China and Russia made huge strides in missile technology, while U.S. air base defense has languished. Now the United States is playing catch-up.
April 2021
Vol. 104, No. 4
The next National Defense strategy must mitigate against looming risks.
Capt. Stephen R. Phillis received the Silver Star posthumously for his actions in Desert Storm. On Feb. 15, 1991, he was flying one of two A-10s tasked with attacking a massive formation of Iraqi armor in the Kuwait desert, when his wingman was shot down. Phillis, the mission commander, lingered above the site for three minutes and 45 seconds—intentionally drawing fire to help the search and rescue effort before he was ultimately shot down himself. Now, more than 30 years after the incident, on his former U.S. Air Force Academy boxing buddies, after years of research, is pressing for Phillis to receive a military award more befitting his sacrifice. “You have a hard time explaining what heroics in an airplane looks like,” said Jim Demarest, a brigadier general in the Florida Air National Guard and himself a veteran of Desert Storm. “Steve’s heroics check all the boxes."
Catching Up on Hypersonics
As flight-tests begin, the military must overcome shortages of talent, test capacity, and supply.
Gradualism to a Fault
The air war against ISIS started slowly. Then strategic air power changed how the war was waged.
Editorial: The Best Fighter in the World
The radar-evading F-35’s very presence changes the nature of battle. It’s a strategic investment and combat tool, not a tactical one.
Heroes and Leaders: Rescue in the Crossfire
Bernard Fisher landed his A-1E on the
embattled runway to bring out Jump Myers.
Q&A: Protecting the Homeland
Lt. Gen. Michael A. Loh is the director of the Air National Guard. Air Force Magazine Digital Editor Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory interviewed Loh in February, touching on the Guard mobilization in the nation’s capital, the ANG’s COVID-19 response, and more.
Building the New Space Coalition
Partnerships in space could build capabilities and save money for all in the coalition.
The Forensics of Flight Emergencies
How military researchers are working to understand—and prevent—hypoxia-like events in Air Force aircraft fleets.
Letters
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Strategy & Policy
End of the High-Low Mix?
Verbatim
Gold Medal Standard We must prepare together for a long-term strategic competition with China. How the United States, Europe, and Asia work together to secure the peace and defend our shared values and advance our prosperity across the Pacific will...
Air Force World
Aerospace Warfare Symposium
coverage; Mishaps; New TRANSCOM
leader; and more ...
Faces of the Force
Faces of the USAF.
AFA in Action: Mitchell Institute’s Aviation and Air Power Book Series
AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies has partnered with the University Press of Kentucky for an aviation and air power series.
