In a response to a Stars and Stripes article titled “Foregone Fighter,” Gen. Roger Brady, commander of US Air Forces in Europe, writes that the primary arguments—cost and relevance to today’s fight—against investing in fifth-generation fighters overlooks a paramount question: “What does the Air Force do for the nation?” He acknowledges that USAF is part of the joint team in this regard, but he writes that the “Air Force-unique contribution” delivers “more lethality, precisely where it is needed, faster, over greater distances, and [can] sustain it longer than any other force.” He quotes retired Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey, who says that even in the ground force-dominant current fight “airpower is the glue that holds together the war effort.” Brady reminds us that while no nation yet has produced fighters equal to the F-22 and F-35, “they are developing them and will field them.” (Alternate link to Brady’s response)
A map pinned to the wall in a basement 36 years ago will go on display in November at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. The map, used to identify strategic targets across Iraq in the fall of 1990, was used in the planning of Operation Desert Storm, and…