Roche opens airlift, tanker convention

  • Published
  • By Cynthia Bauer and 1st Lt. Jeffrey Bishop
  • Air Mobility Command Public Affairs
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AFPN) --  Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche opened this year’s Airlift/Tanker Association national convention here with one main purpose in mind.

“I especially wanted to attend to say thank you to the air mobility team … for your contributions to our war on terrorism and for the vital mission you perform for our nation,” he said.

More than 2,500 people are attending the association’s 35th convention this year. The gathering, Oct. 30 to Nov. 2, brings together active-duty, Guard, Reserve, civilians and defense contractor representatives.

This year’s convention theme is “Carrying Freedom’s Flag.”

Mobility pilots flew 4,500 air-refueling sorties for Operation Enduring Freedom; 55 percent of which were for Marine, Navy and coalition aircraft. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, airlifters logged 48,000 sorties and 10,000 tanker sorties. Fighter and bombers logged 13,000 sorties, while 2,500 were special operations and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sorties.

During his address, Roche discussed the need to recapitalize and modernize the nation’s airlift and tanker fleets to continue their contributions to the fight.

It is important to work with the defense industry to stabilize production, he said. He named the C-17 Globemaster III program as an example of costs incurred when stability is not enforced. The steady production allows manufacturers to invest in efficiency.

“If we had stabilized C-17 production … we could have saved between $10 (billion) and $16 billion,” he said.

As part of efforts to provide stability, instead of changing year to year on how many aircraft they will order, Air Force officials have undertaken a multiyear contract that will buy 60 additional C-17s for the price of 55.

He said that all 50 C-5 Galaxy B models will be modernized through avionics modernization and re-engineering and re-engining, and Air Force officials will look at modernizing the C-5A fleet. The results will determine the number of C-17s bought in the future.

Roche said he is also looking at a more modern C-130 fleet; retiring some, modernizing others, and buying more C-130 J models.

On the issue of the tanker fleet, his theme is “No tankers, no warfighting.”

One of the main issues is the 767 tanker-lease program. Ninety percent of the KC-135 Stratotanker fleet came into the Air Force inventory during the Eisenhower administration, Roche said. The age of the KC-135 fleet means that many obsolete parts must be manufactured and maintenance needs increase resulting in higher operational costs.

“Somewhere, we have to realize that it is silly to keep thinking about these planes flying forever,” Roche said. “Even if we were to begin recapitalization now, we’ll still be flying these aircraft into their 70s.”

Roche said Air Force officials sought the tanker lease based on a thorough investigation of the options, from status quo to purchase. Defense Department officials have approved leasing 100 tankers from the Boeing Co. The issue is now under debate in the Senate Armed Services Committee. There may be a compromise under a lease-purchase agreement.

“We are not wedded to any particular financing arrangement,” Roche said. “We are not wedded to any particular schedule. We are trying to catch up on years of noninvestment.”

He explained one of the important considerations in the 767 tanker-lease proposal.

“We did the lease to demonstrate the only way you could quickly recover from 12 years of noninvestment (brought on by the end of the Cold War),” he said.

There was a misreading of history that brought about claims of a “peace dividend” and “procurement holiday,” he said.

“What happened was that the major powers that suppressed people were moved out of the way, and suppressed people started suppressing each other, and all hell broke loose,” Roche said.

A big part of Roche’s message was about the mobilization of the Guard and Reserve. He said about 17,000 Guard and Reserve airmen are mobilized, and that the Air Force was blessed with the volunteers carrying a great deal of the load. He said the bottom line is that the Air Force has to work this through.

“Our larger concern is that if we don’t keep working to find ways to demobilize them (or swap them out) then we’re going to discourage these men and women from spending time in the Guard and Reserve,” he said.