Lt. Gen. David Deptula, who is retiring as the Air Force’s first intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance boss, was not a “rogue voice,” says Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz. Speaking at Deptula’s retirement dinner last Friday at Bolling AFB, Washington, D.C., Schwartz said Deptula did not freelance his frequent, logical, and articulate comments about the value of airpower, often to the chagrin of the other services. “Everything that Dave did or said, he was asked to do” by USAF’s senior leadership, said Schwartz, praising Deptula as a loyal officer and a singular visionary. Deptula is credited with devising the winning air campaigns in both Gulf Wars, for being USAF’s point man in various Defense Department reviews, and for pulling together the service’s previously disparate ISR enterprise. “Someone like Dave Deptula only comes along every 10 years or so, or maybe only once in a career,” said Schwartz. He added, “There is no one else like him, and we cannot replace him.”
Competitors Not Picked for CCA Look Forward to Increment 2
April 25, 2024
While none of the major aircraft contractors were selected to develop the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, all three say they are seeking further autonomous aircraft work for the Navy, foreign partners, or in the classified arena, and maybe future versions of the CCA itself.