Gates: Air Force Lagging In War Effort

Pentagon Chief Says Getting Air Force To Send Aircraft To War Zones "Like Pulling Teeth"

(CBS/AP)  Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday the Air Force is not doing enough to help in the Iraq and Afghanistan war effort, complaining that some military leaders are "stuck in old ways of doing business."

Gates said in a speech at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., that getting the Air Force to send more surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft to Iraq and Afghanistan has been "like pulling teeth."

Addressing officer students at the Air Force's Air University, the Pentagon chief praised the Air Force for its overall contributions but made a point of urging it to do more and to undertake new and creative ways of thinking about helping the war effort instead of focusing mainly on future threats.

"In my view we can do and we should do more to meet the needs of men and women fighting in the current conflicts while their outcome may still be in doubt," he said. "My concern is that our services are still not moving aggressively in wartime to provide resources needed now on the battlefield."

He cited the example of drone aircraft that can watch, hunt and sometimes kill insurgents without risking the life of a pilot. He said the number of such aircraft has grown 25-fold since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

He said he has been trying for months to get the Air Force to send more surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, like the Predator drone that provides real-time surveillance video, to the battlefield.

"Because people were stuck in old ways of doing business, it's been like pulling teeth," Gates said. "While we've doubled this capability in recent months, it is still not good enough."

To push the issue harder, Gates said he established last week a Pentagon-wide task force "to work this problem in the weeks to come, to find more innovative and bold ways to help those whose lives are on the line."

He likened the urgency of the task force's work to that of a similar organization he created last year to push for faster production and deployment of mine-resistant, ambush-protected armored vehicles that have been credited with saving lives of troops facing attacks by roadside bombs in Iraq.

"All this may require rethinking long-standing service assumptions and priorities about which missions require certified pilots and which do not," Gates said, referring to so-called unmanned aerial vehicles that are controlled by servicemembers at ground stations.

The military's reliance on unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft has soared to more than 500,000 hours in the air, largely in Iraq, according to Pentagon data. The Air Force has taken pilots out of the air and shifted them to remote flying duty to meet part of the demand.

"The secretary of defense is essentially saying, 'tough - we need these Predators over Iraq more than you need to keep training new pilots'," reports CBS News national security correspondent David Martin.

Gates, who served in the Air Force in the 1960s as a young officer before he joined the Central Intelligence Agency, urged the officers in his audience to dedicate themselves to thinking creatively.

"I'm asking you to be part of the solution and part of the future," he said.

He said the Air Force and the other branches of the military need to protect those in their ranks who are maverick thinkers, who defy convention and push for creative solutions to hard problems. He said he intended to make a similar point about the value of dissent in the military in remarks later Monday at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

"Dissent is a sign of health in an organization, and particularly if it's done in the right way," Gates said.

Gates made no direct mention of a series of mistakes and missteps involving the Air Force in recent months, beginning with an episode last August when a B-52 bomber flew from an Air Force base in North Dakota to another in Louisiana with the crew unaware that it was carrying nuclear weapons.

Last month Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne announced that four Air Force nose cone assemblies designed for use with nuclear missiles were mistakenly shipped to Taiwan in 2006. The error was not verified until shortly before Wynne made the announcement, and the matter is under Pentagon investigation.

[tbweb]

"Because people were stuck in old ways of doing business, it''s been like pulling teeth," Gates said.

Translated: Many people are stuck inside the BOX and don''t even know they are in the BOX! "Think outside the BOX!!"

[navyretired2]

Excuses excuses. He''s the BOSS...it''s HIS fault if it doesn''t happen. A little accountability please?

[gunownerdan]

But "It takes Air Force technology to defend America in a changing world."

[missingamerica]

That one is easy, Gates.

Tell ''em to get squared away or you''ll eliminate funding for all golf courses on Air Force bases, world-wide.

