Gary Peters Asks Top Air Force Official About Integrating Autonomous Systems Into Aircraft Fleet

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During a Senate Armed Forces Committee hearing prior to the Congressional recess, Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) questioned General David W. Allvin, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, about autonomous systems in their aircraft fleet.

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00:00over time. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you to Peters. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

00:09Secretary Mink, following the Air Force's announcement last year to base 12 brand new

00:16KC-46 refueling tankers at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Michigan, I was proud to have at

00:23that time secured the Air Force commitment that that decision did not preclude Selfridge from

00:29receiving a future fighter mission. Following this commitment and after years of advocacy by myself

00:37as well as the entire Michigan delegation, both Democrats and Republicans, the administration

00:42announced last month that Selfridge would also receive 21 F-15EX fighter jets to replace the

00:50base's aging A-10s. I'm certainly very proud, as all Michiganders are, of Selfridge's exceptional

00:56108-year legacy defending our nation. And with this announcement, I'm certain that legacy will

01:03continue for decades to come. Sir, you have already publicly committed to honoring the KC-46

01:10basing decision during your nomination hearing, which I appreciate. So my question for you is

01:16following Selfridge's F-15EX announcement, do I have your commitment that future Air Force spending

01:22will support the recapitalization of Selfridge's A-10s with these new F-15EXs?

01:28Thank you for the question, Senator. Yeah, so based on the President's decision,

01:35the Air Force is putting a plan together to execute the placement of F-15EXs at Selfridge.

01:42Thank you. Thank you for that commitment. General Alvin, on that same note, Selfridge's F-15EX fighters

01:49and the KC-46 tankers will require some specialized infrastructure and ground support equipment,

01:56including modifications to flight lines as well as to some hangars, although we've already made

02:02pretty substantial investments into that base, but we're going to need more. This will include KC-46

02:07unique refueling requirements and the F-15EX specialized maintenance demands. So my question

02:14for you is how is the Air Force prioritizing bases like Selfridge with near-term military construction

02:20needs to support these flying missions that are imminent? Thank you, Senator. Our target is obviously

02:27as the decisions are made, we want to ensure that as we lay in the platforms, the platforms don't go

02:33there with the supporting infrastructure. So as we look at the timing, that timing may adjust the timing

02:38of the platforms or of the infrastructure, one of the two. So we look at those both holistically on

02:43pairing up the ability so when the platforms get there, you can use them, as well as a prioritization

02:48across the department for the most critical infrastructure that we need to put MILCON against.

02:52So our target is to make sure that when the platforms get there, they're able to be used as soon as

02:57possible. Well, I like the option where we're going to make sure the platforms don't get pushed back

03:01any further. So to make sure that the construction's happening first. So I would hope that would be a priority

03:06of you that we could work with you on that. Obviously, we have these older platforms, the A-10

03:10particularly is leaving. If there's a too large a gap, that causes all sorts of personnel issues and

03:15all of the complications that you're well aware of. So hopefully we can focus on that.

03:20My question is to you as well as to Secretary Mink as well. I've discussed with both of you the

03:26critical importance of collaborative combat aircraft. And as both of you know, CCAs are autonomous

03:32systems, which will work in tandem with our manned fighters, including the F-15EXs, to increase their

03:38lethality and decrease risk to our manned platforms. Also can work with the KC-46s in a great manner as

03:46well. As these programs develop, I remain hopeful that this cutting-edge technology will also be

03:52concurrently fielded with Air National Guard units. So my question to both of you is, given the National

03:58Guard's evolution from Strategic Reserve into a true operational force, how is the Air Force planning

04:04for concurrent fielding of CCAs to include Air National Guard? And would you plan on fielding

04:10these systems with existing fighter squadrons, including F-15EXs? Senator, I'll take a shot at it

04:17and see if the Secretary has anything to add. Well, first, fundamentally, I think what we don't want

04:20to do is fall into the trap of treating them like any other manned platform. This is an opportunity to

04:26think about a unique new way that we're not only going to operate them, but also comes with a unique

04:31new way we may want to sustain them, to house them, to train with them. And so we have an

04:36experimental operations unit that is getting stood up at Creech right now that is really going to

04:39uncover some of that to figure out what is the best way to manage them. How do we train? How much is

04:44done in the synthetic environment? How much is done actual flying since these are autonomous? So as

04:49those unfold, so will our strategy for how and where we actually end up posturing those across.

04:57Mr. Secretary?

04:59That was a good answer.

05:01Very good. And your time has expired.

05:03Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

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