Q&A: Major General Brooks L. Bash

Written by Jeff McKaughan

MLF 2010 Volume: 4 Issue: 7 (August)

 

Bash received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1981 in management, from the U.S. Air Force Academy, and a Master of Science degree in administration in 1986 from Central Michigan University. In 1992 he was a distinguished graduate, Master of Arts degree in national security and strategic studies, College of Naval Command and Staff. He received a Master of Arts and Science degree in airpower studies in 1994 from the Air University. In 2003 he participated in the Advanced Management Program, Carnegie Mellon University, and the Leadership Development Program at the Center for Creative Leadership.

From May 1981 to June 1982, he was a student, undergraduate pilot training, Laughlin AFB, Texas. In July 1982 he became a C-141B flight examiner and aircraft commander, 6th Military Airlift Squadron, McGuire AFB, N.J. He joined the Air Staff Training, Checkmate and Air Force Issues Team in September 1987, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. Between November 1988 and June 1991, he was the chief, Squadron Standardization and Evaluation, and wing prime nuclear airlift force program manager, 86th Military Airlift Squadron, 60th Military Airlift Wing, Travis AFB, Calif. In July 1991 he attended the Naval Command and Staff College, Newport, R.I., followed in June 1992 as a student at the School of Advance Airpower Studies, Maxwell AFB, Ala. In July 1993 he became the chief, Strategic Concepts, Plans and Programs, Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill., becoming the executive officer to the vice commander of Air Mobility Command in January 1994. Between December 1994 and May 1995, he was the executive officer to the commander, 15th Air Force, Travis AFB, Calif. He became commander of the 6th Air Refueling Squadron, Travis AFB in May 1995. He attended the Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pa., between July 1997 and June 1998. In July 1998 he became the commander, 89th Operations Group, Andrews AFB, Md., before becoming the deputy executive secretary, National Security Council, Executive Office of the President, Washington, D.C., in June 2002. From June 2002 to October 2004, he was the commander, 437th Airlift Wing, Charleston, S.C., followed by assignment as the October 2004 - September 2006, commander, 15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force, Travis AFB, in October 2004. In September 2006 he became the director of combat and information operations, Global Operations Directorate, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb., and then served as commander, Coalition Air Force Transition Team, Baghdad, Iraq, in March 2008. He assumed his present assigned in February 2009.

Bash’s major awards and decorations include: Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster; Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster; Bronze Star Medal; Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters; Air Medal; Aerial Achievement Medal; Air Force Commendation Medal oak leaf cluster; Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with “V” device and four oak leaf clusters; Combat Readiness Medal with three oak leaf clusters; National Defense Service Medal with bronze star; Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal; Southwest Asia Service Medal with two bronze stars; Iraq Campaign Medal; Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Korea Defense Service Medal; Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold Border; Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon; Air Force Training Ribbon; Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia); Kuwait Liberation Medal (Government of Kuwait).

Q: What does Air Mobility Command do for our nation?

A: Air Mobility Command provides responsive support to our joint and coalition partners; from airlift and airdrop to air refueling; from port opening to expeditionary combat support; from lifesaving aeromedical evacuation to humanitarian operations … this command is always in motion and firmly in the fight. As the air component of U.S. Transportation Command, AMC is comprised of more than 132,000 active duty, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve airmen working together, along with our civilian and commercial counterparts, to support the joint warfighter.

In fact, since 9/11, AMC has transported more than 15 million passengers, delivered more than five million tons of cargo, and our air refueling aircraft have offloaded nearly 1.8 billion gallons of fuel to Air Force, joint and coalition aircraft. Additionally, our aeromedical evacuation experts have conducted more than 154,000 patient movements and more than 31,000 sorties since 9/11. That averages out to approximately 10 potentially life-saving missions a day.

We do all this while simultaneously supporting humanitarian operations throughout the world. When an earthquake devastated Haiti in 2009, AMC was called in to provide critical airlift and aeromedical evacuation. Following the tsunami disaster around the Indian Ocean in 2005, mobility airmen delivered tons of relief supplies and emergency responders into the affected area. And when Hurricanes Katrina and Rita [in 2005] and Hurricanes Gustav and Ike [in 2008] slammed into the southern United States, this command responded. Those are just a few of the dozens of significant humanitarian operations this command has supported in the past five years alone.

Q: How is Air Mobility Command supporting ongoing operations in Afghanistan?

A: Partnering with the U.S. Army, the Air Force plays a vital role in Afghanistan operations with our ability to move into an area, either opposed or unopposed, to establish a U.S. presence and prepare the area for follow-on forces. This command’s ability to quickly deliver ground forces, equipment and supplies either by airland or airdrop, as well as the ability of our contingency response forces to establish and conduct airfield operations, directly impacts the success of joint operations in Afghanistan.

