3 Book Recommendations

AFA members, three book recommendations for you – written by three AFA members.

Rules to Live By: 52 Principles for a Better Life by Jerry White. This is a short book – approx 170 pages – that is filled with practical suggestions. I tried to read only one principle per day … then take the rest of the day to think about it … but it was just too easy to read more.

Exceeding Expectations Reflections on Leadership by Bill Looney. This book was featured at our Air & Space Conference. General Looney did a presentation on the book and a book signing. Both the book and the presentation were fascinating. I know there are lots of books out there on leadership. But this one is practical … and tells of the author’s successes and failures. To quote retired Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen Richard Myers, “Over the years, I've learned that people at every level of experience and responsibility learn about leadership best from stories which resonate with their own lives. Through a variety of stories, Bill Looney has captured the importance leaders play in creating the right environment to allow organizations to exceed expectations. His reflections on leadership provide a wealth of lessons learned. Well done!”

The DNA of Leadership by Dick Abel. This book is also short – a little more than 100pages that, in Gen (Ret) Ron Fogleman’s words, “ … has given us a concise but meaningful discussion of the attributes, challenges, and rewards of being a principled and effective leader.” Further, Ike Skelton, Chairman, House Armed Services Committee, said: “The DNA of Leadership provides a framework for developing your own leadership talents. His message will engage and motivate leaders.”

For your consideration.

Michael M. Dunn
President/CEO
Air Force Association

Mitchell Institute to Release “Radar Game and Value of Stealth”

AFA has a great event tomorrow morning taking place here at the headquarters here in Rosslyn.

Dr. Rebecca Grant, Director of the Mitchell Institute for Airpower Studies, recently announced the forthcoming publication of a Mitchell Paper, “Radar Game and Value of Stealth.” It will be released at 9:30 a.m., Thursday, September 30, 2010. Dr. Grant, the author of the study, will present the report with Colonel Michael Fantini, Division Chief of the Combat Force Application at the USAF headquarters.

Rebecca Grant is regarded as one of the nation’s foremost air, space and cyber power analysts, with 20 years of experience in Washington, D.C. In the early 1990s, she worked in the operations group of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, for the Secretary of the Air Force and for RAND Corp. In 1995, she founded IRIS Independent Research and served as its president. Since 1996 she has written extensively for AIR FORCE Magazine.

Among her Mitchell Institute titles are: The War of 9/11 (2005); Return of the Bomber (2007); Losing Air Dominance (2008); The Tanker Imperative (2009); and The Vanishing Airpower Arsenal (2010).

Dr. Grant received a B.A. from Wellesley College in 1985 and a PhD in international relations from the London School of Economics in 1989.

For media registration, please contact Merri Shaffer at (703) 247-5847 or e-mail MShaffer@AFA.org. Let us know if you will need parking.

ADDRESS: 1501 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA 22209, next to the Key Bridge Marriott.




[The Mitchell Institute for Airpower Studies is an independent, non-profit research, studies, and analysis organization founded by the Air Force Association. It takes its name from America’s most famous and arguably greatest airman, Brig. Gen. William Mitchell. The Institute seeks to carry on, in the modern day, General Mitchell’s tireless and dedicated effort to expand airpower thinking and increase public awareness of the need for this unique military instrument.]

Major General Robin Rand as Speaker for September Air Force Breakfast

Every month AFA hosts an Air Force Breakfast Program, allowing an opportunity for senior Air Force and Department of Defense leaders to communicate directly with the public and the press. On September 28, 2010, Major General Robin Rand, Director of Legislative Liaison under the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, was the guest speaker for the September session, where he spoke to a room full of industry professionals, military members (active and retired), media and others.

Gen. Rand is the liaison between the Air Force and Congress on issues such as legislative and constituent inquiries, programs and weapons systems. During his career in the Air Force, which includes six overseas assignments, Gen. Rand had multiple flying tours, been an air liaison officer with the U.S. Army and served on the Joint Staff and in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Gen. Rand is a command pilot with more than 4,930 flying hours, including more than 470 combat hours.

During this September breakfast presentation, Gen. Rand specifically touched on three very important topics associated with the Air Force: the AF mission, the airmen and the families who support them.

“To fly, fight, and win ... in air, space, and cyberspace."

Gen. Rand relayed the stories of many airmen that he has met throughout his career; with pictures and quotes, he described his encounters with combat airmen, inquiring so often why they joined the Air Force. The answers ranged from better education and better opportunities to fulfilling one's duty and just trying to make Mother proud. He told the stories of some who were lost along the way and some who refused to stay down.

