Remarks by the
Honorable Michael W. Wynne
Secretary of the Air
Force
at the Aero Club of
It is a
pleasure to be at the Aero Club today and among so many friends in the aviation
industry.
From
national programs -- such as the Civil Reserve Aircraft Fleet -- to local
programs -- such as the relationship among
Our
country’s vastness and its economy depend upon commercial aviation as the
backbone of national and international commerce. Global trade undergirds
In my
opinion, the commercial aviation industry and the Airport Associations are a
crucial component of
Our Common Challenges
Today, I
would like to focus on the many common challenges that we in the military share
with our commercial and general aviation brethren.
As
Secretary of the Air Force, I am CEO of what is essentially the world’s largest
airline. I am Secretary of the military
department with the greatest diversity of aircraft and air missions. We operate airports across the
I am
responsible for the operations, availability, mission success, and long-term
viability of a fleet of over 50 aircraft types, most of which have multiple
variants. The breadth of our air
missions range from delivering humanitarian relief to devastated areas, as we
are doing in Burma and China today … to monitoring treaties that support
confidence-building measures … to being prepared to place a silver cloud and
precision weapon over any point on the planet on a moment’s notice.
Included
within our fleet are fighters, bombers, and special operations assets to
project
Today, the total
Air Force inventory numbers at slightly over 5700 aircraft, including
helicopters and multiple types of unmanned aerial systems, flown by over 19,000
pilots. This includes our regular,
reserve and Air National Guard forces.
Our tactical
airlift fleet consists of over 500 C-130s and a strategic airlift fleet of over
280 C-17s and C-5s. We also operate 85 passenger
aircraft to transport our Nation’s civilian and military leadership.
Our C-17s
host our aero medical evacuation capability.
Aeromedevac is the military equivalent of the Corporate Angel Network,
which I know is passion for many in this room.
At its essence, aeromedevac is a flying intensive care unit.
I often
call aero medical evacuation the “miracle of
Our tanker
fleet refuels not just Air Force aircraft, but also aircraft flown by the Navy,
Army, Marines and our Allied partners.
Our tanker fleet consists of 59 KC-10s and over 480 KC-135s. It is a pivotal component of the Joint fight.
Our KC-135
tankers currently average over 48 years of service, and our plans do not fully retire
the KC-135 tanker until 2040.
Just as
commercial aviation is a backbone of
Today, that
means flying humanitarian relief missions into Burma and China … at the same
time we track and strike insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan … and
simultaneously use airpower, such as in Korea, to let all of the world’s
leaders know that America’s commitment to democratic governance and the rule of
law is steadfast.
A Geriatric Air Force
I never
intended to become Secretary of a geriatric Air Force.
But 17
years of continuous deployments in the
As you
might expect, our maintainers do the heavy lifting of keeping our fleet ready
for any contingency. I am so proud of
our maintainers, and I sing their praises every chance I have. Even in the most austere environments, even
in 110 degree heat and with dust bowls sweeping across the flight line, or even
at 40 below just south of the
I am sure
that you find the same in your organizations – that your maintainers deserve
much of the credit for keeping planes in the air and not sitting in the hangar.
The U.S. Air
Force bases out of 180 airfields worldwide.
About half of our airfields are managed by civilian airport authorities
– especially among our Air National Guard units. That means that partnering on airfield, airspace,
and fuels management issues is never far from my mind. Partnering across civilian-military
enterprises, and public-private enterprises, is crucial for how we move
forward.
Next-Generation Air
Traffic Control, Net-centricity, and Special Use Airspace
The Department of Defense, and the
Air Force in particular, is partnering closely with the Federal Aviation
Administration to implement the Next Generation Air Traffic Control system, and
the promise that it possesses. When I
was in
The Federal Aviation Administration
reported in October that the Next-Generation pilot programs in
The network
centric environment and machine-to-machine level data exchanges are vital for next
generation systems. Next generation
systems provide the foundation for robust, efficient, secure, and timely
transport of information. They support a
broad community of users and individual subscribers. They are also scalable, with features that
allow adaptation for growth in operations and shifts in demand.
By
balancing civilian requests for special use airspace against current levels of
readiness, NextGen planners can meet DoD’s mission and readiness needs in
special use airspace. Then, we can release
the airspace when no longer required to meet military requirements. The key to striking this balance is building
transparent information systems that support knowledge-enabled decisions. The key is also to add time as a dimension in
the planning – i.e., working the release of airspace not in blocks, but
dynamic. We are evaluating several
initiatives to enhance east coast access as well as identify how we can improve
the processes for releasing airspace during holiday periods.
