The Dropzone

January 2012 Issue

C-27 and Global Hawk Block 30 to be canceled in

light of heavy budget cuts… pg 12

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Table of Contents

Front cover is a collage of a C-27J Spartan, a

Global Hawk Block 30, and US money

Fresh Faces………page 4

Big Time Budget Cuts……...page 12

Back cover is a picture of a C-27J Spartan “The Navy can lose us the war, but only the Air Force can win it. The fighters are our

salvation, but the bombers alone provide the means of victory.”

-Winston Churchill

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“The Navy can lose us the war, but only the Air Force can win it. The fighters are our

salvation, but the bombers alone provide the means of victory.”

-Winston Churchill

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Fresh Faces

From top to bottom: Cadet Colby, Cadet Foster, Cadet Handy, Cadet Ott, Cadet Scott, and Cadet von Lehe.

For the Spring 2012 semester, Detachment 772 has received six new Cadets. Each is from a differ-ent background with a different set of ideas and values, and that is what makes them special. Bright new ideas from fresh minds are always needed in an ever evolving world, especially in the Armed Forces. Here are some of thoughts and expectations about entering the program.

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Cadet Ryan Colby Ever since I was very

young, I have been infatuated

with the United States military.

My father and his father before

him all served their country

and I wanted to do the same. I

chose the United States Air

Force because they are more

brains than brawn and handle

some of the most expensive

military equipment on the

planet. I wanted to be a part of

the branch that is held at a very high level of responsibility and I wanted to

work with the some of the brightest military personal on the planet. A mili-

tary force that can hop on a F-117 in the dead of night, fly half way across the

world, complete their mission and be back before breakfast is a force I re-

vere and want to be a part of.

First and foremost while in AFROTC, I want to better myself as a human

being and be ready for duty as a commissioned officer in the United States

Air Force. I also want to train my body in becoming physically fit and train my

mind in becoming mentally sharp for all tasks that might lie ahead both in

AFROTC and beyond. Last but not least I want to give back to my country and

serve to the utmost of my ability.

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Cadet Tamisha Foster There are several reasons why I became a

part of the Air Force ROTC program at Charleston

Southern University. I needed to find my purpose

in life and I knew I had two great qualities. The

two qualities that I can contribute to the Air

Force are my athleticism and leadership abili-

ties. Not only does the Air Force provide a guar-

anteed job, but it helps to start my life. I’m look-

ing to gain a lot from this program.

I am hoping to gain discipline, responsibility, and

learn how to become the best officer I can be.

Being an officer will be a great accomplishment for me and I will be able to play a role in the safety of all American citi-

zens. Even though it is hard work, I am going to give it my all. I need the AFROTC because it helps me prioritize and keep

things organized. The discipline will help me in life by showing me the proper way to walk, talk, and speak among others

with authority. The Air force crossed my mind a lot this last year and I decided to give it a try.

The Air Force is a decision that took a lot of thought. I heard the positives and negatives from others, but I

wanted to make my own decision. I did not want to go enlisted because I did not want to start from the bottom of the

ranks, and my college degree would have been a little pointless. I am glad I chose AFROTC because it gives me a sig-

nificant role and the people are great. There is nothing like being around peers that are conquering their dreams and

know what their purpose is in the United States of America.

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Cadet Desuni’a Handy

My father, Fabian

Handy, was in the

United States Army for

20 years. I look up to

him in so many ways.

My father has influ-

enced me to reach my

goal to become an 2nd

Lt in the United States

Air Force. I choose Air

Force because it provides you with good training, edu-

cation, and I want to make it a career.

Coming into the ARFOTC I expect to learn disci-

pline. I want to know and understand the meaning of

becoming an Officer in the Air Force. I look at my fel-

low cadets as inspiration because they motivate me

to not give up. It’s also a great experience. I also want

to pass the AFQT and PT test to get commission early.

