Pilots from Malaysia and the US have joined forces for Cope Taufan 06—a three-week air-to-air training exercise, designed to sharpen air combat tactics and build closer relations between the Pacific allies. Cope Taufan—Taufan meaning “big storm” in Malaysian—is a biannual exercise by the Royal Malaysian Air Force, with this year’s installment including eight USAF F-15s and more than 114 maintainers, munition handlers, and pilots. The RMAF is participating with MiG-29 Fulcrums, Hawk 208s, and the F/A-18 Hornet.
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…