Weinberger Dies at 88: Caspar W. Weinberger, Defense Secretary during the Reagan Administration, died March 28, at a medical center in Bangor, Maine, from pneumonia. He was 88. Weinberger, who spearheaded the largest peacetime buildup of the US military, including overseeing President Reagan’s “Star Wars” missile defense program, also developed what came to be known as the Weinberger Doctrine—a list of six major tests that should govern whether the US sends its military forces into battle. Speaking at the Air Force Association national convention in 1999, Weinberger said that there should be “a great deal more” to a decision to commit troops to action “than whether it serves some temporary diplomatic cause … [or] political situation at the time.” (Read more in “The Use of Force” and “About the ‘Powell Doctrine” from 1999.)

How Quickly We Forget: Policy wonks at Congressional Research Service in a March 16 report to Congress offer an overview of current tactical aviation plans and analysis—more of a point-counterpoint recitation of views—about “key issues.” The issues, per CRS, include one called “service roles and missions,” which concludes with this point: The war in Afghanistan in 2001 “highlighted the importance of carrier-based aviation.” We disagree, considering that 70 percent of the ordnance dropped came from USAF bombers. And, carrier-based fighters were no less dependent on aerial refueling than were USAF fighters when it came to fighting over land-locked Afghanistan. (Read our July 2002 article “In Defense of Fighters.”)