X-47B Sea Trials Aboard TRUMAN

The future of Naval aviation is here...and it looks a whole lot like the Air Farce. The unmanned carrier-based aircraft X-47B (yet to be named) stealth bomber underwent taxi and flight deck suitability trials about USS TRUMAN earlier this month.  Check out this comprehensive report from Defense News "Intercepts" website.

Though far from a definitive source on weapons or military systems, Wikipedia's summary of the X-47B provides a decent description of Northrop Grumman's latest carrier-based aircraft. 

It's hard to imagine unmanned aircraft will take over carrier decks or flight lines completely, but it is undisputed that their value and place in DoD's air warfare inventory increases each year. Just hoping "Fly Navy" bumper stickers aren't replaced with "Drone Navy" anytime soon.  

Women in Combat: an Objective Snapshot in Time

Since women in the military is an important component of The Last Top Gun, from time to time I'll be posting news or information relevant to the topic. David Burrelli from the Congressional Research Center wrote a highly informative and objective report entitled "Women in Combat: Issues for Congress.  Here is an excerpt from the December 12, 2012 report:

Over the years, more than 283,000 female service members have been deployed worldwide. In approximately 10 years of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, over 800 women have been wounded and over 130 have died. According to the Department of Defense (DOD), as of February 29, 2012, over 20,000 female members have served or are serving Afghanistan and Iraq. (U.S. forces were out of Iraq as of Dec. 2011.) On numerous occasions women have been recognized for their heroism, two earning Silver Star medals. This has resulted in a renewed interest in Congress, the Administration, and beyond in reviewing and possibly refining or redefining the role of women in the military. The expansion of roles for women in the armed forces has evolved over decades. Women are not precluded from serving in any military unit by

law today. (Past laws that precluded women from serving on board military aircraft and ships assigned combat missions were repealed in the early 1990s.) DOD policy restricting women from serving in ground combat units was most recently modified in 1994. Under this policy, women may not be assigned to units, below the brigade level, whose primary mission is to engage in direct combat on the ground. Primarily, this means that women are barred from infantry, artillery, armor, combat engineers, and special operations units of battalion size or smaller. Since there are

no laws precluding such service, changes made in assigning women are only controlled under current policies which may be modified by the Administration and DOD. 

In the summary section, the report states:

Supporters of opening more areas to women note that they are already serving, fighting, and in some cases, dying in combat. Critics contend that it is the military that is ignoring its own policy and thereby creating a fait accompli that puts women and the military mission at risk.

Those opposed to women in combat note that the progress of women is not the most important issue at hand. They contend that national security has been and would further be jeopardized because of the presence of women in the ranks. They note the Canadian experience in which women were recruited for the 16-week infantry training course which was identical to the men’s course. The outcome was described as the ‘high cost of recruiting women that yielded poor results.These critics note disruptions to cohesion and high rates of attrition for females in labor intensive specialties due to lower average upper body strength and higher rates of stress fractures. Those opposed note that close combat situations have and continue to exist, especially in Afghanistan, and that there is a distinction between ‘returning fire’ and ‘offensive close combat.’

The Marine Corps opened its Infantry Officers Course to women, planning to admit up to 100 women in a one-year experiment. Two female Marines have so far signed up and begun training; neither completed the grueling 13-week program. Since women themselves are divided on the issue, one option is to permit women who meet the service standards (physical, training, etc.) to be assigned to combat positions, but that they should be sent into combat only if they volunteer for such missions. Critics contend that it would be unfair to permit women a choice that is not available to men, and that to make the choice available to both men and women would make if difficult for the services to function, especially in the event of war or national emergency.

Any changes proposed by the Services will likely be subjected to congressional scrutiny. Congress may accept any proposed changes or seek to subject such changes to certain limitations. Conversely, Congress may consider that any proposed changes remain too restrictive concerning the availability of combat roles for women.

The entire report can be found here.

Hmm, there's ample ammuniton in the report for both Troll and Ariel to volley at one another.