[bogusbones]

why is it that we can''t ever get all our military forces on the same page? what''s gates going to do, go to congress and get more $ for these laggards? and people talk about congress porking up legislation.
the military should be run like a business - get rid of the fat, instead this administration keeps pouring money into their bloated coffers. america has turned into a support the military economy instead of take care of the citizenry economy. let''s turn the planes and guns into plowshares and start building our economy to the benefit of all instead of a few.

[joyous88]

a way better headline would be;

gates,bush,cheney, lagging in the war effort;

stop this criminal war , stop the funding

impeach the criminal bush

[krotec54]

The problem might be finding a "secure" company to build these unmanned aerial vehicles in North America. (No parts made in China.)
And the %u201CRules for Engagement%u201D must be edited. Every second counts and to ask a military Lawyer permission to pull the trigger will be too late to make a different.

[joyous88]

nancy naive

i resent your opinion that the marine corp is doing more than the army, it is not true,

the marines thinking themselves elite and so good that they must save themselves for special missions
actually do very little compared to the army

in fact all special ops or troops that get to call themselves elite, true or not, do a lot less

than your typical everyday grunt, a grunt is a guy

that lives in a hole in the ground and is under constant threat of attack or on the attack,

marines and fighter pilots get to go home every night and sleep in their nice beds with their little baby blankies

[navyjimfl]

"Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday the Air Force is not doing enough to help in the Iraq and Afghanistan war effort"

The Air Force can drive anyone crazy....even the Defense Secretary.....i''ve heard it all now.

[vet999999]

Excuses excuses. He''''s the BOSS...it''''s HIS fault if it doesn''''t happen. A little accountability please?

Posted by NavyRetired2
-----
Yes.......I agree....less whinning please.
USAF 72-79 geezzz

[frankson2]

That''s right. Get off your duffs and kill some civilians. We need more collateral damage. Praise God, and amen!

[pvperson]

Give them a break, most of their time is taken up in apostlelizing now a days. Can''t expect them to do spread them selves thin, can you?

[toolmangler-2009]

Well, his boss has no answers either, No wonder we are in bad shape, (the leaders are clueless)

[lowell43]

Gates: Air Force Lagging In War Effort

The pentagon consist of the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines and Navy.

You mean to tell me that Mr. Gates can not give direct orders to the top Air Force General to do it share of fighting in Iraq?

I was in the Air Force from Aug 1965 until Jan 69, and they (the Air Force) did nothing during the Vietnam War. The Army and Marines would acknowledge they did. The Navy and Coast Guard did their part as well.

If the Air Force is lagging in effort, it starts at the White House.

[thgdriver]

There is an old saying--when you are in command,-Command.

This guy needs to kick some aiss! This guy needs to tell them---this is what I want done, I want it done now, If you can''t do it now, I''ll find some one who can do it now and fire your aiss!

[thgdriver]

There is an old saying--when you are in command,-Command.

This guy needs to kick some aiss! This guy needs to tell them---this is what I want done, I want it done now, If you can''''t do it now, I''''ll find some one who can do it now and fire your aiss!

Posted by thgdriver

I forgot to add. If he does not have the balls to tell the brass what to do and when to do it he should get out himself.

[thgdriver]

USMC -- attack it, kill it, eat it.


Posted by Nancy_Naive

Sorry Nancy, you can kill the enemy even machine gun him to pieces, blow him to kingdom come, But you can not eat him. It''s against the rules of war of the Geneva Convention.

[shawnp1968]

Isn''t it standard knowledge that the Air Force is just barely one rung above the Coast Guard when it comes to credibility and reliability??? I mean, really, when you want something done right... you send the Army and Marines to get the job done!!!

[oscarez]

"undertake new and creative ways of thinking about helping the war effort instead of focusing mainly on future threats"

You guys at the Air Force need to spend more tax money. Ask Bush for 100 billion and he will get it for you. The $50 million no bid contract for promoting the Air Force "airshow hotdogs" could be jumped up to $100 million.

[stn_sage]

I agree with those posters who point out that HE is Secretary of Defense and is in CHARGE of the various services. All he has to do is gather the generals, get the specific info, detail the plan, issue the orders, see how it goes, and adjust as necessary! It''s HIS job!

