The Air Force has renewed its partnership with Richard Petty Motorsports and the No. 43 car for the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. This is the 10th season of USAF’s sponsorship for recruiting purposes. Richard Petty Motorsports is “perhaps the most respected team in NASCAR and they have been strong supporters of the Air Force,” said Col. Michael Tillema, Air Force Recruiting Service’s chief of strategic marketing and communications at Randolph AFB, Tex. He added, “We share a strong set of core values, hard work, discipline, and the desire to win.” A.J. Allmendinger drives the No. 43 car. The 29-year-old driver had two top-five finishes and eight top-10 finishes during the 2010 season. For two of NASCAR’s 36 point races in 2011, the No. 43 car will feature USAF’s paint scheme. Also planned are activities like flyovers and new enlistee swear-ins at the races. (Randolph release)
While U.S. defense officials have spent much of the past decade warning that China is the nation’s pacing threat and its People’s Liberation Army represents an urgent threat in the Indo-Pacific, several defense researchers are skeptical that the PLA has the human capital, the structural ability, or the political appetite…