Seeking to Right the (Ch)Air Force...

Newly appointed Air Force Chief of Staff Schwartz has his hands full.

• The Air Force has been sullied over the past year by nuclear mishaps, including the inadvertent transfer of warheads over American skies and the mistaken shipment of nuclear-related materials to Taiwan, incidents that led to a Pentagon report criticizing the Air Force's safeguarding of the U.S. nuclear arsenal. The Air Force has also been plagued by acquisition problems and purchasing scandals at a time when the Pentagon leadership has pushed the service to focus less on future needs and more on current wars.

He does seem to understand the imperative of the interconnectedness of our military services, which is heartening.

• Schwartz said the Air Force should focus on "jointness," recognizing that the wars the United States is currently waging overseas are primarily fought as ground wars with Air Force support. ... Schwartz said there needs to be more attention to intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

Good luck, sir. Your job is as important as it is difficult. I wish you well and hope to write about your successes in future posts.
- posted by john @ 10:06 PM