Joint Base Charleston
Patriot Vol. 2, No. 33
Team Charleston – One Family, One Mission, One Fight!
Friday, August 26, 2011
Panetta: Any retirement changes won't affect serving military By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON – In his clearest statement on the subject to date, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said today that if the military retirement system changes, it will not affect serving service members. "I will not break faith," the secretary said during a roundtable meeting with military media representatives in the Pentagon. Panetta's predecessor, Robert Gates, asked the Defense Business Board to look at the military retirement system and make recommendations. The final report is due later this month, but Panetta said he is familiar with the outlines of the proposal. "I certainly haven't made any decisions on retirement,” he said. "People who have come into the service, who have put their lives on the line, who have been deployed to the war zones, who fought for this country, who have been promised certain benefits for that – I'm not going to break faith with what's been promised to them," Panetta said. People in the service today will come under the current retirement system, which gives retirees 50 percent of their base pay after 20 years of service. "Does that stop you from making changes?" Panetta asked. "No, because obviously you can 'grandfather' people in terms of their benefits and then look at what changes
INSIDE JOINT OPS
C-17 moves Blackhawks See page 11
628 MDG Preps for Teddy See page 4
9/11 Memorial service scheduled See page 5
CAMPING Keep food safe See page 9
Charleston, SC Friday, August 26 Thunder Showers (60% precip)
High 87º Low 74º
Tropical Storm Conditions Possible
Saturday, August 27 Partly Cloudy Windy (Varied precip)
High 93º Low 73º
Tropical Storm Conditions Possible in AM Clearing by PM
Sunday, August 28 Sunny (No precip)
High 94º Low 76º
you want to put in place for people who become members of the all-volunteer force in the future." One aspect of the retirement issue is one of fairness, the secretary said. Most service members do not spend 20 years in the military and therefore do not get any retirement benefits when they leave the service. "They are not vested in any way," Panetta said. "The question that is at least legitimate to ask is, 'Is there a way for those future volunteers to shape this that might give them better protection to be able to have some retirement and take it with them?'" Health care is another area that has to be dealt with, the secretary said. In fiscal 2001, the DoD health care bill was $19 billion. It is more than $50 billion now, he said, and it soars to the neighborhood of $60 billion in future years. Among proposals Congress is contemplating is an increase in some TRICARE military health plan premium payments. "I think those recommendations make sense," Panetta said. "Especially with tight budgets, it does make sense that people contribute a bit more with regards to getting that coverage." The Defense Department – which is responsible for a large part of the nation's discretionary budget – will do its part to reduce the budget deficit, the secretary said. But while Defense has a role to play, he added, Congress has to deal with the more than twothirds of the federal budget that represents the
DOD photo/U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jacob N. Bailey
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, right, holds a roundtable discussion with members of the press in his office at the Pentagon Aug. 19, 2011. Writers representing American Forces Press Service, Stars and Stripes and the Military Times Media Group interviewed Panetta on issues related to security and military forces.
mandatory spending. "If you are serious about getting the deficit down," Panetta said, "you have to deal with the mandatory side of the budget and taxes." DOD has a responsibility to look at all aspects of the budget, the secretary said, and officials at the Pentagon are doing that.
"This is not because it is necessarily going to hurt areas," he added, "because frankly, a lot of this can be done through efficiencies, a lot of it can be done looking at the administrative side of the programs: What can we do to make these programs more efficient?" See Retirement, Page 2
628 LRS supports upcoming ORE, ORI By Airman 1st Class Jared Trimarchi Joint Base Charleston Public Affairs November's Operational Readiness Inspection is quickly approaching and exercises are helping members from Joint Base Charleston prepare. Mobility exercises and inspections test how efficiently the base can mass deploy Airmen for a real world contingency. The 628th Logistics Readiness Squadron plays a major role in the base's ORI success, specifically the Materiel Management Flight within the squadron. "The Materiel Management Flight plays a huge role in the ORE and ORI that many people don't get to witness due to the fact that we mainly work behind the scenes," said Staff Sgt. Charles Brown, customer service noncommissioned officer. "Without the team work and support from our staff, the minute details of deploying approximately 700 Airmen at once would never be met." The Materiel Management Flight is made up of three sections: customer support and equipment, individual protective equipment and mobility readiness spare packages. "In the customer support and equipment section, we track all pieces of equipment going to the deployed location," Brown said. "We are in charge
of processing everything, from weapons to generators on the flight line. Our main mission is to ensure all assets are accounted for and every piece of equipment gets to where it needs to go." Days before an ORE, equipment custodians work with customer service to request the equipment that will be needed during the fly away, Brown said. "It is extremely important to mark equipment that is being used for the exercise," he said. "If a [Mine Resistant Ambush Protected] vehicle doesn't have proper deploying status for the exercise or a real world deployment, it won't be loaded onto a C17. This can cause a delay, which can lead to an unsatisfactory grade." Every Airman participating in the ORE has to get their individual protective equipment to ensure their safety during their deployment. Brian Jones, the mobility bag manager from the Materiel Management Flight, said, "We have an important role in the ORE to outfit 700 players with field gear. We have to make sure everyone gets the proper size equipment: flak vest, helmet and chemical warfare suit. Though the ORE is just an exercise, we treat it as a real world threat. This is life saving gear, we can't afford to make mistakes." Besides having size labels, all pieces of equipment have a shelf life, he said. "We spend many days
ensuring all equipment is within its expiration date." The individual protective equipment shop also deploys two Airmen to set up an armory at their given location, Jones said. The individual protective equipment helps protect the troops, but the mobility response spare package shop ensures C-17s are always operational. Airman 1st Class Chasity Davis, a mobility readiness spare packages apprentice from the Materiel Management Flight, said, "Our mission is to build an airplane parts store in a deployed environment. During the ORE we send two Airmen with kits full of spare parts to ensure aircraft maintainers have what they need in case a C-17 is in need of repairs." "We can only take so many parts so before the ORE we spend a lot of time communicating with maintainers to make sure we take the right equipment," she said. The next ORE is set for the end of October and Airmen have already started their daily duties preparing, Brown said. "Without the support from the 628 LRS and the Materiel Management Flight, OREs and the ORI wouldn't move as smoothly," he added. "We have some of the best Airmen in the world working in this squadron and we are ready for an 'excellent' in November's ORI."
