The Air Force has decided to reinvent the long-time Air Staff operational planning cell called Checkmate as an independent strategic studies group. Checkmate has been around since the 1970s and in the 1990s had a brief resurgence with the initial air attack plan for Operation Desert Storm. In an Air Force release, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley said the new group of 15 to 20 military and civilian members will “serve as an incubator—not just for new ideas, but also for future leaders and strategists for the Air Force and Joint community.”
When F-35s, F-22s, and F-15s took to the skies over Savannah, Ga., earlier this month, it marked the first time in 19 years the Air Force had hosted William Tell, its prestigious air-to-air competition. The leaders responsible for organizing the fighter meet don’t think it will take anywhere near that long…