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Special ops reservist leads team to rebuild Iraqi air force

  • Published
  • By Maj. Scott Covode
  • Air Force Special Operations Command Public Affairs
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. --  If the mobilization assistant to the commander of Air Force Special Operations Command has anything to do with it, Iraq’s air force will soar to new heights.

During a deployment to Iraq this year, Brig. Gen. Frank Padilla led a team of experts from the Air Force and coalition partners to plan for and help to rebuild a more robust and effective Iraqi air force.

“Our mission is to help the Iraqis establish the very best air force possible with the resources they have available to them,” General Padilla said. “It’s important to help the Iraqi air force develop its own capability to provide security from above.”

Iraq’s air force, however, faces formidable challenges. It has a total of 38 aircraft, but only six of them are airworthy.

“We must partner with the Iraqis and coalition partners to contend with insufficient funding, aging aircraft that are unsuitable for the mission or environment, insufficient parts and support structures, limited training, and significant security issues,” the general said. “It’s important to focus on one small victory at a time as we work together to overcome these obstacles and help the Iraqis achieve their goals. I’m encouraged by the motivation, dedication and professionalism of Iraqi airmen.”

Lt. Gen. Walter E. Buchanan III, U.S. Central Command Air Forces commander, commissioned the assessment to help Iraq redevelop their capabilities. Specialists from USCENTAF, Air Force Materiel Command, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Air Education and Training Command, AFSOC, Headquarters Air Force, the Air Force Flight Test Center and the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force Headquarters Strike Command visited locations throughout Iraq. They went to bases in Baghdad, Taji, Kirkuk, Al Basrah and Ali. The members of the team included test pilots and test engineers from Edward Air Force Base, Calif., who conducted, for the first time ever, test flights of Iraqi aircraft in combat operations.

“Normally, Air Force flight tests are conducted in more controlled environments,” General Padilla said.

With much of Iraq’s air force in ruin or disrepair, the challenge of the team was to lay out a deliberate plan to help the country develop and establish mission capabilities. Areas needing improvement included tactical battlefield mobility, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations, medical evacuation, distinguished visitor airlift, as well as a light attack capability.

General Padilla will return to Iraq for at least six weeks to shore up coalition efforts to assist the Iraqi air force in rebuilding its infrastructure, develop its organization and train its airmen. The timeline for the transition is aggressive, with an operations plan that extends out five to 10 years from now.

Standing up another country’s air force is an unprecedented challenge in recent history. A high amount of flexibility is required due to changing mission requirements.

“It is important to establish clarity and unity of command for our U.S. and coalition Airmen assigned to our advisory support teams,” General Padilla said. “We need to (map) out the way ahead, shepherd the efforts and posture our teams for success.”

Airmen from coalition forces are helping the Iraqis make the transition. These military transition teams are assigned to Iraqi squadrons where they advise and assist them in combat aviation operations.

General Padilla said it takes a total force effort to make the transition effort work. Air Force Reserve Command reports as many as 1,500 reservists are currently deployed to support Operation Iraqi Freedom, a fact that did not go unnoticed by the general.

“There are so many reservists working in Al Udeid, Qatar and at the Combined Air Operations Center,” General Padilla said. “They set us up with everything we could need. Many of the trips we took were crewed by reservists. We really are a total force out there – Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard and active-duty Airmen.”

From October 2003 to April 2004, the general commanded Detachment One, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing. His assignment was to rebuild Balad Air Base after most of it was destroyed by coalition air forces in Operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom.

“I had the honor of working with great Airmen then, as I have now,” he said. “It’s truly amazing what our Airmen are capable of.

“I believe very passionately that helping the Iraqi air force is the right thing to do – that this effort is essential for eventual transition of operational control back to the Iraqis. They will assume the responsibility for their own protection, and we are going to help them build an air force of which they can be proud.”

The general said many of the Iraqi airmen are taking significant risk by entering military service. So much so, that most of them change into civilian clothes to return home to avoid terrorist acts against them or their families. (AFRC News Service)