Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Wednesday called the F-22 “in effect, a niche, silver-bullet solution required for a limited number of scenarios.” Speaking to an audience at Air University on the grounds of Maxwell AFB, Ala., Gates acknowledged that “the F-22 has unique capabilities” to penetrate and defeat enemy air defenses and advanced fighters, but he still maintains that a fleet of 187 F-22s, when factored with plentiful F-35s and unmanned strike aircraft like the MQ-9 Reaper, are sufficient to meet projected threats and demonstrate “a serious commitment to maintaining US air supremacy.” Our question: Since when is a capability to provide air superiority—or wrestle it from an adversary in contested airspace—regarded as a niche capability? We consider air superiority the underpinning of successful US combat operations. Why would one risk forfeiting that asymmetric advantage to a potential adversary? (Full transcript of Gates’ comments)
How Miss America 2024 Took the Air Force Somewhere New
Dec. 20, 2024
When 2nd Lt. Madison Marsh became the first ever active service member crowned Miss America on Jan. 14, top Air Force officials recognized a rare opportunity to reach women and girls who otherwise might not consider military service as an option.