Other countries have figured out that the combat edge of the Air Force is as much in its training as its equipment; maybe more, Keys asserted. As a result, countries “that are not our allies…are starting to train like us.” His point was that it’s important not to scrimp on the training, he said, but ACC was forced to do just that last year, when it had to cut flying hours due to the run-up in fuel costs. The money was later added to make up the shortfall, but in the meantime, training was deferred, “and we lost combat capability.”
Gas is king in the vast expanse of the Pacific. And as the Pentagon has sought to build up its capability to deter China, the Department of Defense has undergone a major rethink about how to get fuel to the region. At the heart of the effort is the U.S. Transportation…