Safety remains at the forefront of reintegrating F-15s into the daily operations defending North American airspace, says Maj. Gen. Hank Morrow, head of 1st Air Force and the Continental US NORAD Region. “The critical step,” he says, will be “the initial cadre” of F-15 pilots who regain their landing currency and will then manage the “re-currency” for the rest of their units. “Landing currency will get us back in the air, but restoring the other demanding currencies requires particular attention, judgment, and hands-on risk management,” he says. “Oversight and certification of this program as it relates to [Air National Guard] units remains with the wing’s leadership and instructor pilots.”
It is critical that the Air Force move forward on the replacement for its E-4B “Doomsday” aircraft to keep the capability “viable” into the next decade and beyond, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. told lawmakers May 8.