Kurmanbek Bakiyev, the president of Kyrgyzstan, has been negotiating with the Pentagon over the past and future use of Manas Air Base. The situation appears to be escalating. Several news reports state Bakiyev wants a significant raise for the base’s rent—“tens of times more” according to Agence France-Presse and “100-fold” per The Financial Times. This is the facility to which many USAF forces moved when Uzbekistan kicked the US military out of K-2.
The Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies will host USAFA Superintendent Lt. Gen. Richard M. Clark on an installment of its “Aerospace Nation” series. Clark will share his insights into how the Academy is preparing cadets to face today's global challenges, the implications of the creation of the…