General addresses transportation needs during Air Force Week-Philadelphia

Published May 29, 2008
By Tech. Sgt. Ben Gonzales
Air Force News Agency

PHILADELPHIA (AFPN) -- The leader of U.S. Transportation Command addressed community leaders and hundreds of Airmen about the outlook of American military transportation May 27 at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Center here.

Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, USTRANSCOM commander at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., spoke at the Global Reach Forum and Leadership Forum during Air Force Week-Philadelphia.

One of the main priorities the Department of Defense's single manager for global air, land and sea transportation addressed was the development of the KC-45 refueler.

"Assuming we get a decision from the General Accounting Office June 19, we will be allowed to proceed with the (KC-45) program," General Schwartz said. "We will actually have test airplanes in the June 2010 timeframe and the first squadron will probably be delivered in 2013."

The development of the KC-45 will bring a couple of key elements to the fight in the future for the American warfighter.

"The key attribute of this plane is multipoint refueling, both the traditional kind of air refueling that the Air Force understands -- so called boom to receptacle -- as well as the basket and probe approach the Navy and other armed forces typically use, and to do it simultaneously. It will also be able to carry passengers and cargo," he said. "It will be a very versatile airplane that will be able to do the tanker mission first and to provide lift when required."

Modern airplanes normally fly three times a day. The KC-135 Stratotanker, in use for air refueling since 1957, was built to fly once every three days, the general said.

Many airframes in the current inventory have served for more than four decades and the addition of the KC-45 to the fleet will allow Air Force officials to modernize an aging fleet, a main priority for the Air Force.

Another major factor concerning transportation needs, not just for the Air Force but also for all of Americans, is the cost of fuel.

"The cost of fuel is well over $1 billion over our initial budget projections," General Schwartz said. "For the moment, we are in a situation where we pay what we pay. It is very important for us to look beyond today. It may not be an issue of if we can pay. It may be an issue if there are sufficient hydrocarbon supplies to use at all. That is a significant issue strategically.

"(The Air Force is) the largest consumer of hydrocarbons in the Department of Defense by far," General Schwartz said. "That places on us a special obligation."

Knowing this, Air Force officials have been very active in looking at alternative fuel options, he said. Another option may be lighter-than-air technology.

"Lighter-than-air technology has the promise of lifting large quantities with much less reliance on hydrocarbons," the general said. "It may not be the solution, or it may be part of a solution but that is the kind of thought processes that needs to go into this. How do we find alternatives on one hand, and find vehicles and venues for doing our jobs with less hydrocarbons."

Moving warfighters and all the supplies needed to sustain military operations around the world takes a team effort. It takes Airmen and aircraft, Sailors and ships, and civilian aircraft, trains, ships and vehicles to keep American muscle moving.

"It's the airfields, the ship ports, the long shoremen, the aerial porters, the aircrews and the air traffic controllers that matter," General Schwartz said. "For (the Air Force), commercial partners move better than 90 percent of our passengers and they move better than 40 percent of our cargo. The remainder of that is moved by military aircraft properly maintained by active duty, guardsmen and reservists. So it is a team effort both within the service and across service lines and with our commercial partners."

For the military transportation machine to continue to be successful, it will take support from all Americans, the general said.

"America needs good people to do our work," he said. "I am meeting with the Philadelphia business community and the (local) academic institutions so they get a sense of who I am so I can articulate the demands our people are facing and why the armed forces need good people. We hold (Air Force weeks) so the larger American community understands what our Air Force does and how the entire DOD contributes to American security and prosperity."

Also addressing the Global Reach Forum audience was Gen. Arthur J. Lichte, the commander of Air Mobility Command at Scott AFB. In a joint discussion, the two four-star generals led a discussion on the needs and future of mobility to accomplish the nation's objectives around the world.

The Air Force Week program is part of a proactive initiative to increase communication with the public. Air Force Week includes community visits and talks by Air Force officials, flight demonstration team performances and displays highlighting the Air Force men and women serving on the front lines. There also will be an Air Force Week Aug. 9 through 17 in Omaha, Neb., and from Nov. 14 through 21 in Los Angeles.

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