dropzone january 2012
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Monthly newsletterTRANSCRIPT
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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