Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz presented the Koren Kolligian Safety Trophy to Texas Air National Guard pilot Lt. Col. Booth Johnston for his outstanding airmanship during an October 2007 sortie in which he managed to safely land his F-16 despite having suffered back and neck injuries during a high-G maneuver. During the June 16 ceremony at the Pentagon, Schwartz thanked Johnston for his “courage, tenacity, and focus.” The Chief of Staff said of Johnston, “not only did he match the standards established for this award, but I think it is a reflection of how people rise to the occasion no matter how difficult the circumstances.” According to an earlier F-16.net release, Johnston serves with the Texas ANG’s 111th Reconnaissance Squadron. (Air Force report by MSgt. Stan Parker)
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…