At the final hearing, the Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. John P. Jumper, warned the panel not to meddle with USAF’s recommendations. The package of changes, he said, “represents the last opportunity we will have for a generation to reset our forces.” Governors and state adjutants general have besieged the commission in opposition to USAF plans to close or realign ANG facilities. A chief complaint has been that the Air Force did not consult the states, leading the commission to obtain a ruling from Justice, which sided with DOD.
The Air Force is placing Air Combat Command in charge of teaching combat tactics to fighter and remotely-piloted aircraft units, according to a May 12 announcement. Beginning this summer, the service will reassign the formal training units for the F-35, F-16, and MQ-9 from Air Education and Training Command to…