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NOW ACCEPTING PRE-ORDERS FOR AIR FORCE LICENSE PLATE

The Air Force Association Virginia Branch proudly announces its campaign for a U.S. Air Force Specialty License Plate!  This plate will display the modern emblem of the Air Force and be available for all past and present members of the Regular Air Force, Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard or Civil Air Patrol.  Delegate Richard Anderson of Prince William County (retired USAF colonel and lifetime member of the AFA) has agreed to sponsor a bill that will be introduced to the General Assembly in Jan 2011, along with twenty other delegates who have signed on as co-sponsors.

Currently, there are plates for the Army, Marines, and Coast Guard, but not Air Force or Navy.  With this plate, we can increase public awareness of the Air Force and display our camaraderie and pride of service.  AFA Richmond Chapter 243 will administer the campaign by receiving applications and payments, working with Delegate Anderson and his staff, working with the DMV, and providing project updates.

However, we need your support!  The bill won’t go forward to the General Assembly unless we collect 350 paid applications by December 15^th.   See below for questions and answers.  Apply for yours today! 

HOW TO APPLY

q  Complete, print and sign DMV Form VSA10 – License Plate Application found at: http://www.dmv.virginia.gov/webdoc/pdf/vsa10.pdf

o   Check block for “Military” and enter “U.S. Air Force”

o   Complete one form per plate

q  Attach check made payable to “AFA Richmond Chapter 243”

o   $10 for non-personalized plate

o   $20 for personalized plate (new or existing)

q  Attach photocopy of a document showing proof of service

o   Examples:  DD214, Military ID Card, Retiree ID Card, Discharge Certificate

q  Attach 3x5 card with your email address so we can send you updates

q  Mail completed form and attachments to:

AFA Richmond Chapter 243

P.O. Box 2195

Mechanicsville, VA  23116

Attn:  License Plate Application

NOTE: Click on the above underlined link to get a printable copy of the form

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ’S)

Who is eligible for this plate?   Anyone who has served or is still serving (or surviving spouse) honorably in the U.S Air Force, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve or Civil Air Patrol will be eligible for to receive this plate.

What is the timeline of activities? 

Dec 15, 2010:  Suspense for raising 350 paid applications

Jan 2011:  Draft bill will be submitted by Del. Anderson to General Assembly

Mar 2011:  General Assembly votes on the bill; if passes, it goes to Governor

Apr 2011:  Governor signs bill into law which will be effective July 1

July 2011:  AFA submits the applications, payments and plate design to DMV, who will then review the entire package, develop the plates and mail them out.

Dec 2011: Anticipated date of mail delivery of the plates

Is the design final?  Although the design complies with the basic requirements of DMV, it will not be submitted to or approved by DMV unless the bill becomes law; therefore, the design is subject to minor change.

If 350 applications are not collected, will I get my money back?  Yes.  Your application check will be deposited into a non-interest bearing bank account.  If the 350 applications are achieved, a single check will be made to DMV to go along with the applications; if not, the applicants will be refunded.

How much will it cost?  $10 for non-personalized or $20 for personalized, per plate requested.  These fees are annual and will be included in your Vehicle Registration Renewal.

Who will be handling the money I send?  The Treasurer of AFA Richmond Chapter 243, Mr. Steven Combs.

May I order more than one Air Force plate?  Yes, you may order them for any or all of your motor vehicles; however, it is not available for motorcycles, trailers, or trucks over 7,501lbs.

I currently have a personalized plate; can I keep my personalization?  Yes, the plate will hold up to six characters (including spaces, dashes, and ampersands).  Simply include your current personalization on the DMV application form.

I don’t currently have a personalized plate, but would like to get one with this new plate; can I do this?  Yes, the plate will hold up to six characters (including spaces, dashes, and ampersands).  Simply include your desired personalization on the DMV application form; but, be sure to check for availability on the DMV website first.  We will not do this for you.

How will I know if the bill passes?  AFA Richmond Chapter 243 will send out regular updates, so it is very important that you include your email address (or mailing address if you don’t use email) with your application.

