News from around the Air Force Published Aug. 9, 2010 Secretary of the Air Force, Office of Public Affairs WASHINGTON -- The following is a compilation of news items provided by the Secretary of the Air Force, Office of Public Affairs. Lavelle Posthumously Nominated to General The Department of Defense announced today that retired Air Force Maj. Gen. John D. Lavelle has been nominated posthumously by the President for advancement on the retired rolls to the rank of general. This follows an Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records decision and recommendations from the secretary of defense and secretary of the Air Force. In April 1972, Lavelle was removed from command as a result of allegations that he ordered unauthorized bombing missions into North Vietnam, and that he authorized the falsification of reports to conceal the missions. Lavelle was retired in the grade of major general, two grades lower than the last grade he served on active duty. Lavelle died in 1979. In 2007, newly released and declassified information resulted in evidence that Lavelle was authorized by President Richard Nixon to conduct the bombing missions. Further, the Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records found no evidence Lavelle caused, either directly or indirectly, the falsification of records, or that he was even aware of their existence. Once he learned of the reports, Lavelle took action to ensure the practice was discontinued. In light of the new information, a request was made to the Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records for reinstatement to the grade of general, Lavelle's last grade while on active duty. The evidence presented clearly corrected the historical record and warranted a reassessment of Lavelle's retired grade. Air Force Announces MC12W Basing Proposal The Department of the Air Force announced today Beale Air Force Base, Calif., as the preferred alternative basing option for the MC-12W. Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley previously approved six candidate bases. They included Altus Air Force Base, Okla.; Beale Air Force Base, Calif.; Key Field Air National Guard Base, Miss.; Langley Air Force Base, Va.; Robins Air Force Base, Ga.; and Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo. Site survey teams evaluated all candidate bases for feasibility, timing, cost and planning purposes to meet initial operational capability. As a result of these surveys, the range of reasonable alternatives was reduced to three bases: Beale, Robins, and Whiteman. "Beale Air Force Base is the preferred alternative for basing the MC-12W aircraft given its access to training opportunities, synergy with existing intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance flying missions, and collocation with the distributed ground station mission" said Kathleen Ferguson, deputy assistant secretary for installations. A preferred alternative is an alternative which the Air Force believes best fulfills its mission and responsibilities, taking into consideration environmental, operational, technical and other factors. This is not a final basing decision. The preferred alternative with other reasonable alternatives will continue to be evaluated in the environmental impact analysis process. The MC-12W is a medium- to low-altitude, twin-engine turboprop aircraft. Its primary mission is providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support directly to ground forces. The MC-12W capability supports all aspects of the world-wide Air Force irregular warfare mission including counter insurgency, foreign internal defense, and building partnership capacity. Air Force Announces C-27J Basing Proposal The Department of the Air Force announced today its candidate basing decision for the C-27J operations and training aircraft. The secretary and chief of staff of the Air Force approved C-27J operations and training candidate bases. Training candidates are: Key Field Air Guard Station, Miss; Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport, Ohio. Operations candidates are: Boise Air Terminal Air Guard Station, Idaho; and Great Falls International Airport, Mont. The Air Force will conduct site surveys at the candidate locations and initiate the environmental impact analysis process in preparation for a final selection. The C-27J is a twin turboprop engine aircraft designed to meet an Air Force requirement for a rugged, medium size airland transport. The C-27J gives U.S. military troops a unique, short-take-off-and-landing capability, providing access to airstrips otherwise unusable by fixed-wing aircraft. Air Force Announces F-16 Training Mission The secretary and chief of staff of the Air Force announced today the transition of Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., to the F-16 training mission. The Air Force determined that Holloman has the capacity to accept two F-16 training squadrons and offers ability to synergize training activities with MQ-1/9 training occurring on the same base. Transitioning Holloman to F-16 training stabilizes an enduring training mission and capitalizes on the existing airspace and range complex. Implementation of this action is subject to completion of appropriate environmental analysis. Air Force Announces F-35 Basing Proposal The Department of the Air Force announced today the preferred alternatives for operational and training F-35 Joint Strike Fighter bases. Teams surveyed each candidate base for feasibility, timing, cost and planning purposes to meet initial operational capability timelines. The preferred alternative locations are: - Operations - Hill Air Force Base, Utah, and Burlington Air Guard Station, Vt. - Training - Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. "This is not a final basing decision," said Kathleen Ferguson, deputy assistant secretary for installations. "The preferred alternatives with other reasonable alternatives will continue to be evaluated in the environmental impact analysis process." A preferred alternative is an alternative which the Air Force believes best fulfills its mission and responsibilities, taking into consideration environmental, operational, technical and other factors. Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley previously announced five operations candidate bases Oct. 29, 2009. They included Hill Air Force Base, Utah; Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho; Shaw Air Force Base /McEntire Joint National Guard Base, S.C.; Burlington Air Guard Station, Vt.; and Jacksonville Air Guard Station, Fla. The secretary announced training base candidates Oct. 29, 2009. They included Boise AGS, Idaho; Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.; Holloman Air Force Base, N.M.; Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.; and Tucson Air Guard Station, Ariz. The current scope of this basing action includes 250 to 300 F-35 aircraft. The JSF is the next generation strike fighter bringing cutting-edge technologies to the battle space of the future. In the Air Force, the F-35 will primarily service an air-to-ground role, replace aging the F-16 and A-10 aircraft while complementing the F-22. The Navy and Marine Corps plan on using the F-35, along with international partners. Air Force Announces F-22 Fleet Consolidation The Department of the Air Force announced today its actions to consolidate the F-22 fleet. The secretary of the Air Force and the chief of staff of the Air Force determined the most effective basing for the F-22. This requires redistributing aircraft from one F-22 squadron to units at four F-22 bases. A second squadron will be relocated to an existing F-22 base. The affected bases are: Holloman Air Force Base, N.M.: Deactivate one squadron of F-22s and disperse that squadron's aircraft to other F-22 units. Relocate the remaining squadron to Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska - receive six additional aircraft Langley Air Force Base, Va. - receive six additional aircraft Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. - receive two additional aircraft Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. - receive one additional squadron "This plan maximizes combat aircraft and squadrons available for contingencies," said Kathleen Ferguson, deputy assistant secretary for installations. "By consolidating aircraft at existing bases, F-22 operational flexibility is enhanced." Teams surveyed four F-22 bases, evaluating them for feasibility, timing, cost, and planning purposes to accept additional F-22 aircraft. The secretary of the Air Force and the chief of staff of the Air Force carefully considered the site survey results and military judgment factors in making these basing determinations. These actions will be finalized subject to completion of appropriate environmental analysis. The F-22 Raptor combines stealth, supercruise, maneuverability, and integrated avionics, coupled with improved supportability, and represents an exponential leap in war fighting capabilities.