F-15Es from the 391st Fighter Squadron at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, have been deployed to JB Elmendorf, Alaska, to train with F-22s of Elmendorf’s 3rd Wing. This temporary deployment represents the second recent pairing of Strike Eagles and Raptors. F-22s from Tyndall AFB, Fla., are currently training at Mountain Home with F-15Es of the Idaho base’s 389th FS. (Elmendorf photo caption by SSgt. Joshua Garcia)
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…