The Lexington Institute’s Loren Thompson believes the Air Force simply “has become so politically correct that nobody can figure out what it’s saying.” Thompson complains about the C-17 snafu, among other things, writing that although USAF only cited a need for two additional airlifters, it was, in fact, “formulating plans to seek dozens more” but left “outsiders” to “read its mind.” Although Thompson maintains that Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley is actually “more articulate than any of his recent predecessors,” he says the Air Force culture is more committed to “secrecy” than it is to gaining support for its mission.
Pentagon Task Force, FAA to Test Counter-Drone Laser
March 7, 2026
The Pentagon’s counter-drone task force announced it would conduct a high-energy laser test with the Federal Aviation Administration less than a month after the use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border prompted the FAA to shut down the airspace over El Paso, Texas.