Rebuilding the Iraqi Air Force is a matter of focusing on “one small victory at a time,” says Air Force Reserve Command Brig. Gen. Frank Padilla, who led an assessment of the work ahead. Padilla, who serves as an IMA to the commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, notes that the Iraqis now have 38 aircraft, but only six are airworthy. His team includes specialists from around USAF. Their task is to help coalition forces plan and implement the rebuilding—including infrastructure, organization, and training. The plan has a timeline extending out five to 10 years, he says.
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III chaired a China-focused military briefing Oct. 27, part of a biweekly series of briefings with senior military commanders about China’s growing threat in the wake of an orbital hypersonic weapon test that elicited public worries from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. “What we…