WEBVTT 00:00.000 --> 00:03.400 the enemy's ability to uh , use 00:03.460 --> 00:05.682 improvised explosive devices , homemade 00:05.682 --> 00:07.960 bombs is a , is a big challenge for us . 00:07.960 --> 00:10.660 Uh , we had a case recently where all 00:10.660 --> 00:13.560 of our platforms were heavily involved 00:13.570 --> 00:16.990 in , uh , finding tracking , getting 00:16.990 --> 00:20.220 a bomber overhead , passing the message 00:20.220 --> 00:22.442 is making sure it had enough fuel . And 00:22.442 --> 00:24.600 uh , when it's when it struck this 00:24.610 --> 00:28.060 homemade explosive location , the 00:28.070 --> 00:30.350 results were staggering . And it was 00:30.350 --> 00:32.406 something that everybody in our wing 00:32.406 --> 00:34.660 could instantly see we contributed to 00:34.660 --> 00:36.660 that . And I don't want to give any 00:36.660 --> 00:38.716 examples because I'll leave somebody 00:38.716 --> 00:40.827 out . But just uh , as you can tell , 00:40.827 --> 00:43.049 airplanes didn't get up in the air with 00:43.049 --> 00:45.271 all that gas by themselves . You know , 00:45.271 --> 00:47.549 a lot of things happened on the ground . 00:47.549 --> 00:49.716 A lot of maintainers working in some , 00:49.716 --> 00:51.827 just extreme conditions on the flight 00:51.827 --> 00:53.827 lines , extreme heat here , getting 00:53.827 --> 00:55.882 those airports , planes airborne and 00:55.882 --> 00:57.993 then when they land , quickly turning 00:57.993 --> 00:57.850 them so they can , they can fly again 00:57.950 --> 01:00.006 when we see something like that , we 01:00.006 --> 01:02.228 make sure that that message gets out to 01:02.228 --> 01:04.394 everybody . So they know that they had 01:04.394 --> 01:06.630 a very , very direct Role in that , you 01:06.630 --> 01:10.000 know , not 30 or 40 events between them 01:10.000 --> 01:12.222 and that person . But sometimes you can 01:12.222 --> 01:14.444 count the number of different events on 01:14.444 --> 01:16.444 one hand , between their action and 01:16.444 --> 01:18.556 success . And then also we share it , 01:18.556 --> 01:20.722 as I mentioned with the other groups , 01:20.722 --> 01:22.722 making sure that we know that , you 01:22.722 --> 01:24.833 know , they put the lethality into it 01:24.833 --> 01:27.056 and then we helped set them up for it . 01:27.056 --> 01:28.889 Another example where all of our 01:28.889 --> 01:30.889 aircraft worked together was in the 01:30.889 --> 01:34.610 recent afghan elections . A lot of 01:34.620 --> 01:36.398 concern about the potential for 01:36.398 --> 01:38.398 violence on the ground . Uh , so we 01:38.398 --> 01:40.820 surged all of our aircraft , the S . R 01:40.830 --> 01:42.830 aircraft ahead of time to make sure 01:42.830 --> 01:45.052 that the preparation of the battlefield 01:45.052 --> 01:47.610 was as thorough as possible . And then 01:47.610 --> 01:49.721 also putting more overhead to respond 01:49.721 --> 01:53.040 if required to request . Uh we put as 01:53.040 --> 01:55.151 many tankers in the air as we could , 01:55.151 --> 01:57.318 spread them out throughout the country 01:57.318 --> 01:59.540 to make sure they could quickly get gas 01:59.540 --> 02:01.429 to uh aircraft that might have to 02:01.429 --> 02:03.540 respond to group troops on the ground 02:03.540 --> 02:05.762 that that needed air support . And then 02:05.762 --> 02:09.030 we surged our AWACS aircraft put to 02:09.030 --> 02:11.550 cruise on instead of one and flew it to 02:11.550 --> 02:14.590 the maX T . O limit of the airplane . 