Verbatim

June 18, 2026
A collection of quotes on airpower, space power, and national security issues.

WORLD: Readiness

June 18, 2026
New KC-46 Vision System Slips to ’28  By Matthew Cox The Air Force says it has formed a plan with Boeing to get key upgrades deployed across the KC-46 tanker fleet faster—but the service acknowledged it won’t start fielding the...
DOD Personnel by the numbers: Total Force; end strength and manpower trends; breakdowns by sex, rank, region, command, Air Force Specialty Codes, and more.
U.S. Air Force Wings 2026 147 active-duty wings · Click any card for details There are 147 Active-duty wings in the U.S. Air Force. There are 37 wings in the Air Reserve and 90 wings in the Air National Guard....
CCA’s AI Pilots Step into the Spotlight By Greg Hadley  AURORA, Colo. Just one year ago, Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) took center stage as then-Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin designated the two competing jet prototypes as the first...
How two F-16 pilots survived a Houthi SAMbush. About 15 seconds separated F-16 “Wild Weasel” pilots Lt. Col. William “Skate” Parks and Maj. Michael “Danger” Blea from life or death in the night skies over Yemen. Along with multiple B-2...