Fifteen C-17 Globemaster IIIs from Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., fly over the city of Charleston, S.C.'s Arthur J. Ravenel Bridge Dec. 20, 2007, during a training exercise. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. James L. Harper Jr.
The U.S. Air Force's Flight to Weakness -- Jack David And Michael Dunn, Wall Street Journal
It didn't hurt him on the campaign trail, but President Obama has sharply cut our capabilities while China and Russia keep building.
Serious talk of America's defense budget was largely absent from the final weeks of the presidential campaign, once President Barack Obama likened Gov. Mitt Romney's concerns to an anachronistic focus on "horses and bayonets." But when Mr. Romney lamented that (among other things) the U.S. Air Force has the fewest airplanes it has ever had, he was correct. At its founding in 1947, it had more than 12,300 planes. Today: approximately 5,200.
As the Air Force has been retiring large numbers of older aircraft in recent years, its budgets—drafted by the Pentagon and ultimately enacted by Congress—have prevented it from acquiring enough new aircraft to perform the missions of those retired. From 2008 through 2012, the Air Force retired 700 more aircraft than it bought.
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MILITARY AND INTELLIGENCE NEWS BRIEFS
US Air Force Keeps Fleet of Aging Warhorses Flying -- AP
Russian FM Says Syrian Rebels Have 50 Stingers -- Defense News
British Defense Minister: UK drones never carried out strikes in Pakistan -- International News
Bandar-e Lengeh Base Set Up By Iran Military Near Disputed Islands -- AP
US, Israel incapable of military engagement with Iran: Iran cmdr. -- Hamsayeh.net
Chinese navy completes military drill in the Pacific -- People's Daily
China ‘most threatening’ in cyberspace, panel says -- Herald Net
'Cyberterror' and Chinese hackers: How scared should we be? -- Christian Science Monitor
Boosting China Military Ties Australian Priority, Carr Says -- Bloomberg
Russia Upgrades Anti-Terrorist Defenses -- Strategy Page
Intrigue swirls around Russia defense chief's fall -- AP
Russia to arm Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan -- UZNews
Britain Could Build Its Military Presence In The Persian Gulf To Counter Iranian Threat -- Business Insider
Today's Army of little use in the Pacific -- Eric Palmer Blog
U.S. Brass Reviews Prompt Global Strike, Mulling Submarine-Fired Arms -- Global Security Newswire
Eglin Completes 500TH F-35 Sortie -- Defence Talk
As U.S. Navy Consolidates Spy Plane Units, Critics Say ISR Will Suffer -- Defense News
U.S. clears sale of Lockheed missile defense system to UAE, Qatar -- Reuters
Sensors Could Turn Ground Vehicles Into Intel Gatherers -- Defense News
U.S. Navy Zeros in on Requirements for Carrier-Based Drone for Long-Range Recon & Strike -- Defpro
Army eyes better Humvee survivability -- Military Times
A New Approach to Military Nuclear Waste -- New York Times
DARPA Wants Cheap Head-Up Displays That Work In Any Kind Of Light -- Popular Science
Top U.S. Weapons Buyer Says Pentagon Begins to Plan for Cuts -- Bloomberg
A tribute to military working dogs and their handlers -- Military Times
Operation: Love Reunited, Helping Military Families Cope Through Pictures -- ABC News
Why doesn't the Army want to be a real Army, and think about its actual tasks? -- Thomas E. Ricks, Foreign Policy
US military deaths in Afghanistan at 2,021 -- AP
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