02:14.780 --> 02:18.110 The authorities were over 20 hours each 02:18.120 --> 02:21.000 to make sure that we had coverage to to 02:21.000 --> 02:23.167 deliver that air power where it needed 02:23.167 --> 02:25.222 to be delivered on time with all the 02:25.222 --> 02:27.167 information that the pilots of the 02:27.167 --> 02:29.730 Kinetic aircraft needed to strike and 02:29.730 --> 02:31.860 support the ground troops that were 02:31.860 --> 02:34.350 facing fire . The results from that 02:34.360 --> 02:37.390 were great . You've probably seen the 02:37.400 --> 02:40.330 numbers and how well we as an air force , 02:40.330 --> 02:42.386 not just our wing , but across the , 02:42.386 --> 02:44.497 the command uh did , but we got a lot 02:44.497 --> 02:47.560 of feedback from uh different ground 02:47.560 --> 02:49.393 agencies as well as other flying 02:49.393 --> 02:51.616 agencies that said , our tankers or our 02:51.616 --> 02:53.504 AWACS were right on the intel was 02:53.504 --> 02:56.540 exactly what they needed . And that was 02:56.550 --> 02:58.710 very fulfilling because it was an 02:58.710 --> 03:00.877 important event in this in this war as 03:00.877 --> 03:03.099 well , helping the afghan people have a 03:03.099 --> 03:05.210 free and clear election with our high 03:05.210 --> 03:08.110 altitude is our aircraft , The YouTube 03:08.120 --> 03:10.630 and the RQ four A which is a block 10 03:10.640 --> 03:14.380 are key for of their similar 03:14.380 --> 03:16.860 systems but how we use them . We use 03:16.860 --> 03:18.971 them in a complementary fashion . For 03:18.971 --> 03:20.971 instance with the U . Two obviously 03:20.971 --> 03:23.193 being manned , we have some flexibility 03:23.193 --> 03:25.304 in the air where the pilot can listen 03:25.304 --> 03:27.471 to the radio is out there , respond to 03:27.471 --> 03:29.582 what he's hearing or she's hearing on 03:29.582 --> 03:31.638 the radios at that time and maneuver 03:31.638 --> 03:33.860 the airplane , position airplane in the 03:33.860 --> 03:35.916 sensors to best support the fight on 03:35.916 --> 03:38.138 the ground . We have a number of recent 03:38.138 --> 03:40.138 cases where our pilots have done an 03:40.138 --> 03:42.138 outstanding job of doing that . The 03:42.138 --> 03:44.020 other part of that coin is the 03:44.020 --> 03:46.076 distributed common ground systems in 03:46.076 --> 03:48.187 the states that are tethered to these 03:48.187 --> 03:50.450 airplanes electronically and they're 03:50.450 --> 03:53.050 doing all their Intel experts are doing 03:53.050 --> 03:55.161 all the analysis and the exploitation 03:55.161 --> 03:57.272 of what the U . two is finding . So a 03:57.272 --> 03:59.050 complete team effort across the 03:59.050 --> 04:01.272 constellation , not one airplane or one 04:01.272 --> 04:03.383 pilot but hundreds of people that can 04:03.383 --> 04:05.040 take information seen on the 04:05.040 --> 04:08.630 battlefield , uh , exploit it and get 04:08.630 --> 04:11.660 it back for use on the battlefield 04:11.720 --> 04:15.350 within minutes , truly phenomenal on 04:15.350 --> 04:17.461 that Youtube . They have a variety of 04:17.461 --> 04:19.294 sensors , signals intelligence , 04:19.294 --> 04:22.290 synthetic aperture radar , uh , electro , 04:22.290 --> 04:25.650 optical infrared sensors , uh , not all 04:25.650 --> 04:27.761 at the same time . So in working with 04:27.761 --> 04:29.817 the K . Ock uh , they determine what 04:29.817 --> 04:31.650 the tasking is , what the ground 04:31.650 --> 04:33.317 component needs , pictures or 04:33.317 --> 04:35.261 intelligence of . And then they uh 04:36.110 --> 04:38.221 configure the airplane as required to 04:38.221 --> 04:40.277 meet that . They can also do the old 04:40.277 --> 04:43.050 optical bar camera , The wet film that 04:43.060 --> 04:45.227 we think of with the U . two for years 04:45.227 --> 04:46.949 and years . We still have that 04:46.949 --> 04:49.520 capability as well but again not all at 04:49.520 --> 04:51.464 the same time . So the airplane is 04:51.464 --> 04:53.464 configured with one or two of those 04:53.464 --> 04:55.770 capabilities at the time uh to go out 04:55.770 --> 04:58.040 and meet that specific need because of 04:58.040 --> 05:01.070 the pilot and the Heavy physiological 05:01.070 --> 05:03.040 demands of operating in that 05:03.040 --> 05:05.860 environment well above 60,000 ft . 