Air Force leads EUCOM transformation Published Aug. 8, 2003 By Tech. Sgt. David A. Jablonski Air Force Print News WASHINGTON -- U.S. European Command’s deputy commander wants the command to become a more flexible, expeditionary-based fighting force for the 21st century.Key issues within the plan that will affect airmen include securing better training areas, airspace for fighter training and new forward locations for refueling. Other initiatives center on force structure issues affecting Army, Navy and Marine forces.According to Air Force Gen. Charles F. Wald, this transformation effort has taken shape over the last few years based on the changing threats and new challenges posed by the global war on terrorism. Although the transformation could mean significant changes for sister services, the Air Force has already set the stage through previous reductions in that theater.As part of the Department of Defense’s overall effort to transform itself, EUCOM is looking at ways to transform and shape its forces and infrastructure to meet the needs of a changing region and the emerging interests and challenges of the 21st century. EUCOM’s vision to transform will increase its flexibility, agility and efficiency throughout its 93-country area of responsibility, Wald said.Expeditionary basing and reducing infrastructure will allow the Air Force to be more flexible, effective and efficient, Wald said.Crucial to this transformation is the ability to continue meeting potential conventional threats while developing the capability to meet the newer threats posed by global terrorism. Although EUCOM’s transformation is a recent endeavor, Wald said the Air Force led the way for change more than a decade ago. “By 1989 the Air Force was largely done with its transition,” Wald said. “This is not a new thing for us. Back then we had 12 wing equivalents in EUCOM. Now we’re down to two and a half.”Wald said the end of the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact, symbolized by the fall of the Berlin Wall, served as the impetus for change in the Air Forces in Europe. EUCOM now seeks opportunities to train and operate outside Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, he said.“What we’re doing now is not a new thing, but a manifestation of events that occurred about 14 years ago,” Wald said. “With end of Warsaw Pact, the threat to Europe changed.”Since most of the major changes are behind, all that is left for bluesuiters in EUCOM is the fine-tuning.“It’s now beneficial to find better environments for flying training,” Wald said. ”Western European countries became more economically sound and prosperous and as a result, commercial air traffic increased tremendously. So, from a fighter-training standpoint, we now need different airspace.”The general said that new training space might be over the Black Sea, in Bulgaria, Romania or similar places.“It’s also a matter of fine tuning and developing forward operating locations that can provide better capability to move further distances,” Wald said. “Forward locations with refueling capability are important.”From an airlift perspective, the general repeated that the Air Force is already there.“Ramstein (Air Base, Germany) was critical to the success of the Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom missions,” he said. “A lot of airlift aircraft landed at Ramstein. (Ramstein) has significant infrastructure, and we have a great relationship with the Germans. It makes a lot of sense to keep places like Ramstein and Spangdahlem (AB, Germany) and Moron (AB), Spain, open because they have large ramps that can handle large numbers of aircraft.“With the remaining services now dealing with the same reductions faced earlier by the Air Force in Europe, the general pledged to keep military families in mind during possible troop restructuring. “We must keep up quality of life during this change,” Wald said. “It will be a challenge because we must consider the military members and their families,” he said. “About 84 percent of our people are in the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy. Some will stay, some will go back to the United States, and a small number will go east.”Wald said this transformation could take up to 10 years to fully implement, but may begin slowly in a matter of months.