S
ome 60 airmen and several C-17 airlifters from Charleston AFB, S.C., recently deployed to take part in Bright Star 07, flying US and Egyptian soldiers from Kentucky to Egypt. First they provided airdrop opportunities in Kentucky, and then airlifted the troops to Egypt to complete the US Central Command-sponsored exercise. In Egypt, the C-17 force again provided airdrop training for the paratroopers. A fuel leak prevented one of the original C-17s from flying out of Kentucky, but Shauna Heathman reports that quick work by Charleston generated another aircraft and crew, putting the new airlifter with its load of soldiers only three hours behind the other two C-17s.
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.