Poland and the F-35: First F-35s Land in Poland as Part of Rapid Forge Exercise

Four U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II aircraft, deployed from the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, landed at Powidz Air Base, Poland, July, 16, 2019.

This is the first time that U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II aircraft have landed in Poland.

With the arrival in an exercise in Poland of F-35s, clearly the question is as well of not only the acquisition by Poland of F-35s, but building the infrastructure for operating F-35s and shaping an infrastructure to facilitate as well allied operations of the F-35 fleet operating by both the United States and allies in Europe and the Middle East.

The image of the plane operating from Poland is one thing, but the core capability of an integrated fleet would be its ability to shape an ISR, C2 and strike and defense belt over continental Europe.

Two U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II aircraft, deployed from the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, sit on a runway during Operation Rapid Forge on Powidz Air Base, Poland, July, 16, 2019. This is the first time that U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II aircraft have landed in Poland. Rapid Forge is a U.S. Air Forces in Europe-led mission to enhance readiness and test the ability to function at locations other than the main air bases. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Milton Hamilton)

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This is an inherent potential of the F-35 fleet, a potential that will only be realized by the United States and its allies working through security and other challenges to unlock the inherent potential of the F-35 to operate as an integrated not interoperable fleet.

In a Mitchell Forum paper published in March 2019, Major Luke J. Harris and Col. Max M. Marosko III, USAF addressed the question of US and Allied F-35 interoperability.

We would go further that there is a unique historical chance facing the United States and its F-35 partners — namely to forge an integrated force.

This possibility is inherent in the technology, but will not happen without the political will, organizational reform and reworking of who the United States and its allies approach the broader security challenges.

As Harris and Marosko III concluded their paper:

There are few DOD programs better postured than the F-35 to improve allied warfighting capability and overall relationships. However, an F-35 pilot will only be an effective force multiplier if F-35 aircraft systems can communicate seamlessly with other F-35s, and other aircraft.

Future F-35-equipped coalition forces must operate with common TTPs and a shared mental model achieved through high-end training and tactics disclosure.

The United States has accepted a higher level of risk by selling advanced U.S. stealth and sensor technology to other nations, and trusting our allies not to disclose these capabilities. That trust is built on the mutual understanding that it is in our allies’ national interest to protect these capabilities.

The United States, likewise, needs to trust our allies with the intelligence, information, and proven best tactics and practices that were previously not releasable, so they can optimally employ the F-35 and provide value-added combat capability.

With American F-35s dispersed worldwide, the U.S. is absolutely dependent on regional allied capacity and capability to succeed in future combat operations.

To optimize allied F-35 interoperability, the U.S. must remove the security and policy barriers that inhibit this objective and smartly share intelligence, technical information, tactics, techniques, and operating procedures with our allies.

Only by doing this will America see the true potential of the F-35 as a revolutionary combat capability.

Clearly, the addition of Poland to the F-35 global enterprise would expand the fleets operational reach in a way that would make it central to deterrence in the neighborhood.

In an article we published last month on June 22, 2019, we discussed the potential acquisition of the F-35 by Poland.

During the recent visit of the Polish President and a high-ranking Polish delegation, many key defense issues were discussed with President Trump and his Administration.

Among those issues was the potential purchase of the F-35 by Poland.

According to an article published on the Polish Ministry of Defence website, this prospect was discussed.

“Soon Poland will join the elite group of states whose air forces have the most modern F-35 aircraft. I want this process to proceed quickly and effectively,” said Mariusz Błaszczak, the Minister of National Defence after meeting the command of the Eglin Air Force base in Florida and the F-35 pilots.

On June 10, the head of the Ministry of National Defence began his visit to the USA and visited the Eglin Air Force Base, where, among others he became acquainted with the F-35 development program – the latest – 5th generation aircraft.

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“We are advanced when it comes to the process of acquiring this state-of-the-art equipment – F-35 fighters. This is a big breakthrough in the combat capabilities of Polish Air Force.

“This is a challenge, but it is such an element that will certainly deter the potential aggressor,” the head of the National Defence Ministry said.

The minister reminded that at the end of May this year Poland has sent letter of request regarding the purchase of 32 F-35A aircraft.

“We are already in the process, we as MoND have placed the letter and there have been several meetings between experts from the Polish and United States Air Force. So, we are talking, I am happy that we will finish this process quickly,” added the head of the National Defence Ministry.

As the minister pointed out, the era of post-Soviet equipment used by the Polish Air Force ends, and era of the fifth generation equipment and therefore the most modern one, begins.

The minister added that he wanted the Polish pilots, who belong to the world’s leaders, to have effective and safe equipment.

“The planned purchase of F-35 fighters fits into the creation of the entire system that deters a potential enemy. Earlier, I signed contracts for the purchase of Patriot and HIMARS systems,” said the head of the National Defence Ministry.