And when the president announced 30,000 more U.S. troops were needed in Afghanistan, it was no surprise that AMC would play a major role in making this a reality.

Our initial efforts in support of the troop increase were realized as AMC and our commercial partners moved two battalions of Marines and their equipment from Cherry Point, N.C., into Afghanistan in December. Flying about 40 missions, we moved 3,500 passengers and 1,300 tons of equipment into the AOR. And in July, 10 of our giant C-5 Galaxy aircraft, including two of the newer C-5M Super Galaxys, transported more than 100 U.S. Army helicopters and about 400,000 pounds of cargo from Rota Naval Air Station, Spain, to several airfields in Afghanistan in support of the troop plus-up there.

We see firsthand and appreciate the incredible sacrifices our Army and Marine Corps partners are making on the ground in Afghanistan. The accomplishments these military men and women are making each and every day are amazing. We are honored to support their efforts, and we want each and every one of them to know that we will do our part to help ensure their safety and the success of current and future operations. Q: How important is airdrop to today’s ground forces in Afghanistan?

A: Extremely important, because it is giving our ground commanders in the AOR more options. Using airdrops, we can resupply the most remote forward operating bases [FOBs]. This in turn reduces the amount of cargo that needs to be delivered via vehicle convoys on the treacherous and sometimes nonexistent roadways in Afghanistan.

To put this into better perspective, there are only 29 runways in Afghanistan that we fly into; 22 of those are dirt runways. There are currently about 150 forward operating bases in Afghanistan, and a majority of those can only be resupplied by air, either airlift or helos. This especially holds true when we get into the mountainous regions; air is the primary tool for resupplying those FOBs. Today’s need for airdrop becomes even more evident when you look at the numbers. In 2009, the Air Force set airdrop records month after month in Afghanistan. In June, a record 3.2 million pounds of cargo was airdropped, beaten in July with 3.3 million, August with 3.8 million and again in September with 4.1 million pounds.

Because of the amazing work our joint and coalition forces continue to accomplish on the ground, mobility airmen continue to set airdrop records in 2010. In January, we airdropped about 3.4 million pounds of cargo, and as recently as April, we dropped nearly 4.9 million pounds; that’s about 81 tons of cargo per day, directly supporting our ground forces in Afghanistan.

The fact is, air mobility forces have doubled the airdrop rate every year since 2006. During 2006, mobility airmen dropped more than four million pounds; in 2007, more than eight million; and in 2008, the total was 16.6 million pounds of cargo. In 2009, the airdrop increase continued with mobility aircraft airdropping more than 32 million pounds of cargo in Afghanistan, directly delivering much-needed supplies and aid to American and coalition warfighters.

We’re delivering close to four million pounds every month in Afghanistan; we delivered that much during the entire year in 2006. We are now dropping more cargo in seven months than we did in all three years of the Korean War. This is certainly the largest effort in the history of airdrop, and it isn’t slowing down; mobility airmen are on track to airdrop about 54 million pounds of cargo this year.

There are dozens of stories that describe how airlift is playing a pivotal role in operations in Afghanistan.

In May, Afghan National Army Commandos and U.S. Army Special Forces in western Afghanistan came under small arms and automatic weapons fire by at least 10 insurgents. Within an hour of troops-in-contact, an estimated 75 to 100 additional enemy forces amassed in several compounds within the village. While our ground forces continued to battle the insurgents, U.S. Air Force assets immediately responded and were able to deliver what the ground troops needed.

On another occasion, the water supply at a forward operating base became contaminated and personnel there were forced to dump all of it. Within hours of the request, we delivered a new supply of water to that FOB.

The incredible work our mobility airmen are doing is certainly being noticed. General Duncan J. McNabb, the commander of U.S. Transportation Command, recently flew on one of our airdrop resupply missions in Afghanistan, and he said the work our airmen are doing every day is saving lives. General McNabb said no matter the size of the challenges our mobility airmen face, they find solutions and get the job done.

Q: Can the mobility Air Forces continue at this pace?

A: Some may wonder if we’re at a breaking point, but I can tell you, there’s a lot more capability left in us.

On any given day, we have about 40 to 70 airlifters (C-130s and C-17s) in Afghanistan. It’s safe to say we’re on pace to deliver 30,000 bundles this year, and we have the capacity to increase that number to 40,000 without any significant changes. I’m not sure our ground forces will need a scale of that magnitude; however, right now I don’t see us getting to the point where demand outweighs what we can do.

