The Air Force’s relationship with Hollywood is helping the service connect with the public, according to the National Museum of the United States Air Force. The museum, located at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is home to several aircraft that have found their way onto the big screen. Most recently, the latest Superman film, “Man of Steel,” will have the Boeing C-17—USAF’s first Globemaster III—which sits in the museum’s air park. This C-17 has appeared in four other major films, including “Transformers” and “Iron Man.” The museum’s A-10, C-130, and F-35 also were in films. Other Hollywood connections can be found in the museum’s Celebrities in Uniform exhibit, which includes uniforms and personal memorabilia from well-known actors like Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, and Ronald Reagan. “Many of these films, television shows, and actors with connections to the Air Force are familiar to Americans,” said Jeff Underwood, the museum historian, in a June 12 release. “These programs highlight just a few ways in which the US military shares its story with the public, reminding them of the military’s presence as they go about their daily lives.”
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.