If Congress grants the Air Force’s request to retire 17 C-5A transports in Fiscal 2011, Air Force Reserve Command’s 445th Airlift Wing at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, would be one of the units to shed its C-5s and transition to new C-17 airlifters, AFRC has announced. The command said the Air Force leadership approved this move on March 12. Under the plan, the 445th AW would retire five of its 10 C-5As in Fiscal 2011 and then the remaining five in Fiscal 2012. It would receive four C-17s in Fiscal 2011 and then another four in Fiscal 2012 to complete the changeover. The Air Force is hoping that Congress will rescind its prohibition on retiring any C-5As so that it may get rid of excess strategic airlift capacity that drains funds from other USAF priorities. One Air National Guard unit would also switch to C-17s. (AFRC release)
Billy Mitchell: Lessons a Hundred Years Hence
Dec. 16, 2025
Exactly 100 years ago, on Dec. 17, 1925, Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell was convicted by court-martial for violating an order that required approval before he could engage with the media. Mitchell’s provocative thoughts and unorthodox methods sought attention for a cause that he saw as uniquely American.
