Note From AFA President -- NATO after the Summit

I have been looking for a paper which describes the outcome of the NATO Summit.

This one – by Dr. Karl-Heinz Kamp, head of research at the NATO Defense College, is an excellent read.

This new paper by the NDC Research Division deals with the future of the transatlantic link after Chicago. It defines the challenges for the Alliance as a result of the financial crisis, arguing in favour of “Smart Reductions” (in addition to Smart Defence), of keeping up NATO’s interoperability, and of a broader strategic perspective which some of the European Allies are lacking.

http://www.ndc.nato.int/download/downloads.php?icode=336

For your consideration.

Mike

Michael M. Dunn
President/CEO
Air Force Association

"The only thing more expensive than a first-rate Air Force is … a second-rate Air Force." -- Senate staff member

AFA's Memorial Day Statement

While the nation has hundreds of statues erected in memory of outstanding servicemen and women, there are millions more unmarked graves and unengraved stones – never capable of adequately telling the tales of sacrifice, courage and valor.

Decoration Day, it’s original name, was established three years after the Civil War ended, May 5th, 1868, when Major General John Logan, the head of a veterans organization called the Grand Army of the Republic, designated May 30th as the day to cherish “the memory of our heroic dead, who made their breasts a barricade between our country and its foes.” It wasn’t until 1888 that Decoration Day was recognized as a federal holiday. Although the term “Memorial Day” was first used in 1882, it did not become more common until after World War II. Over the years, but not until after World War I, Memorial Day was expanded to honor those who died in all American wars. Memorial Day was declared the official name by Federal law in 1967, and in 1971 Congress declared Memorial Day will be observed on the last Monday in May.

Though the name has changed, it is forever a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service, and we offer our gratitude to the many unsung heroes. The legacy of these heroes is the inheritance of the freedom’s afforded throughout this nation. The valor of those fallen is forever inscribed in the story of America’s success.

Today, we commemorate the airmen, sailors, soldiers and marines who have carried the shield in America’s wars, from the American Revolution to today’s operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and paid the ultimate sacrifice.  We give thanks to their unyielding dedication and faithful service to our Nation.

AFA’s June Air Force Breakfast Session Welcomes Air Force Chief of Staff

AFA is pleased to announce General Norton A. Schwartz, the 19^th Chief of Staff of the Air Force, as the guest speaker for the June session of AFA’s 2012 Air Force Breakfast Program. This event will be held on Monday, June 11, 2012, from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., at the Key Bridget Marriott in Arlington, Virginia.

As Chief, he serves as the senior uniformed Air Force officer responsible for the organization, training and equipping of 680,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the general and other service chiefs function as military advisers to the Secretary of Defense, National Security Council and the President.

General Schwartz, whose retirement will be effective October 1, 2012, has served as Commander of the Special Operations Command-Pacific, as well as Alaskan Command, Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region, and the 11th Air Force. Prior to his current position, he was Commander, U.S. Transportation Command and served as the single manager for global air, land and sea transportation for the Department of Defense.

General Schwartz is a command pilot with more than 4,400 flying hours in a variety of aircraft. He participated as a crewmember in the 1975 airlift evacuation of Saigon, and in 1991 served as Chief of Staff of the Joint Special Operations Task Force for Northern Iraq in operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. In 1997, he led the Joint Task Force that prepared for the noncombatant evacuation of U.S. citizens in Cambodia.

The Air Force Breakfast Program is a monthly series that provides a venue for senior Air Force and Department of Defense leaders to communicate directly with the public and the press. Past speakers include Secretary of the Air Force Michael B. Donley, Gen. Gary L. North, Commander of Pacific Air Forces, and Gen. Donald J. Hoffman, Commander of Air Force Materiel Command.

Please register online at http://afacsafbreakfast2012.eventbrite.com/.

AFA Advocacy on the Hill: Veteran Civilian Employment

Today, AFA wrote letters to the co-sponsors of recent legislation aimed at easing veteran civilian employment, expressing our support for the bill to accelerate commercial license procedures for Veterans, H.R. 4155.

Specifically this bill would direct the head of each Federal department or agency to ensure applicants for any Federal license who have received relevant training while serving in the Armed Forces shall be deemed to satisfy the requirements for the license, unless the training was substantially different from the license requirements.

Already seven states have passed laws to expedite the licensing of veterans entering the civilian work force. H.R. 4155 will do the same at the federal level.

Check out the letter here: http://www.afa.org/grl/PDFs/fed%20license%20letter.pdf

AFA’s Next Mitchell Hour: Awarding-winning author speaks on Saudi Arabia

AFA's Mitchell Institute for Airpower Studies welcomes Thomas W. Lippman, award-winning author and journalist, as the guest speaker for an upcoming Mitchell Hour. Lippman, who currently serves as an adjunct scholar at the Middle East Institute, will discuss Saudi Arabia and its relationship to the Arab Spring.  