But ultimately, Gen. Rand reminded the audience that what is done here, what is advocated in DC and what we approach Congress about on the Hill, greatly matters in regards to the efforts and jobs of our airmen and troops. While they are in combat, training foreign troops, rebuilding villages, protecting our nation and providing support to their fellow brothers and sisters in combat, we must do the best here to support their efforts and advocate for their well-being.

All Air Force Breakfast Program Series sessions take place at the Sheraton Crystal City Hotel, from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., and require registration. Check the AFA Breakfast Series site for more information.

Bomber and Air Superiority

Last week AFA held its annual Convention and, in conjunction, its Air & Space Conference. We had lots of great speakers – over 60 in all. This note is the first of many recognizing some of the most important and insightful of the talks.

Bomber – one of the most interesting talks was a Mitchell Institute Panel on Sustaining America’s Long Range Strike Strategic Advantage. The panel was made up of Dr. Rebecca Grant, Director of the Mitchell Institute for Airpower Studies, Mark Gunzinger, Senior Fellow, Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, and Lt Gen (Ret) Robert Elder, Professor, George Mason University. Part of the discussion centered on a new report by Mr. Gunzinger. To quote the report:

“The ability to conduct long-range strike operations has long provided the United States with a decisive military advantage over its enemies. Today, that advantage is dissipating. Despite the crucial role long-range strike capabilities have played in our nation’s wars over the last seventy years, it is unclear whether the United States will make the investments needed to sustain this advantage in the future. Chronic underinvestment in the US military’s long-range strike “family of systems” — land-based bombers, carrier-based strike aircraft, cruise missiles and supporting airborne electronic attack platforms — combined with the creeping obsolescence of current systems could lead to a future force that is relegated to fighting on the periphery and cannot effectively penetrate anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) battle networks. Considering the time that is required to develop and field new weapon systems, if the next defense budget continues to defer needed long-range strike investments, a gap is likely to emerge in which the nation could lose its conventional long-range strike advantage for a decade or more. Consequently, the United States has a critical choice to make: either accept this loss on the assumption that long-range strike is less relevant in the future, or implement a plan and provide sufficient resources to maintain its long-range strike advantage. This paper suggests options for the latter choice as a point of departure for developing and sequencing new capabilities that will sustain America’s long-range strike strategic advantage for the next thirty years.”


You can find a slide presentation of the report at: http://www.csbaonline.org/4Publications/PubLibrary/S.20100914.Sustaining/S.20100914.Sustaining.pdf

The report can found at: http://www.csbaonline.org/4Publications/PubLibrary/R.20100914.Sustaining_America/R.20100914.Sustaining_America.pdf

Air Superiority – another interesting talk was given by Lt General (Ret) David Deptula. During his talk, he played a video about the current and future threats facing the nation. We have put the video on line … and it has already been cited by overseas publications … to include the Chinese. You can find the video at: http://www.youtube.com/user/AirForceAssocHQ?feature=mhsn#p/a/u/0/-ZSdDBlmVLI (Warning – the video is about 14 minutes long.)


You can also find one Chinese response at a China news blog site: http://hongyu668.blog126.fc2blog.net/blog-entry-799.html

Day 3 of the 2010 Air and Space Conference

First Lieutenant Matthew Schneider reported on his experience sitting in many of the sessions during this year's Air and Space Conference. He provided highlights and summaries, as well as what he personally took away from a few of the sessions.

National Reconnaissance Office Update:

USAF Retired General Bruce Carlson spoke Monday on the needs for an improvement to the NRO. Due to the nature of their mission, General Carlson could not dive into some specific details; however, he did mention one key area for improvement. That area is focused on the establishment of basically an NRO force. Currently, the NRO borrows all of its personnel from different services and groups, making it difficult for General Carlson to keep a Program Manager on board for an entire project. By establishing a group of personnel that are permanently assigned to the NRO, he can use those persons to establish some long-term continuity and better work with AFPC and other similar organizations to keep the NRO running smoothly and efficiently.


Air Force Special Operations Command:

General Wurster spoke of the need to modernize the SOC community. Many of the aircraft and personnel in AFSOC are stressed beyond what was originally intended for them and it is becoming quite apparent. Of his 600 combat personnel, more than ten percent have purple hearts – a remarkable percentage. Of that same group, the majority of those injuries are not IED related, but from direct gunfire. General Wurster also commented that his aircraft are under similar fire and are rapidly decaying. Because of other setbacks in his fleet, he has even had to use AFSOC tankers for combat-related roles to fill gaps left by an aging and unreliable fleet. Key concerns are modernization and the establishment of personnel that are being allotted the proper amount of rest between combat deployments. However, despite these being his primary concerns, General Wurster was sure to point out that his airmen are ready to go back to the fight whenever they are called upon or needed, regardless of personal condition; AFSOC personnel exemplifies the concept of service before self.


