The coalition air component commander for Iraq and Syria sharply rejected the growing criticism of the air campaign Friday, arguing that the air tactics used in previous conflicts “do not apply” to the fight against a terrorist organization that does not have massed forces and “wraps itself around the civilian population.” Air Forces Central Command boss Lt. Gen. John Hesterman said the reports that 75 percent of strike sorties do not drop a weapon is “probably right,” because strike aircraft are over the battlefield “24/7,” but often cannot find enemy forces that are clear of civilians. “We go after them wherever we find them, but it’s different from all the previous air campaigns that people talk about,” Hesterman said in a telephone briefing with Pentagon reporters. “But make no mistake, our coalition team is having a profound effect on the enemy … Coalition air strikes are the most precise and disciplined in the history of air warfare. We can impact the enemy in a significant way and do it while minimizing civilian casualties.” Air power “has not only been effective, it has enabled virtually every victory on the battlefield. It has allowed ground forces to regain territory” and has killed 1,000 enemy each month, he said. (See also Airpower is Making a Difference in ISIS Fight.)
Air Force Using AI to Plan Storage for Munitions
Nov. 13, 2025
When lawmakers and outside experts turn their attention to how the U.S. military can use of artificial intelligence, they tend to focus on weapons systems—the most consequential and risk-laden use cases—and on generative AI. But behind the scenes, the Air Force is already using machine learning algorithms to help solve…
