At Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), a little boy with a huge heart became a hero among heroes. On April 16 and 17, AFA’s McChord Field Chapter in Tacoma, Wash., in partnership with McChord’s 4th Airlift Squadron, brought back a beloved...
Air Force
The Air Force Historical Foundation honored a pair of storied Airmen with lifetime achievement awards at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center May 22. Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, dean of AFA’s Mitchell Institute...
It is a law of survival, if not physics: In war, any advantage wielded by one side will be countered with an opposite, if not equal force, in a continuous back-and-forth until one or the other capitulates. The resultant innovation...
Still Smaller, Still Older “The fleet is aging; 30-plus years on average. Some of the … critical platforms, are significantly older than that. When I was a navigator, I never flew a KC-135 that was younger than me. They’re...
The Cold War Air Force was bigger, deeper, and readier than today’s. Here’s why it’s time for a reset. For the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States faces a true peer potential adversary in...
A comprehensive look at the Air Force and the Space Force, including people, equipment, budget, weapons systems, and more. This Almanac was compiled by Amanda Miller, Aaron M.U. Church, and the staff of Air & Space Forces Magazine. We gratefully...
The Air Force has six Institutional Commands focused on the recruit, train, and equip function of the department, and 10 Service Component Commands focused on meeting the needs of the nation’s joint combatant commands.
As futuristic aviation programs gain priority, the F-35—the only in-production, fifth-generation American fighter—is facing new headwinds. Fresh debate over its challenges and its potential in the coming months will shape its future role in the force. The House’s $150 billion...
DAF TOTAL FORCE END STRENGTH Fiscal 2024 end strength is as of Sept. 30, 2024, except where noted by a single *, which is an estimate provided in the fiscal 2025 Defense Department budget request. The White House had not...