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Cadet Shauna Ott I once stumbled upon a bumper sticker that

stated, “If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you

are reading it in English, thank a solider.” The justi-

fication behind my personal choices of being part of

the AFROTC is as follows: I am here to help ensure

that my children will have a better tomorrow. As an

American, I vow that my service in the United

States Air Force will not go unnoticed, for I will

make a difference. I will help instill change within

the surrounding communities. I will help out local

chapters and schools if possible.

From this program I expect to gain knowledge and

understanding of how the United States Air Force operates on a daily basis. I will be given the tools necessary to predict and

solve any possible issues that may arise between me and my subordinates, as well as between me and my superiors. Julius Cae-

sar once stated, “Veni, Vidi, Vici.” In translation, that means, “I came, I saw, I conquered.” My expectation of this ROTC program

is to come, to see, to conquer; and to apply these practices in my everyday life as a Commissioned Officer.

In conclusion, I am here to help shape the service for my predecessors. I plan on being involved within my Air Force

community and assisting those in need. I will walk away from this program with the knowledge and expectations that I have

what it takes to be an Air Force Officer. I will have the courage to take on the weight of the world with my fellow flight mates.

In all honesty, this program is where my true passion is. I am planning on making this my career. I can’t give up,

and I won’t give up.

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Cadet Monica Scott I am interested in joining the Air Force ROTC

program because it will teach me many lessons that I

will have to learn throughout life. ROTC will teach me

lessons on how to become a leader and how to maintain

a leader’s position while still being able to work with my

subordinates. Not only will it teach me lessons, but it

will also prepare me for future circumstances. Being a

part of ROTC will help me establish leadership, self-

discipline, time-management skills, and responsibility.

The main focus is to learn how to become a leader by

completing task and competing to be the best. As I

strive to uphold a leadership role, there will be many

obstacles trying to hinder my success, but I will learn to be the best. ROTC will help me step up and be in charge when everyone else

does not step up to the tasks. This program helps build leadership by focusing on confidence and self-discipline.

By focusing on self-discipline and confidence, I will become a stronger person. My character will transform and I will be-

come more focused on my priorities. This will help me build my time-management skills and make better decisions when dealing

with time restraints. As I become better at time-management, I will be more trustworthy and responsible with being on time.

People will be able to trust that I am responsible enough to be on time when dealing with important meetings. When others

notice that I am responsible, I will be given better jobs and opportunities. These jobs and opportunities will help me become stable

and independent which will lead to my success.

As I continue to participate in the Air Force ROTC program, I will soon acknowledge the build in my character. I will focus

on my goal to become a leader and succeed in not only ROTC but in life. I believe I will be able to uphold a good leadership role and

guide others to do as well.

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Cadet Charles von Lehe I joined the Air Force be-

cause it is something I felt I was

meant to do. Many of the genera-

tions in my family have joined the

military, and if I did not join there

would be no one in my generation.

My father was a Colonel in the

Army just like his father before

him. My uncle was a Colonel in the

Air Force who retired shortly after

returning from Afghanistan just a

year ago.

Another reason I joined was

for the discipline and structure that the military has to offer. Lately, I have not been the most or-

ganized or disciplined person I know, and it is something I truly hope to improve. Hopefully, this

discipline will also help me improve physically. I hope greatly improve my physical shape and have

the discipline to maintain that good health.

Ultimately, my goal is to become a medical doctor just as my dad was. There are also many

generations of doctors in my family, and, again, if I did not become a doctor, there would be none

in this generation. I am hoping that the Air Force can assist me by giving me the discipline I need

to reach this goal and help support me financially after I have done my share in serving my coun-

try. The Air Force seemed like the best possible option that, not just I, but many others like me

could take. Not only will it give you the skills you need to excel in whatever you attempt.

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Big Time

Budget Cuts

The Department of Defense proposes to cut

seven squadrons, cancel the C-27 and Global

Hawk Block 30, and retire numerous transport

aircraft.