05:06.500 --> 05:10.330 Places demands on the body and We can 05:10.330 --> 05:12.386 only keep the pilots up there for so 05:12.386 --> 05:14.497 long . So those sorties are generally 05:14.497 --> 05:16.663 limited to , you know , the 10-12 hour 05:16.663 --> 05:19.220 range uh for the safety of the pilots . 05:19.230 --> 05:21.440 On the RQ four . On the other hand , 05:21.480 --> 05:24.080 because it's a remotely piloted vehicle , 05:24.150 --> 05:27.080 we don't have the human constraints on 05:27.080 --> 05:28.913 staying airborne that long . The 05:28.913 --> 05:31.136 airplanes can stay airborne well over a 05:31.136 --> 05:33.800 day if we needed him to very efficient 05:33.810 --> 05:37.070 up there . And uh they also have 05:37.070 --> 05:40.080 synthetic aperture radar and uh the EO 05:40.080 --> 05:42.890 IR electro optical and imaging or the 05:42.890 --> 05:45.460 infrared . Uh However they can use 05:45.460 --> 05:47.516 those in different combinations than 05:47.516 --> 05:49.571 you two can . Uh they can do both at 05:49.571 --> 05:51.793 the same time . Uh They can switch back 05:51.793 --> 05:53.904 and forth between the sensors and and 05:53.904 --> 05:56.127 so their ability to stay overhead for a 05:56.127 --> 05:58.810 longer period of time and have more 05:58.810 --> 06:00.921 flexibility with those sensors , even 06:00.921 --> 06:02.921 though at this time they don't have 06:02.921 --> 06:05.032 signals intelligence , It still gives 06:05.032 --> 06:07.000 us great flexibility in getting 06:07.000 --> 06:08.833 intelligence on certain types of 06:08.833 --> 06:12.770 targets . The RQ four also uses the 06:12.780 --> 06:14.891 distributed common ground system . So 06:14.891 --> 06:17.113 they have the same team of experts uh , 06:17.540 --> 06:20.310 back usually in the States watching and 06:20.310 --> 06:23.480 tracking by satellite and something we 06:23.480 --> 06:26.140 never dreamed we'd be able to do years 06:26.140 --> 06:28.084 ago with either aircraft . Both of 06:28.084 --> 06:30.710 these aircraft are now doing missions 06:30.710 --> 06:33.340 that we didn't expect as recently as 8 06:33.340 --> 06:35.507 to 10 years ago , much more flexible . 06:35.507 --> 06:37.980 We call it ad hoc targeting uh where 06:37.980 --> 06:40.202 they can leave the black line . They're 06:40.202 --> 06:42.880 programmed flight plan and and target 06:42.880 --> 06:45.920 deck and quickly move uh , to to 06:45.920 --> 06:48.087 respond to the dynamic needs of the of 06:48.087 --> 06:50.370 the ground commander . And we take a 06:50.370 --> 06:52.481 lot of pride in that as well . And as 06:52.481 --> 06:54.592 soon as we've resolved that form , we 06:54.592 --> 06:56.426 can quickly jump back on the The 06:56.426 --> 06:58.648 program line to get that plan targeting 06:58.648 --> 07:00.870 deck . We do that both with the RQ four 07:00.870 --> 07:02.648 and the U two . And if you look 07:02.648 --> 07:04.814 historically known whatever dream that 07:04.814 --> 07:04.610 those airplanes would be used that 07:04.610 --> 07:06.499 dynamically the other aircraft we 07:06.499 --> 07:08.640 operate here are also doing that type 07:08.640 --> 07:12.190 of new innovative roles and 07:12.190 --> 07:14.412 missions and it's because of innovative 07:14.412 --> 07:16.523 airmen that have found better ways to 07:16.523 --> 07:18.690 use these uh fairly old platforms . If 07:18.690 --> 07:20.523 you look at the E three , it was 07:20.523 --> 07:22.634 designed to do coastal defense of the 07:22.634 --> 07:24.746 United States gap fill certain radars 07:24.746 --> 07:27.590 in our regional air defense sectors . 