US airmen—principally US Air Force aircrews—are finally getting a training range in South Korea after Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld reportedly threatened to close US air bases on the peninsula if additional training space couldn’t be provided. The Korean defense ministry plans to add a $3 million electronic scoring system at the Chikdo shooting range, reports the Korea Times. USAF already uses the range, which is on Chikdo Island off Kunsan, but has had limited access.
Fixing the Air Force’s chronic combat pilot shortage will require more aircraft in the fleet, more flying hours to squadron operations, and retaining more pilots within Reserve components, according to a new paper from AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.