Lt. Gen. David Goldfein, new Air Forces Central commander, laid out his five priorities for the next two years for the airmen and civilians under his command. They are: decisive airpower to support US Central Command’s campaign plans in places like Afghanistan and Iraq; defend the region to continuously improve US and partner integrated air and missile defenses; defend the base to remain constantly vigilant in defending personnel, command and control, and base infrastructure; engage to strengthen and build partner capacity; and prepare to aggressively plan, prepare, and stand ready to lead or support future contingencies. AFCENT’s members are part of the “long blue line,” said Goldfein. “We are the descendants of airmen who built our service in 1947 and committed their blood, sweat, and treasure to hand us the greatest Air Force the world has ever known. Their blood runs in our veins.” (AFCENT release)
No sooner had the Defense Intelligence Agency issued its North Korean Military Power report, in which it predicted Pyongyang would resume ballistic missile tests, than North Korea did exactly that, lofting a submarine-launched ballistic missile Oct. 19. The test, in which an SLBM launched from the port of Sinpo into…