As part of US Air Forces in Europe participation in the creation of the new US Africa Command, USAFE boss Gen. Tom Hobbins told a Capitol Hill audience July 24 that the command had recently hosted African air chiefs at Ramstein AB, Germany to discuss what kind of personnel and assets would be best for the continent. The answer they gave was to equip the command with forces to provide air security. Flying and moving around North Africa is relatively easy, but once below the Sahara moving personnel and cargo becomes more logistically difficult and less secure. Hobbins noted that AFRICOM assets would include operational support aircraft, to continue aiding efforts such as the African Union’s mission in Darfur.
The Air Force is aiming to have its internal electromagnetic spectrum combat strategy in hand by the spring, to dovetail with a joint service version also planned for that period. Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. said the service “should be embarrassed” it took congressional language to force…