T
he Air Force and the Navy have added attack air assets to support increased operations in Iraq since President Bush announced there would be a ground force surge. Charles Hanley of Associated Press reports (via USA Today) that the Air Force has added squadrons of fighters to its in country force and returned the B-1B bomber to action over Iraq. Data provided by US Central Command Air Forces shows that the number of attack sorties in Iraq for the first five months of this year was ahead of last year’s, but more striking was the dramatic increase in the number of munitions dropped—more than three times as many in the first five months of 2007 compared to previous years.
The six-week government shutdown did not affect the hours flown by Air Force pilots, a service spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine—avoiding what could have been a major blow at a time when flying hours are already lower than they have been in decades.