NATO Transformation:

General Japp Willemse, from the Netherlands, spoke about the issues facing NATO in the past few years and to come. The concerns are similar to those of the rest of the Air Force in regards to manpower and budget. NATO particularly has a difficulty in managing budget due to the fact that each individual country has its own military forces and rather gives them for NATO operations as a loan more or less. There was also discussion about the disbandment of the US Joint Commands. Although General Willemse discussed some concern for the NATO communication with US forces, he commented that nearly 50% of his communications are already outside Joint Commands, and therefore an adaptation to this new way of thinking will only minutely affect NATO operations.


Medal of Honor Recipients:

The panel of the three Medal of Honor recipients was really remarkable. Colonels Day, Jackson and Thorsness spoke about leadership, their experiences in the Air Force and other topics as well. One of the most interesting segments was the discussion on leadership. Col. George “Bud” Day was the one who I think said it best. In order to be a leader, you must have “Integrity,” he said. Integrity in not only what you say, but in your actions as well. The next piece crucial to a good leader was “Service Before Self.” He spoke about the need to sacrifice and to ensure that the people in your organization come first. Keeping that in mind will establish their loyalty in you as their leader, he explained. The last piece was “Excellence.” Instilling the idea that leadership is really the essence of the Core Values could be seen as enlightening for young airmen who are trying to compile leadership methods, finally realizing it comes from living your life as any Airman should.


Four-Star Forum:

Once again this year, General Dunn asked some tough questions of the panel comprised of four-star generals. One in particular was in regards to the decrease in budget and looking to save money where ever possible. Nearly every leader of the AF came up with the same solution: Don’t sacrifice the people, don’t sacrifice the mission. Those two pieces are what we need to fight wars. There are ways to find savings in the Air Force, but “nickel and diming” our personnel and airmen is NOT the way to do it. Also, sacrificing the iron, the tools that our airmen need to finish the fight successfully, cannot be an option. Train our people right, give them the tools they need to get the job done (and) look for efficiencies, but look after the airmen, they agreed.

Acquisition Process Update with Honorable Ashton B Carter, USECDEF AT&L

Maj Mekesha Armstrong writes about the acquisition process:

Speaking on acquisition process updates, Undersecretary Ashton B. Carter discussed how our nation is in a new era, with little to no defense budget growth, unlike the era just after we declared the war on terror in 2001. We cannot continue to support troops with the capabilities they need to do their jobs unless we make our dollars stretch farther, he said. Therefore, Secretary Gates has outlined a project for how the Defense Department contracts goods and services can create greater efficiency and productivity.

The new project, announced in June 2010, has a goal of finding $100 billion in low-value (overhead) activities and reapportioning those dollars to warfighting capabilities. The US has, roughly, a $700 billion defense budget with about $300 billion going toward government (DoD employees, DoD facilities, etc) and $400 billion contracted out, spent on procurement of goods and on procurement of services. The $100 billion in efficiencies should be found in the activities that are contracted out.

Detailed guidance for industry partners and DoD contracting professionals, released by Secretary Gates yesterday, lays out 23 actions in pursuit of the goal, placed into five principle categories. Undersecretary Carter argues that it is a reasonable goal. We are pursuing this at the end of a decade of budget growth, so some “fat” has crept in, he said. Additionally, President Obama and the country’s legislative leadership understand the need for acquisition reform and productivity growth. But as Undersecretary Carter closed his speech, he commended the Air Force on the reinvigoration efforts of the nuclear enterprise, the mobility efforts in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and finally the excellent support to ground forces (naming Project Liberty as an example).

Air Force Magazine

Visit Air Force Magazine and their Daily Reports to get some great highlights of various presentations from throughout the conference.

Surprising simulation to the cyber-threat?

Maj William Ottati highlighted some interesting talking points from a Tuesday presentation "Cyber Shock Wave".

The discussion titled "Cyber Shock Wave" opened with a video of a recent simulation conducted by the Bipartisan Policy Council. The video described the "March Madness" bot attack on US telecommunications. The "executive simulation" involved former national security and US cabinet members, such as Michael Chertoff, former DHS Secretary, as well as other notable leaders in the national policy arena like Fran Townsend, Stephen Friedman, and John Negroponte. This panel was a simulated National Security Council struggling to understand what to advise the President to do about this growing cyber attack. As the internet was slowing down and telecommunications nationwide were being affected, the panel was struggling with whether or not they had the legal authority to quarantine those cell phones and networks that had been affected, as well as trying to determine where the attack came from and whether or not the attack constituted an "act of war." The video ended with simulated news reports that the financial sector and electrical grids were already being affected by this attack. There didn't seem to be any decision on exactly what this panel would advise the President to do.

