Utah and Oklahoma lawmakers on a visit last week to the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center at Robins AFB, Ga., told the Macon Telegraph that stopping production of C-17s at 180 is wrong. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said, The C-17 is “overutilized today and doing things that were not anticipated. … We need to upgrade the fleet and reach the 220 target.” Joining Hatch in that belief was Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), who told the Georgia paper, “I don’t support [stopping at 180]. Hatch, Inhofe, Sen. Robert Bennett (R-Utah), and Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), members of the Depot Caucus, praised the work of the Georgia ALC, which manages the C-17 among other aircraft, and the other two Air Force ALCs. (The other two centers are Ogden ALC, Hill AFB, Utah, and Oklahoma City ALC, Tinker AFB, Okla.)
We looked back on the past 12 months to find the stories that resonated the most with you, our audience, and these 10 topped the list. Maybe you missed one the first time around, or perhaps you’d like to revisit a favorite.