We asked Army Gen. David Petraeus, commander of US Central Command, whether he had, as we had been told, apologized to Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz for the “joke” Petraeus made about a USAF officer with his pony-tail swinging. He replied: “I did apologize to the CSAF. … Right after it was clear that what was intended in jest was seen by some, understandably, as disparaging. I’ve spent more than six of the last eight years in joint operations with all services, and I think most folks who have worked around me will regard me as a serious team builder. If you look at my remarks at the recent [Air Forces Central Change of Command], you’ll find my true regard for our Air Force.” (Petraeus’ AFCENT remarks)
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. still “believes” in his mantra of “Accelerate Change or Lose”—and indicated the doctrinal changes it produced when he was Air Force Chief of Staff played a role in the service’s recent response to Iran’s aerial assault on Israel, he…