His oratory suggests that HE doesn''t know what he''s doing and like every other Bush appointee, doesn''t want to take any responsibility for what happens!
Thus, blame the military for failure! Or, the public for questioning policy and performance and NOT just ''going along''!

[watcher269-2009]

Maybe the Air Force KNOWS that this war is a POLITICAL pawn FARCE!

I say WHORAH AIR FORCE - Stick it to these UNPATRIOTIC M-F''ers!

[inventagod]

Had this been a REAL war, it would be over.
This is a long-term oil invasion, any fool knows this.

[inventagod]

With a boss like Dubya, nothing will succeed.

[watcher269-2009]

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday the Air Force is not doing enough to help in the Iraq and Afghanistan war effort, complaining that some military leaders are "stuck in old ways of doing business."
-------------------

GATES - LACKS "REAL" LEADERSHIP Skills - like all Bushit appointees!

LACK OF LEADERSHIP - that is what this country has TODAY!

LACK OF LEADERSHIP

I understand where Gates is coming from, and I guess some others fail to see some basic truths. I retired out of a Navy EA-6B squadron, a fantastic plane for electronic warfare. Command knew how to use this bird for warfare, then came the day that while flying ops off of Southern California, we had a F-14 go down, and we couldn%u2019t pick up the emergency beacon carried by the aircrew. The whole air wing was launched to look for those two guys, with no luck. It was the junior officers of the EA-6B%u2019s that came up with the idea of a reverse search. ID all transmissions and remove them, and the one remaining that isn%u2019t ID%u2019d will be them. It worked, and after 22 hours in the water, the %u201914 crew was back aboard. Their PRC %u201390 survival radio had a bad crystal set in it, and it was transmitting very much off freq. The guys in the trenches must be listened to, they see the problems daily and usually have an idea how to get around them. You can%u2019t depend on a few (generals) to have all the answers.

[imnho]

Since Gates is the SecDef he can re-task the assets as he sees fit. That makes his comments a bit absurd. One of the big problems that the services face right now is being undermanned and overtasked. That is not the fault on any one service. That is thr result of a lack of civilian leadership. Without the required boots on the ground and the necessary leadership the Iraq debacle will continue in its present tailspin.

The surge did not buy us victory. It bought us time. The fact that the adminastration does not realize that it is living on borrowed time is very disquieting. We could easily run out of manuvering room overnight.

[joyous88]

this is supporting the troops?

republicons are losers and hypocrits

beamish99, you seem to have a thing against the AF. Is there a reason for this? I have worked with them and know their weak points, but I also know their strengths. As a Sailor, I''m entitled to badmouth my fellow services (especially my Marine neighbor). What%u2019s your entitlement?

[republic1776]

He''s aking for more drones.
Why risk human life?
You thinks the Gore greenies would support Gates.
Think of all the money and fuel saved using drones.
Gates is smart

[joyous88]

this is how you republicons support the troops the secretary of defense bad mouths them while they are
in the field.

The same way you supported the wounded troops at walter reed medical center

losers

[joyous88]

Gates is just another Alberto Gonzales ,
a white collar criminal member of the bush crime family

[j-whitman]

Mr. Gates, If you don''t think our Air Force is doing enough in Iraq or Afhaganistan, have Cheney''s staff drive the convoy''s instead of them.

Then why trash things you know nothing about?

Well then, good luck to ya, azz ho

Well then, good luck to ya, azz ho

[hungry1968]

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday the Air Force is not doing enough to help in the Iraq and Afghanistan war effort, complaining that some military leaders are "stuck in old ways of doing business."

Gates said in a speech at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., that getting the Air Force to send more surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft to Iraq and Afghanistan has been "like pulling teeth."





Who in the F**** overseas the Air Force - isn''t that the DOD / Secretary of Defense?!?!

[harrydoghiny]

Oh, that''s rich, blame the Air Force for your problems. I originally had high hopes for Gates, unfortunately he turned out to be just another stooge.

