Former Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, who died Monday at age 86 in an airplane crash about 285 miles southwest of Anchorage, was considered a great friend of the Air Force during his long tenure in the Senate, according to feedback we’ve received. Among his deeds, he was a supporter of the F-22 program and played a pivotal role in promoting the legislation that authorized an Air Force memorial in the national capital region. Stevens was an Army Air Forces transport pilot during World War II in China. He went on to become the longest-serving Republican Senator in history, in office from 1968 to 2009. “Senator Ted Stevens devoted his career to serving the people of Alaska and fighting for our men and women in uniform,” said President Obama in a statement. (Stevens’ Congressional biography) (Obama statement) (See Anchorage Daily News report, CNN report, and New York Times report) (For reaction to Stevens’ death, see Associated Press report)
The U.S., South Korea, and Japan flew an unusual trilateral flight with two U.S. B-52H Stratofortress bombers escorted by two Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-2s, and two ROK Air Force KF-16 fighters—both countries’ respective variants of the F-16—July 11. That same weekend, the top military officers of the three nations…