New leader takes over at F-35 program office

WASHINGTON — Lt. Gen. Michael Schmidt was sworn in as the new program executive officer for the F-35 Joint Program Office on Tuesday.

Schmidt, who was previously PEO for command, control, communication, intelligence and networks at Hansom Air Force Base in Massachusetts, succeeded Lt. Gen. Eric Fick, who is retiring. Schmidt, who on Monday tested positive for COVID-19, teleconferenced into the ceremony at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C.

Schmidt is now responsible for steering one of the most complex and vital programs in the Defense Department, the fifth-generation fighter flown by the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, as well as multiple international partners.

Schmidt said he is “honored and excited to … lead the biggest and best program in the entire world,” and is looking forward to continuing to develop the F-35. He also thanked Fick for his work leading the program.

Pentagon acquisition chief Bill LaPlante said that with the U.S. facing complex security environments, the F-35 is a necessity more than ever, noting progress on the fighter would not have been possible without Fick.

“It’s the PEO’s job to keep the F-35 and our warfighters ahead of the curve,” LaPlante said. “It’s a difficult job. It’s a combination of building the Hoover Dam that flies, and managing the United Nations … oh, and by the way, with contractors too.”

More than 800 F-35s in all have been delivered, LaPlante said, and the program is providing unmatched capabilities to partners around the world.

“Fourth-gen [fighter] meets a fifth-gen; the fourth-gen dies,” LaPlante said, paraphrasing former Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh. “It’s that simple. It’s an incredible airplane.”

Fick, who served as the F-35 PEO for three years, said the program has “battled through a very daunting challenge” with a serious shortage of the fighter’s F135 power modules. But, he added, the program is now seeing “the light at the end of the tunnel,” and got there faster than expected by working together with government and industry partners, such as the Air Force Sustainment Center and F135 enginer-maker Pratt & Whitney.

The F-35 program still needs to improve depot capacity to maintain this progress, he added.

The program performed well during the coronavirus pandemic and other challenges in recent years, Fick said, and it will have to be ready to tackle unexpected challenges that are still to come.

Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.

华盛顿——周二，迈克尔·施密特中将宣誓就任F-35联合项目办公室新任项目执行官。

施密特此前担任马萨诸塞州汉森空军基地指挥、控制、通信、情报和网络项目执行官，接替即将退休的埃里克·菲克中将。施密特周一新冠病毒检测呈阳性，但他通过远程视频会议参加了在华盛顿特区阿纳科斯蒂亚-博林联合基地举行的就职典礼。

施密特现在负责指导国防部最复杂、最重要的项目之一，即美国空军、海军和海军陆战队以及多个国际合作伙伴正在使用的第五代战斗机。

施密特表示，他“很荣幸也很激动能够领导全世界规模最大、最优秀的F-35项目”，并期待继续推进F-35的研发工作。他还感谢菲克领导该项目所做出的贡献。

五角大楼采购主管比尔·拉普兰特表示，鉴于美国面临复杂的安全环境，F-35 比以往任何时候都更加必要，并指出如果没有菲克，这款战斗机的研发进展是不可能的。

“项目执行办公室的职责是确保F-35战机和我们的作战人员始终保持领先地位，”拉普兰特说。“这是一项艰巨的任务。它既要建造一座可以飞行的胡佛水坝，又要管理联合国……哦，对了，还要和承包商打交道。”

拉普兰特表示，目前已交付超过 800 架 F-35 战斗机，该项目正在为世界各地的合作伙伴提供无与伦比的能力。

“第四代战斗机遇到第五代战斗机，第四代战斗机就报废了，”拉普兰特引用前空军参谋长马克·韦尔什将军的话说。“就这么简单。这是一款非常棒的飞机。”

曾担任F-35项目执行官三年的菲克表示，该项目“克服了极其严峻的挑战”，即战斗机F135动力模块严重短缺。但他补充说，该项目现在“看到了曙光”，并且由于与政府和行业伙伴（例如空军保障中心和F135发动机制造商普惠公司）的通力合作，进展速度比预期更快。

他补充说，F-35项目仍需提高维修能力以保持这一进展。

菲克表示，该项目在新冠疫情和近年来的其他挑战中表现良好，但它必须做好准备，应对未来可能出现的意想不到的挑战。

斯蒂芬·洛西是《防务新闻》的空战记者。他此前曾在《空军时报》报道领导层和人事问题，并在Military.com网站报道五角大楼、特种作战和空战。他曾前往中东报道美国空军的行动。