The operation that began in the US shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks has flown 46,300 sorties as of Aug. 1, according to data from 1st Air Force at Tyndall AFB, Fla. And, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command aircrews have flown the majority of those sorties. (For more about ONE, read “The Years of Noble Eagle.”
With upcoming budget deliberations and an expected Nuclear Posture Review, Air Force and U.S. Strategic Command leaders are making the case that the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent is a critical program and is actually cheaper than extending the life of the aging Minuteman III. Other modernization programs, such as nuclear command…