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Proposed reductions in defense spending would cut seven squadrons,

cancel the C-27 and the Global Hawk Block 30, and retire numerous trans-

port aircraft, according to documents obtained from sources by Air Force

Times.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and other officials were expected to an-

nounce formally the cuts later on Thursday. The move is part of an effort to

cut close to $500 billion from the Defense Department’s budget over the next

decade.

However, the department could face up to $600 billion more in spending cuts

if Congress fails to reach a deal on how to trim the national debt by the end

of the year.

The proposed cuts are guided by the phi-

losophy that after a decade of waging

counterinsurgency campaigns in Iraq and

Afghanistan, the U.S. military has to pre-

pare for a wider spectrum of missions.

“In developing the President’s budget re-

quest for FY 2013-2017, we first turned to

where DoD could reduce excess overhead,

operations expenses, and personnel costs

across the defense enterprise, and

achieve better buying power in our acquisition of systems and services,” ac-

cording to a presentation Panetta was expected to give of the proposed cuts.

Toward that end, the proposed budget cuts including standing down a mini-

mum of six tactical-air fighter squadrons and one training squadron, accord-

ing to the presentation.

“As we reduce air force structure, we are protecting aircraft with multi-role

capabilities versus niche capabilities,” the presentation says. “The resultant

force will be capable of handling our most demanding contingency plans in-

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capabilities versus niche capabilities,” the presentation says. “The resultant force

will be capable of handling our most demanding contingency plans including

homeland defense.”

The presentation does not outline which squadrons would be cut.

The proposed cuts would also include terminating the C-27 project, a joint Army-

Air Force aircraft.

“The new strategic guidance emphasizes flexibility and adaptability. The C-27J

was developed and procured to provide a niche capability to directly support Army

urgent needs in difficult environments such as Af-

ghanistan where we thought the C-130 might not be

able to operate effectively,” the presentation says.

“However, in practice, we did not experience the an-

ticipated airfield constraints for C-130 operations in

Afghanistan and expect these constraints to be mar-

ginal in future scenarios. Since we have ample inven-

tory of C-130s and the current cost to own and oper-

ate them is lower, we no longer need — nor can we

afford — a niche capability like the C-27J aircraft.”

Also on the chopping block would be the Global

Hawk Block 30 unmanned aircraft.

“When we initially invested in the Global Hawk Block

30 program, it held the promise of providing essen-

tially the same capability as the U-2 manned aircraft for significantly less money

to both buy and operate,” the presentation says. “As the program has matured,

these cost savings have not materialized and, at best, we project the future cost of

Global Hawk Block 30 operations to be comparable with the U-2. In this five-year

budget, the cost of the Global Hawk program would significantly exceed the cost

of the U-2 so we cancelled Global Hawk Block 30 and extended the U-2 program.

“Although this is a significant disappointment, our experience with Global Hawk

Block 30 will help other Global Hawk programs like the Air Force Global Hawk

Block 40, NATO’s Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS),

“The resultant force will be capable of handling our most demanding contingency plans including homeland

defense.”

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and the Navy’s Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS).”

Northrop released a statement later Thursday:

“Northrop Grumman is disappointed with the Pentagon's decision, and

plans to work with the Pentagon to assess alternatives to program termi-

nation.

“The Global Hawk program has demonstrated its utility in U.S. military op-

erations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, as well as its utility in humanitar-

ian operations in Japan and Haiti. Just a few months ago, the Pentagon

published an acquisition decision memorandum regarding Global Hawk

Block 30 that stated: ‘The continuation of the program is essential to the

national security ... there are no alternatives to the program which will pro-

vide acceptable capability to meet the joint military requirement at less

cost.’”

The U-2 program, according to the statement, “places pilots in danger, has

limited flight duration, and provides limited sensor capacity. Extending the

U-2’s service life also represents additional investment requirements for

that program.”

The proposed cuts also call for retiring 27 aging C-5As and 65 of the old-

est C-130s, leaving Air Mobility Command with 52 C-5Ms, 318 C-130s and

222 C-17s.

The Air Force Times http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2012/01/airforce-dod-proposes-to-cut-7-squadrons-cancel-c27-012612/

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