The Air Force on Wednesday opened a new center on the grounds of Dover AFB, Del., for families of fallen warfighters who travel to the base to witness the return of their loved ones’ remains. Dover hosts the sole US military mortuary in the continental US where military personnel who die overseas are returned home. “I do believe it is remarkable what happened here and I have to give unqualified compliments to the team that designed and renovated this facility,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Norton Schwartz at the dedication ceremony. The Associated Press reported Wednesday (via USA Today) that the 6,000-square-foot building, known as the Center for Families of the Fallen, will be staffed by counselors and support specialists for the families. It is about twice the size of the “spiritual operations center” used until now.
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…