When US Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa supported the “noncombatant evacuation” of US personnel in Libya this summer, the command sent five tankers, three F-16s, C-130s, and a C-17, said USAFE-AFAFRICA Commander Gen. Frank Gorenc on Monday. During that mission alone, the F-16 pilots logged 12.5 hours in the air, he said at AFA’s Air & Space Conference in National Harbor, Md. “What if we had to do that mission with rotating forces?” he questioned, alluding to the continue call from Congress to cut US force structure and manpower in Europe in lieu of instituting another round of stateside base closures. “We certainly couldn’t be as responsive. It would cost roughly three-to-one on the force structure. That’s the reality of it. That’s the decision we have to make,” he said.
Celebrating 100 Years of Liquid-Fueled Rockets
March 11, 2026
March 16, 2026, marks 100 years since Dr. Robert H. Goddard launched the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket. Over the past century, new and ever more capable liquid-fueled rockets have literally propelled humanity into space. Why liquid-fueled rockets?