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Show nr mm n ru Hill AFB, Utah December 4, 1997 Vol. 51 No. 47, 84056-582- 4 MD &?B INSIDE: GrcssieOD Week-lon- g exercise prepares base for ORI scheduled late April ? - .M AFMC .. ft. or wan? 1 I .. ... )!, )' It - rightsizes If I K&B " w' ' Page 2 VERAVSIP update Page 5 S' t i e aw photos Proper Hazardous (Top left) c? sbf f Page 10 :S.;: .sF fi) : Fighter Country Page A-- C IK ' closure Page 11 Chapel Holiday schedule Page 14 Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen has endorsed the National Defense Panel's call for accelerating the transformation of U.S. military capabilities using savings generated by aggressive business reforms and more base closures. The secretary praised the Dec. 1 report for its focus on the fundamental challenge facing the Department of Defense: to meet the demands of shaping the international environment and responding to the full spectrum of crises in the near term while at the same time transforming our forces to address the challenges of an uncertain future. "I especially support the NDP's view that fundamental reform of the Defense Department's support infrastructure, including two additional base closure rounds, is key to an effective transformation strategy," Cohen said. He noted that the thrust of the NDP's recommendations are consistent with those reached in the Quadrennial Defense Review and the recent Defense Reform Initiative. Ski condi- tions Page B3 U 3 AIR 1947 FORCE 1997 S ' a Cohen endorses panel's reform proposals WASHINGTON (AFNS) OBGYN '' Jennifer Edmonds flight preparation. (Bottom left) Augmentee Monica Cazier worked in the Cargo Deployment Office tracking the cargo which would be deployed. While some people identified and tracked the cargo during each stage of the exercise, others like A1C Bonnie Steinmetz (top right) helped process personnel for deployment. Personnel processing stations ensured mobility bags included all the necessary clothing and weaponry approsuch as powers priate for their destination, all legal papers were in order and all identification, of attorney and wills emergency and medical information was complete. (Bottom right) Members of the 75th Security Forces loosen up after their briefings. Four briefings are provided for personnel being deployed. They cover topics such as eligibility, what happens once the troops leave Hill AFB and the cultural and political environments, they will enter. Waste disposal by went through final maintenance checks for Cohen also announced that, working closely with the chairman and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he will take a direct role in leading the DOD effort to build a coherent, long-terstrategy for transto U.S. meet future chalforces military forming lenges. His goals for this effort, like those of the NDP, are to integrate all DOD transformation activities and to accelerate the transformation process. This process, he added, must harness advanced technology through the development of new operational concepts to produce fundamentally different forces for the future. Cohen noted that the extent and pace of the department's transformation efforts depend on the availability of resources to invest in research, development, testing, experimentation and pro- nirpmpnf Hp was thprpfnrp narfimlarlvnlpapfl m with the panel's support for infrastructure initiatives put forward in the recently published Defense Reform Initiative. He hastened to add that efficient business practices and reduced overhead not only free up needed resources, but also contribute directly to transformation ofthe department's support structure. "The old philosophy was the bigger eat the smaller," he said. "Now. it is the fast eat the slow. We're going to be fast. We're going to be lean. We're going to be very competitive." To achieve a transformation of the department's business practices that keeps pace with the Revolution in Military Affairs. Cohen called attention to the DRI's plans to business practices, consolidate organizations to remove redundancy, encourage competition to reduce costs and improve quality, and eliminate excess support structures. focus The secretary applauded the long-terof the NDP report, which examined the period from now until 2020, and its insightful characterization of the future. The NDP paints a compelling and. I believe, accurate picture of a future in which terrorism, information operations and weapons of mass destruction play a more prominent role, even posing direct threats to the U.S. homeland." he said. He stated that the United States should expect challenges to its ability to project power abroad and its assured access to space. Cohen credited the panel for calling greater attention to U.S. military preparations for urban operations and is particularly interested in exploring the panel's recommendations on homeland defense, new roles for Guard and Reserve forces and changes in the Unified Command Plan. To contend with many of these challenges, the secretary said, DOD already has under way an ambitious program of transformation efforts to pvnloit tVi revolution in milituM of fil,-.- The services. Joint Staff, unified commands and Office of the Secretary of Defense are all aggressively involved in experimenting with new approaches to conducting military operations, according to Cohen. Research and development, war games, field exercises and simulations are contributing to the development of these new approaches. "Using Joint Vision 2010 as our conceptual template, we must ensure our methods for conducting joint military operations are just as 'cutting edge' as the technology we deploy, so that we make the most of that technology." Cohen said. "The NDP's ideas will be an important contribution in advancing the already significant work being conducted by the Defense Department." Cohen plans to build upon the panel's recommendations to give greater focus and energy to the many department-wid- e transformation activities. Toward this end. he has asked the deputy secretary of defense to chair a revolution in military affairs oversight council. This will include the senior leaders of the department who would meet regularly to review the department's current and planned transformation activities and recommend areas that could benefit from greater "jointness." In making these announcements, Cohen noted that the NDPs emphasis on a transformation strategy was consistent with that of the QDR strategy of shape, respond and prepare. He pointed to the considerable emphasis given in the QDR to preparing for an uncertain future, which, he noted, represents a significant innovation on earlier defense planning. Echoing the panel's reixrt. Cohen stressed that "the Department of Defense does not have the luxury to choose between shaping and reswnd-inin the near term and transforming itself for the future. We must do both." I Ic said that he will be aggressive in exploring the panel's recomg - |