Not the first and won’t be the last describes the inactivation of 3rd Air Force at RAF Mildenhall, Britain. Numbered Air Forces around the Air Force have been making way for the new Warfighting Headquarters organizational element. (Read our article here.) US Air Forces in Europe has established its WFHQ at Ramstein AB, Germany, however, USAFE plans to keep a general officer—in this case, Maj. Gen. Paul Fletcher—in Britain as a senior US representative to Her Majesty’s government. Third Air Force’s presence in the United Kingdom dates to 1951, when USAF activated the command to fill the void left after Eight Air Force returned home after World War II.
The roles and missions executed by Air Force warriors are essential to the nation’s security. Yet after three decades of constant demand and minimal replenishment, our Air Force is too small and too old. It needs to be rebuilt. The Trump administration and Congress must fund that modernization to ensure…