Under the tutelage of airmen of the 438th Expeditionary Advisory Group, Afghans in a forward observer class completed all of their objectives at the range, March 16, just prior to their graduation, according to Brig. Gen. Michael Boera, commanding general of the Combined Airpower Transition Force in Kabul. “They met their goal for the exercise which consisted of more convoy escort scenarios than before involving hostile acts with friendlies in vicinity, and determining hostile intent,” he wrote March 17. The Afghans used the same equipment as US forward observers and they learned the same material as their American counterparts, according to Boera. This class is just one of many efforts underway by CAPTF to train the Afghan National Army Air Corps to be an independent and capable fighting force. (Kabul report) (For more on CAPTF, read An Impressive Operation.)
USAF to Cut F-35 Buy in Future Years Defense Plan
May 14, 2021
The Air Force wants to scale back buys of the F-35 over the next five years, hoping to get sustainment costs down and to wait for the more capable Block 4 version, according to talking points prepared for Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. The reduced buy will…