Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley says that moving combat search and rescue back to Air Combat Command ensures CSAR assets are “directly linked to the Combat Air Forces and the personnel they support.” He maintains ACC will be able to mobilize CSAR faster for a national crisis and share CSAR appropriately for air expeditionary force rotations. Gone is the rationale used two years ago that linked rescue folks with similar functions in Air Force Special Operations Command. (See our 2003 article link above.) AFSOC officials say shedding CSAR will let the command “focus on the continually expanding special operations mission.”
Earlier this spring, the 388th Fighter Wing proved just 12 Airmen can operate an F-35 contingency location, refueling and rearming the fighters at spots across Georgia and South Carolina. The demonstration, part of exercise Agile Flag 23-1, marks yet another proof of concept for the Air Force’s plan to send…