Verbatim

Sept. 6, 2024
The Next Fighter Engine Cost is going to be a significant variable. … You could do a lower-cost engine and actually use something that’s available today, … or you go into something that’s brand-new. …Both of those variables are going...

Letters

Sept. 6, 2024
We love letters! Write to us at letters@afa.org. To be published, letters should be timely, relevant and concise. Include your name and location. Letters may be edited for space and the editors have final say on which are published. Tell...

Faces of the Force

Sept. 6, 2024
Tell us who you think we should highlight here. Write to airandspaceforces@afa.org. Senior Airman Malachi Ward of the 51st Logistic Readiness Squadron saved a choking child while bowling. When the child’s older brother alerted Ward, he performed the Heimlich maneuver...
New B-1 Pylon Creates ‘Hypersonic Testbed’ By John A. Tirpak The Air Force has begun using a new Boeing pylon to test a variety of weapons on the B-1 Lancer, the 412th Test Wing announced in August, and now has a...

WORLD: Personnel

Sept. 6, 2024
Change of Station Easier by 2025 By David Roza The top civilian in charge of Air Force and Space Force personnel matters wants to make moving between permanent assignments less stressful for Airmen, Guardians, and their families, and he wants...

WORLD: Russia-Ukraine

Sept. 6, 2024
Ukraine Unveils Its First F-16 Fighters By Chris Gordon Ukraine’s first F-16s were unveiled by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Aug. 4, ending a lengthy wait for the Western fighters Kyiv says it needs to defend its airspace from Russia....

WORLD: Readiness

Sept. 6, 2024
Sun, Spades, and Forklifts at Bamboo Eagle By David Roza MOJAVE, Calif. It was a quiet Sunday morning before the C-17 arrived. Hundreds of wind turbines churned the 100-degree desert air over the nearby Tehachapi Mountains, and the only air...

WORLD: Air

Sept. 6, 2024
B-1 Bombers from Ellsworth to Grand Forks USAF plans to relocate B-1s in 2025. By Unshin Lee Harpley The Air Force is planning to relocate 17 B-1 bombers from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., to Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D.,...
The congressionally appointed Commission on the National Defense Strategy (NDS), after a thorough two-year look, concludes that the strategy is deeply flawed. The bipartisan panel of experts unanimously urged revisions to address emerging threats and advised a steady increase in defense spending to meet growing ...
The risk of world war today has never been greater since 1940—and the United States has arguably never been less ready. Waking the nation up to that fact should be a top priority for our national leaders, though precious little has been said or will ...

Fighting the Air Base

Sept. 6, 2024
Front-line air bases are like any other weapon system: They are only effective if they can function under enemy fire. Air bases at forward locations in the Indo-Pacific, Europe, or other theaters must be able to fend off complex integrated air and missile strikes, rapidly ...
The Air Force’s ambitious effort to overhaul its organization, deployment model, and training to better prepare for great power competition with China was just six months old when Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin returned from Exercise...