Q&A: Colonel Clayton M. Hutmacher
Written by Jeff McKaughan
SOTECH 2009 Volume: 7 Issue: 7 (September)
Providing Specialized Airpower in
Support of Global Special Operations
Colonel Gregory J. Lengyel
Commander
1st Special Operations Wing
Air Force Special Operations Command
Lengyel graduated from Texas A&M University in 1985 earning his commission as a distinguished graduate in the Reserve Officer Training Corps program. He also earned a Master of Science in international relations from Troy State University. He has also attended the Air Command and Staff College, the Armed Forces Staff College, the Air War College and the Brookings Institute.
Following an initial tour as a satellite officer in U.S. Space Command he attended undergraduate pilot training at Fort Rucker, Ala. He has flown the UH-1H/N, TH-53A and MH-53J/M operationally, and has participated in contingency operations in Haiti, the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan, with over 16 months of combat command in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. He is a graduate of the USMC’s weapons and tactics instructor course and the USAF’s Combat Aircrew Training School. Lengyel has also completed joint staff tours at U.S. Special Operations Command and the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
Lengyel’s assignments include: UH-1N evaluator pilot, Detachment 24, 37th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron, Fairchild AFB, Wash.; MH-53J mission pilot qualification course, 1551st Flying Training Squadron, Kirtland AFB, N.M.; MH-53J aircraft commander, 31st Special Operations Squadron, Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea; chief, standardization and evaluation/MH-53J evaluator pilot, 20th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.; assistant director of operations/MH-53J/TH-53A evaluator pilot, 551st Special Operations Squadron, Kirtland AFB; chief, standardization and evaluation/ MH-53J evaluator pilot, 58th Operations Group, Kirtland AFB; policy and strategy officer, Center for Operations, Plans and Policy, Headquarters, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB, Fla.; executive officer to DCINCSOC, Headquarters U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB; director of operations/MH-53M instructor pilot, 21st Special Operations Squadron, RAF Mildenhall, U.K; commander, 21st Special Operations Squadron, RAF Mildenhall; military assistant to the Secretary of Defense, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.; commander, Combined Joint Special Operations Air Component, Balad Joint Base, Iraq; special assistant to the A3, Headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field/CV-22 senior officer qualification course, Kirtland AFB.
His awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster; the Bronze Star Medal; the Defense Meritorious Service Medal; the Air Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters; the Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters; the Aerial Achievement Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster; the Air Force Commendation Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster; and the Joint Service Achievement Medal.
Lengyel was interviewed by SOTECH Editor Jeff McKaughan.
Q: Could we start with a brief look at the scope and size of the 1st Special Operations Wing? Are you expecting any growth either in personnel, aircraft—or both?
A: Hurlburt Field is a vast community located along the Emerald Coast in Northwest Florida next to Fort Walton Beach. The 1st Special Operations Wing is the host unit of the base, but we are also home to Headquarters, Air Force Special Operations Command, which is our parent command, the 505th Command and Control Wing and myriad partner units, all working together to achieve our unique mission. We also have one geographically separated unit located at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
The 1st SOW conducts special operations missions ranging from precision application of firepower to infiltration and exfiltration of special operations forces, deep battlefield re-supply and refueling of special operations aircraft.
The 1st SOW employs approximately 6,000 active duty military personnel. We have always required a large population to achieve that mission, but right now we are enjoying continued personnel growth as our mission continues to expand. We gained 1,000 personnel between FY07 and FY08, and we are projected to gain approximately 500 more military and civilian personnel in FY10.
On the aircraft side of the house, I have 74 aircraft made up of 10 different weapon systems. Our inventory is constantly evolving to meet the ever-changing needs on the battlefield. Last year, we retired the MH-53 Pave Low. Taking its place is the more versatile CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft. Hurlburt Field also lost the AC-130H Spectre gunship, but it still resides within the AFSOC community. The 16th Special Operations Squadron and its Spectres pulled chocks and officially relocated to the 27th SOW at Cannon AFB, N.M., in June of this year.
Q: The CV-22 has been with you for a while now. What can you share with me about the reliability of the aircraft? Are any members of your squadron involved in the program to mount the self-defense gun turret?
A: I am qualified in the CV-22, and flying the Osprey has rejuvenated me as a pilot. The CV-22 is a magnificent aircraft that opens up a whole new mission set to special operations commanders. The CV-22 is often unfairly compared to helicopters and C-130s. The CV-22 is neither a C-130 nor a helicopter. Some missions are best suited for helicopters. Some missions are best suited for C-130s. And some missions are best suited for a CV-22 tiltrotor. It can conduct missions that no helicopter or C-130 can do [e.g. requiring speed, range, vertical takeoff/landing]. The reliability of our CV-22s has been steadily improving as our maintenance troops grow more familiar with the aircraft. There have been some unexpected delays due to parts failing sooner than expected and a limited number of replacement parts, but overall our mission capable rate has been good. Like any new weapon system, there will be a logistical maturation process, and the CV-22 is no different.