Note: Rapid Forge is a U.S. Air Forces in Europe-led mission to enhance readiness and test the ability to function at locations other than the main air bases.

POLAND

07.16.2019

Video by Senior Airman Sara Voigt

86th Airlift Wing/Public Affairs

Mitchell Forum

Introduction

“We [the United States] depend on an

integrated coalition fighter force operating the

F-35 in order to counter near peer adversaries

with advanced surface and air defenses.”

– Air Force Lt Gen Jeffrey Harrigian,

former director, F-35 integration office

“[Interoperability is] the ability to operate

in synergy in the execution of assignments, or

the ability to act together coherently, effectively,

and efficiently to achieve tactical, operational,

and strategic objectives”.

– Joint Publication 3-0,

Joint Operations

This paper addresses opportunities to

improve F-35 interoperability between the

United States and its allies who are acquiring

the F-35 fifth generation fighter aircraft.

After an extended development

and fielding period, the F-35A,

the F-35B, and the F-35C have

achieved initial operational

capability (IOC) as part of

the U.S. military’s combat

aircraft inventory, but delayed

improvements have prevent-

ed integration opportunities

with partners and allies. In

recognizing this current short-

coming, U.S. Air Force leadership has

declared that interoperability improvement

is now a main priority for the F-35 going

forward.

Despite Air Force Chief of Staff Gen

David Goldfein championing this issue, and

discussions continuing among U.S. military

leaders and civilian Department of Defense

(DOD) officials about how to improve inter-

operability, progress toward this objective

has proved slow. Delays are in part due to

a lack of understanding of the purposefully

designed interoperable capabilities within

the F-35, and to a degree, this is because the

F-35 is a relatively new aircraft and combat

system. Many of the technical documents

of this program remain classified, but the

potential for the F-35 is far more expansive

than any other combat aircraft built to date.

In order to improve understanding in

both military and civilian circles of what

exactly “interoperability” is and why it

is necessary for the success of the F-35 in

the years ahead, this paper will investigate

three specific aspects of interoperability and

recommend a path forward. Specifically, these

lines of effort are: improving technical com-

munications and data sharing, improving

allied tactics through smart disclosure

and training, and building better coalition

maintenance and sortie generation practices.

This paper highlights these areas of focus

not only for the F-35’s future success, but to

improve U.S. and coalition combat airpower

c apabi l it y.

Following an investigation of

interoperability, this paper will lay out a

hypothetical vignette that describes a future

conflict where an integrated F-35 force

fights

in a manner that optimizes interoperability

and demonstrates how properly integrated

coalition squadrons may prove vital to

success in combat.

To begin, the F-35 is a cornerstone of

modern allied interoperability efforts that

promise the high likelihood that any future

coalition military operation will defeat

adversary air defenses. Today however, this

aircraft is limited in its potential by shortfalls

in integration with other nations who are

acquiring it.

As Goldfein recently stated, the

Air Force and the U.S. military have “bet the

farm on the F-35 and the jury is still out.”

Part

of the rationale behind Goldfein’s statement

is that he and other senior leaders recognize

the F-35 is not optimally integrated among

partner nations.

While some F-35 partner nations are still

in the early stages of acquiring the aircraft and

incorporating it into their respective air forces,

...the F-35 is a cornerstone

of modern allied interoper-

ability efforts that promise

the high likelihood that any

future coalition military

operation will defeat

adversary air defenses.

Mitchell Forum

a framework needs to be built so that the

F-35 can fulfill its potential to strengthen the

U.S. and allied military capabilities. The F-35

has already achieved IOC with the U.S. Air

Force (USAF), U.S. Marine Corps (USMC),

the U.S. Navy (USN), and several partner

nations are standing up their first squadrons.

The time is right to build the foundation to

optimize future interoperability, before the

F-35 becomes more prolific in our allies’

military inventories. The strengthening of

alliances and partnerships depends on the

ability of the F-35 to work seamlessly among

partner nation air forces. To accomplish

this goal, the F-35 must be able to share

information among formations of F-35s

from various nations, with

pilots employing congruent

and validated tactics, and

maintainers sharing common

sortie generation practices.

Currently, F-35-equipped

allies fall short in each of

these areas. First, allied and

partner militaries do not

share information across

the multifunction advanced

data link (MADL) from one

country’s F-35 to another as

well as they could. Second, out-

dated and restrictive security

policies prevent integrated

training among allies with

F-35s. Finally, well-intentioned

security and safety concerns

can prevent progress in joint and allied

maintenance practices. Given the current

poor state of F-35 interoperability among

partners, it is incumbent on U.S. military

leadership, leaders in the intelligence

and national security communities, and

leaders in Congress as well as partner and

allied officials to remove barriers to F-35

operational integration so that F-35 force

projection and battle space awareness can be

maximized.

Additionally, decision makers

must understand the importance of allied

interoperability in future combat operations.

