If Jumper is correct, then there are implications for USAF battlefield airmen, those specialized airmen who travel with the ground forces to coordinate the delivery of airpower. If US aircraft stay, they stay. An Air Force news release on Monday said USAF currently has some 250 tactical air control party airmen on the ground in Iraq.
The last remaining T-1 Jayhawk at JBSA-Randolph, Texas, took its final flight to the "Boneyard" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., on July 15. The 99th Flying Training Squadron will train pilots using T-6 and simulator until it gets T-7 Red Hawk in fiscal 2026.