The Key to Afghan Pullout

Short-term priorities established by new U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to withdraw combat forces from Afghanistan and eliminate remnants of al-Qaida will heavily depend on making investments in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR).

Such capabilities also will be critical to a longer-term goal of modernizing U.S. forces to deter aggression globally, particularly in the western Pacific, Central Asia and the Middle East, where major regional threats are likely to arise.

Withdrawing forces safely and finding al-Qaida leaders begins with high-resolution, wide-area sensors continuously watching large swaths of countries from standoff distances. The only proven airborne sensor capable of performing these missions is the E-8 Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) aircraft, and finding the resources to upgrade these capabilities should be an Air Force priority.

JSTARS has proved its worth in Iraq in the two wars there, in Afghanistan currently, in South Korea during the saber rattling by North Korea in 2009, and in Libya during the initial actions taken to prevent a massacre.

JSTARS alone has the capacity and flexibility to provide real-time ISR and battle management in a full spectrum of scenarios, ranging from precombat crisis management to full regional warfare. When a crisis erupts anywhere, the combatant commander first calls for JSTARS.

So, as Panetta and his military leaders build plans to achieve these objectives for both the short and long term, JSTARS should be the centerpiece of the ISR systems. Small, unmanned aircraft detect activity over small areas in good weather. JSTARS detects stationary and moving targets, even small ones, over extremely wide areas and during all weather conditions.

JSTARScan replace boots on the ground with its proactive, wide-area surveillance to detect trouble and enable safe withdrawal.

U.S. overseas combatant commanders frequently extol the unique value of JSTARS. Army Gen. Carter Ham, commander of U.S. Africa Command, which is responsible for operations in Libya, said JSTARS was integral to the success of early operations there. Commanders of U.S. Central Command have repeatedly referred to the unique capabilities of JSTARS and its vital contributions to the surveillance mission in Afghanistan.

The commander of U.S. Pacific Command requested JSTARS immediately when tensions rose in 2009 on the Korean Peninsula.

Yet despite these ringing endorsements, the Air Force has greatly undervalued JSTARS. It has long recognized the need to install modern engines on JSTARS, which are converted four-engine Boeing 707 airliners, to greatly reduce operating costs and increase capability. It is conducting a highly successful flight test program with new jet engines on the JSTARS test aircraft.

But now the service refuses to proceed with retrofit of the fleet, even though Congress previously appropriated the dollars to install the new engines on the first two production aircraft.

Instead, the Air Force is conducting an analysis of alternatives, due this fall, looking at new aircraft to perform the mission in the future.

Panetta also has strongly endorsed President Barack Obama's directive to find at least $400 billion in savings over 12 years while retaining the capabilities to deal with current and future threats. This is particularly difficult for the Air Force because it must find savings while funding three new high-priority programs: the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the KC-46A tanker and a new penetrating bomber.

Another new program to replace JSTARS would be impossible to fund. Therefore, the Air Force must exercise extreme cost discipline in building its ISR road map. That means finding prudent upgrades to existing systems that already perform the missions well, such as JSTARS, rather than costly development programs for replacement systems that require enormous sums in the near term. The JSTARS modernization program fits this formula well.

Moreover, the cost of sustaining the current Air Force force structure is increasing and eating into its investment budget for replacements. Re-engining and replacing older, inefficient parts with lower-cost, modern commercial parts greatly reduces the cost of ownership for JSTARS.

Upgrading JSTARS is a win-win solution. It lowers the development cost to perform the mission and reduces operating and support costs during its life cycle.

Panetta and the Joint Chiefs of Staff have formidable challenges ahead in developing strategies and forces to withdraw from Afghanistan, eliminate al-Qaida and deter future major conflicts globally. Pressures to reduce defense spending will make them more difficult. A modernized JSTARS as the centerpiece of the ISR mission is the right way to start.

Retired Gen. Michael Loh, a former U.S. Air Force vice chief of staff and former commander of Air Combat Command. He consults for several defense companies, including Northrop Grumman.