TRAVIS TAILWIND
GALAXY ARRIVAL
Appreciation for service on display at Veterans Day parade
Ukraine waging real robot warfare with attack drones
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Video from the Ukrainian military’s first-person drones has captivated millions, but the footage offers only a narrow view of a robotics revolution that is reshaping combinedarms warfare.
Air and ground robotic systems in a wide variety of mutually supporting roles are bringing about a true robot military, writes Jack Watling, a senior research fellow for land warfare at the Royal United Services Institute, or RUSI. His new paper traces the evolution of Ukrainian robot doctrine from simple target spotting to coordinated movements by flying and crawling robots that navigate the battlefield and fight alongside humans.
The shift was born of necessity, Watling writes.
“Political developments in Washington interrupted the provision of military-technical assistance, disrupting Ukraine’s ability to coherently plan the equipping of its forces with its international partners. As a result, Ukraine doubled down on a method which delivered results and was under its control: drones,” he writes. “Two dedicated UAV regiments, and two non-standard brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine...are pioneering the use of novel equipment,” as in air and ground drones.
Watling also notes that the heavy use of drones by both sides has led to a new way to conceptualize the battlefield. The frontline forces of Ukraine and Russia are generally separated by about 15 kilometers of ground rendered all but impassable by legions of armed UAVs. Ukrainian war planners call this territory the “grey zone” or the “contested zone.” (U.S. Marines call it “close.”) Beyond it lies the “middle zone,” another roughly 15 km where troops muster weapons, sensors, and jammers. And behind that is the “deep zone” where you find drone factories, logistics centers, and “systems that cannot affect the contested zone but may do so in the future,” he writes.
The key to taking grey-zone territory is isolating elements of the enemy’s forces in the middle zone.
So Ukrainian forces have learned to use drones to lay mines and traps to slow reinforcement and resupply efforts.
Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic photos
Retired Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Jesse Branch rides through downtown during the Veterans Day Parade in Fairfield, Tuesday.
Members of Solano County Deplorables wave to parade attendees during the Veterans Day Parade in downtown Fairfield, Tuesday.
Parade in downtown Fairfield, Tuesday.
Travis BX continues Salute to Service with free limited-edition Vet for Life patches
patch unites all who wear or have worn our nation’s uniform.”
BASE — The Travis BX is honoring all who serve and have served with free exclusive Vet for Life patches, part of the Army & Air Force Exchange Service’s monthlong Salute to Service.
Patches will be available at the BX, beginning at 9 a.m. while supplies last, for active-duty service members, retirees and veterans who have in-store shopping privileges.
“Once you’ve served, you are part of something bigger,” said Travis Exchange General Manager Cathie Byrns. “The military community has a deep connection to the tradition of morale patches. This limitededition Vet for Life
The patch – created by an Army veteran – features a white ribbon with the words “Vet for Life” across a red, white and blue shield.
The giveaway is part of the Exchange’s Salute to Service, a monthlong recognition of all who serve and have served. The final giveaway – collectible penny POGs, a nod to the cardboard currency used in Southwest Asia –is Nov. 29.
All disabled veterans can use their hard-earned Exchange benefit at the BX while all honorably discharged veterans can shop tax-free for life at ShopMy Exchange.com. Veterans can visit aafes.media/ paveterans for more information on their earned lifelong Exchange benefits.
Holiday Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses event brings cheer to Travis military families
TRAVIS AIR FORCE
BASE — Travis Exchange is inviting military families to indulge in seasonal sparkle during its Holiday Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses beauty event, Nov. 15 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
This festive event will feature complimentary makeovers and demonstrations of the trendiest skincare and beauty products. Shoppers will be offered a joyful beauty product shopping experience filled with seasonal surprises and militaryexclusive pricing.
“There’s something magical about seeing our Exchange stores trans-
formed into holiday beauty hubs,” Travis Exchange General Manager Cathie Byrns said. “This event is a chance for military families to enjoy pampering, explore the latest beauty trends and connect with their community, all while benefiting from the exclusive pricing.”
