Their E-3 AWACS aircraft sent to Kadena AB, Okinawa, Japan, for maintenance, the USAF command and control mission specialists deployed for Cope India 2006 sat down with their Indian Air Force counterparts at the IAF’s Salua Air Station ground radar system to control USAF fighter forces. It was a humbling experience—the typical ground station lacks the sophistication of the USAF E-3. Still, officials say, it got the airmen right into the heart of the exercise, building a working relationship. No word yet on the outcome of this year’s aerial engagement.
Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach said the service must improve its readiness in his first public remarks as Air Force Chief of Staff, made during a ceremony marking his ascension to the service’s top job Nov. 18.