[middleman8]

The greatest thing that could happen if for a Ba&&&rd like gates to be caught up in a bomb of any kind as long as it blow ed him to H--l where belongs.

[lowell43]

You mean to tell me that Mr. Gates can not give direct orders to the top Air Force General to do it share of fighting in Iraq?
I overreacted when Secretary of Defence Gates made his comment "Air Force Lagging in War Effort".

A native of Kansas, Secretary Gates received his bachelor''s degree from the College of William and Mary, his master''s degree in history from Indiana University, and his doctorate in Russian and Soviet history from Georgetown University.
In 1967 he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force and served for a year as an intelligence officer at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.

I believe he will discuse more in detail what he really meant by his comment. If anyone wishes to give me some constructive critisim on my comments, I will not be affended.

[bgwinnett]

Bush can fly a jet can''t he?.Come on George we need a modern day Henry V.

[inventagod]

Maybe Mr. Gates will re-instate the Draft...

...and the Pentagoons croon ''cry me a river''...

[excoachken]

A new episode of the "Blame Game" for Prime Time News, so that this failed War policy can be put on the shoulders of the next President! Just who does he think he''s fooling?

[rob416]

Who is running the show at the Pentagon? Perhaps more important to ask, can''t the Commander and Chief in The White House get the Air Force to play better with others? After all Sec. Gates is a Bush appointee and I thought the main reason a civilian runs the Pentagon is to prevent the military from getting too much power.

Apparently the Air Force has enough power to cause our Defense Secretary to test his dental skills (pulling teeth) in order to get more participation in wars. How comforting is that?

[rob416]

Follow up to last posting.

Just another example of how the Bush Administration does not run Government the way it was set up to run.

[hucklebarry4]

This is and has always been a real and factual problem ... and it really is a military structural issue facing the Air Force: The US Air Force aircraft are NOT all simply commanded by Air Force Headquarters in Langley Va....Some are under NORAD command for the defense of the North American Continent, some are under NASA command, some are under CIA, secret service...etc. The structure of the US Air Force assets are not black and white and not under one central command as many might assume. The Air Force does need to be restructured into a single command center in times of war.

[jerr11]

Good for the airforce!

They know a scam when they see one.

They''re not going to die for Halliburton''s war.

[donbl1]

The USAF is worried they will be known as the unmanned reconn force......

The USAF wants expensive toys to fly by pilots but the best weapons in this war are unmanned long on-station drones.

Give the program to the Army. The Army has more airplanes than the Air Force anyway.

[lowell43]

dragonweed5:
Just one comment, really minor, I think it is spelled offended.
Thanks for the correction.

[johngoodnews]

Huckleberry4: True. But the reality is that this Administration has been systematically dismantling the US military''s effectiveness by outsourcing to private contractors just about everything it could get away with. You see, bunky, (hearsay only, mind you) Predator drones don''t really need "military" pilots at all. With the proper sat link equipment, it is entirely feasible to have "private" contractors flying those puppies real time from remote locations far away from where our 0311 troops are in harm''s way. And at the end of the day, a private contractor is a lot cheaper and easier to control than a military officer sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution of the US

[riptide213]

Some Air Force fixes:

- Bring back Warrant Officer (WO) program now and use these non-rated technician officers for: UAV pilots.

- Build a technical WO program to be task focused. Reduce and refine the cadre of career Commissioned Officers tapped for squadron command or higher.

- No flight pay / flight bonuses for desk flyers i.e. - squadron commanders and higher. Also save on mission generation costs on flights used simply to keep desk flyers on flight status to justify special pay and bonuses.

- Eliminate numbered Air Forces, save money, personnel billets, and a wasted layer of extra echelon coordination delay.

- With over 100% recruitment goals being met every month %u2013 the first budget cuts need to start with the millions spent on high cost advertising.

- Get out of the corporate mindset.

- Bring back AFRs, the black & white, clear cut in writing you must do %u2026.x, y, z guidance. Deep six the wet noodle AFIs. Need an AFR on how to do less with less.

- Lead by good example, follow by good example, or get out of the way!