Inside the Air & Space Forces Association (AFA) headquarters in Arlington, Va., two striking walls line the main corridor that draw visitors into a vivid journey through the history of American airpower and spacepower. Known as the Heritage Hall, this...
History
Leader—Warrior—Scholar. Jimmy Doolittle is perhaps the most recognizable aviator in American history. He was famous throughout the interwar period for his daredevil stunts and racing plane exploits. Soon after Pearl Harbor he flew the legendary raid on Tokyo, leading a...
How a rogue planning cell engineered the most decisive air war in modern history.
Readiness and sustainment are the clear priorities for Air Combat Command boss Gen. Adrian “Elmo” Spain, but the career fighter pilot has three other focuses too: Adapting to the strategic environment, modernizing for the future, and empowering leaders at the operational level. “If we [have to] go fight,...
Lt. Col. Richard “Gene” Smith, who overcame five and a half years as a prisoner of war in the notorious Hanoi Hilton from 1967 until 1973, died Jan. 16. He was one day short of his 91st birthday.
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 ...
America’s Air Force today is smaller and older than it was in my day, but what worries me more than size or age is just how ready we are to fly, fight, and win in a future war. I graduated...
We love letters! Write to us at letters@afa.org. To be published, letters should be timely, relevant and concise. Include your name and location. Letters may be edited for space and the editors have final say on which are published. Blending...
Early Influencer. Ed Lansdale was one unusual Airman. Not a flyer, he joined the Army in World War II and became an intelligence officer. He worked for the storied OSS—Office of Strategic Services—and, essentially, became a spy. In 1947, Lansdale...