Reserve pilot spearheads Air Force's efforts to go green By 1st Lt. Joe Simms 315th Airlift Wing Public Affairs office Lieutenant Colonel Stan Davis from the 317th Airlift Squadron was recognized Aug. 25 for his work introducing new approach and descent procedures here at Joint Base Charleston. The historic agreement between the Department of Defense and Federal Aviation Administration establishes procedures for pilots called Optimized Profile Descent which will reduce noise, fuel costs and emissions. "Historically, pilots have been instructed to approach the airfield using a stairstep approach while communicating with several air traffic control centers," Davis said. "This new procedure allows pilots to fly descent profiles using idle thrust based on current conditions reducing the amount of fuel consumed." Effective Aug. 25, the new guidelines established four dedicated corridors of the airspace around Charleston to allow any pilots the flexibility to descend at any gross weight on a predetermined track guided by waypoints. "The FAA was gracious enough to allow us to name waypoints which are unique to Charleston and the 315th Airlift Wing," Davis said. "Some of the names are Palmetto, Loggerhead, Swampfox and Turtle, in honor of the 701st AS." Davis spent part of two years in C-17 simulators putting inputs from professors at Georgia Tech to the test. The data gathered from optimized descents in civilian aircraft was then used in C-17 simulator trials to discover the best way to reduce fuel consumption. "Fuel efficiency is one of Air Mobility Command's top priorities," said Jimmy Krogh, Airspace Maintenance Branch chief, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base Ill. "The Air Force is the largest user of energy in the DoD with Air Force aviation operations accounting for 79 percent of the
service's energy usage and all opportunities to improve fuel efficiency are being considered." The initial discussion of military OPDs was the focus of a July 2008 conference. At this conference the Federal Aviation Administration approached the DoD to find more efficient ways for military aircraft to decrease fuel consumption and reduce emissions. The DoD then approached Air Mobility Command and Joint Base Charleston was the logical choice due to the C-17 Globemaster III aircraft and FAA facilities in the area. Davis' military and civilian pilot experience, as well as his history working with Boeing on aircraft software, made him an easy choice to be the lead Air Force representative on this project. "This was truly a joint effort between the Air Force and the FAA to make the procedure a reality," said Davis. He also enlisted the help of the Aerospace Science Department from Georgia Tech in his research. The first OPD was completed by the FAA at Miami International Airport and has been implemented at airports in Los Angeles and Atlanta. This civilian OPD meets the FAA's objectives of reducing fuel burn, reducing carbon emissions and noise footprints around the airports. "Specific fuel savings from OPD procedures are hard to determine precisely, but previous FAA demonstrations at Los Angeles, Miami and Atlanta indicated a fuel savings of approximately 50 gallons or 340 pounds per arrival," said Krogh. "Those figures were based on commercial aircraft and we aren't certain what the results will be for the C-17, however, we hope to see similar results." Estimates for the annual cost savings at Joint Base Charleston alone are in the millions of dollars while saving millions of gallons of fuel. The next round of OPD development and coordination is expected to begin Sept. 8 at Travis AFB Calif. with a projected date of completion in 18 to 24 months.
ORI Tip Immediate Self-Aid Buddy Care steps:
Operational Readiness Inspection Countdown: 13 weeks
• Establish an open Airway (If possible neck injury, ensure airway opened using the jaw thrust maneuver, do not turn head) • Ensure Breathing • Stop bleeding to support Circulation • Prevent further Disability • Immobilize neck injuries • Place dressings over open wound • Splint obvious limb deformities • Minimize further Exposure to adverse weather AFPAM 10-100 (Airman's Manual) p.174
For complete Hurricane Information, visit http://www.charleston.af.mil/library/ hurricaneinformation
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