USAF’s intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance boss, Lt. Gen. David Deptula, said Friday at a Washington seminar that he understands why an Army division commander would want to keep the benefits of some high-flying unmanned aerial vehicles all to himself, but he said that approach helps ensure that such assets will always be in short supply. (Some military officials believe some UAVs should be viewed as extensions of the ground force.) Making a ground force division the owner of its own higher flying UAVs is like having five fire trucks and assigning each to protect one block. “That way, you only cover five blocks,” he said. The Air Force’s executive agent plan, he argued, is more like “letting the mayor decide” where the five fire engines are most needed so that the whole city gets covered.
The last remaining T-1 Jayhawk at JBSA-Randolph, Texas, took its final flight to the "Boneyard" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., on July 15. The 99th Flying Training Squadron will train pilots using T-6 and simulator until it gets T-7 Red Hawk in fiscal 2026.