The video ended and discussion continued with comments from Gen Hayden and Gen Keys. What became glaringly obvious from the video was summed up well by Gen Hayden: "Our policy [in this area] is way behind our operational capabilities and needs." He also discussed the lack of a 21st century definition of what a reasonable expectation of privacy is on the internet. Lastly, Gen Hayden sought to inject a discussion of who has authority and responsibility in the different domains (.com vs .mil). What he saw in the simulation was a quick "punt" from the DHS secretary to the DoD secretary, much quicker than he thinks would actually occur if a real attack were to occur. Gen Keys brought home the message that it is difficult to deter bad actors in this domain, as he said: "How do you deter the indeterable?" One suggestion he made was to change the return on investment, meaning make it less lucrative for the enemy and/or make the cost of being caught much greater than it currently is.

The discussion ended with questions aimed at the audience. What did this simulation/exercise achieve? What was the result? Though a clear answer has yet to be defined, both generals believe the exercise got hold of people’s attention and would hopefully fuel the policy debate to fill the gams that currently exist.

Day 2 of 2010 Air & Space

Day Two of the 2010 Air and Space Conference and Technology Expo had another great line-up of speakers, panelists and presentations.

Maj Armstrong sat in on Gen Robert "Bob" Kehler's afternoon presentation, "Space and Cyberspace," giving us the highlights:

Gen Kehler began his afternoon speech describing just how far we’ve come in the space domain.

In 1957, there was one man-made object in space. Now we have more than 20,000 manmade objects that are big enough to track. Fifty years ago, there were few participants in space with a primary interest of national security; now we have many participants in space with the main interest lying in commercial applications such as Direct-TV. This is a fast paced arena - the Air Force must be innovative to keep up with space transformation, Gen Kehler urged.

The new National Space Policy, signed by President Obama on June 28, 2010, states the principles/goals/guidelines for space activities. This document emphasizes cooperation, assurance and resilience of our mission essential functions. Gen Kehler spoke about the need to leverage existing systems more efficiently and in innovative ways to meet the direction of the new policy. He argues that we should be able to plan for our future; we know now what our capabilities in space will be 10 to 20 years from now because they are the satellites that are leaving the launch pads now with projected lifespans of 10+ years.

We should look backward and leverage experience from the past (our warfighter’s space lessons learned in Iraq and Afghanistan) in helping to look forward to anticipate our warfighter’s space requirements, he said. To show how AFSPC has already leveraged existing systems and lessons learned, he discussed examples like SIDC’s TENCAP and Talon NAMATH or the movement of the GPS constellation in order to increase coverage in canyon-areas. Finally, space professionals should apply creative thinking about how we can integrate air, space and cyberspace.

Gen Kehler argues that the space acquisition strategy of block builds will not work for all space acquisition. While “block builds” may work well for GPS, it does not work well for boosters so we must base the acquisition method on the requirements for the system. Block builds, or incremental capability adds, are the model for most satellite acquisitions, but Gen Kehler warns that space professionals must keep innovation in their job-jar because block builds will not buy us a “game changer.” We must not abandon innovation just to avoid risk, he advised.

CHANGE IN WEDNESDAY'S SCHEDULE

Vice Admiral William E. Gortney, Director of the Joint Staff, will be speaking in place of Adm. Michael G. Mullen, JCS Chairman, tomorrow at 8:45am to 9:30am in Potomac AB.

To recap events from Day 1:

We had a great first day of our 2010 Air & Space Convention and Technology Expo.

More than a thousand attendees were present during the opening ceremonies and we had several great speakers and presentations (starting with a great welcome from Gen. Norton Schwartz, Chief of Staff of the Air Force.)

In a morning speech, Air Force Secretary Michael Donley spoke on “striking a strategic balance,” assuring that the US military remains committed to building a new long-range bomber but will take a cautious approach to avoid costly disasters from past weapons programs.

“We are confident that a modern long-range strike platform not only has been, but should remain, a critical tool in the nation’s arsenal,” Donley said as he called for a need to make difficult fiscal decisions during our harsh economic times.

In a later presentation, this concept was further spoken on as Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, former DCS, ISR, led a presentation on asymmetrical warfare and current and future threats facing the USAF. “Our legacy fighters are being surpassed by China and Russia,” he said, as he emphasized focus must be given to the technology and resources involved in keeping our air supremacy as other countries continue to develop their programs. “Our ounce future threats are becoming current.” The global revolution to modernize weapons has been growing amongst our adversaries as they build up their airpower, he added. “Remember, there is no prize for second best.”

