Brig. Gen. Rumen Radev, deputy commander of the Bulgarian air force, led a delegation to Laughlin AFB, Tex., to tour the base’s pilot training program. “Our trip to Laughlin helped us realize why you have such a great Air Force,” he said. The Bulgarians’ two days at the Texas base, which concluded on March 20, were the latest in a series of base tours geared to help them transform their air force’s pilot training. Radev spoke with wing leadership and visited Laughlin’s flying training squadrons. He toured the flight line, aircraft, and flight simulators, and observed classrooms and had several roundtable discussions with Laughlin’s airmen. “We wanted to show off America’s premier pilot training wing,” said Col. Tom Murphy, 47th Flying Training Wing commander. He added, “As NATO allies, it’s important we work together and share our experiences in order to create a better, more unified force.” (Laughlin report by A1C Nathan L. Maysonet)
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…