Shoppers can enjoy exclusive savings on beauty products, and Military Star cardholders will save an additional 10% off purchases of cosmetics, fragrances and select bath products (some exclusions apply). To apply for a Military Star card, visit the local Exchange or aafes. media/MilStarPA. For more information, contact the Travis Exchange at 707-437-4633.
Parade grand marshal has made a life of helping veterans
ansen
Todd R. H
THANSEN@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET
FAIRFIELD — The grand marshal of the Fairfield Veterans Day Parade said the Air Force looked like a better life’s choice than repairing furniture.
The Philadelphiaraised John Aldridge said he had a specific job to refurbish a group of chairs, and when told he had to do it over, that was all he could take.
“That was the job that chased me into the military,” Aldridge said.
He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in November 1974 and retired 20 years in later. It has become a lifetime commitment, including a year as the state commander of the American Legion.
“When you serve in that position, you cover a lot of ground,” Aldridge said. “You have a lot of meeting with other veteran service organizations and work on getting bills passed.”
He said he was particularly proud of getting tax benefit legislation passed for veterans.
Most recently, Aldridge formed a new American Legion post at Liberty Church in Fairfield. Liberty Post 316 is a little more than a year old, has 16 members, all of whom are Christians.
“It just played out that way,” said Aldridge, adding that any veteran from any branch of the service is welcomed to join.
He said like all American Legion posts, this one is focused on helping veterans with their benefits and other needs. However this group has taken on a critical mission.
“The most significant thing is ... preventing veteran suicides,” Aldridge said.
Veterans Affairs reports in its 2024 National Veterans Suicide Prevention Report that an average of 17.6 veterans died by suicide every day.
“Although this figure is widely accepted, the real number may be even higher,” the report states.
America’s Warrior Partnership suggests that
as many as 24 veterans die by suicide per day, with an additional 20 dying by “self-injury mortality,” often overdoses.
“This totals to a staggering 44 veterans who die by suicide per day, about 2.4 times more than the VA’s estimate,” the report states.
The suicide rate among women veterans is 93% higher than non-veteran women, while the rate for veteran men, compared to non-veteran men, is 60% higher, Veterans Affairs reports.
There has been some progress. The Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act was passed in late 2024, and is the most significant expansion of VA services since the PACT Act, which addressed toxic exposurerelated healthcare.
The Elizabeth Dole Act takes a more holistic approach – expanding VA services to support veterans and an estimated 7.8 million family
members and caregivers.
“The Elizabeth Dole Act directly benefits veterans by streamlining the disability claims process and expanding job training and employment programs to help them transition to the civilian workforce. It will also increase access to mental health services and support homelessness prevention efforts by identifying at-risk veterans and providing them with funding for job training and substance abuse treatment,” the VA reported.
“The act will also address homelessness by allowing the VA to supply veterans with necessities like food, bedding, hygiene products, and transportation to medical appointments.”
Aldridge said his older brother was already in the Army when he joined the Air Force. His brother wanted him to go to the Army, too, but that did not appeal to the younger Aldridge.
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John Aldridge, grand marshal, waves to the crowd during the Veterans Day Parade in downtown Fairfield, Tuesday.
2nd Lt. Jonathan
completes a visual search experiment using a night vision goggle test bed in the Night Vision Goggle Lab of the Air Force Research Laboratory’s 711th Human Performance Wing at WrightPatterson Air Force Base, Ohio, Sept. 9. The data from this
Richard Eldridge/U.S. Air Force file
study supported models to predict, explain and simulate changes in human performance which will become a part of the metrics 711 HPW researchers utilize to conduct honest broker assessments of human performance with night vision goggles to validate night vision components.
