Lt. Gen. Gary North, head of US Central Command Air Forces, uses comparisons that make the enormousness of the airpower role in operations in Southwest Asia easier to grasp. For instance, he compares the effort by theater airlift forces so far this year to moving “the equivalent of the city of Baltimore.” Or, he told Pentagon reporters Friday that if they placed the amount of cargo airlifted in theater in 18-wheel trucks, the trucks would stretch—end to end—from Washington to New York City.
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