Our aircraft are holding up well too; we’re getting a new “J” model airlifter in the inventory (C-27J), and our older aircraft are operating at the reliability rates we expect or higher. We haven’t hit the top of our capability, but we keep planning ahead as things expand and we haven’t seen any stressors.

Q: How is Air Mobility Command providing direct support to the warfighter?

A: The Army needs air support, the Marines need air support, and Special Operations Forces—our number one customer right now—need air support, and this command will provide effective support to our customers, anytime, anywhere.

This command witnesses on a daily basis how hard soldiers and Marines are working in support of ongoing operations, and we know how important it is we partner with them and strive to meet their needs.

We also know that as our ground forces gain confidence in our ability to provide immediate, effective airdrop, they are traveling lighter and reaching out further. Airdrop gives our ground forces more “tooth;” it makes the fighting more effective. In the past month alone, about 50 percent of our airdrop missions have supported special operations forces, with the remaining 50 percent going to other Marine Corps and Army units.

This is really part of a larger effort we call “direct support.” The direct support mission was designed to expedite the delivery of a ground commander’s time-sensitive, mission-critical [TS/MC] airlift requirements, including equipment, supplies and personnel. Today, when U.S. ground forces in remote, landlocked areas of Afghanistan need immediate re-supply, they have a number of airlift options, depending on the amount of cargo and how quickly that cargo is needed.

They can use helicopters, or they can request U.S. Air Force support; typically a C-130 Hercules, which can haul more cargo, longer distances and at greater speeds than a Chinook or Black Hawk.

The two systems complement one another, and recent air mobility efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan are demonstrating that the Army and the Air Force are on the same page when it comes to providing responsive, effective direct support to U.S. ground forces.

The ability to deliver critical supplies into the most remote regions of Afghanistan provides land component commanders the freedom to maneuver and arrange forces as needed, ensuring soldiers and marines receive the life-sustaining supplies they need, when they need them, no matter where they are. And in emergency situations, AMC can deliver food, water, munitions and other supplies in as little as 3.5 hours from time the request is received.

Q: How are you supporting the delivery of time-sensitive, missioncritical cargo and personnel throughout the CENTCOM AOR?

A: In addition to the Air Force’s traditional common user airlift system, which uses a U.S. Central Command-designated priority system, ground forces commanders have a variety of options for the delivery of time-sensitive, mission-critical cargo and personnel. A concept of employment [CONEMP] test conducted in Iraq using two Air National Guard C-130s is just one example of our continuing efforts to provide top-notch air mobility support to the joint and coalition ground forces.

The CONEMP was developed to support the delivery of U.S. Army time-sensitive, mission-critical equipment, supplies and personnel into the U.S. CENTCOM area of operations. Work on the CONEMP began in April 2009 when the Defense Secretary transferred the C-27J Spartan program and its related direct support mission from the Army to the Air Force. During the test, which took place between October and December 2009, an Air Force Expeditionary Airlift Squadron was collocated with and tasked directly by a U.S. Army Combat aviation brigade commander, also known as the Senior Army Aviation Authority.

Feedback from Army and Air Force personnel indicate the CONEMP test was a success. While the test strengthened mobility partnerships, soldiers and airmen also gained a better understanding of each service’s intra-theater airlift systems.

In addition to the CONEMP test, there are several other options the Air Force can use to provide responsive airlift to support the delivery of time-sensitive, mission-critical cargo and personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan. Leadership within the combined air operations center is very engaged with educating and briefing Army ground commanders new to the theater about these different airlift options and the ease at which they are able to utilize them. One option that is providing very responsive direct support to our ground commanders is a concept known as “Direct Support- Apportioned.”

Under the direct support-apportioned, or DS-A construct, missions are validated by the U.S. Army and forwarded to the CAOC’s Air Mobility Division for execution. Using this DS-A construct, the Air Force allocates several missions per day to supporting ground force commanders in both Iraq and Afghanistan with highly responsive apportioned airlift needs.

Additional options are outlined within CENTCOMs “Intratheater Airlift Letter of Instruction [LOI],” which was developed between the Air Force and the CENTCOM deployment distribution operations center.

The LOIs purpose is to lay out the processes and standard procedures used in validating, prioritizing and tasking common user airlift missions in the CENTCOM area of responsibility. In addition to defining time-sensitive, mission-critical requests, the LOI details a responsive, non-bureaucratic process designed to expedite TS/MC mission validation and execution. According to the LOI, examples of TS/MC requests include: pending loss of life; emergency resupply; support for troops in contact; or urgent evacuation.

Responsiveness and mission effectiveness are our primary measures of success when accomplishing these missions. We’ve taken steps to remove bureaucracy from the system, and because of the unplanned nature of TS/MC requests, these missions have senior leader oversight and dedicated, real-time coordination to ensure mission success.