07:27.800 --> 07:29.578 If they got taken out by cruise 07:29.578 --> 07:31.633 missiles or something like that , we 07:31.633 --> 07:33.689 would have the threes airborne to do 07:33.689 --> 07:33.390 defensive counter air in the United 07:33.390 --> 07:36.270 States Over time , it developed into an 07:36.270 --> 07:38.330 offensive counter aircraft where it 07:38.330 --> 07:40.840 could control large packages of 07:40.850 --> 07:44.180 aircraft striking the enemy as well as 07:44.190 --> 07:46.390 refuelings and defensive counter air 07:46.390 --> 07:48.557 emissions . But that's not what we use 07:48.557 --> 07:51.210 it for it all over here . Words support 07:51.210 --> 07:54.380 of , of ground forces in the move a lot 07:54.380 --> 07:56.491 of troops in contact . A lot of close 07:56.491 --> 07:59.200 air support airspace management . So 07:59.200 --> 08:01.422 not quite air traffic control , but not 08:01.422 --> 08:04.220 your fluid wartime airspace either . Uh , 08:04.230 --> 08:06.286 kind of a hybrid of the two . Just a 08:06.286 --> 08:08.397 very , very different mission for the 08:08.397 --> 08:10.980 three . But the aircraft is phenomenal 08:10.990 --> 08:13.323 and that it can handle these changes in . 08:13.323 --> 08:15.434 The airmen are just as phenomenal and 08:15.434 --> 08:17.379 they'll find innovative ways , new 08:17.379 --> 08:19.434 tactics techniques and procedures to 08:19.434 --> 08:21.490 use that airplane In this unforeseen 08:21.490 --> 08:23.657 environment . And the KC-10 originally 08:23.657 --> 08:25.879 designed as a strategic airlifter . You 08:25.879 --> 08:28.101 put a lot of cargo on it , a lot of gas 08:28.101 --> 08:30.046 and it would take bombers straight 08:30.046 --> 08:29.530 across the war , turn around , come 08:29.530 --> 08:31.697 back , refuel and do it again . Well , 08:31.697 --> 08:33.919 we don't operate those airplanes at all 08:33.919 --> 08:36.086 in that regard here . Most of them fly 08:36.086 --> 08:39.690 twice a day . Uh , they dart around 08:39.690 --> 08:42.510 different kill boxes and drag airplanes 08:42.510 --> 08:44.950 from one fight to the other instead of 08:44.950 --> 08:46.783 staying in a track or an orbit . 08:46.950 --> 08:49.110 They're far more flexible , far more 08:49.110 --> 08:51.800 dynamic than anybody ever dreamed . We 08:51.800 --> 08:55.320 take some , um , moving maps where we 08:55.320 --> 08:57.320 can tie into the satellite and show 08:57.320 --> 09:00.010 their position over the airspace , not 09:00.010 --> 09:02.160 integrated into their avionics . Uh , 09:02.740 --> 09:04.907 maybe someday , but at this point it's 09:04.907 --> 09:06.907 in a laptop in a repeater screen to 09:06.907 --> 09:09.129 give those pilots situational awareness 09:09.129 --> 09:11.240 on where they are and where they need 09:11.240 --> 09:13.296 to drag these fighters or bombers to 09:13.296 --> 09:15.629 get them quickly overhead again . Never , 09:15.629 --> 09:17.796 never imagined . Years ago when the KC 09:17.796 --> 09:19.740 11th came out and was operated and 09:19.740 --> 09:22.300 those techniques were designed and 09:22.300 --> 09:24.578 perfected here by people in this group . 09:24.640 --> 09:27.650 So the flexibility and the innovative 09:27.660 --> 09:29.827 powers of our airmen is something that 09:29.827 --> 09:31.882 we take a lot of pride in here , the 09:31.882 --> 09:34.049 medical group , making sure that we're 09:34.049 --> 09:36.450 all fit to fly that , uh , all of our 09:36.450 --> 09:39.060 food and water is fit for consumption 09:39.540 --> 09:42.160 and quickly taking care of people that 09:42.160 --> 09:44.327 aren't , aren't doing well and getting 09:44.327 --> 09:46.271 them back into the fight quickly . 