Canada’s defense ministry restored the historic “Royal Canadian Air Force” title as the official name of the country’s air service, announced Peter MacKay, Canada’s defense minister. “Restoring these historic identities is an important way of reconnecting today’s men and women in uniform with the proud history and traditions they carry with them as members of the Canadian Forces,” said MacKay Aug. 16. “A country forgets its past at its own peril. … The Royal Canadian Air Force will once again serve as a timeless link between our veterans and serving soldiers, sailors, and air personnel,” he added. The RCAF title was abolished in favor of “Canadian Forces Air Command” with the amalgamation of Canada’s Army, Navy, and Air Force into a single force in 1968. The titles RCAF, Royal Canadian Navy, and Canadian Army do not affect force structure, but “show unified strength here at home, and abroad,” said MacKay.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
