals, the agents then accompanied Abilar on a commercial flight to Andersen AFB, Guam, where he began serving the confinement adjudged in his 1982 court-martial. The base legal office at Andersen AFB is preparing a case against Abilar for his 18-year desertion. If found guilty he could be sentenced to confinement for an additional three years. 001169. Air Force Medical Service prepares response to future threats by Leigh Anne Redovian Air Force Surgeon General Public Affairs BOLLING AIR FORCE BASE, D.C. (AFPN) -- Twenty-first century threats against the United States are taking on new and dangerous faces. That is why the Air Force Medical Service is taking steps to ensure its people and technology are ready to respond to the changing environment. Brig. Gen. Richard Ford, mobilization assistant to the commander of the Air Force Medical Operations Agency, describes today's threats as acts of terrorism designed to disrupt everyday life by creating fear, hysteria, and quite possibly, death and injury. Unlike traditional warfare, the goal of terrorist groups may not be to overthrow a government or break the will of enemy forces. More often, U.S. civilians are the targets of such threats rather than those serving in uniform, Ford said. Recent examples can be found daily in the news media. Threats range from an unauthorized man leaving pipe bombs at a Milwaukee Air National Guard base in July to the orchestrated bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building in 1995. "Today the enemy is not a major national or state force," Ford said. "It's one or two people representing one of a number of causes." With so few people involved, many of these activities are hard to predict and even harder to prevent. Therefore, many local, state and national authorities are focusing their efforts on responding to these types of threats. In 1999 the Joint Task Force-Civil Support, or JTF-CS, was established under the U.S. Joint Forces Command. The group works through and in support of lead federal agencies in responding to incidents involving weapons of mass destruction. For the AFMS, said Ford, "it means asking what can we do to save lives and prevent further injury if and when we are called on to assist." According to Lt. Col. Darr Lafon, HQ USAF/SG Surgeon's Tactical Action Team, the AFMS is re-engineering its readiness activities to include deployable teams that can respond quickly to disaster situations and still offer wartime response capabilities. These teams, including the Small Portable Expeditionary Aeromedical Rapid Response team, or SPEARR, will lead the AFMS response against the world's new and uncertain threats. The SPEARR was developed to be compatible with the Expeditionary Medical Support, or EMEDS, system and has been specifically designed for rapid response in global engagement missions with joint and coalition forces. "The EMEDS family of medical readiness platforms answers the requirement for a lightweight, agile system," Lafon said. "It gives us the capability to be light, lean and lifesaving in response to any situation." When small-scale disasters occur at the local level, authorities such as fire, police and emergency services respond well especially when few injuries are involved, said Ford. However, single incidents involving more than 50 people can quickly overwhelm local authorities. At this level, state agencies will assist as governors call on their National Guard bureau for military assistance, which was the case in the Oklahoma City bombing. Like most local responses, Ford said state-level responses have been successful in dealing with past threats. Ford's concern lies in a catastrophic event, such as a bio-terrorist attack, that would be too large in scope for local or state authorities to control. "We know the bio-terrorism technology is out there, we know there are people working with this technology, and they have tried it in the past," Ford said. "There have been well over 100 bio-terrorist attempts worldwide in the last 10 years." There are 40 agencies in the United States, including the Defense Department, that have some level of responsibility when a large-scale terrorist attack occurs. The military has routinely been responsible for command and control of the disaster response, under civilian-led responses. But today, many Air Force medical leaders believe they will be called on to support local and state agencies responding to large-scale national disasters. "We have modular packages of medical response that we can deploy quickly and efficiently and that fit into the federal coordination process very well," Ford said. On the international front, Ford envisions these new medical technologies, accompanied by specially trained professionals, will assist foreign nations in responding to terrorist incidents and humanitarian relief operations. "Building goodwill and relationships among nations is essential," Ford said. "We have a wonderful opportunity to potentially deter conflict through medicine." Under the direction of the surgeon general's Tactical Action Team, the new International Health Specialist program will train Air Force health professionals in regional medical expertise, interagency skills, language facility and cultural awareness. This new Air Force career field will focus on specific areas of the world and provide both medical and line leadership with in-depth, common sense recommendations on the use of medical forces in a theater of operations. "These new skills and experience in planning and exercising regional medical coalition responses internationally will come home as a useful skill in interagency response to homeland defense," Lafon said. In addition, a trained IHS specialist will be prepared to engage in traditional war-winning plans as well as the more frequent missions of disaster response and humanitarian assistance. "Our casualty profile changes as the battlefield changes," Ford said. "We are delivering these medically unique Air Force assets to augment wartime operations." Lafon adds that even in the traditional battlefield scenario, the Air Force is recognizing the need for smaller, lighter, leaner, modular medical capabilities that can be deployed in a fraction of the time it took to deploy cold war systems. No matter what the scenario, the AFMS is working to ensure it is ready to respond, at home or abroad, with the most advanced medical technology and highly trained medical professionals. The bottom line, reminds Ford, "is our ability to save lives." 001169a.gif and 001169a.jpg "No matter what the scenario, the Air Force Medical Service is working to ensure it is ready to respond, at home or abroad, with the most advanced medical technology and highly trained medical professionals," said Brig. Gen. Richard Ford, mobilization assistant to the commander of the Air Force Medical Operations Agency. "The bottom line is our ability to save lives." *COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for nonprofit research and educational purposes only.[Ref. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ] Want to be on our lists? Write at [EMAIL PROTECTED] for a menu of our lists! ****************************************************************************** ******************* A vote for Bush or Gore is a vote to continue Clinton policies! A vote for Buchanan is a vote to continue America! Therefore a vote for Gore or Bush is a wasted vote for America! Don't waste your vote! Vote for Patrick Buchanan! Today, candor compels us to admit that our vaunted two-party system is a snare and a delusion, a fraud upon the nation. Our two parties have become nothing but two wings of the same bird of prey... 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