Some defense firms lock in on prototypes to drive demand
WASHINGTON, D.C. —
As defense spending looks up in the U.S. and abroad, some defense firms are betting on “selffunded” prototypes. And while it’s not a new practice, there seems to be renewed emphasis by newto-defense companies and some primes looking to preempt threats and programs of record.
Lockheed Martin CEO James Taiclet said the company is honing a five-year shift in its research-and-development strategy that focuses more on corporate-level initiatives, such as the development of autonomous Black Hawks and space-based interceptors that could be used for the Trump administration’s proposed Golden Dome initiative.
“We are building prototypes, full-up operational prototypes. Not things in labs, not stuff on test stands. Things that will go into space or in the air or fly across a missile range. These are real devices that will work and that can be produced at scale. So the space-based interceptor is one we’ve been pursuing already. And that’s all I can say about that,” Taiclet said during the company’s earnings call, Oct. 21.
Taiclet said the company has submitted proposals for space-based interceptors, but the goal is to build prototypes for the government that work and
can be produced en masse alongside new entrants in defense tech. And by 2028, Lockheed wants to put on a “real on-orbit space-based interceptor demonstration,” he said.
“[W]e are actually building prototype vehicles to demonstrate to the government, perhaps alongside with the new entrants, you could look at it that way, where we can show them a working vehicle that we can produce at scale that they can rely on. We’re pivoting our company’s approach to that,” the CEO said. “We’re gonna keep answering RFPs and RFIs in the traditional way as well. But we are now in the business of self-funding prototypes at the corporate level which we can actually demonstrate real capability, leapfrogs to our customers.”
Over the past two years, Northrop Grumman has put more than $2 billion into its independent research and development, or IRAD, as a way to bring technology to the market faster, particularly as international sales grow, CEO Kathy Warden said during the company’s earnings call, Oct. 21.
“We are exploring creative ways to bring solutions to market faster and focusing on priority areas, such as the development and fielding of multi-function sensors, new and innovative ways to incorporate AI into our solutions, and developing
and fielding new, smarter weapon systems that bring unmatched superiority on the battlefield...to name just a few,” Warden said. “Allied nations are prioritizing investments in air and missile defense, ground-based radars, airborne ISR, and other advanced weapon systems to enhance their ability to deter and defend against conflict. This growing demand presents substantial opportunities for our company, and...contributed to our international sales growing 20 percent year-to-date.”
The comments come as consensus builds around better integrating defense companies’ research and development efforts with the Pentagon’s, potentially filling funding gaps as threats and technologies rapidly evolve.
The Pentagon has increased its research and development funding in recent years. But it still struggles to field prototypes broadly, let alone convert them into programs of record – which can take about 12 years. And while companies often fund their own development of new technologies, it could be growing in popularity as new entrants look to prove themselves before a contract takes shape.
Next summer, Apex, an L.A.-based manufacturing startup that specializes in satellite buses, plans to launch a prototype for a platform that could be integral for space-based
interceptors.
“In under a year, we are launching the host platform for space-based interceptors, called an orbital magazine, which will deploy multiple prototype missile interceptors in orbit,” Apex CEO Ian Cinnamon said in a statement announcing the initiative called Project Shadow. “Apex isn’t waiting for handouts or contracts; we are developing this orbital magazine technology on our own dime and moving incredibly fast.”
That “orbital magazine” is the “centerpiece” for space-based interceptors, Cinnamon told Defense One in a statement.
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Robot
From Page 1
“This is largely done using bomber UAVs. This is then followed up with persistent interdiction missions by [first-person viewer or FPV] drones to prevent attempts to move equipment on foot or on light buggies,” Watling writes.
Once Russian forces are isolated, Ukrainians can mount an assault. Here, too, Ukraine is leading with robotics, which they use “disproportionately” more than the Russians.
“Ukrainian forces have concluded that this is ideally done with weapons mounted on uncrewed ground vehicles (UGVs), as their sustained fire, delivered from outside prepared fighting positions, makes them vulnerable to strike,” he writes.
