Iran’s decision to proceed with the development of its nuclear program has raised concerns across the world about its intentions. In a draft of a new report being prepared by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Anthony Cordesman and Khalid R. Al-Rodhan state that there is no concrete way to characterize Iran’s ability to acquire weapons of mass destruction. Iran has never properly declared its holdings of chemical weapons, and the status of its biological weapons program is unknown, but there have been “strong indications” of an active Iranian interest in acquiring nuclear weapons for decades. The problem really goes beyond Iran. The report states, “The region as a whole is drifting into further proliferation and a nuclear Iran may expand the effort to go beyond the usual suspects.”
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.