Pacific Air Forces Commander Gen. Gary North said “places not bases” will be a key part of US strategy in the future. Speaking Thursday on a panel on contingency operations at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Fla., North said he was happy that the Pentagon’s new defense strategy “gives us positioning power in the Pacific.” He added: “Our friends and our allies want a strong US presence in the region.”
The Air Force is placing Air Combat Command in charge of teaching combat tactics to fighter and remotely-piloted aircraft units, according to a May 12 announcement. Beginning this summer, the service will reassign the formal training units for the F-35, F-16, and MQ-9 from Air Education and Training Command to…