Do we have more work to do? You bet. And we’re getting better, faster and smarter with every passing day, and we’re working with the Army to better understand their needs. We are continually striving to provide superior air mobility support to our joint and coalition partners.

According to U.S. Central Command combined air and space operations center officials, 97 percent of our airdrops have been on target. That’s outstanding, but we can do better. We will continue to increase the precision of our airdrops, thereby compressing the drop zones and limiting the distance ground forces must travel to get their critical equipment and supplies. We are also limiting the size of our airdrop bundles, and we are completing emergency airdrops within hours of the initial request.

Q: How will AMC impact future support to the warfighters?

A: This command is continually exploring new methodologies and technologies which add precision, lower cost and will help us work faster and smarter to provide increased support to the warfighter and a better investment for the American taxpayer. In addition to improving current airdrop systems—such as increased improved container delivery system and joint precision airdrop system payloads—we are investigating new technologies which provide increased air mobility support for tomorrow’s warfighters.

For example, in a significant step forward toward sustaining counterinsurgency operations throughout Afghanistan, the first C-130 low-cost, low-altitude [LCLA] combat airdrop to re-supply soldiers became operational March 1.

The LCLA drops will meet the needs of a smaller subset of military units by dropping smaller bundles, weighing 80 to 500 pounds, using pre-packed expendable parachutes.

The drops are termed ‘low-cost’ to describe the relative price of the expendable parachutes compared to their more durable, but costlier nylon counterparts, while ‘low-altitude’ refers to the height from which bundles are released from the aircraft. By using the smaller bundles, ground forces can quickly pick up their supplies and keep moving forward.

We are exploring the potential for a high-speed, low-level aerial delivery system [HSLLADS] as another option in our arsenal of airdrop capabilities. HSLLADS containers are specially rigged to withstand the shock of the parachute opening when air-dropped at high speed.

Additionally, the Air Force continues to partner with governmental research and development agencies, such as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, in an effort to revolutionize airdrop.

Rest assured, whether we’re providing effective support for our joint and coalition partners today, or investing in new air mobility technologies for tomorrow, Air Mobility Command is now, and will remain, an important element of U.S. Airpower. The bottom line is, as this conflict continues, and as troops on the ground continue to take the fight to our enemies, the Air Force and AMC will be with them.

Q: AMC uses 28 percent of the DoD’s energy budget. What are you doing to reduce that number?

A: Aviation fuel accounts for 84 percent of the Air Force’s energy budget, and our Mobility Air Forces use nearly 1.5 billion gallons of fuel annually. To put this in perspective, that is a usage rate of about 2,700 gallons per minute.

By its very nature, our mission requires a lot of fuel. We have C-130 aircraft airdropping equipment and supplies to ground forces in Afghanistan; our C-17 Globemaster IIIs and C-5 Galaxies haul all the Army’s air transportable equipment, including mine resistant ambush protected vehicles along with other outsize items. Our air refueling aircraft fuel U.S. fighters, bombers and heavy aircraft, as well as aircraft from other military services and nations. And at any given time, we have aircraft transporting our wounded warriors from the battlefield to higher levels of care.

There is no doubt, our mission is vital to our joint and coalition partners; however, it is also important that we invest time and talent into command-wide fuel efficiency efforts. Our strategy consists of three targeted areas for improvement: planning, processes and execution.

Planning is where the big savings are, especially in terms of deciding the best means to transport materials. The decision to move supplies by ship, land or aircraft is an intensely strategic decision, yet one that has enormous fiscal impact, and it’s U.S. TRANSCOM who makes that ultimate decision.

The recent multimodal movement of more than 100 U.S. Army helicopters into Afghanistan is a great example. The helicopters were shipped to Rota NAS, Spain, and then shuttled into the AOR using our C-5 aircraft. This type of planning saves millions of taxpayer dollars.

But additional opportunities exist in our planning to save money well before a jet takes to the air: flight planning and load planning; optimizing our routes for winds, airspeed and altitudes by employing state-of-the-art tools used by commercial airlines; and ensuring we account for each jet’s unique fuel burn rate, just to name a few.

In terms of processes, we are pursuing a number of initiatives, including reduced aircraft power unit usage, improved fuel gauges, eco-washing engines, and increased aircraft simulator use for crew training and proficiency.

And in execution, we are focused on improving our command and control process and flying efficiently. Additionally, our flight managers, who flight-follow our missions during execution, are ensuring our crews have the most up-to-date mission information.

The ultimate goal is to be effective, while also maximizing efficiency, lowering costs and saving fuel. ♦

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