The Air Force’s Thunderbirds air demonstration team flew its acceptance show on March 11 at Nellis AFB, Nev., for Gen. William Fraser, Air Combat Command boss. Fraser subsequently gave the approval for the squadron to commence its 2010 show season that kicks off March 20-21 at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., and will see the Thunderbirds fly 73 shows throughout the US and Canada through November. “The acceptance show is the culmination of the hard work and dedication by our entire team throughout the training season—from November to March,” said Lt. Col. Case Cunningham, the Thunderbirds’ new commander. The show lasted one hour, after which Fraser greeted the Thunderbird officers on the flightline and later addressed the entire Thunderbirds squadron in the unit’s auditorium. (Nellis report by Amn. Cynthia A. Haughton)
In the wake of a major Chinese military shakeup, the head of U.S. Space Command warned of China’s “breathtakingly fast” advances in space during visits to Japan and South Korea. Gen. Stephen N. Whiting’s trip to the Indo-Pacific is his first overseas visit since taking command of SPACECOM in January.