The international F-35 program is a coalition,

but it is one with no central directing

authority. Decisions made by individual F-35

partner countries affect the interoperability

for all the partners.

The need for immediate

improvement in allied F-35 interoperability

is particularly vital in light of the threats and

challenges outlined in the December 2017

National Security Strategy

of the United States

of America,

and with the fiscal constraints

that may reduce the planned U.S. procure-

ment of 2,443 F-35s bearing down.

The F-35 program has progressed

rapidly in recent years as it has steadily

entered the force structure, demonstrating

great potential as a capable aircraft and

joint operations force multiplier. As the

first operator of the F-35, the U.S. Marine

Corps declared IOC in 2015, and the U.S.

Air Force followed in 2016. It was not long

after the IOC declarations that operators

and leaders alike saw the F-35’s potential in

action. At Red Flag 17-1, which took place

from January to February 2017, Air Force

F-35s from Hill AFB, Utah’s 34th Fighter

Squadron (FS) demonstrated a high level

of lethality with an initially reported 15:1

kill ratio in engagements, as well as the

ability to improve fourth generation fighter

survivability by their mere presence. Since

the exercise, Air Force and Marine Corps

leaders testified to Congress that the F-35’s

kill ratio was in fact higher than the 15:1

ratio reported at the time, with the F-35A

achieving a 20:1 ratio at the event.

Shortly

after Red Flag 17-1, the 34th FS completed

a European deployment, the F-35A’s first

to the continent, demonstrating force

projection capability and the ability to

operate with international partners. Since

this initial overseas deployment, both the

Marine Corps and the Air Force have rotated

Given the current

poor state of F-35

interoperability among

partners, it is incumbent

on U.S. military leadership,

leaders in the intelligence

and national security

communities, and leaders

in Congress as well as

partner and allied officials

to remove barriers to F-35

operational integration...

Mitchell Forum

through the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command

(INDOPACOM) area of operations as

part of routine deployments, and have

built confidence in the aircraft to carry out

operations.

As international involvement in the

F-35 program has expanded, expectations

have grown that it will fulfill the security

needs of American taxpayers as well as

meet the investment expectations of the pro-

gram’s international partners.

The DOD for its part has not

wavered in its commitment to

the program, and current F-35

production and procurement

goals make it the largest DOD

acquisition program in the

department’s history.

Current

plans call for the USAF to

purchase 1,763 F-35As; the

Marine Corps to purchase

353 F-35B short take-off and

vertical landing (STOVL)

variants along with 67 F-35C

carrier variants; and the

Navy will buy 260 F-35Cs.

Additionally, nine partner

countries and three foreign

military sales (FMS) countries

currently plan to purchase the

F-35. These include: Australia,

Canada, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands,

Norway, Turkey, the United Kingdom and

the United States, as well as the FMS custo-

mers Israel, Japan, and the Republic of Korea

(South Korea).

For several of these count-

ries, the F-35 is one of the cornerstones of

their respective defense plans in terms of

monetary investment and prioritization, and

if interoperability does not improve, the

lost opportunity may cripple future combat

capability. Many defense budget watchers

have assessed that the U.S. F-35 objective

inventory may decrease in the future too,

based on fiscal constraints. But, if this was to

occur, the United States would be forced to

increase its reliance on international partner

F-35 squadrons for necessary fifth genera-

tion aircraft capability in future coalition

operations.

Growing peer and near-peer threats

around the globe show the need to capitalize

on capability accrued by the F-35 program

through interoperability.

As described in the

latest national security strategy, the U.S. and

its allies are increasingly challenged by great

powers who aim to expand their influence,

and make smaller states pay the cost.

The

White House believes that great power

competition has returned to the forefront of

national security planning, with a resurgent

Russia asserting itself on its periphery, and a

Chinese military whose capacity and capabili-

ty is rapidly advancing. To counterbalance

this threat, the new national security strategy

states the U.S. will strengthen its “long-

standing military relationships and encour-

age the development of a strong defense

network with our allies and partners.”

The DOD’s

2018 National Defense Strategy

of the United States of America

(NDS)

similarly emphasizes the strengthening of

existing relationships by reinvigorating and

focusing America’s approach to alliances

and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific and

European theaters.

In light of the global threat envi-

ronment, and in order to strengthen military

relationships, America must ensure that it

remains actively involved as a reliable training

and security partner, as well as help allies

modernize in order to deter and if necessary

defeat aggression.

According to former

Secretary of Defense James Mattis, a primary

means for achieving this is through bettering

interoperability by training for high-end

combat via multinational exercises.

The

F-35 is well-suited for this task, as it has

been designed and “optimized for stealth,

[which] will allow it to operate in threat

Growing peer and near-peer

threats around the globe

show the need to capitalize

on capability accrued

by the F-35 program

through interoperability.

As described in the latest

national security strategy,

the U.S. and its allies are

increasingly challenged by

great powers who aim to

expand their influence, and

make smaller states pay

the cost.