Features

February 1, 2008  

In this issue

Our two cover story authors bring to bear more than 60 years of Air Force career experience in their examinations of why and how the Air Force should reshape itself to make air power a cornerstone capability in irregular warfare.

Rich Comer, a former deputy commander of Air Force Special Operations Command and commander of the 16th Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Fla., is well-versed in irregular warfare issues. During an Air Force career that spans more than 30 years, Rich completed more than 3,400 flying hours on special-ops variants of helos and Hercs.

George Monroe, a civilian with contractor SAIC, works irregular warfare issues at the Air Force Directorate of Strategic Planning at the Pentagon. His 30-year Air Force career as a combat fighter pilot and staff officer includes working irregular warfare issues in Southeast Asia and during the Panama invasion.

Our two-way look at Iran and its nuclear ambitions is provided by Marv Schaffer, an expert in commercial nuclear power, and AFJ columnist Pete Brookes, a Heritage Foundation senior fellow.

Also expert in their fields are Bob Killebrew, a former Army War College instructor and renowned commentator on Army doctrine and leadership issues, and Milan Vego, a Naval War College professor with a passion for cultivating out-of-the-box thinking among his students. For this issue, Bob analyzes the SecDef’s “soft power” speech and sees (and welcomes) a DoD that is finally looking beyond Iraq and Afghanistan. Milan, meanwhile, expresses his frustration at a Navy that habitually makes the mistake of paying scant attention to mine warfare in peacetime.

Jeff Eggers, a Navy officer on the Joint Staff, recently completed a tour as a director for combating terrorism at the National Security Council. His Perspective article deftly demonstrates the link between advancing technology on a shrinking plant, and its leadership implications for the military officer.