The Air Force confirmed a news report in which Lt. Gen. Roger Brady, USAF’s top personnel officer, said the planned escalation of US forces in Iraq might entail an increase in the number of airmen who fill in for soldiers and marines on such “outside the wire” jobs as convoy duty and attending to improvised explosive devices. Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne late last year said that USAF would continue its “in lieu of” work for the time being, but it’s not an open-ended commitment. Air Combat Command leader, Gen. Ronald Keys has said that ILO work is costing his command money it doesn’t have to spare.
Billy Mitchell: Lessons a Hundred Years Hence
Dec. 16, 2025
Exactly 100 years ago, on Dec. 17, 1925, Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell was convicted by court-martial for violating an order that required approval before he could engage with the media. Mitchell’s provocative thoughts and unorthodox methods sought attention for a cause that he saw as uniquely American.
