The CAOC is the Air Force nerve center in the Middle East, responsible for planning and executing air operations across the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of operations.
March/April 2024
Vol. 107, No. 3
It’s possible two distinct solutions could emerge from this stage, one high end, the other more basic.
Senior officers, military retirees, and even members of Congress field hundreds of complaints annually from applicants who feel wronged by what they see as a random and inconsistent system.
Why Cislunar Security Must Be a Space Force Concern
Unlike the race to the Moon between the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1960s, this new space race involves dozens of countries, dynamic geopolitical tensions, and technical capabilities associated with sustained presence.
The Man Who Shot Down Yamamoto
Capt. Thomas G. Lanphier Jr. claimed to have shot down Yamamoto’s plane, killing him in the process, but the evidence indicates it was not Lanphier, but his wingman, Rex Barber, who deserved the credit.
Editorial: Change and Shortchanged
Three decades of underfunding and deferred modernization have left the Air Force ill-equipped for peer conflict, and there’s only one way to fix that: Spend big.
Strategy & Policy: Even as New Jets Remain Parked, the F-35 Program Hits New Milestones
William LaPlante said there’s been “significant improvement” in the program over the last decade, and program leaders can now “focus on the future of the F-35, instead of the past.”
WORLD: Re-Optimizing the Forces
WORLD: Re-optimizing the Forces: Big Changes Coming; the Future of Deployments; Warrant Officers.
WORLD: Budget
WORLD: Budget: Air Force Gets More; Space Force Gets Cut; Shrinking Aircraft Inventory.
WORLD: People
WORLD: New CMSAF, David Flosi; Robert Gaylor Dies, 5th CMSAF; Appollo Astronaut Tom Stafford Dies.
Letters
We love letters! Write to us at letters@afa.org. To be published, letters should be timely, relevant and concise. Include your name and location. Letters may be edited for space and the editors have final say on which are published.
Faces of the Force
Tell us who you think we should highlight here. Write to airandspaceforces@afa.org.
Verbatim
A collection of quotes on airpower, space power, and national security issues.
Heroes And Leaders: Jimmy Stewart
Major Stewart was promoted to Group Operations Officer and sent down the road 9 miles to the 453rd Bomb Group. When Airmen were told they were getting a movie star.
AFA In Action: AFA’s Yearlong Vietnam War Commemoration Reaches Powerful Conclusion at National Cathedral
The event, titled “A Celebration of Character & Courage,” was the long-awaited climax to AFA’s year-long commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the end of combat operations in Vietnam and the return of American POWs in 1973.