General Bruce A. Carlson, USAF (ret.), NRO Director, gave a great speech about new initiatives at the NRO during an afternoon presentation: five launches are planned in the next eight months and new workforce investments.

During an afternoon presentation, CMSAF James A. Roy, along with a panel of Command Chief Master Sergeants from the major commands, held a forum discussing issues affecting today’s airmen. Conversations from the CMSGTs forum had a great range of topics: current demands of deployment, policies on social networking sites, PT tests, suicide prevention, deployments, total force, retention, etc.

Gen. Charles E. Stenner spoke on the future of AF Reserve, including the importance of rebalancing the force for lean budget years ahead, putting the right people in the right place at the right time, and a requirement of new thinking to manage the Reserve.

This conference is a great opportunity for our nation’s leaders and protectors (as well as reporters, technology industry leaders and civilians) to come together. So check back with us periodically and keep your eye on the news, blogs and tweets to see what else is taking place at the 2010 Air & Space Conference and Technology Expo.

A Focus on the Nuclear Enterprise

Maj Mark Dmytryszyn, USAF, also gave us some great highlights on several presentations on nuclear enterprise:

It would be unfair to say that Day 1 of the 2010 Air & Space Conference had a theme, as one could derive many parallel themes when you assemble a bevy of speakers on par with those that the AFA has. But none the less one could argue that today held the focus of those invested in the nuclear enterprise.

Keynote remarks by Secretary Donley included statements about reinforcing the critical nuclear enterprise and a nod to the potential carriage and employment of nuclear weapons board the proposed long-range strike platform. These were just a foreshadowing of events that filled the afternoon – panels and discussions focusing on the continued reinvigoration and strengthening of the nuclear enterprise under the theme of maintaining a credible and reliable nuclear deterrence force.

The afternoon sessions opened with the Nuclear Enterprise panel, a group of distinguished General Officers originally charged with the reinvigoration, now the strengthening, of the nuclear enterprise. Their shared message, regardless of geographic region, method of weapon delivery or position in the force, was that to sustain our nuclear deterrence capability we must have credible and reliable personnel and equipment. Throughout the recap of Global Strike Command's inaugural year, Lt Gen Klotz continued to emphasize the sustainment and modernization efforts being accomplished which ensure the continued credibility and reliability of the Air Force's nuclear force. In a continued escalation of nuclear force management, the day's final nuclear-themed speaker was Gen Chilton, Commander of USSTRATCOM. Gen Chilton stressed that in the challenges to nuclear deterrence that can be influenced by US forces, it is the continued modernization of those forces that will maintain our credibility.

Though all three sessions provided frank and forthright descriptions of the state of both the Air Force's and our country's nuclear deterrence forces, there was a positive conclusion to this threaded theme of maintaining credibility and reliability through sustainment and modernization. The good works of those charged with the invigoration, now strengthening, of the nuclear enterprise are being rewarded by both the President and Congress through provided funding for the exploration of sustainment and life extension to portions of the nuclear stockpile.

In an age where military spending is bound by winning today's fight while preparing for tomorrow's, all while doing so with an eye toward fiscal responsibility, it can be said that the umbrella under which all operations are conducted – that nuclear umbrella – will continue to provide its cover thanks to the sustainment and modernization of the forces that provide a credible and reliable nuclear deterrence.

Gen Carlson speaks on current state of NRO

Major Mekesha Armstrong gave a highlight of an afternoon presentation by Gen Bruce A. Carlson, USAF (Ret.), National Reconnaissance Office Director, who gave an update on the current state of NRO.

Gen Carlson opened up his speech discussing the fiftieth anniversary of the National Reconnaissance Office, asking the audience to think about how far space requirements and expectations have come. When CORONA started fifty years ago, crews were successfully “catching” film canisters with no computer guidance or inertial navigation systems, and early on many missions failed. Now we have obtained a launch success rate of more than 90% with little forgiveness for mission failure during a challenging time. The NRO is launching five rockets in the next eight months - the most aggressive schedule since the 1980s, with 50% of the people and 25% of the infrastructure they had in the 1980s.

The NRO’s charter, updated to reflect the agreement between the Central Intelligence Agency and Air Force, is ready for signature by the DNI and SecDef and should be out in a few weeks. Gen Carlson reports that this charter will give the MDA authority back to the Direction, NRO, for his programs. Additionally, it will give the NRO the ability to call a meeting with the SecDef and National Security office to ensure the requirements from each line up so the NRO can acquire systems that meet each agency’s taskings most efficiently.

