U.S. and coalition partners launch Operation Anaconda, part of Operation Enduring Freedom, in eastern Afghanistan. USAF A-10s, AC-130s, B-1Bs, B-52s, and F-15s support Anaconda to stop Taliban and al-Qaeda forces regrouping south of Gardez. USAF aircraft drop laser-guided thermobaric bombs, designed to suck out all the air from cave complexes and kill the enemy inside.
A record investment in research and development by the Department of the Air Force will help the United States win the long-term technology race with China, even while shrinking the fleet size before a possible mid-decade Taiwan contingency, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said May 17. “With the Air Force,…