Sunday, July 22, 2012

Future USAF Force Structure Changes Documented

Recently came across a pdf document online dated Feb 2012 titked USAF Force Structure Changes: Sustaining Readiness and Modernizing the Total Force. It outlines the forces restructuring currently underway in the various US Air Force components. Milair geeks may be interested in the following changes outlined below from that document.

Total Force Aircraft Reductions by Fiscal Year

FY 13 Actions:

Divests all C‐27J aircraft, eliminating aircraft based at or planned for
Warfield AGS (Martin State), MD (4), Kellogg AGS (Battle Creek), MI (4), Fargo AGS (Hector), ND (4), Mansfield Lahm AGS, OH (4), Great Falls, MT (4), Bradley , CT (4), and Key Field AGS (Meridian),MS (6).

Removes A‐10s from Barksdale AFB, LA (retires 21 and transfers three), Selfridge ANGB, MI (21), Ft Smith, AR (20), Ft Wayne, IN (20), and an Active Component overseas location (20).

Removes F‐16s from Des Moines, IA (21) and transfers Active Component F‐16 Aggressors from Eielson AFB, AK (19) to Joint Base (JB) Elmendorf‐Richardson, AK (19).

Aircraft retirements and transfers result in net reductions of C‐130Hs at JB Elmendorf‐Richardson, AK (4 H2) (eliminating an Active association), Niagara, NY (3 H2) (eliminating a Reserve association), Rosecrans AGS (St Joseph), MO (10 H2.5), Youngstown‐Warren, OH (6 H2), Louisville, KY (1 H2.5), Charleston, WV (1 H3), Cheyenne, WY (1 H2.5), Stratton AGS (Schenectady), NY (4 H2), Dobbins ARB, GA (7 H2), and Pittsburgh, PA (7 H2). The Pittsburgh actions result in the closure of the associated Air Reserve Station at Pittsburgh, PA (closure does not exceed Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) threshold in accordance with 10 U.S.C. § 2687).

Retires KC‐135s from Rickenbacker, OH (6), Pittsburgh ANGB, PA (4), Tinker AFB, OK (4), and Altus AFB, OK (three Active Component) as well as three Backup Aircraft Inventory (BAI) aircraft from Sky Harbor (Phoenix), AZ (1), Sioux City AGS, IA (1),
and March ARB, CA (1). Reduces KC‐135s at McGhee‐Tyson, TN (2) and Gen Mitchell, WI (2).

Begins retirement of the C‐5A fleet at JB San Antonio (Lackland AFB), TX (5) and eliminates an E‐8C damaged beyond economical repair from Robins ARB, GA (1).

Retires Active Component Block 30 RQ‐4s from Beale AFB, CA (18).

Proposed FY 14 Actions:

Removes C‐130Hs from Maxwell AFB, AL (7 H2), Naval Air Station (NAS) Joint Reserve Base (JRB) Ft Worth (Carswell), TX (8 H2) and Minneapolis‐St Paul (8 H3), and
removes C‐130Js from Keesler AFB, MS (10).

Continues to retire C‐5As at JB San Antonio (Lackland AFB), TX (3) and Shepherd Field AGS (Martinsburg), WV (5).

Converts Active Component F‐15Cs at Nellis AFB, NV (5) from Primary Aircraft Inventory (PAI) to BAI status.

Transfers 42 Active Component MC‐12s from Beale AFB to the Air National Guard.

Proposed FY 15 Actions:

Retires remaining Air National Guard C‐5As based at Shepherd Field (Martinsburg), WV (6), and additional Air Force Reserve C‐5As at JB San Antonio (Lackland AFB) (2).

Eliminates funding for all 11 RC‐26 aircraft, retiring aircraft based at Ellington Field (Houston), TX (1), Kirtland AFB, NM (1), Tucson, AZ (1), Fresno, CA (1), Fairchild AFB, WA (1), Key Field (Meridian), MS (1), Dannelly Field, AL (1), Truax AGS (Madison), WI (1), Hancock Field AGS (Syracuse), NY (1), Charleston, WV (1), and Jacksonville, FL (1).

Proposed FY 16 Action:

Completes retirement of the Air Force Reserve C‐5A fleet by divesting the remaining aircraft at JB San Antonio (Lackland AFB), TX (6).

