During a question and answer session with airmen at Hill AFB, Utah, Aug. 22 (see above), Gen. Norton Schwartz, the service’s new Chief of Staff, expressed his opinion that the planned move of aircraft maintainers into flying units should not go forward. He said, in response to a question, that he believes the maintenance group should remain independent. Early last month, Acting Air Force Secretary Michael Donley, halted action on an initiative that would have put aircraft maintenance units under operations groups, saying he wanted to ascertain the “appropriateness and timeliness” of the effort. Former Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley had driven the initiative, which he believed would organize Air Force flying units in the same way they go to war, but the plan essentially undid what his predecessor (now retired Gen. John Jumper) had done.
The Air Force could conduct an operation like Israel's successful air campaign against Iran's nuclear sites, military leadership and air defenses, but readiness issues would make it risky, airpower experts said. Limited spare parts and training, low mission capable rates and few flying hours would put a drag on USAF's…