This Mitchell event will take place on Monday, June 4, from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., at AFA’s national headquarters at 1501 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA, next to the Key Bridge Marriott. The presentation will be in AFA’s fourth floor boardroom.  

For more than 30 years, Lippman has written about Middle Eastern affairs and American foreign policy, specializing in Saudi Arabian affairs, U.S.- Saudi relations, and relations between the West and Islam. He is a former Middle East bureau chief of the Washington Post, and was previously a writer, editor and diplomatic correspondent for the Post, covering the Vietnam War, reporting on foreign policy and national security throughout the 1990s, and being the principal writer on the war in Iraq for Washingtonpost.com in 2003.

Lippman is the author of numerous magazine articles, book reviews and op-ed columns about Mideast affairs, including Understanding Islam (1982, 3d revised edition 2002); Inside the Mirage: America's Fragile Partnership with Saudi Arabia (2004); and Arabian Knight: Col. Bill Eddy USMC and the Rise of American Power in the Middle East (2008), which won a Benjamin Franklin Award from the Independent Book Publishers Association as best biography of 2008.

He is also a consultant on regional affairs to US government agencies, including the Air Force Special Operations Command.

Following his presentation, he will be signing his most recent book, Saudi Arabia on the Edge: The Uncertain Future of an American Ally (2011). Books can either be purchased in advance when you register for the event (with credit card) or onsite (with cash or check) for $20.  

All Mitchell Hours are free to the public. To register for this event, go to http://june4mitchell2012.eventbrite.com.

Memorial Day at the Air Force Memorial

It's that time of year again!

AFA and the Air Force Sergeants Association invite the public to join a commemorative Memorial Day wreath laying ceremony at 9 a.m., Monday, May 28, 2012, at the Air Force Memorial. 

Memorial Day recognizes and pays tribute to the many airmen, soldiers, marines and sailors who have died in service to our nation. This annual event serves as an opportunity to demonstrate our gratitude to the nation’s millions of veterans. A wreath will be placed at the Memorial on this day of remembrance in honor of the many generations of military heroes. 

Chief Master Sergeant Scott A. Fuller will be the keynote speaker of the ceremony. CMSgt Fuller is dual-hatted as the Command Chief Master Sergeant of both Air Force District of Washington and the 320th Air Expeditionary Wing, headquartered at Joint Base Andrews, Md.

Planned activities include the national anthem, invocation, speeches, the laying of the wreath and the sounding of Taps.

All military, veterans and civilians are welcome and encouraged to attend. There will be an opportunity available for individuals and organizations to lay smaller wreaths and/or flowers in memory of their family, friends and organizational members. Call or e-mail the Air Force Memorial Office, 703.979.0674 or afmf@airforcememorial.org, with questions or for wreath ordering suggestions. 


About the Memorial: The Air Force Memorial is dedicated to the Men and Women of the United States Air Force and its Heritage Organizations. It symbolizes the national place of pride, reverence and remembrance located just outside the nation’s capital, in Arlington, Virginia. Directions can be found online at www.airforcememorial.org.

Note from AFA President -- Annual Report on China

Yesterday DOD released its Annual Report on Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China.  The report to Congress is divided into a classified report and an unclassified report.  The Unclass part was released to the public.

One of you has already asked what I think about the report.  It appears long … about 50 pages – but is much shorter than that … with lots of empty pages.  The Executive Summary of the Report downplays the PRC drive to build a modern force; its 11.2% increase in defense spending; its cyber activities and hacking into US companies and government computers; and its drive to take, by force if necessary, Taiwan.  It also does not mention threats made to senior officials and others to use nuclear weapons on the US and its forces.  On the Taiwan point, the Administration has turned down Taiwan’s request for F-16s to replace its aging F-5 fleet.  I also think the report emphasizes cooperation too much.  Here is a quote from the Executive Summary:

“During their January 2011 summit, President Barack Obama and China’s President Hu Jintao committed to work together to build a cooperative partnership based on mutual respect and mutual benefit. Within that framework, the U.S. Department of Defense seeks to build a military-to-military relationship with China that is healthy, stable, reliable, and continuous. Strengthening the U.S.-China military-to-military relationship is a part of shaping China’s choices by encouraging it to cooperate with the United States and its allies and partners in the delivery of international public goods, including in such endeavors as counter-piracy, international peacekeeping, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.”

Finally, there is no recognition of the Chinese debt held by US citizens … that China refuses to pay.  [For reference, see:  http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/05/18/149159/chinas-secret-it-owes-americans.html]

You can find the report at:  http://www.defense.gov/pubs/pdfs/2012_CMPR_Final.pdf

For your consideration.

Mike

Michael M. Dunn
President/CEO
Air Force Association

"The only thing more expensive than a first-rate Air Force is … a second-rate Air Force."  --  Senate staff member