The US air component, like the US ground and naval forces defending South Korea, will be a supporting element to the South Korean supreme combatant commander when operational control on the Korean peninsula shifts from the US to the South Korean military on April 17, 2012, Army Gen. Walter Sharp, the top US commander in Korea, told reporters Tuesday in Washington, D.C. However, 7th Air Force will continue to lead a combined headquarters with the South Korean air force even after the changeover, said Sharp. He explained that the combined air headquarters would support the top South Korean military commander, but “we just felt that with the airpower that the United States brings … to be able to have the maximum effect from airpower, the best way to do it was to continue with the US being the lead” in the air headquarters. Continue
Air Force Eyes New-Build F-16s to Boost Fighter Force
Sept. 16, 2026
The Air Force will consider acquiring new F-16 Fighting Falcon jets to answer capacity shortfalls in its aging fighter fleet, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. These discussions are happening as the Air Force is building its proposed fiscal 2028 budget and the five-year spending plan that goes…
