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0269. SECAF strives to build 'optimum' force by Tech. Sgt. Scott Elliott Air Force Print News BALTIMORE -- Seeking to attract and retain the "optimum mix" of Americans to keep the Air Force aloft as "the historically finest and dominant military force in the world" is the goal set by Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche. Roche's comments came during a keynote speech Feb. 16 at a breakfast with deans from historically black colleges and universities here. The breakfast was part of the annual Black Engineer of the Year Award event. "The optimum mix for the Air Force is one which reflects the same society which we serve, at the officer and civilian level as well as at the enlisted level," he said. Currently, Air Force demographics show that blacks comprise about 7 percent of the officer corps and 18 percent of the enlisted force. Blacks make up about 11 percent of Air Force civilian employees. Overall, about 16 percent of Air Force manpower is represented by blacks -- which Roche said is higher than the national average of about 11 percent of blacks employed in the workforce. "But that is not good enough," Roche said. "There is talent out there that we need." That optimum mix of talent includes more technically minded, scientific and engineering officers and civilians, he said. "Each year we welcome about 40,000 new Americans into the Air Force," he said. "More than 18 percent of these are African-American. Every single one of them joins a team that thrives on diversity, and remains proud of our heritage and the legacy we associate with minority contributions to this nation's security -- especially the heritage of the Tuskegee Airmen. "I want more African-Americans in our cockpits, leading our squadrons, groups and wings, or leading our labor and design team," Roche said. The optimum mix also includes full representation of minorities and women in senior ranks. "We're doing pretty good on women (who comprise about 20 percent of officers), but not so good on African-American males," Roche said. "We've got to build a deeper bench. "Despite the fact that some of our most influential and decorated leaders have been minorities," historically Roche said, "we have not been as successful at promoting and creating opportunities for minorities in senior management and leadership positions." To promote and develop the optimum mix, Roche turned to the educators themselves. "Our educators know the necessity to encourage and prepare young people while they are still in school," he said. "By the time our youth reach college age, they need to have already completed quality math and science courses. In fact, I believe they need to have a good foundation by the time they reach high school." To that end, Roche said, Department of Defense officials established Junior ROTC. "This is a high school citizenship program, funded and directed by DOD, that aims to provide educational experiences for inner-city and at-risk youths," he said. The Air Force currently runs more than 600 JROTC programs throughout the country, with more than 92,000 students enrolled. "It is more a citizenship program than a recruiting tool," he said. "At its basis is opportunity. It provides motivation, strong counseling, discipline and mentorship. "The Air Force goal is to increase our number of programs up to our authorized limit of 945," he said. "The future of the Air Force will depend on cutting-edge technology and a diverse team of people combining to fulfill our missions," Roche said. "Talent and brain power come in many packages. "My view is a first-hand view," he said. "A clear perspective that having the best in us, as diverse as we are, means strength and vitality. "American strength comes from the diversity of our people, united by the common vision we share: Freedom," Roche said. 0266. Air Force receives upgraded rainmaker by Pam Cook 412th Test Wing EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFPN) -- The Global Reach Combined Test Force here is one step closer to having a national test asset that will allow for the testing of aircraft in ice and rain. The airborne icing tanker, a modified KC-135R Statotanker aircraft, recently returned from BAS Systems in Mojave, Calif., after receiving modifications to its navigation system that will bring it in line with operational KC-135 aircraft. The PACER Compass, Radar and Global Positioning System upgrade modernizes a portion of the KC-135 mission avionics and increases the navigation and flight management capabilities of the aircraft. The $12 million AIT program, which began in February 1999, will reinstitute an environmental test capability to simulate airborne rain and ice conditions under controlled conditions. "This simulated rain and ice testing will save the Department of Defense time and money, while ensuring a safer test environment by eliminating the need to deploy our test aircraft to other parts of the world in hopes of finding the right kind of natural icing conditions," said Lt. Col. Jeff Smith, Global Reach CTF commander. The AIT system is expected to be operational by October, and will be ready to conduct ice-spray testing on a number of DOD aircraft, as well as Federal Aviation Administration certification testing on commercial aircraft. While the base here has lead responsibilities for the project, the Army is participating by providing system and user requirements and the Navy is heading up a team to design and build the spray array system. The Air Force is responsible for the instrumentation, water, boom and bleed air systems, as well as integration of all of the components onto the airframe. The 412th Logistics Group instrumentation division here designed the on-aircraft system and will install it on the aircraft in anticipation of systems flight-test this summer. Airborne icing testing is not new to the Air Force Flight Test Center here. Previously, the one-of-a-kind capability was installed on a KC-135A, which was retired in May 1996, because of the inability to generate enough revenue as a single-use aircraft. Today's version will be hosted on the "R" model aircraft, often called the "multirole" tanker, for its ability to support ice-spray testing, aerial refueling missions, subsystems testing and the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School here. (Max Padilla contributed to this story) 0265. Now showing: Feb. 18 edition of Air Force Television News SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) -- The 2003 defense budget and President George W. Bush's visit to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., spotlight the latest edition of Air Force Television News. Staff Sgt. Michael Noel reports on the president's visit and his speech; and Staff Sgt. Pachari Lutke explains how the Air Force would spend the $107 billion being requested. While Noel and Lutke report on the Air Force's slice of the national defense pie, Staff Sgt. Leigh Bellinger travels to Salt Lake City to show one of the major reasons for the budget increase -- the Air Force's contribution to Winter Olympics security, both on the ground and in the air. Master Sgt. Chris Beckwith reports on an increase in the Air Force's 2002 recruiting quota because of the war on terrorism, with more than 800 recruits added to the total, all destined for the security forces career field. Staff Sgt. Joe Wallace is at Scott AFB, Ill., as medical personnel train for emergency patient evacuation. Staff Sgt. Eric Kerr reports on a routine blood drive that became a community effort when people from Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, staged the largest blood drive in the state. Tech. Sgt. Paul Firman reports on three enterprising teenagers in rural Pennsylvania who are keeping the history and heritage of military aviation alive with a one-of-a-kind publication. And, Noel traces the history of Bellows Air Station in Hawaii, from its days as an Army Air Corps training base to its modern-day role as a resort. Air Force Television News is a biweekly production of Air Force News Service. It is distributed on videotape to more than 3,000 military and civilian outlets worldwide, and is seen on more than 700 cable television outlets nationwide. It is also available on the Internet at www.af.mil, as well as being programmed on The Pentagon Channel. The program is the only military production offered with closed captioning. *COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. 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