That's the view of Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.), co-chair of the House Air Force Caucus, after spending time with members of the Combined Air Power Transition Force, including its commanding general, Brig. Gen. Michael Boera, during Stearns' visit to Afghanistan in late December. The CAPTF is charged with training the Afghan National Army Air Corps to be an independent and capable fighting force. While CAPTF doesn’t get the same public attention as other aspects of the US mission, it "deserves to be commended," said Stearns Jan. 26 on the House floor. Already, with CAPTF assistance, the ANAAC has 46 aircraft and nearly 3,000 personnel as it grows towards a force of 150 aircraft and more than 8,000 personnel in 2016, he said. "It's important to note," Stearns added, that "Afghan airmen are in the fight now even as we help them build capacity and capability." (Stearns speech)

The 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale AFB, Calif. on Wednesday dispatched one of its U-2 reconnaissance aircraft to Robins AFB, Ga., to support the humanitarian-assistance mission in Haiti. Operating temporarily from Robins, the high-flying aircraft will take high-quality, broad-area overhead...

Boeing announced Thursday that the inaugural test flight of the first B-52H bomber with upgraded communications gear took place earlier this month at Edwards AFB, Calif. During the three-hour-plus flight on Jan. 17, the aircrew engaged the new combat network...

Air Force officials are poised to complete an internal analysis of the strategy under consideration to refurbish the Mk 21 fuzes used in the Minuteman III ICBM warheads, Brig. Gen. Everett Thomas, who oversees USAF’s nuclear sustainment, told lawmakers last...

The Missile Defense Agency plans to conduct a major test of the ground-based midcourse defense element of the US ballistic missile defense system on Jan. 31, according to US defense officials. The test will involve the attempted intercept of a...

Officials at Lackland AFB, Tex., and other military installations in the San Antonio area have launched a series of events together with local organizations to celebrate the upcoming 100th anniversary of military flight in Texas. Military aviation had its genesis...

Two Canadian air force student pilots made history late last year, when they became the first two Canadians to train in the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program with the 80th Flying Training Wing at Sheppard AFB, Tex. While Sheppard...

Air Sorties in Southwest Asia, Jan. 25, 2010 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total YTD ISR 28 31 59 1,447 CAS/Armed Recon 14 65 79 2,307 Airlift 161 161 3,932 Air refueling 36 36 1,073 Total 335 8,759 OIF=Operation Iraqi...