With all eyes on the Somali pirates reported to have taken an American hostage in the waters off of Africa’s Horn, Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.), a 31-year Navy veteran, weighed in this afternoon with this message: We don’t negotiate with hostage-takers on land, but we can do so at sea. From the interview with Fox News:
“We’re not talking about negotiating where they’ve taken our men and women ashore in their own places there. This is a totally different situation right now, that we have to convince them to let him go … T]he U.S. government would not negotiate with a hostage, if it’s in a — if it’s in a state. But at sea is a totally different situation, where you have them cornered, much like a policeman would in the city of Philadelphia in a room.”
This is a problem. Members of Congress publicly contradicting US policy on such sensitive matters is very, very harmful
You start with the premise ‘CSAR-X community’ is in ‘desperate need.’ Well, we have a lot of assets that can be used in rescue missions with planning, so I don’t necessarily just automatically rubber stamp the CSAR-X requirement. I don’t know that that community has to have its own set of assets for the occasional rescue mission. We have new things coming on line like V-22s and other things that can be pressed into service. When we do our rescue mission we’re going to do a come-as-you-are operation anyway, unless all the CSAR assets are pre-positioned for that.
CSAR-X Program Problems
I can’t deny that CSAR-X has a couple of the problems that were in [the tanker program], and I think they should have been caught sooner. It is to the credit of the team that they listened to. One team that banged the drum on this was the OSD independent team. They went in and said CSAR-X is not in a good position to be awarded right now. I just wish we’d all found that sooner, because we were marching up, as you know, to the potential for a November/December [2008] award. To postpone this in October is not optimal.
ARTICLE: Sue Payton Leaves Air Force Procurement Post
Sue Payton, the Air Force’s top weapons buyer since mid 2006, will be vacating her post soon, the Daily Report confirmed yesterday. An Air Force spokeswoman said no official date has been set yet for her departure, but an internal farewell ceremony for her is actually taking place today. Payton has said in the past she did not intend to pursue another government or industry post, but would rather retire. She took over USAF’s senior acquisition post with the intent of simplifying the weapons-buying processes, bolstering an acquisition workforce stretched to the limit, and speeding the delivery of much-needed new weapons systems to the warfighter by not overreaching with complex requirements. Despite work toward these goals, the Air Force’s acquisition shop, under Payton’s watch, was unable to advance the Air Force’s two top modernization priorities, as both the KC-X tanker and CSAR-X rescue helicopter recapitalization programs became bogged down in industry protests and legal impasses. Just Monday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced his intent to cancel the CSAR-X program and re-examine whether a dedicated combat search and rescue platform is really necessary. He did say that the KC-X competition would continue with the goal of soliciting bids this summer.
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. – The Medal of Honor is the highest award for heroism in military action this nation can bestow upon a member of its armed forces.
You need to visit the article and read it–at the bottom of the article are four vignettes describing missions leading four different airmen to be awarded the Medal of Honor. They are worth reading to be reminded of the bravery of the amazing men and women in our armed forces. Note that three of the four vignettes are for rescue attempts.
But here’s the salient point…”pick-up game” rescue attempts require lots of bravery and efforts that are “above and beyond the call of duty.” That is too high of a standard for us to expect routine success.
With the cancellation of CSAR-X, we will all be forced subscribers to John Young’s view that “When we do our rescue mission we’re going to do a come-as-you-are operation anyway, unless all the CSAR assets are prepositioned for that.” (Aerospace DAILY, Nov. 24, 2008). If there aren’t any CSAR assets, there certainly won’t be any that are prepositioned.
LAGOS, Nigeria (NNS) — The Africa Partnership Station (APS) Nashville team, consisting of USS Nashville (LPD 13) Sailors with a staff of Destroyer Squadron 60 and international maritime professionals, arrived in Lagos, Nigeria, March 17 for the third African port visit of its five-month deployment…The Nigeria port stop comes immediately after a successful training period in Sekondi, Ghana. In Ghana, more than 160 military and civilians trainees from Cape Verde, Ghana and Mozambique embarked the Norfolk-based Amphibious Transport Dock for instruction on search and rescue procedures, maritime law, small boat maintenance and intelligence procedures.