Removes C‐130H from Savannah, GA (8 H2) and Little Rock, AR (eight Active Component H3). Removes C5Ms from Westover, MA (8).

Proposed FY 17 Actions:

Removes C‐130Hs from Niagara, NY (8 H2), Little Rock, AR (three Reserve Component H2), Charlotte, NC (2 H3), and Little Rock AR (six Active Component H3).

Total Force Re‐Missioning by Fiscal Year

As a Total Force – Active Air Force, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve ‐‐ we have developed a detailed re‐missioning plan that realigns continuing missions to preserve 14 of 24 units, maintains an Air Force presence on seven of the eight affected installations, expands Reserve Component participation in our growing ISR mission, and preserves an appropriate Active and Reserve Component force mix. The Air Force FY13 budget request commits approximately $600 million over the FYDP to execute and sustain re‐missioning actions that establish new MQ‐1/9 Remote Split Operations Squadrons, transfer the MC‐12 fleet to the Air National Guard, thicken Reserve Component ISR and cyber participation, and transfer Active Component C‐17s to
the Reserve Component.

FY 12 Actions:

Transfers six WC‐130 aircraft from Nashville, TN to Luis Munoz, Puerto Rico,
replacing retiring C‐130Es. Establishes an MQ‐1/9 Remote Split Operations (RSO) squadron at Nashville. Enlarges Nashville’s Intelligence Squadron into a Targeting Group and creates a new Cyber/ISR Group.

FY 13 Actions:
Completing a FY12 PB action, transfers eight C‐17s from the Active Component to the Air National Guard at Memphis, TN (replacing C‐5As).

Adds C‐130Hs at Youngstown‐Warren, OH (4 H2.5) and Cheyenne, WY (1 H3). Establishes an ISR Group and expands the Net Warfare Sq at Warfield AGS (Martin State), MD to replace divested C‐27s; establishes an Intelligence Targeting Group at Fargo AGS (Hector), ND; creates four additional MQ‐1/9 RSO elements at Ft Smith, AR (replacing A‐10s), Des Moines, IA (replacing F‐16s), Kellogg AGS (Battle Creek), MI (replacing C‐27s), and Willow Grove, PA; adds KC‐135s to Selfridge ANGB, MI (4).

Adds A‐10s at Whiteman AFB, MO (3).

Proposed FY 14 Actions:

Transfers 42 Active Component MC‐12s to the Air National Guard by assigning between nine and eleven aircraft to each of four Air National Guard locations ‐‐ Ft Wayne, IN (replacing A‐10s), Bradley, CT (replacing C‐27s), Key Field AGS (Meridian), MS (replacing C‐27s), and NAS Ft Worth JRB (Carswell), TX (replacing C‐130s).

Creates an Active Association at Beale AFB, CA to conduct MC‐12 training and provides an additional deployed Combat Air Patrol forward using up to six Air National Guard aircraft. Final aircraft assignments for the four Air National Guard locations and the Active association at Beale will be determined as part of the Air
Force's FY14 budget submission after completion of a program plan and operational concept.

Transfers C‐130Js to Dobbins ARB, GA (10) (replacing C‐130Hs) and C‐130Hs to Rosecrans AGS (St Joseph), MO (8 H3) and Great Falls, MT (8 H2) (replacing C‐27s).

Proposed FY 15 Action:
Transfers eight Active Component C‐17s to the Air National Guard at Shepherd Field AGS (Martinsburg), WV (replacing C‐5As).

Proposed FY 16 Action:
Within the Air Force Reserve, transfers eight C‐5Ms from Westover ARB, MA to JB San Antonio (Lackland AFB), TX, (replacing C‐5As). Replaces C‐130H2s at Savannah, GA (8) with C‐130H3s. Replaces Active Component C‐130H3s (8) at Little Rock AFB, AR
with C‐130H1 (7).

Proposed FY 17 Action:
Dobbins ARB, GA receives two additional C‐130Js for a total of 12. Replaces C‐130H2s at Niagara, NY (8) with C‐130H3s. Replaces Active Component C‐130H3s (6) at
Little Rock AFB, AR with C‐130H1s (7).