The Deputy Commander of US Special Operations Command told lawmakers this week that he wants to have more information on the Air Force plan for unmanned aerial vehicles before passing judgment. Testifying at an April 24 Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Vice Adm. Eric Olson acknowledged that there are “many unmanned aerial vehicles flying in the air space [in Southwest Asia] in a fashion that could be coordinated better,” and added, “Whether or not the Air Force solution is the right solution, we don’t have enough detail yet on how it would actually be executed in the theater to determine whether or not it’s the ideal solution.” Olson concluded: “We know it could be done better, and we look forward to working with the Air Force … about how precisely they would intend to execute those responsibilities.” All seems reasonable until Olson caps his statement with this absurdity: “We consider that [UAV] capability an extension of the ground force, not an extension of the Air Force.”
Gas is king in the vast expanse of the Pacific. And as the Pentagon has sought to build up its capability to deter China, the Department of Defense has undergone a major rethink about how to get fuel to the region. At the heart of the effort is the U.S. Transportation…