Reasons To Love The USAF

Despite what the outgoing commander of ACC may say about the counter IED fight being a waste of his time, there are still reasons to appreciate and love the USAF. First they do give us a ride to and from theater when going home on leave (that's awesome). Next, they do put on a fairly good air show from time to time (The Thunderbirds). And finally, they have guys like this in their midst who truly do get it...it's seems that a lot of folks at the top, no matter what service they belong to, forget from time to time what is really important.

Let's hope that when the guys who are Captains now make General, that they don't forget the lessons they are learning today. Hey, it's only 6 years since we were attacked on 9/11 but, welcome to the war.

Seriously, some have been along since day one...it's the people that just refuse to change or adapt that are frustrating to some of us.

Iraq war leads U.S. pilots to learn new tactics
Fliers focus more on intelligence, reconnaissance

Associated Press
Originally published July 8, 2007
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan // Controlling the air is what F-16 pilot Maj. Paul Miller does for a living. He's now learning how to fight a ground war. Four years into the war in Iraq, the challenges of fighting insurgents are changing the way U.S. fighter pilots approach their missions. The training has shifted from traditional tactics of air dominance to emphasizing more specialized roles as eyes in the sky - such as locating buried bombs or homing in on small, highly mobile targets.

"This is a lot more on the go," Miller said from this base on Japan's northern frontier. "It's a pickup game."

With fighting insurgents, that can mean following up on intelligence and getting into areas ahead of troops to act as supersonic scouts looking for potential ambush points or bomb-rigged roads.

"We may not be able to read a license plate, but we can tell you if the guy behind the bush is smoking, and whether he's smoking with his right or left hand," Miller said. "It's that exact."

The demands in Iraq have also meant bringing in fighters from farther away.

Two squadrons of F-16s that normally are stationed here to keep watch on North Korea and bolster a mutual security pact with Japan have been assigned to rotate in and out of Iraq since the beginning of the year. ...the rest is HERE

H/T Ares Blog