The new Air Force Chief of Staff has glowing words for 
USAF’s newest airlifter, the C-17: It has proved “its worth in gold” in both the global war on terrorism and humanitarian relief. At Hickam AFB, Hawaii, where he held a recent general officers “call” for Pacific Air Forces, Gen. T. Michael Moseley was equally sanguine about the plan to station C-17s in Hawaii: It’s “going to be money for us.” He says the Hawaiian C-17s will enable US Transportation Command and Air Mobility Command far greater flexibility in the Pacific theater. Hickam is slated to receive eight C-17s from February to September 2006. The active duty 15th Airlift Wing and Air National Guard 154th Wing will jointly operate the aircraft.
The Air Force wants to pump more than $12 billion over the next five years into its new affordable long-range missiles program and recently asked industry to push the flights of some of those munitions beyond 1,200 miles.