According to the US Air Force Academy spokesman, Johnny Whitaker, the Washington meeting of the academy’s Board of Visitors was “an upbeat meeting.” The 15-member board commended the academy for changes that had been made following the sexual assault scandal. The Air Force’s response to the latest academy controversy—religious intolerance—left them less enthused, according to Whitaker. He termed USAF’s new religious guidelines “interim” and “still open for discussion.”
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.