Archive for May, 2008

LT. COL. HARRY FOSTER, MAXWELL-GUNTER AIR FORCE BASE, ALA., RESPONDS TO LT. COL. EDITH DISLER’S “FLYBOYS” ARTICLE, APRIL AFJ (http://armedforcesjournal.com/2008/04/3106346/)

“I am sure this is a well-intended commentary meant to move our …

TO THE PENTAGON, for scoring a D-minus after the latest examination of its weapons program acquisition practices. When major development programs from ships to satellites to aircraft each face similar delays and …

Petraeus delivers — to Iraqis and his troops

If he’d shown signs of being interview-weary, it would have been understandable. It was late afternoon on the Friday that capped a week of …

The defense industry is on the cusp of a biological transformation

The network metaphor dominates current thinking about national security. Network centricity carried to its logical conclusion, however, portends an environment that …

With national gasoline prices predicted to pierce the four bucks per gallon mark this year — and diesel prices already past that threshold — most of us can relate per¬sonally to the …

TO PRESIDENT BUSH, for mixing politics with military honor. Bush presented a posthumous Medal of Honor in a White House ceremony on the same day that Congress was getting its latest Iraq …

Milbloggers post mixed reviews for film on stop-loss policy

As dissatisfaction with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has grown, the policy of “stop-lossing,” or the involuntary extension of a service member’s …

Air Force Capt. Rick Fournier made history March 19 when he flew a B-1B Lancer over Texas and New Mexico — marking the first time an Air Force aircraft had flown at …

Impossible standards for victory promote failure

Can we win in Afghanistan? It’s an odd question, considering that we’ve already won, by historical standards. Yet unrealistic metrics of success continue to pile up, …

TO THE AIR FORCE, for its pioneering work in developing synthetic fuel for aircraft. The fuel, a 50-50 blend of JP-8 and a synthetic fuel derived from natural gas, was created by …