Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Monday, Mar 20, 2023

The US Air Force is stripping most of the identifying information off of its biggest planes

The US Air Force is stripping most of the identifying information off of its biggest planes

Air Mobility Command has directed its refueling and cargo planes to obscure the majority of identifying information painted on the aircraft, citing national security concerns — an unusual move that is alarming to government watchdogs.

James Stewart, a spokesman for Air Mobility Command, told Military.com in an emailed statement that airmen's missions take them around the globe and often involve sensitive movements of cargo — the main reason behind the change.

"Understandably, we have concerns about the operational security impacts to these missions in the modern era of on-demand, real-time information," Stewart said. "Subdued paint schemes that limit identifiable information is one way we are taking a hard look at how we operate to ensure our ability to continue to deliver for America and our allies and partners around the world."

Air Mobility Command did not disclose other details in its statement, such as how many markings would be hidden on its planes and which ones it will apply to.

"Because of operational security concerns, we cannot provide specifics, though our aircraft will maintain markings as required by law," Stewart said in the provided statement.

A KC-46A aerial trank refuels a C-17.


The change in the paint schemes, first reported by Aviation Week, comes a little more than a month after Air Mobility commander Gen. Mike Minihan sent a memo to his service members telling them to prepare for a war with China and warning them that it could be coming as soon as 2025.

But despite AMC's stated justification of national security concerns, the new move to obscure some identifying info on planes is both alarming and puzzling to government watchdogs and transparency advocates.

Jason Paladino, an investigator for the nonprofit Project On Government Oversight, told Military.com in an interview Wednesday that, while it may be seemingly minor, the move is making information less available to the public for a seemingly unclear and unjustified reason.

"This is a data point that was previously available to the public that this command, it seems, is deciding for operational security reasons that it won't get into, that the public doesn't have a right to know, which I do think is concerning," Paladino said.

Air Mobility Command's aircraft — such as C-17 Globemaster IIIs, KC-135 Stratotankers and C-130 Hercules — are clearly identifiable as Air Force planes without the markings and, without a clear justification provided by officials for the change, Paladino said it's puzzling why they'd resort to tail markings and scrubbing unit numbers.

"At the end of the day, it's still very clearly an Air Force plane unless you're going to start painting them white or something," Paladino said. "My guess is, an experienced observer of military aircraft movements, this isn't gonna prevent them from [tracking]. It might make it a little difficult. But most of the people who really track this stuff aren't out there with cameras by the runways anymore."

A US Air Force C-130 with most of its markings removed at Rafael Hernández International Airport in Puerto Rico on February 25.


Some of these new subdued paint schemes are already on display. A February 2 Department of Defense photo from 92nd Air Refueling Wing of a KC-135 Stratotanker showed none of the typical tail and unit markings on the aircraft. A Feb. 23 photo from the 23rd Wing Public Affairs showed a C-130 with few markings other than the American flag.

The Project on Government Oversight has detailed numerous ways in which the Department of Defense has slowly obscured information to the public in recent years, ranging from less clarity on overseas airstrikes to troop deployments abroad.

Jodi Vittori, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and a professor at Georgetown University who specializes in government transparency, told Military.com in an interview Wednesday that this decrease in transparency from the Pentagon as a whole is alarming.

"The good governance community has seen transparency from the Department of Defense shrink over the years," Vittori told Military.com. "We're getting less and less information, not more, lately, and that's been a troubling and difficult issue for civil society organizations to be able to monitor their own military."

Minihan's memo, which was leaked in late January, highlights the mentality and war footing on which he's placed Air Mobility Command, which has historically been used as a support organization for combat operations.

But the four-star general explained in the memo he wants his airmen to have "the full understanding that unrepentant lethality matters most."

Air Mobility Command played a major role in the Afghanistan evacuation in 2021 and continues to help deliver weapons and aid to Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
Close
0:00
0:00
Goldman Sachs cuts outlook for European bank debt over Credit Suisse crisis
Paris Rioting vs Macron anti democratic law
Credit Suisse to borrow $54 billion from Swiss central bank
Russian Hackers Preparing New Cyber Assault Against Ukraine
"Will Fly Wherever International Law Allows": US Warns Russia After Drone Incident
If this was in Tehran, Moscow or Hong Kong
Announcing GPT-4
TRUMP: "Standing before you today, I am the only candidate who can make this promise: I will prevent World War III."
China is calling out the US, UK, and Australia on their submarine pact, claiming they are going further down a dangerous road
A brief banking situation report
We are witnessing widespread bank fails and the president just gave a 5 min speech then walked off camera.
Donald Trump's asked by Tucker Carlson question on if the U.S. should support regime change in Russia?.
Good news: The U.S. government is now guaranteeing all deposits, held by, Silicon Valley Bank, and the funds are available as of today
Silicon Valley Bank exec was Lehman Brothers CFO
Saudi Arabia has announced a major breakthrough in diplomacy with Iran after two years of intense talks
A Mississippian man, who was once considered a “ticking time bomb,” has lost a whopping 165 kilograms! What motivated this incredible transformation?
Elon Musk Is Planning To Build A Town In Texas For His Employees
The Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse effect is spreading around the world, affecting startup companies across the globe
Market Chaos as USDC Loses Peg to USD after $3.3 Billion Reserves Held by Silicon Valley Bank Closed.
Barcelona is feeling the heat as they face corruption charges over payments to former vice-president of Spain's referees' committee, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira
Banking regulators close SVB, the largest bank failure since the financial crisis
Watch: “They are wounded but unbowed, unbreakable.”
Silicon Valley Bank: Struggles Threaten Tech Startup Ecosystem"
The unelected UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, an immigrant himself, defends new controversial crackdown on illegal migration
Old clip of Bill Gates saying Ukraine is a big, fat, corrupt sinkhole is going viral
Saudi Arabia To Introduce Yoga In Universities
Middle East real estate market to see strong growth in 2023, predicts CBRE.
In a major snub to Downing Street's Silicon Valley dreams, UK chip giant Arm has dealt a serious blow to the government's economic strategy by opting for a US listing
Saudi Aramco, the energy giant, has acquired Valvoline Inc., a US-based oil company, for $2.65 billion
How do stolen goods end up on Amazon, eBay and Facebook Marketplace?
It's the question on everyone's lips: could a four-day workweek be the future of employment?
Is Gold the Ultimate Safe Haven Asset in Times of Uncertainty?
Spain officials quit over trains that were too wide for tunnels...
Hello. Here is our news digest from London.
Corruption and Influence Buying Uncovered in International Mainstream Media: Investigation Reveals Growing Disinformation Mercenaries
When it comes to Tesla vs Lamborghini, an empty vessel makes more noise
European MP Clare Daly condemns US attack on Nord Stream
Former U.S. President Carter will spend his remaining time at home and receive hospice care instead of medication
North Korea test-fires an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan west of Hokkaido
Tucker Carlson called Trump a 'demonic force'
US bombed Nord Stream gas pipelines, claims investigative journalist Seymour Hersh
Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani bid in for 100% of Manchester United
US Joins 15 NATO Nations in Largest Space Data Collection Initiative in History
White House: No ETs over the United States
Saray Street in Hatay-Antakya before and after the earthquake
U.S. Jet Shoots Down Flying Object Over Canada
Nord Stream terror attack: David Sacks breaks down Sy Hersh's story
Being a Tiktoker might be expensive…
Miracle: El Salvador Search and Rescue teams, with the support of Turkish teams, rescued a woman and a child from the rubble 150 hours after the earthquake
SpaceX, the private space exploration company, made a significant breakthrough in their mission to reach space.
×