Gen Carlson listed his priorities: execute launch on time and on budget, improve business of launch, improve research and technology investment, and invest in the NRO workforce. Since Gen Carlson began working on his priorities, the NRO is now on time and on budget for 9.5 of 10 programs. To improve the business of launch, he is willing to allow DoD to negotiate rocket purchases for NRO. Instead of the NRO, DoD and NASA negotiating for rockets separately, he feels it would benefit all three organizations to have one party do all negotiations to get more rockets at a better price. Gen Carlson is also working to bring historic research and development (R&D) funding levels back to the NRO and has several programs in place to keep quality people in key positions long enough to benefit the program but not damage their career.

To make the next leap into ISR data tasking, collecting, processing, exploitation and dissemination --- the NRO is working to integrate different mission ground/processing systems to deliver a single product to the warfighter in a short period of time. Recently, the NRO has made improvements to ground systems to improve geolocation by an order of magnitude, “…innovation on the ground – teaching old satellites new tricks.”

Day One of AFA's Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition

The 2010 Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition kicked off this morning with a warm welcome from Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Norton A Schwartz to a crowd of more than 1500! Both corporate and AFA-sponsored awards were distributed in our opening ceremony before Secretary of the Air Force Michael B. Donley began his presentation, "Striking a Strategic Balance." His discussion included the challenges associated with an uncertain and fiscally constrained future, describing how the Air Force's ability to succeed in this dynamic future will depend on sgtrategic balance, choice and airmen.

But that's just the beginning. Today, we have a lot of panels and speeches taking place, as well as our ribbing cutting ceremony for the technology exposition at 11:15am, and a book signing with Warren Kozack, author of The Life and Wars of Gen. Curtis LeMay, at 2:00pm.

So check back periodically with the official blog of the Air Force Association to get any updates to this year's conference and expo!

Sunday Memorial Service

Due to expected rain, the AFA Memorial Service will no longer take place at the Air Force Memorial, but instead at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, Room POTOMAC D. The service will be from 8:00AM to 8:30am.

AFA soon to kick off Air and Space Conference and Technololgy Expo!

Be a part of the Air Force Association’s 2010 Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition September 13th through 15th, 2010! The event kicks off in two days at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center on the Potomac, in National Harbor, just across the river from Alexandria and minutes from downtown Washington, DC.

The Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition is truly a one-of-a-kind event where AFA brings together Air Force leadership, industry experts, academia and current aerospace specialists from around the world to discuss the issues and challenges facing America and the aerospace community today.

Check out the blog and follow our tweets throughout the conference because we'll be keeping it updated!

Here's the schedule:

Monday, September 13, 2010

7:00 AM 8:45 AM Continental Breakfast

9:00 AM 10:30 AM Conference Opening and Award Ceremonies

10:35 AM 11:00 AM State of the Force
Secretary of the Air Force Michael B. Donley

11:15 AM 11:30 AM Technology Exposition Ribbon Cutting Ceremonies

11:30 AM 4:00 PM Technology Exposition Open

11:30 AM 1:00 PM Conference Attendee Lunch

1:00 PM 1:45 PM American Foreign Policy in the Middle East
Dr. Charles Krauthammer

2:00 PM 2:45 PM Military Force Structure for the 21st Century
Lt. Gen. Charles E. Stenner

2:00 PM 2:45 PM Panel: Nuclear Enterprise
Gen. Roger A. Brady, Maj. Gen. C. Donald Alston, Maj. Gen. Floyd Carpenter Maj. Gen. William Chambers and Brig. Gen. Everett Thomas

2:00 PM 2:45 PM National Reconnaissance Office Update
Gen. Bruce Carlson, USAF Ret.

2:00 PM 2:45 PM The Life and Wars of Gen. Curtis LeMay
Mr. Warren Kozak

2:00 PM 2:45 PM North Korea
Col. William Drennan, USAF Ret.

3:00 PM 3:45 PM Command Chief Master Sergeant Forum
Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James A. Roy

3:00 PM 3:45 PM Global Strike Command
Lt. Gen. Frank G. Klotz

4:00 PM 4:45 PM Air National Guard Update
Lt. Gen. Harry Wyatt

4:00 PM 4:45 PM Brig. Gen. Robin Olds, Triple Ace and Air Force Legend
Ms. Christina Olds

4:00 PM 4:45 PM Anticipating a Change...
Lt. Gen. David Deptula

4:00 PM 4:45 PM Challenges to Nuclear Deterrence
Gen. Kevin P. Chilton

4:00 PM 4;45 PM "Technology Horizons": Building Future Air Force Capabilities
Dr. Werner Dahm

