Lt. Gen. Burton Field handed over the reins of US Forces Japan and 5th Air Force to Lt. Gen. Sam Angelella during a change of command ceremony at Yokota Air Base. Angelella served as the Joint Staff’s vice director for strategic plans and policy prior to assuming his new assignment on July 20. Field, who led 5th AF since October 2010, is moving on to become the Air Staff’s lead for operations, plans, and requirements issues. (Yokota photo caption by A1C John D. Partlow)
After years of experiments and tests, senior Air Force leaders say they're on the verge of using C-17s and other cargo aircraft to launch cruise missiles via airdrop, touting the development as a way to bolster the combat fleet and a major shift in the service’s mindset.