These sorts of engagements are to be lauded, but I can’t help wondering if the “search and rescue” training is part of the theater’s overall engagement strategy (and intended to achieve specifically targeted capabilities in particular areas), or if it’s just something to fill the time…
ARTICLE: Helicopter pilots give air refueling training to JASDF
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan – A team of HH-60G Pave Hawk pilots here provided a three-day intensive course on air refueling to Japanese Self Defense Forces helicopter rescue pilots. The training, given by pilots from the 33rd Rescue Squadron, was the first hands-on helicopter air refueling training the JASDF have ever received….The expectation for this training was to build a stepping stone for the Japanese to begin their own training program on how to do daytime helicopter refueling. The next step is to teach night refueling.
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan (AFNS) – Japan Air Self Defense Force pilots are practicing defensive missions with U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors in bilateral fighter pilot training March 16 through 19 over Kadena Air Base…To practice defending Japan, 18th Wing pilots at Kadena AB fighter routinely train with Japan Air Self Defense Force fighter squadrons during regularly scheduled aircraft relocation training at Japan Air Self Defense Force bases in mainland Japan. Airmen of the 18th Wing also recently conducted bilateral combat search and rescue training during Cope Angel 2009.
AFA supports a dedicated CSAR force to extract downed pilots, military personnel in danger of capture and other endangered U.S. citizens – a capability used from high mountains to deserts to over water, and in response to natural disasters as well as military scenarios.
Combat Search and Rescue X (CSAR-X) helicopter program: Gates plans to cancel the 15-billion-dollar program to build new search and rescue helicopters.
Air Force Combat Search and Rescue X (CSAR-X) helicopter program, terminated immediately. The program had already been stopped dead by contractor challenges, anyway, so the only thing at risk is re-bid preparation. This will be the most keenly-felt blow by the Air Force. “This program has a troubled acquisition history and raises the fundamental question of whether this important mission can only be accomplished by yet another single-service solution…. We will take a fresh look at the requirement behind this program and develop a more sustainable approach.”
The money quote: “The consistently high demand for our limited number of combat rescue and special tactics officers makes it crucial that we retain as many as of these seasoned officers as possible on active duty,” said Maj. J.T. Goodson, the chief of airfield operations, special tactics and combat rescue assignments at the Air Force Personnel Center here. “These officers have experience and skills that we simply can’t afford to lose.” “
I know that people will look at this video and say that I’m making Sec Gate’s point for him about CSAR-X (i.e. it’s a throwback to a bygone era, etc….).
But they’d be wrong.
Rescue operations in Vietnam were as Joint as they are now. And it was in Vietnam that the enduring image of the guardian angels of the USAF was made legendary. Marketers on Madison Ave are paid top dollar to get that kind of branding.
The AFMC Four-Star makes it clear that something needs to be done to cut back on contractor protests of major procurements. He says $800 million has already been lost as a result of the CSAR-X protest.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) appeared to praise Gates’ efforts without reservations, saying he “strongly” supported Gates’ restructuring plans, McCain added: “It has long been necessary to shift spending away from weapon systems plagued by scheduling and cost overruns to ones that strike the correct balance between the needs of our deployed forces and the requirements for meeting the emerging threats of tomorrow.” McCain called the announcement “a major step in the right direction.
“I believe Secretary Gates’ decision is key to ensuring that the defense establishment closes the gap between the way it supports current operations and the way it prepares for future conventional threats,” McCain said.
In responding to Pentagon reporters’ questions, Gates tried to make peace between those who favor more budgetary emphasis on irregular capabilities, and those who are afraid that the United States is not putting enough money behind keeping its conventional capabilities up to date.
Gates said that if you did a “crude” breakdown of the budget he is proposing, 10 percent of it will go for irregular capabilities, 50 percent is aimed toward traditional capabilities, and 40 percent can be described as “dual-purpose” capabilities. He further said the distinctions between conventional and irregular warfare were falling away – warfare simply was changing and the United States must be better prepared for a “spectrum” of capabilities.
…we will terminate the Air Force Combat Search and Rescue X (CSAR-X) helicopter program. This program has a troubled acquisition history and raises the fundamental question of whether this important mission can only be accomplished by yet another single-service solution with single-purpose aircraft. We will take a fresh look at the requirement behind this program and develop a more sustainable approach.
OK. There it is. Here is what I would say to those that fought hard to preserve CSAR-X: “TINA.” There-Is-No-Alternative to the fact that the program is cancelled. Now it’s time to (1) take a fresh look at the requirement, and (2) develop a more sustainable approach.
Fight’s on.
UPDATE: Christian Lowe summs it up nicely at defensetech.org:
I think the CSAR-X decision makes sense, but I worry that it will severely delay a new bird for rescuers. Gates said he wanted a joint solution, but in the end, CSAR is usually joint, even if it resides in the Air Force.