6:00 PM 7:45 PM Outstanding Airmen of the Year Reception in the Exhibit Hall

8:00 PM 10:30 PM Outstanding Airmen of the Year Dinner



Tuesday, September 14, 2010

7:30 AM 8:45 AM Continental Breakfast

9:00 AM 9:45 AM Panel: Defense Industry Initiative on Business Ethics and Conduct
Ms. Angela Styles, Ms. Alice Eldridge, and Mr. Carl Buzawa

9:00 AM 9:45 AM AFSOC - Operations and Future Challenges
Lt. Gen. Donald C. Wurster

9:00 AM 9:45 AM On Leadership
Gen. Willam Looney, USAF Ret.

9:00 AM 9:45 AM Panel: Control Your Energy Costs
Col. Ronald Torgerson, USAF Ret., Mr. Richard Stacey, Mr. Mark Duszynski, and Mr. Enrique Torres and Mr. Lucian Nemeyer

9:00 AM 9:45 AM Panel: Cyber Shockwave
Gen. Michael Hayden USAF Ret. and Gen. Ronald Keys USAF Ret.

10:00 AM 10:45 AM NATO Transformation
Maj. Gen. Jaap Willemse (Royal Netherlands Air Force)

10:00 AM 10:45 AM Europe at the Crossroads
Gen. Roger A. Brady

10:00 AM 4:00 PM Exhibit Hall Open

10:00 AM 10:45 AM Future AETC Challenges
Gen. Stephen R. Lorenz

10:00 AM 10:45 AM Panel: Mitchell Institute on Long Range Strike
Moderator Dr. Rebecca Grant, Lt. Gen. Robert Elder USAF Ret. and Mr. Mark Gunzinger

10:00 AM 10:45 AM A History of Air Warfare
Col. John Andreas Olsen (Norwegian Air Force)

11:00 AM 11:45 AM Air Force Update
USAF Chief of Staff Gen. Norton A. Schwartz

11:45 AM 1:15 PM Conference Attendee Lunch

1:30 PM 2:30 PM National Guard Issues
Gen. Craig R. McKinley

1:30 PM 2:30 PM Panel: The Nukes We Need
Moderator Dr. Rebecca Grant, Dr. Keir Lieber and Dr. Daryl Press

2:45 PM 3:30 PM Panel: Preserving the Industrial Base
Mr. Darryl Davis of Boeing , Mr. Tom Burbage of Lockheed Martin and Mr. Chris Hernandez of Northrop Grumman

2:45 PM 3:30 PM Securing the Internet
Mr. Michael T. Jones

2:45 PM 3:30 PM Gen. Bernard Schreiver: Waging Peace with Ballistic Missiles
Mr. Neil Sheehan

2:45 PM 3:30 PM Meeting a Global Challenge
Gen. Duncan J. McNabb

2:45 PM 3:30 PM China's Changing Role in World Politics
Dr. Cynthia Watson

3:45 PM 4:30 PM Space and Cyberspace
Gen. C. Robert "Bob" Kehler

3:45 PM 4:30 PM AMC...Delivering Hope, Fueling the Fight, Saving Lives
Gen. Raymond E. Johns

3:45 PM 4:30 PM Killing Al Qaeda: Winning the Battle of Ideas
Mr. Chuck de Caro

3:45 PM 4:30 PM The Recent Economic Landscape of the Global Defense Environment: Prospects and Prognoses

Dr. Nayantara Hensel
3:45 PM 4:30 PM Desert Storm 20 Years Later
Gen. Charles Horner, USAF Ret.



Wednesday, September 15, 2010

7:15 AM 8:30 AM Continental Breakfast

8:45 AM 9:30 AM Keynote Address
Adm. Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

9:45 AM 10:30 AM DOD Efficiency: Charting a Course to Savings
Ms. Marion Blakey

9:45 AM 10:30 AM Panel: Women Airforce Service Pilots
Moderator Ms. Amy Goodpaster Strebe with WASP Deanie Bishop Parrish, WASP Elaine Harmon, WASP Bernice Haydu and WASP Lorraine Rodgers

10:00 AM 4:00 PM Exhibit Hall Open

10:45 AM 11:30 AM Berlin Airlift
Mr. Richard Reeves

10:45 AM 11:30 AM The Enlisted Perspective
Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James A. Roy

11:30 AM 1:00 PM Conference Attendee Lunch

1:00 PM 1:30 PM Acquisition Process
The Honorable Ashton B. Carter

1:45 PM 2:30 PM Panel: Medal of Honor Recipients
Col. Leo Thorsness, Col. George Day and Col. Joe Jackson

2:45 PM 4:15 PM 4 Star Forum
USAF Chief of Staff Gen. Norton A. Schwartz

6:30 PM 7:45 PM Air Force Anniversary Reception in the Exhibit Hall

8:00 PM 10:30 PM Air Force Anniversary Dinner

For more information (registration, lists of speakers, the expo), click here.

