Gen. Lori Robinson, the head of Pacific Air Forces, was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people Thursday—the same day she appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee for a hearing on her nomination to lead US Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command. Robinson, during the hearing, said she was concerned about the flow of illegal drugs across the country’s southern border, but said she believes Russia is the “greatest threat” facing the US, with homegrown violent extremists also a threat within the homeland. If confirmed, Robinson will be the first woman to serve as a combatant commander.
It has been almost exactly one year since the Air Force activated the 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing, the first of its kind, as part of its effort to build back electronic warfare and electromagnetic spectrum capabilities after years of letting them atrophy. And in some ways, the service’s lack of…