The Strategic Airlift Medical Advantage

March 16, 2006

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

According to Air Force Secretary Wynne, wounded troops have a much better chance of surviving thanks to the C-17. Speaking on Capitol Hill Wednesday, Wynne said that in Vietnam, injured troops had a 75 percent chance of survival, while, today in Iraq, the rate is up to 91 percent. He upped that survival rate to 93.5 percent if the troops make it to Balad AB, Iraq. Wynne said that the C-17 strategic airlifter—by operating near the front lines—is “allowing [the higher rate] to happen.”

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

Trending Stories

F-47 Still ‘Doing Exceptionally Well,’ on Track for 2028 Flight

Equal Benefits for Equal Work: New Policy, Pending Bill, Aim to Close Gaps for Reservists

Life or Death Over Yemen: How 2 F-16 Pilots Survived a Houthi SAMbush

Space Force Pauses Vulcan Missions amid Anomaly Investigation

Related

Space Force’s Top Guardians Share Their Stories

Feb. 27, 2026
Winners of the Space Force’s fourth annual, service-wide Polaris Awards had the chance to discuss the actions that led to their awards from the main stage here at AFA’s Warfare Symposium on Feb. 24, in a panel discussion moderated by Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force John Bentivegna.

Orbital Warfare Unit Gets Live Satellite to Practice Maneuvers

Feb. 26, 2026
Guardians in the Space Force’s orbital warfare unit, Mission Delta 9, just got a significant upgrade to their training capabilities in the form of a live satellite, which they’ll use to practice precise, advanced offensive and defensive maneuvers for space warfighting.

F-47 Still ‘Doing Exceptionally Well,’ on Track for 2028 Flight

Feb. 25, 2026
The advanced F-47 sixth-generation fighter remains on track to fly in the next two years, the senior Air Force acquisition officer overseeing the program said Feb. 25, as the service continues on its ambitious schedule to debut the air superiority-focused fighter by 2028—only three years after the contract was awarded…

CMSAF Wolfe’s Formula for Building a Winning Team

Feb. 25, 2026
Against a backdrop of a video replay of the U.S. men's hockey team’s stunning overtime victory to win the gold medal at the Olympics, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force David R. Wolfe presented his leadership ideals at AFA's 2026 Warfare Symposium on Feb. 25.

Coming Soon: Experimental CCA Ops, Flights with F-22s

Feb. 25, 2026
The Air Force plans to put Collaborative Combat Aircraft in the hands of Airmen to experiment with the semi-autonomous drones this summer, Gen. Dale R. White said Feb. 25 at AFA’s Warfare Symposium.