Who is running this project?  This is an official project of the Virginia Branch of the Air Force Association.  The Richmond Chapter 243 is the OPR, and Dave A. Kolmer, Lt Col, USAFR is the POC.

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!

Defense strategy hampered by budget

 Scott P. Van Cleef

(Van Cleef, of Fincastle, is the national director of the Air Force Association.)

A critical debate is ongoing in Washington, D.C. The outcome will likely determine whether the U.S. retains the world's most capable Air Force or whether we accept something less.

In April, Secretary of Defense Gates announced his 2010 defense budget. While he targeted major procurement program cuts in all the services, the Air Force was particularly hard hit. He terminated several key modernization programs, but two (the F-22 air superiority fighter and a new long-range strike bomber) are keys to our ability to fight and win America's future wars.

These were budget decisions. Our current national security strategy was ignored. Indeed, it is clear that Gates intends to rewrite our strategy to fit the budget. This is absolutely backwards.

Every four years, the Defense Department undertakes a Quadrennial Defense Review. The QDR's purpose is to examine future threats and develop a national security strategy to deal with them. From this review, force structure requirements are derived. Finally, budgets are submitted that will support our requirements. Today, the budget drives everything, including the QDR.

Take the F-22. The "low-risk" F-22 requirement for today's strategy is 381 planes. Earlier this year, the Air Force chief of staff established a "moderate-risk" requirement of 243. The 2010 DOD budget ends production at 187. The commander of Air Combat Command characterized this as "high-risk." Why does the USAF go along with this? The chief of staff said, "More F-22s are unaffordable in the context of other things we must do." In other words, the decision was simply budget-driven.

The requirement remains unchanged. There is no USAF study, rationale or justification other than budget to stop the program at 187. This was true in 2005, when DOD arbitrarily capped the program, and it is true today. This does not even provide attrition reserve aircraft to replace those that, inevitably, will be lost in the future. It is totally inadequate.

Gates argues that the new F-35 fighter program offsets the need for more F-22s, at a more affordable price. The F-35 was designed to complement the F-22, not replace it. While it will be an outstanding fighter for its ground attack mission, it does not have the speed, internal weapons payload or high-altitude capabilities of the F-22 that enable the F-22 to successfully penetrate and defeat modern air defenses.

To characterize the F-22 as a "niche" capability, as Gates does, ignores the fact we've engaged in conventional warfare three times since 1990 and, if the F-22 had been fielded then, it most certainly would have been employed. The F-35 is not in full-scale production and won't be for years. Many of its capabilities have not been proven, and its final price is unknown. The fact is, we need both aircraft, and we need them now in sufficient quantities to win against any adversary.

Long-range strike is another USAF core mission. Our current bomber fleet is old. B-52s average 46 years of age, and neither they nor our B-1s are capable of penetrating modern air defenses. Our 20 advanced, stealthy B-2s operate only at night and on any given day we can generate about seven long-range sorties.

That is the extent of our ability to put deeply buried and hardened targets at risk, the very type of targets North Korea, Iran and others present with their nuclear weapons programs. The new bomber in design to replace the B-52s has been canceled, with no money even to continue development of future bomber technologies. Deterrence is still a vital part of our strategy, but with the termination of the F-22 and cancellation of a new bomber, our future deterrent capability will decline.

A prime responsibility of government is to "provide for the common defense." The 2010 DOD budget sets us on the wrong path. Gates believes future threats will be similar to today's low intensity/counterinsurgency conflicts. That is puzzling given the current unrest in North Korea and Iran. Dealing with them militarily would not be low intensity.

The decisions we make today will impact our Air Force for the next 30 to 40 years. Since we've been universally inept at predicting what our next war will look like, what are the chances we have it right this time?

Congress has an opportunity to get us on track toward a fully capable, modernized and flexible Air Force, capable of handling threats across the spectrum of conflict. This country can afford to fight today's fight and still modernize for tomorrow's. Tell your senators and congressmen to make sure we do just that.

(This article is copied as published in the Roanoke Times- Thursday July 16, 2009)

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