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wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have created a new “warrior class” of airmen capable of operating outside the wire alongside their counterparts in the ground services, said Lt. Gen. Frank Gorenc, the Air Force’s assistant vice chief of staff. That’s a significant cultural shift from the Cold War days when pilots, navigators, and other combat aviators were regarded by many as typifying that warrior spirit, he said addressing a Military Reporters and Editors conference in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 19. Gorenc said he doesn’t think the new skill set will fade away as the US military shifts its focus from the Middle East to the Asia-Pacific region. “It has been very good for the development of our airmen and they really like it,” he said. “Some of the training changes we’ve made have . . . elevated the pride in our force. It’s going to be advantageous anywhere we engage,” said Gorenc. “We may have shifted [our focus] to the Pacific, but there are other things that are happening in the world that require that warrior ethos,” he added.
Congress passed a continuing resolution to fund the federal government through Dec. 16, avoiding a shutdown but ensuring that the Pentagon and other federal agencies will yet again start the fiscal year without a new budget. The continuing resolution will mostly keep spending levels frozen at the previous fiscal year’s…