Th
e Air Force has sent A-10 Warthogs back to Afghanistan to augment the F-15Es now serving there as NATO and the coalition ramp up efforts to combat an increasingly strong Taliban revival. The A-10s and their air and ground crews deployed from the 354th Fighter Squadron at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., and, according to a release from the Combined Joint Task Force-82 at Bagram AB, Afghanistan, it’s the second deployment for the squadron since 2006.
Amid a high-profile recruiting crisis, Air Force leaders and experts have increasingly noted the challenging long-term trends the service will face in enticing young Americans to sign up—decreasing eligibility to serve, less propensity to do so, and less familiarity with the military. But while those same leaders say there’s no “silver…