The unmanned aerial vehicle mission is “a good one” for the air reserve components, Acting Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said Tuesday during a media session at AFA’s Air & Space Conference in Washington, D.C. He noted that the Air Force will be pulling out all the stops to man and equip more UAV capability for the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, given the insatiable demand for full-motion video from ground commanders. (See below for one new initiative focused on providing more active duty UAV pilots.) However, when the wars end and the UAVs and their operators come home, there won’t be as much need for them, said Donley, requiring a flexibility that the Air Guard and Air Force Reserve have shown in switching missions.
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…