USAF By the Numbers: The Air Force has released its annual compilation of personnel statistics of the force. The data show that, as of Sept. 30, USAF had 349,369 active duty airmen—73,252 officers and 276,117 enlisted members. Women make up 19.6 percent of the force. Some 39 percent of the force is younger than 26 years of age. The service has 142,335 civilian employees, of which 76.3 percent are “white” collar. Read more of the statistics here.
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…

