Odierno Supports USAF Decision to Cut RPA CAPS

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno acknowledged the Air Force had “no choice” but to reduce the number of remotely piloted aircraft combat air patrols in order to normalize its training pipeline, saying the decision shows how sequestration-related cuts...

Odierno “Pleased” with Joint CAS Conversation

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno told reporters Thursday he is “pleased with the conversation” the Army and Air Force are having on the evolution of the close air support mission. The March “CAS summit” has moved along discussions...

Farewell, Spectre

Air Force Special Operations Command retired the final AC-130H Spectre gunship, tail number 69-6569, during a ceremony at Cannon AFB, N.M., this week, closing out 46 years of service, according to a May 26 release. Hundreds of spectators gathered along...

Army Chief Wary of Return to Ground Combat

Despite the presence of US advisors at command centers and at Iraqi military unit headquarters, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno told reporters Thursday he does not think it’s time to reintroduce US combat forces in Iraq. “It would...

Assistant Vice Chief to Retire

The Air Force on Thursday announced the upcoming retirement of Lt. Gen. Stephen Hoog, assistant vice chief of staff and director of the Air Staff, according to an internal USAF memo. Hoog, who has served in his current position since...

Tyndall’s Final QF-4 Goes Out Fighting

The last QF-4 unmanned aerial target assigned to Tyndall AFB, Fla., was shot down May 27 by Florida Air National Guard and 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group F-15C pilots, USAF spokesman 1st Lt. Christopher Bowyer-Meeder told Air Force Magazine. The target...

The Open Door to NATO Enlargement

NATO’s enlargement to the east and south of Europe has been a “historic success,” transforming the continent and contributing to stability in the region, said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during a May 27 event in Washington D.C. Despite Russian...