Our line crews are not primary project members for the gun turret, but they are in the loop on the status of the weapon. Our tacticians are actively involved with working groups at AFSOC to produce the most practical and effective weapon from the users’ standpoint. The gun will be operationally tested by members of the 18th Flight Test Squadron here at Hurlburt Field and the 8th SOS.
Q: There have been numerous calls from senior special operations leadership on the need for additional gunship capabilities. Within your mission would you like to see smaller—perhaps more numerous gunships—additional C-130-based platforms, or would a combination be a better path to take?
A: The gunships are in constant demand in theater. Because of its precision firing capabilities and long loiter time, the gunships are requested more than any other platform. Whether it be providing cover for ground troops or taking out an enemy target without collateral damage, you can be sure gunships are flying every night. AFSOC owns the only gunships in the entire Department of Defense, 17 belonging to the 4th Special Operations Squadron here at Hurlburt Field, and another eight belonging to the 16th Special Operations Squadron, which just relocated to Cannon AFB, N.M.
The Department of Defense has a process for determining current and future requirements that best support the Air Force mission, and we’ll take any type of gunship that the Congress will buy us. Gunships save American lives and kill enemy combatants. The C-130 variant has proved itself in spades. A smaller gunship may also have value over battlefields around the world that don’t need the heavy firepower or footprint the AC-130 brings. In short, yes, more gunships in the inventory would increase the level of support we are able to provide.
Q: With the age of the AFSOC fleet in general, I assume that your maintenance group has their work cut out for them. How much work do you actually perform on the MC- and AC-130 aircraft, and how much is contracted out to commercial companies with expertise with these platforms?
A: The Air Commando maintainers assigned to 1st Special Operations Maintenance Group perform virtually all of the routine and deployed, day-to-day maintenance on the MC- and AC-130 aircraft. They also provide centralized repair for engines and repair for SOF-specific avionics systems on the majority of AFSOC’s C-130 aircraft fleet. It takes approximately 33 maintenance man-hours per every one flying hour for the AC-130 and approximately 56 maintenance man-hours per every one flying hour for the MC-130. In FY08, the AC-130U/H gunships flew for a total 12,075 hours at home and deployed, while the MC-130 H/P aircraft flew for a total 8,500 hours.
The maintenance group’s accomplishments were recognized by the Department of Defense when they earned the Phoenix Trophy, which recognizes the best field level maintenance unit in DoD. It’s a testament to the high caliber of airmen we have working on our aircraft.
Contactors are a part of our team within the maintenance group as well. They primarily perform the aircraft modifications that are scheduled and provide pockets of expertise in certain specialties. Some are deployed in support of our weapon systems. They also perform the isochronal inspections for nearly all of the command’s C-130 fleet, which are usually augmented by our commando maintainers. In FY08, there were a total of 39 ISO inspections completed, and there are projected to be a total of 51 in 2009.
I think AFSOC commander Lieutenant General Donny Wurster said it best when he said, “Of all the people we have in our business today, most of us in AFSOC remain astounded at the skill and determination of the maintenance people who continue to spin gold from straw on the flightline and in the back shops to get these flying machines airborne every night. The maintainer who watches those big ugly birds go out and then greets them when they come back—those are the heroes of AFSOC in this generation of aging and hard-pressed aircraft. Without these committed professionals, our command could not do what needs to be done.”
Q: One of your squadrons operates a fleet of older platforms more likely to be found with developing air forces. How busy has the 6th SOS been and is that a growth area for the command in terms of mission and size?
A: The 6th SOS has been incredibly busy with 11 deployments to seven partner nations so far this calendar year. They have flown aircraft such as the C-130, UH-1, BT-67, Bell 212, Mi-17, EC635, CN208 and DHC-6 in every geographic combatant command and on every continent around the world. Aviation foreign internal defense [AvFID] is an extremely high priority core mission for both AFSOC and U.S. Special Operations Command, and the 6th SOS is the lead unit to conduct AvFID. We expect to increase both our depth of presence in current partner nations as well as expand our mission to new countries, all with the goal of executing the National Security Strategy by assessing, advising, training and assisting our fellow aviation professionals around the world.
The 6th SOS has geographic combatant commanders asking for them by name because they make a strategic impact wherever they operate.
