The Air Force makes it clear in the just-released tanker replacement RFI that any potential candidate should not only handle aerial refueling but also secondary missions, such as cargo and passenger hauling, aeromedical evacuation, and command, control, communications, and computer augmentation. (The latter capability was advocated by former Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper, who wanted to use tankers loitering over a combat area to provide an additional comm node.)
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…