A team of “very senior retired military officers” recently completed an assessment of the entire Air Force Global Strike Command community to determine whether the wide-spread changes implemented over the last few years are working, AFGSC vice commander Maj. Gen. Michael Fortney said at an AFA Mitchell Institute event Friday. Fortney declined to name the officers or say how many there were, but he did say they were not just from the Air Force. The “small team” found that for the most part the changes that stemmed from the ad hoc Force Improvement Program were a success, he said, noting they found “tremendous improvement in morale and few surprises.” However, Fortney said there is still some work to be done. The team has verbally briefed Global Strike commander Gen. Robin Rand, who directed the independent review, but Fortney declined to say what recommendations were made.
The Air Force displayed all the firepower it has amassed on Okinawa in an unusually diverse show of force this week. IIn a May 6 “Elephant Walk,” Kadena Air Base showcased 24 F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters, eight F-15E Strike Eagles; two U.S. Army Patriot anti-missile batteries near the runway; and…