An Air Force B-1B bomber dropped 2,000-pound joint direct attack munitions onto enemy fighting positions in both Nangalam and Asadabad, Afghanistan, on April 27, and an A-10 Thunderbolt fired cannon rounds onto enemy combatants in Jalalabad, Air Force officials directing the air campaign from the combined air and space operations center in Southwest Asia said in an April 28 release. These strikes were among the 46 close-air-support missions flown by coalition air forces over Afghanistan that day. In Iraq, coalition forces executed 43 CAS missions April 27.
Amid a high-profile recruiting crisis, Air Force leaders and experts have increasingly noted the challenging long-term trends the service will face in enticing young Americans to sign up—decreasing eligibility to serve, less propensity to do so, and less familiarity with the military. But while those same leaders say there’s no “silver…