Takeoff: 0 to 120 Overnight

I created this blog as a forum for readers of the upcoming novel, The Last Top Gun, to share stories, thoughts and anecdotes about the book, Naval aviation, fighter pilots and aircrew, air combat, women and gays in the military, organziational and personal change, and any and all related topics.

Here is my inaugural post:

American society has undergone substantial change over the past three decades. “Political correctness” is a regular part of mainstream America’s vernacular. Notwithstanding the profound impact the War on Terrorism has had on a minute segment of American society suspected of terrorism, the pendulum of individual rights has swung far to the left. In many contexts and environs, the danger of offending or impinging upon another person’s “rights” takes precedence over rational conduct. The battle over civil liberties sometimes usurps reasonable, common sense. A substantial amount of this political shift occurred during the latter years of my career as a Naval Flight Officer.

Other types of political change affecting the military forces occurred well before I joined the Navy. In the 1960’s and 1970’s, as in society, racism was rampant throughout the military.  Separate, but similarly backward, instructors and NCOs were allowed to physically strike recruits and junior enlisted for poor performance or insubordination. Strict reform of the military needed to occur, and thankfully, did. During the period of transition, however, both the leadership and rank and file of the armed forces endured numerous hardships. Many soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines refused to accept these significant cultural changes. Overt resistance and conflict ensued. In less than a decade, change did occur—substantial change (albeit some saying shamefully late). Less than ten years after race riots flared up aboard Navy ships in the early 70’s, the Navy and the other military services were fully integrated, practically, as well as legally. Additional reform took place when physical abuse and hazing in the military were made illegal and then ceased entirely in the early 80’s.

When I joined the Navy in 1986, there was one more major institutional discriminatory practice that thrived. The military generally, and fighter pilots in particular, propagated sexism.  No doubt about it—pure 100% testosterone ran through each and every squadron ready room. It had been that way for generations, most likely dating back to the original aviation squadrons of World War I. Although sexism was rampant, there was not much harm done, since no women were around. None. Up to the mid-1990’s, exactly zero females were assigned to Navy carrier squadrons or combatant ships. What’s more, it wasn’t as if the officers and enlisted continued their sexist behavior outside of squadrons or ready rooms. Though “part-time” warriors, we were full-time members of American society and played “nice” when not deployed at sea for six months or more at a time. Each of us had mothers, sisters and wives or girlfriends. Off the ship we largely behaved appropriately—as appropriately, that is, as any other fraternity of men. As individuals, we were not particularly sexist. It was the environment—100% male, highly stressful, competitive, elitist, dangerous and steeped in tradition—that propagated our attitudes. We were a fraternity of airborne warriors…a brotherhood that crossed socio-economic lines, but not gender.

In the fall of 1991, the Navy’s systemic sexism hit a brick wall head-on. Following the fallout from the infamous Tailhook Convention, where hundreds of rowdy Navy officers overstepped the line of decency with several groping and assaulting multiple females in the hallways of the Las Vegas Hilton, the Navy instituted a radical policy shift that resulted in immediate change. But this instantaneous change brought with it an entirely new dimension of challenges and consequences. The Navy has been around since 1775 and deplores change. To end gender discrimination that erupted so spectacularly following the Tailhook scandal, transformation was mandated on an unprecedented accelerated timetable. But how does an elite male military institution accept women virtually overnight without considerable resentment, antipathy and confusion? How do the individual members of the organization adapt and adjust their entire routines and lifestyles in a radically condensed period?

Twenty years later, the US military continues to struggle with the collateral consequences of a fully integrated combat force. Many persons and groups welcome women in combat roles, however, the Department of Defense still prohibits women from serving in about 280,000 combat position (though, ironically, women are allowed to fly fighter and bomber aircraft in combat missions). Moreover, headlines across the country--even today in 2012--routinely highlight widespread sexual discrimination, assault and even rape in the military—irrespective of rank or military service. A less publicized issue is how female integration of elite combat units has impacted the integrity and lethality of these units. This is an enormously complex and challenging issue that has yet to be solved and likely will take many more years to resolve.