The Air Force has a problem within the nation’s intelligence community, Gen. Michael V. Hayden today told AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium. Hayden, deputy director of national intelligence and the nation’s highest-ranking uniformed intelligence official, said that there are currently no Air Force officers serving as J-2s—intelligence directors—in any of the Defense Department’s nine unified commands. This is not just a career opportunity problem, he suggested, but a roles and missions issue, because the absence of Air Force officers colors the way combatant commands look at the problems they face. This lack of an Air Force intelligence viewpoint “tends to have an influence” on the way America fights its wars, he cautioned. If DOD’s intelligence views don’t mesh with Air Force views, whose fault is that?, Hayden asked.
Air Force F-16s from Germany Deploy to Middle East
Oct. 27, 2024
As tensions spiral in the Middle East, U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons from Germany have flown to the region, U.S. Central Command said Oct. 25. The F-16s are from the 480th Fighter Squadron at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, and represent some of the service’s most advanced models.