Q: As far as major elements of an aviation squadron go, you have your aircrews and ground support staff, but within 1 SOW you also have a ground combat element in the 1st Special Operations Security Forces Squadron. What does this capability give you and what are their primary missions? Are there tools you would like to see added to their equipment lists?
A: The 1st Special Operations Security Forces Squadron enables the 1st SOW to have unilateral base defense and ground combat force at the tactical level, allowing SOF to rapidly deploy with a tailorable security package. The 1st SOSFS has a variety of missions ranging from entry control and compound security, to tactical evidence collection and integration with SOF for fly-away security in non-permissive environments. The 1st SOSFS’ deployed air ground response element has allowed security forces to provide a previously unseen level of support to SOF by establishing a training pipeline with AFSOC’s Special Tactics Training Squadron, raising the collective training standards of SOF-security forces above those of line-SF units.
Q: With a continuous OPTEMPO how have you managed to date to keep your equipment flying and your people trained, rested and deployed? With no let up in sight, do you see any changes coming that will affect your current scheduling?
A: There is no rest for the weary in the 1st Special Operations Wing. We provide our air commandos as much time as possible between deployments, but our airmen realize and understand the vital role they play in current overseas contingency operations [OCO], and as such, they are prepared to maintain the tight schedule necessary to meet our mission requirements.
In the upcoming year, we plan to fly a total of more than 71,000 hours—approximately 23,000 of those hours will be for training missions, while the remaining 48,000 will be dedicated to OCO missions. We’re proud of our mission and grateful to have this opportunity to serve our country. No one else does what we do. No one can replace us on the battlefield or in the air. We’ve been deployed continuously since 9/11, and I don’t see that changing. We’re OK with that.
Q: Do your typical mission durations—usually at night—create medicine or performance issues that are relatively unique to your SOF warriors?
A: SOF warriors are elite operators trained for risky and tactically demanding operations, often with operational-level consequences. AFSOC’s battlefield airmen are typically attached to SOF ground teams [e.g., SEALs, Special Forces, coalition SOF], who operate around the clock on multi-day missions, and are exposed to hazards in the most austere environments. Special operations airmen fly long-duration sorties at night. All of these factors place a toll on the human weapon system. In order to maintain operators’ peak performance, we apply fatigue countermeasures, which include circadian rhythm management, adherence to crew rest parameters, physiologic and sleep hygiene education and training, and if absolutely necessary, medications that can enhance sleep or wakefulness.
Circadian rhythm management is both an art and a science. Computer modeling analyzes peak rest/performance cycles. These algorithms assume predictable, deliberately planned combat operations, parameters that don’t always apply to special operations because SOF warriors must be ready “any time, any place.” Fatigue risk management is a medical, mission commander and, ultimately, operator decision, balanced against mission demands.
Pharmacologic countermeasures are closely monitored by SOFtrained medical personnel. Prior to real-world operations, all our SOF airmen are ground tested with each pill for untoward side effects. During combat, medication use is strictly voluntary. Given missionappropriate applications, these medications offer an edge in combat alertness and heighten operator vigilance, with potential lifesaving impacts.
Q: Going back to the training subject, is it safe to assume that the larger aircraft simulator devices are all centrally located, but have you pushed any of your recurrent training programs forward into theater?
A: While some of our squadrons do conduct training in theater, most of our training is accomplished at home. This allows our airmen to focus on flying real-world missions while deployed. But when they are at home training, they maintain a busy schedule.
Last year, AFSOC consolidated all of its training under a new organization, Air Force Special Operations Training Center. The 19th Special Operations Squadron, a former 1 SOW squadron that trains MC-130, AC-130 and CV-22 air crews on simulators, moved under AFSOTC when the new organization stood up.
Q: Any final thoughts?
A: Team Hurlburt is the Air Force’s most relevant team in today’s joint fight. We’ve proved that time and time again. Most recently, we were named the best installation in the Air Force for the 2009 Commander-in-Chief’s Installation Excellence Award. This is the second time we’ve gained this honor and the third time in six years we’ve been selected as a finalist for the award. One of our Air Force core values is excellence in all we do, and we believe that installation excellence translates into combat excellence. We’re proud to have the best base in the Air Force to prepare for combat and take care of our families, especially those deployed away from home.
I would like to thank the men and women of our team who work tirelessly day in and day out to accomplish our mission. Without our resilient, heroic and dedicated airmen and civilians, we couldn’t do what we do every day at home and abroad. Special operations technology is a great tool, but our air commandos are the reason that the 1 SOW can provide specialized airpower in support of global special operations missions and national objectives “any time, any place.” ♦