Predator: Reserve Command manning up in unmanned aerial vehicle program

Citizen Airman, June, 2004 by Bo Joyner

Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field, Nev., is the home of the RQ/MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle program and the site for a groundbreaking integration of active duty, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard forces.

While the Predator has made national headlines over the past couple of years for the vital role it has played in the global war on terrorism, Air Force planners at the Pentagon, Indian Springs and nearby Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas have been working behind the scenes to create a Predator community that seamlessly combines active-duty Airmen, Reservists and Guardsmen.

Lt. Col. John Breeden has been the point man for Reserve integration into the Predator program for the past 2 1/2 years. A seasoned A-10 pilot, he was working in the Air Force Combat Support Office at the Pentagon when he was tasked to report to Nellis and help in the effort to arm Predator UAVs with Hellfire missiles soon after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Not long after that, Colonel Breeden signed up to attend Predator pilot training and became the first Reservist to fly the remotely piloted vehicle. He has flown numerous Predator combat missions over Iraq and Afghanistan and currently serves as both the deputy commander for Predator for the 57th Operations Group and commander of Detachment 3 of the 307th Fighter Squadron. Until March, he also wore a third hat as chief of Predator support for the Combat Support Office at the Pentagon.

The 57th owns all three Predator squadrons in the Air Force: the 11th Reconnaissance Squadron, which trains Predator pilots and sensor operators, and the operational 15th and 17th Predator Squadrons, which are supporting the global war on terrorism. Det. 3 stood up in February and is home to Reservists assigned to the Predator program as well as a handful of Reservists working in other programs at Nellis.

"What we are doing with Predator is totally unique," Colonel Breeden said. "We are taking air reserve component integration with an active-duty unit to a new level."

He said the vision for the future is to create a Predator community where it is impossible to tell Reservists and Guardsmen from their active-duty co-workers and where members of the Reserve component compete for leadership positions at all levels.

"The goal is to put the right people in the right job, regardless of whether they are active duty, Reserve or National Guard."

Colonel Breeden said the push for ARC integration within the Predator program is being directed by leaders of not only Air Force Reserve Command and the National Guard Bureau, but by top active-duty Air Force leaders as well.

"I think that's what makes our situation here a little different," he said. "All three sides are committed to making this happen." Lt. Col. Jeff Eggers, the second Reservist to complete Predator pilot training and current chief of Predator support for the Combat Support Office, agreed.

"Some folks in the active duty have a little bit of a cautious attitude when it comes to the Reserve," he said. "They wonder if they are going to get full work out of the Reserve or if dealing with Reservists is going to be more trouble than it's worth. I haven't seen that here. General Wood (Maj. Gen. Stephen G. Wood, commander of the Air Warfare Center at Nellis) said he is going to treat Reservists on par with the active-duty personnel throughout his organization, and he's done that. He is committed to ARC integration in the Predator program."

Currently, the Reserve's presence within the Predator program is not that large. In addition to Colonels Breeden and Eggers, there are two other officers: Lt. Col. John Bullock and Maj. Dave Corra, who were scheduled to complete Predator pilot training in May. One enlisted Reservist, Master Sgt. John Owens, completed the sensor operator course in February, and another NCO, Master Sgt. Theresa Kennedy, helps Colonel Breeden handle Def. 3 business. Colonel Breeden said five more Reserve pilot and sensor operator positions are funded, and he is in the process of finding people to fill these slots and undergo the required training.

"In the near future, things are really going to take off," be said. "Right now, we have 21 people assigned to Det. 3. By 2006, we are looking at having between 80 and 100. Some will be AGRs (people serving on an active Guard and Reserve tour), some will be traditional Reservists, and some might even be air reserve technicians," he said.

Colonel Breeden said the Predator program is a perfect fit for the Reserve.

"We're hoping to capture pilots and sensor operators as they get off active duty and bring them into the Reserve to fly the Predator," he said. "In 2002, we lost 33 sensor operators who left active duty. If we can keep even three or four of those flying part time, it would help cut down our ops tempo. For people who still want to serve their country and live in the Las Vegas area, the Predator program is a natural fit."

Major Corra was on active duty for 11 years, flying F-16s and T-38s. He left military service completely for about three years and took a job flying with the airlines. He was living in nearby Henderson, Nev., when he heard there might be an opening to fly the Predator as a Reservist.