Their E-3 AWACS aircraft sent to Kadena AB, Okinawa, Japan, for maintenance, the USAF command and control mission specialists deployed for Cope India 2006 sat down with their Indian Air Force counterparts at the IAF’s Salua Air Station ground radar system to control USAF fighter forces. It was a humbling experience—the typical ground station lacks the sophistication of the USAF E-3. Still, officials say, it got the airmen right into the heart of the exercise, building a working relationship. No word yet on the outcome of this year’s aerial engagement.
President Donald Trump’s nominee for Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff touted his highly unusual background for the job as an asset and reaffirmed his commitment to stay apolitical during a confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on April 1.