China, Cyber Strategy

AFA Members, Congressional Staff Members, Civic Leaders, DOCA members, three weeks ago, DOD released its Annual Report on Military and Security Developments in the PRC.

I have not read the entire document (about 80 pages long) ... but would encourage you to, at least read the executive summary. http://www.defense.gov/pubs/pdfs/2010_CMPR_Final.pdf

Also, I’d like to point you to a piece one of our staff members found (below my name) ... which lays out the issue more starkly ... and which I commend to you. Note the second paragraph summary of the steps Mr. Haddick says the PRC has taken … as opposed to those taken by the US.

Finally, Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Lynn has penned a very good piece that was published in Foreign Affairs Magazine entitled: “Defending a New Domain”
You can find the piece at: http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/66552/william-j-lynn-iii/defending-a-new-domain

[However, to read the complete piece you have complete a form for a one-time free registration – or get to a copy of the Magazine … perhaps at your local library. For those of you who receive the Early Bird, the piece appeared there on 26 Aug.]

Cyber Defense

September 4, 2010

AFA Members, Congressional Staff Members, Civic Leaders, DOCA members, two weeks ago, I wrote you about AFA’s National High School Cyber Defense Competition (http://www.afa.org/PresidentsCorner/Notes/Notes_8-20-10.pdf) [think Spelling Bee … but for high schoolers … and in the cyber domain]. This is an exciting new undertaking for AFA and is moving very fast. We now have 325 teams from 46 states registered and are adding more every day. [We are missing only Montana, Wyoming, Iowa, and Connecticut.] We also have a team registered in Japan !!

However, we still need your help in getting high schools interested in the competition.

Many have asked us: Which of the high schools near me are registered? We created a web link on the USCyberPatriot.org web site where you can find this data: http://www.uscyberpatriot.org/cppdfs/Team_Reg1Sept2010.pdf We update the link every evening, M-F. Is there a school in your area not on the list? Visit and encourage them to sign up! All the facts and great recruiting tips are on the web site: www.uscyberpatriot.org at the “How AFA Chapters Can Help” link.

Additionally we have a competition video which shows the excitement in this adventure. You can find it at: http://www.youtube.com/user/AirForceAssocHQ#p/a/u/0/Ez_YwtYH7T8

Are you coming to the Air & Space Conference later this month? Be sure to stop by the CyberPatriot exhibit area and watch exciting demos! They will be held Monday, 13 Sep, from 1130-1430; Tuesday, 14 Sep, from 1000-1200 and from 1400-1600; and Wednesday, 15 Sep, from 1000-1200 and from 1400-1600.

For your Consideration.

Mike
Michael M. Dunn
President/CEO
Air Force Association

CFC

September 2, 2010

AFA Members, as many of you know the 2011 Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) kicks off today! The Combined Federal Campaign gives all government employees the opportunity to support their favorite non-profit organizations via an easy payroll deduction. As you fill out your forms, I ask that you consider directing your CFC donations to either the Air Force Association or the Air Force Memorial Foundation this year.

AIR FORCE ASSOCIATION (http://www.bestcfc.org/detail.asp?ID=1658) CFC #12214.
AFA works to continue to Educate the public about the critical role of aerospace power in the defense of our nation, Advocate aerospace power and a strong national defense, and Support the United States Air Force, the Air Force family, and aerospace education. I would also note we are the only “full service” professional organization which deals with all issues facing our Air Force and our nation.

AIR FORCE MEMORIAL (http://www.bestcfc.org/detail.asp?ID=771) CFC# 11953. Our Memorial serves as an ongoing tribute to the service and sacrifices of all Airmen, past and present, while honoring the heritage of the United States Air Force and its predecessor organizations.

If you aren’t a current government employee and don’t participate in the Combined Federal Campaign , you can always make a donation to the Air Force Association (https://www.afa.org/afa_donation_form/default.asp?pm=show_form&dm=g) or the Air Force Memorial (http://www.airforcememorial.org/donate/index.asp) online, or by calling us at 1-800-727-3337.

Thanks in advance,
Mike
Michael M. Dunn
President/CEO
Air Force Association

Air Diplomacy

September 2, 2010

Here's a report from Strategic Studies Quarterly that's worth your time. It's entitled Air Diplomacy: Protecting American National Interests by Adam P. Lowther.