WASHINGTON --- The Air Force is continuing to focus on transformation to meet the demands and threats of the 21st century, the service's top civilian told Congress during the proposed fiscal 2003 budget hearing Feb. 12.
"We have been afforded numerous opportunities to implement and validate significant changes in the concepts of military operations and in the conduct of war," said Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche in his opening statement before the Senate Armed Services Committee. "For the first time in the history of warfare, the entire ground operation in land-locked Afghanistan -- infiltration, exfiltration, sustainment of supplies and support equipment -- has been accomplished solely by air.
"Operation Enduring Freedom has demanded over 14,000 sorties, some of which have broken records in mission range, hours flown and combat reconnaissance," he said.
Roche also said tanker support to joint operations, which number more than 6,000 sorties, mobility demands and humanitarian tonnage delivered have all been unprecedented.
"We have encouraged and exploited the rapid advancement and employment of innovative technologies and have taken significant action to implement the findings of the Space Commission in our new role as the executive agent for space," he said.
"We have set a goal as we look at the future to try to return to the era of General Henry "Hap" Arnold and the Army Air Corp supporting General George S. Patton during the breakout at Normandy," Roche said. "We are striving to provide near-instantaneous ground attack from the air by working closely with troops on the ground equipped with powerful sensors and communications links."
"There were many cases when special operations forces on horseback, tied in with these space-age technologies to air assets, were able to immediately bring precision munitions to bear in support of Northern Alliance forces, swinging the outcome of the battle in favor of our allies," said Army Secretary Thomas E. White during the hearing. "It made all the difference in the world (during operations) in Afghanistan."
However, despite these accomplishments, the Air Force will not stray from its transformation journey, Roche said.
Included in the Fiscal 2003 Air Force Posture Statement provided to the committee are the service's plans to develop the capabilities it needs for the future to answer a broad range of challenges posed by potential adversaries. It also addresses some of the most pressing challenges facing the Air Force, reaffirming the service's focus on people, readiness and transformation.
"Our future success hinges on our ability to recruit and retain highly qualified airmen, and to provide these dedicated warriors with the resources required to accomplish their mission," Roche said. "We must also take care of our families with adequate housing programs, medical facilities and base support services.
"While the world's security environment changed dramatically, one thing that remains constant is America's need for global vigilance, reach and power," he said. "That is your Air Force vision and what we strive to deliver every day. Fully exploiting our advantages is not an option -- the risk of failing to do so is too great.
"We must remain the dominant air force in the business of global reconnaissance and strike and through (continued funding of) recapitalization efforts, we hope to maintain the fundamental basis from which to (continue) our transformation journey," Roche said.
Realizing this to be a costly and daunting task, Roche said that the integration of systems, mastering real-time targeting, and finding new ways to operate are more than objectives, they determine the Air Force's ability to project power on and above the battlefields of tomorrow.
"The future holds sober challenges for America's military forces, but with America's continued support, the (Air Force) is poised for unprecedented success," Roche said in written testimony. "In whatever scenarios lie ahead, the (nation) will be able to look to the Air Force to ensure our dominance of air and space."
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SECAF: Air Force Remains Focused On Transformation
