On Tuesday, 18th Air Force, Air Mobility Command’s sole numbered air force, celebrates its 10th anniversary. Born from the consolidation of AMC’s 15th AF and 21st AF, the command activated 18th AF on Oct. 1, 2003, at Scott AFB, Ill., after 45 years of dormancy. “A decade after our rebirth, our 18th Air Force is not merely the largest numbered air force, but also the most experienced, battle-tested airmen our country has ever known,” wrote Lt. Gen. Darren McDew, 18th AF commander, in a letter to the NAF’s airmen marking the anniversary. “From humanitarian response in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy and the Haiti and Japan earthquakes, to support of coalition and allied efforts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Mali, 18th Air Force airmen are always ready to answer the call as America’s first responders,” he stated. The NAF oversees some 39,000 Active Duty airmen and more than 1,300 Total Force airlifters and tankers. (See also Scott report by Maj. Michael Meridith)
While the Pentagon is halfway through its review of the Air Force’s new Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program in the wake of “critical” cost and schedule overruns, the service has declared a similar issue for the helicopters meant to provide security and transport across those ICBM fields. The Air Force recently…