T
he Air Force last week reprised—after a fashion—a 1938 event that reshaped airpower. Three B-52 bombers on Aug. 24 flew approximately 1,600 miles to intercept a ship—the US Navy’s 2nd Lt. John P. Bobo, a maritime prepositioning ship, much like the 1938 flight of a B-17 that intercepted the Rex, an Italian steamship. The present-day mission was designed with the same purpose in mind—to showcase the versatility and strike capabilities of the Air Force over any terrain. (Read more in this first-hand account by Air Force Magazine’s Adam Hebert.)
Three of four congressional committees with influence over defense policy have voted to change the official name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War—but final approval of the Pentagon rebrand is months away and not yet assured.