By Marina Malenic
The Air Force plans to request funding for a small fleet of light attack aircraft in its Fiscal 2012 budget for the purpose of training nascent air forces of partner nations, the service’s top officer said yesterday.
“In FY ’12 we will propose to acquire 15 light strike aircraft, probably propeller-driven, and it will be a competitive procurement,” said Gen. Norton Schwartz. He said a “modest-cost platform” that can also perform surveillance missions is preferred.
Schwartz was speaking at an event in Washington organized by the Center for National Policy.
Earlier this year, the Pentagon released its latest Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), an analysis of U.S. military strategy and procurement needs conducted once every four years. The 2010 QDR states that the department is planning a significant increase to its capabilities for training partner aviation forces.
“Today, the Department meets only half of the current demand for training partner aviation forces,” the strategic planning document reads. “In order to address this persistent shortfall, starting in FY ’12, DoD will double its current capacity to provide such training” (Defense Daily, Jan. 28).
The move will include purchase of light, fixed-wing aircraft to enable the Air Force 6th Special Operations Squadron to conduct foreign assistance training, according to the document.
Schwartz said yesterday that the Air Force would own and operate the new fleet in support of partner forces such as the Afghan Air Corps. Eventually, the partner governments might opt to purchase their own aircraft via the foreign military sales process.
“We are primarily interested in platforms that nascent air forces like the one in Afghanistan can assimilate rapidly from a technical standpoint, but likewise can afford to operate on a continuing basis,” he explained. “The reality is that not everybody can operate an F-16, nor should they have ambitions to do so.”
In FY ’11, Schwartz said, the Air Force plans to begin building a 15-aircraft light mobility fleet for the training and assistance mission.
“The plan is to start with a 15-aircraft element of light lift…that will be somewhat like the C-27,” he said. “We will operate a small number of these to engage with our partners.”
The Afghan Air Corps is preparing to receive its third C-27 cargo aircraft in the coming weeks, according to Schwartz.
Providing training to partner aviation forces is an area that the QDR analysis suggests will continue to grow. The QDR casts foreign military training in the role of conflict prevention. It states that “conducting such efforts before conflict can help prevent or mitigate conflicts in the first place.”
The review directs the Air Force to field light attack and light mobility units specially organized for counterinsurgency, stability and counterterrorism operations. “These units will not only conduct and support U.S.-led operations, but will also provide effective support to U.S. partners and facilitate efforts to train, advise, and equip foreign security forces with modest levels of resources,” the planning document states.