Air Frame: Year in Review, January 2011: Video and still images appeared on the Internet on Jan. 11, 2011, of China’s J-20 stealthy looking combat aircraft, shown here, making its maiden flight. That was the same day on which then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Beijing on his official visit to China. Also in January, Gates announced that the Air Force would shed nearly $34 billion over the next five fiscal years as part of the Defense Department’s overall effort to cut $100 billion in overhead. Also, Air Force Secretary Michael Donley acknowledged that changes to the F-35 strike fighter’s development schedule would likely mean that the service’s first operational F-35A unit would not be ready for combat until late 2016 or beyond. Photo via Internet
US Space Command Should Always Be Led by a Guardian
Sept. 12, 2026
General Stephen Whiting took command of U.S. Space Command in January 2024, and if customary three-year tenures hold, his tour would end in January 2027. The question now before the President and Senate is who should follow him? Whoever they choose, it has to be a Guardian—and so should every successor…