Global Positioning
System
There are times when I really do
wish that when a person turns on his or her Garmin, a message would pop onto
the screen that says, “Brought to you courtesy of your U.S. Air Force.” The Air Force developed, launched, and
continues to maintain and upgrade the Global Positioning System, which provides
unprecedented capability for both military and civilian users.
The planned improvements for the
Global Positioning System provide a solid foundation for civilian use of
NextGen capabilities. The Department of
Defense has committed to 24 satellites in 6 planes and a semi-synchronous
orbit. Currently, the GPS constellations
include 31 healthy satellites. Future
satellites will have increased accuracy and integrity, with increasing
capabilities fielded at each new satellite launch.
What can be accomplished with this
technology fully implemented is quite remarkable. It starts with better planned routes,
approaches and departures, saving time and money—while allowing greater
density. We could learn again the lesson
of the Berlin Airlift, which is celebrating a 60th
anniversary—arrivals and departures in constricted airspace in record time, at
densities now forbidden.
Alternative Energy
We are also partnering on a
different front, that of reducing our demand for energy, by using the natural
environment around each of the Air Force Bases. So at Nellis Air Force Base in
At Dyess Air Force Base in
The Air Force uses about 7 million
gallons of aviation fuel each day, and last year our total aviation fuel bill topped
$6 billion. Every $10 increase in the
cost of a barrel of oil translates into an increase of over $600 million in our
operations and maintenance outlays annually.
The net result is that instability
in oil prices wreaks havoc on how we manage our flying hour program across the
Air Force. The Air Force has always been
a technology leader, but the current environment impels us toward even greater action
in technology and alternative fuels development.
The Air Force and the
The Air
Force is also working closely with the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels
Initiative (CAAFI) to introduce and certify the use of domestically produced
alternative fuels. We both are working
on the certification of our respective fleets on a 50/50 blend of synthetic
fuel produced by the Fischer Tropsche process.
We plan to certify the entire Air Force fleet on synthetic fuels by 2011
or 2012.
Our
intent is to diversify our supplier base for energy needs, which includes
encouraging new suppliers to enter the market.
Our long-term aim is to reduce costs, increase price stability and
enhance energy independence. We plan on
making a market, not being a supplier; but this takes capital—and therefore a
market with a long term outlook, and more importantly a long term commitment to
purchase at the right quality levels.
As we
develop and evaluate various alternative fuel options, we also want to think
through the entire life cycle of fuels management – from extraction to consumption. For example, with bio-fuels, we need to
consider the effects on food prices, water use, and engine maintenance. With clean-burning coal-to-liquid fuels,
there are opportunities to reduce carbon footprints and reduce maintenance
costs given increased BTU levels compared to other alternatives.
We also
need to keep a close eye on the regulatory environment. It is entirely plausible that European
regulators will soon challenge the aviation industry with some type of cap on
carbon emissions. Reducing the carbon
footprint is a top priority for many European countries. As we continue toward synchronizing standards
across international borders, we could find the
Alternative
fuels offer incredible opportunities for public-private partnerships. When the military sponsors technology
“mega-projects,” civil and commercial innovation often follows. Technology flows from the defense to the commercial
sectors, transforming industries and even economies. For example, ARPAnet led to the Internet and
the Atlas rocket project led to commercial space programs. I think we could find the same synergy with
alternative fuels.
Conclusion
I appreciate your invitation to come
speak today and to discuss the many common challenges that we face in military,
commercial and general aviation. We
partner in a number of significant areas, and we have many new and exciting areas
to explore together.
Your Air Force operates an
incredibly large and dynamic air transportation network, with thousands of
aircraft and dozens of airports across the world. We transport people, supplies, and equipment
when and where needed. We provide in-transit
medical care for our wounded warriors that is second to none. We partner with industry, the FAA, ICAO and
many host nations to operate the Air Force enterprise efficiently and
effectively.
Many in
this room are civilian employers of our Reserve and Guard forces. Flexibility in your personnel policies allows
Airmen to contribute their time and talent to your organizations and their
country. Your efforts ensure the
viability of one of our nation’s strengths:
the citizen-Airman. Thank you for
your support of our military members, on both an institutional and personal
level.
Monday is
Memorial Day. As you enjoy this national
holiday with your family and friends, please consider taking a moment to
reflect on the Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines who offer so much to
their country.
God bless
you, our U.S. Air Force, and the nation that we serve.
I am happy
to open the floor to questions.
[1] “Fact Sheet: Next Generation Air Transportation System
2006 Progress Report,” Federal Aviation Administration, October 2007,
available:
http://www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets/news_story.cfm?newsId=8336