Troops that push into new territory need fresh supplies, especially materials for fortifying their new positions. Here, too, the Ukrainian military, which lacks Russia’s big logistics formations, has learned to rely on robots.
“Equipment and materials for erecting positions with overhead cover can be delivered to the units by UAVs and UGVs. UGVs are disproportionately used for resupply in Ukraine,” Watling wrote.
Lessons for NATO
Those achievements hold lessons for NATO, according to several people who participated in a recent virtual meeting of government officials and civilian technology experts organised by GLOBSEC. The U.S. and other European militaries are developing new battle-robot concepts around Ukraine’s experiences. NATO and Ukraine recently tested new ways to counter UAVs. This effort, led by the NATOJoint Analysis, Training And Education Centre, “aims to keep the alliance on the cutting edge and to support Ukraine,” a NATO official said.
More broadly, the war in Ukraine reveals the obsolescence of the way the large militaries of NATO members do many things, from force design to acquisitions to battlefield maneuver. Because enemy drones and sensors can reach so much more deeply into friendly territory, what NATO considers the “rear” isn’t as safe as modern force planning presumes. This argues for planning combat teams that are smaller and more nimble, writes Watling, who adds that military planners should push more commandand-control authority down to the brigade level. In terms of equipment and vehicles, the paper shows that drone warfare exposes vulnerabilities that designers may not have considered. For instance, if your fancy new combat vehicle has rubber tires it might as well be a hockey goalie with no helmet. What’s most important: buy equipment that’s modular, so that broken parts can be quickly swapped out. But NATO leaders don’t feel the same urgency to change, one of the participants in the GLOBSEC dialogue said. Limited resources and invading forces galvanized Ukrainian innovation, but alliance members have larger budgets, relatively sophisticated equipment, and no Russian forces on their territory. For example, Ukraine has created a command-and-control architecture that coordinates humans and robots, even under constant electronic warfare attack. NATO members have agreed to expand their defense budgets by the year 2029 and talk about funding innovative companies that are building ground robots and drones. But the participant said that much of the spending is going to established companies, not nimble innovators.
Tribune ConTenT AgenCy
LeGault
Air Force tests Minuteman III
Tribune conTenT Agency
VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE — The Air Force said it successfully launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Nov. 5, part of regular testing of the landbased missiles designed to carry nuclear warheads.
The launch from the Western Test Range at the base near Lompoc was a continuation of routine testing of U.S. ICBMs randomly selected from existing weapons stockpiles.
The Minuteman III’s unarmed reentry vehicle flight terminated about 4,200 miles southwest at the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command’s Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site at the Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
“It’s a comprehensive assessment to verify and validate the ICBM system’s ability to perform its critical mission,” said Lt. Col. Karrie Wray, commander of the 576th Flight Test Squadron.
As of late 2024, the United States maintained about 400 deployed Minuteman III ICBMs in underground silos in the northern tier of states. Silos and command centers are located in Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska and Colorado, according to the nonpartisan Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.
In 2015, the Air Force announced completion of a $7 billion program to extend the life of the Minuteman III into the 2030s. Pentagon officials have said it may be possible to extend the life of the Minuteman III to as late as 2050.
The land-based missiles are part of the U.S. nuclear triad, which also includes Trident II D5 nuclear-tipped mis-
Parade
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Getting out of Philly, however, that was the main goal.
“I started off as a fuel specialist: refueling aircraft ... and testing fuels in the lab” Aldridge said. “After six years, I retrained into aircraft transportation.”
That was more about getting equipment and personnel into the planes. He spend three years in Germany, which he
siles carried by the U.S. Navy’s 14 Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines at sea, and nuclear weapons-carrying manned B-2 Spirit and B-52 Stratofortress bombers of the U.S. Air Force.
The launch was initiated by an Air Force team from the 625th Strategic Operations Squadron aboard a U.S. