According to the latest demographics from the Air Force, the active-duty service comprises 65,722 officers and 263,372 enlisted personnel. There are 13,065 pilots, 4,234 navigators, and 1,262 air battle managers in the rank of lieutenant colonel and below. Women make up 19.58 percent of the active force, including 559 pilots, 229 navigators, and 151 air battle managers. About 60.6 percent of the active force is married.
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
