Gentlemen,

            Happy Holidays to you!  I am hoping this short EMAIL finds you and yours in great health and spirits, and will help you to point me to the right folks to engage in discussion on AFSPC manpower and funding in the development of tomorrows Space Cadre at the USAF Academy.  

 

            The AF Academy is AFSPCs best source for tomorrows Space Cadre.   Just as yesterdays AF demanded pilots from its primary ascension source and similar to how the Naval Academy is the primary ascension source for Nuclear Power Officers, the USAF Academy should be primed to meet the AF requirements for Space Warfighters, ready to fill AFSPC needs.  The transition to a motivated approach to USAF Academy Space education & training is late, based on a well stated demand (Space Commission Report).

 

            We all know that the requirement for a dedicated approach to producing Space Cadre has long been established, yet with AFSPC and the Academy merely miles apart, the AF institution (AFSPC) that could most benefit from forwardly Space educated and trained commissioned officers, has yet to commit dedicated resources that could jump-start the Academy's evolving and expanding emphasis on providing officers ready for tomorrows Air & Space Force.

 

            There are multiple relatively new start, processes and programs going on at USAFA dedicated to training and educating tomorrows Air & Space leaders. The 34TRW has instituted Operation LAUNCH PAD, a transitional program designed to re-engineer the Training Wing, using the Schriever 2001 Wargame as a template-baseline of tomorrows/2017 Air & Space capabilities.  On the Dean of Faculty (DF) side of the house the CHICKEN HAWK program would partner with DARPA to design, engineer and control a 4 per year, nano-sat research satellite launch capability, also the Space Operation Major is being re-engineered.  Plans have been developed and a requirement for funding established for the Air & Space Education and Training Facility (ASETF).  This modern 3-story facility will take the Cadets from their historical marching on the Terrazzo, to manning mission control and a space shuttle simulator during a military space shuttle mission.  In the face of cut backs, USAFA resources are stretched to do tomorrows Space education & training right and to do tomorrows Space education & training now.

 

            The issues are many.  Space education and training for tomorrows Space Warfighter is even a new concept in AFSPC.  Training Programs for the Space Professional are being re-engineered to meet advances in Active Duty requirements.  Why not establish the AFSPC-USAFA link to effect change at the ascension level also?  To empower experts and assets at USAFA to effect this transition we must rely upon the guidance and requirements of the MAJCOM with the Nations lead in Space.  Therefore, a SPACE CHAIR and Office, manned by AFSPC, at USAFA.

 

            A few words here from another AFSPC guy (me) on how our MAJCOM should help the Academy start early at meeting our requirements for Space Cadre.  A fat finger support proposal to discuss with whoever you think I should initially brainstorm this with, would be for 2 billets, a Field Grade Officer and an NCO, preferably with new space/AFSPC connections and experience (SWC-14AF), & $1M annual budget, for contractor support, travel, HW/SW, communications, etc.

 

            Please, pass to whom you feel may be interested.  Both Lt Gen Dallager, USAFA/CC, and BGen Gilbert, 34TRW/CC have stated that in past conversations with Gen Lord, that he has expressed interest in supporting the AF Academy.  Scooter feels that the type of support, proposed above, will come right back to him, many times over.

 

V/R,

Eric "Scooter" Berry, Lt Col, USAF

34TRW/CCL

Director, Operation LAUNCH PAD

Space & Information Operations, Research

eric.berry@usafa.af.mil

(719) 333-1983, DSN 333-1983

fax 333-2663, cell (719) 201- 9749