Making the rounds of traditional and Web media are remarks Presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) made in New Hampshire earlier this week that criticize the use of airpower in Afghanistan. He said there should be more troops on the ground “so we’re not just air-raiding villages and killing civilians.” In his blog on WashingtonPost.com, William Arkin decries both Obama’s “strategic implications” and his facts, but he also criticizes the Air Force for not contacting the Senator to set him straight. Arkin says he has studied the issue and can state that the idea that aircraft “are responsible for more civilian deaths than ground forces is false.” Unfortunately, at last check, readers posting comments to Arkin’s piece disagreed with his view, which by the way is not anti-Obama. He calls the Illinois Senator “independent and nimble-thinking,” in most instances.
China thinks it will be able to invade Taiwan by 2027 and has developed a technology edge in many key areas—but it is artificial intelligence that may be the decisive factor should conflict erupt, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said.