Gen. Paul Hester, commander of Pacific Air Forces, believes North Korea can be persuaded to stop developing nuclear weapons, according to Associated Press news service. Hester told AP that “there are many opportunities to change actions by a country and a regime without the demise of that regime. … Can [Kim Jong Il] change? I suspect that yes, he could change. Whether he would change is yet another question.” Hester spoke with AP during a visit to Harvard University on Oct. 17.
The Air Force’s BACN may be cooked—the service plans to retire its entire E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communications Node fleet in fiscal 2028 and equip aircraft to use satellite communications instead.