09:46.271 --> 09:48.493 They're very small , small group . They 09:48.493 --> 09:50.604 say small but mighty . But the number 09:50.604 --> 09:52.549 of people that we have down , it's 09:52.549 --> 09:54.549 called then if duty , not including 09:54.549 --> 09:57.040 flying is amazingly low over here 09:57.050 --> 09:59.520 despite the close quarters and uh , 09:59.530 --> 10:01.580 lack of rest and , you know , the 10:01.590 --> 10:03.757 constant tempo , you'd think that we'd 10:03.757 --> 10:06.960 have a lot of people down . Our medical 10:06.960 --> 10:09.130 group keeps them flying and does it at 10:09.130 --> 10:11.960 a just , just a great job of doing that . 10:11.970 --> 10:14.280 Then our mission support group enables 10:14.280 --> 10:16.480 everything top to bottom left to right 10:16.490 --> 10:18.950 that that we accomplish as a as a wing . 10:19.440 --> 10:21.440 Uh Again , I don't want to give any 10:21.440 --> 10:23.607 examples because I will erroneously or 10:23.607 --> 10:26.330 inadvertently leave somebody out . Uh 10:26.340 --> 10:28.673 but there isn't a thing that we do here , 10:28.673 --> 10:31.030 a facility , we operate in a surface , 10:31.030 --> 10:34.950 we drive on that isn't enabled By the 10:34.960 --> 10:37.940 mission support group , 24/7 young men 10:37.940 --> 10:40.051 and women from all over the Air Force 10:40.051 --> 10:42.560 coming in to keep this mission going , 10:43.420 --> 10:46.220 making an expeditionary bases enduring 10:46.230 --> 10:49.950 as possible . So we never , we will 10:49.950 --> 10:52.172 never forget that everything that we do 10:52.172 --> 10:54.283 is enabled by them . And then you get 10:54.283 --> 10:56.172 to the flight line generating the 10:56.172 --> 10:58.117 hundreds and hundreds of sorties a 10:58.117 --> 11:00.061 month that we fly , as I mentioned 11:00.061 --> 11:02.061 around the clock with no break , no 11:02.061 --> 11:03.894 difference in tempo , uh morning 11:03.894 --> 11:06.380 tonight , uh sunday through any other 11:06.380 --> 11:08.380 day of the week . It's it's all the 11:08.380 --> 11:10.602 same . And these young airmen out there 11:10.602 --> 11:13.780 uh in heat conditions that I grew up in 11:13.780 --> 11:16.058 Arizona and was stationed at las Vegas . 11:16.058 --> 11:17.947 So I thought I knew heat and it's 11:17.947 --> 11:19.947 that's nothing compared to the heat 11:19.947 --> 11:22.058 here and they're out there generating 11:22.058 --> 11:24.280 hundreds of , Well , you know , some 11:24.280 --> 11:26.336 around 30 sorties a day . And so you 11:26.336 --> 11:28.950 can see , you know , into the thousands 11:28.960 --> 11:31.860 easily uh every deployment that they 11:31.860 --> 11:35.600 have um With amazing 98% mission 11:35.600 --> 11:37.790 effectiveness rate Temperatures out 11:37.790 --> 11:40.840 there sometimes over 14,050 right off 11:40.840 --> 11:43.520 the ramp . So we know that every sortie 11:43.520 --> 11:45.520 that we fly is generated by them , 11:45.560 --> 11:47.782 Every mission success we have out there 11:47.782 --> 11:50.590 is because of the maintenance group and 11:50.590 --> 11:52.900 then our operators highly trained by 11:52.900 --> 11:55.860 the , by the teams in the States , the 11:55.870 --> 11:58.037 organized , trained and equipped wings 11:58.037 --> 12:00.092 that selflessly give their best over 12:00.092 --> 12:02.203 here , and those crews come over here 12:02.203 --> 12:06.000 perform admirably and as you can 12:06.000 --> 12:08.550 see total total team effort on that .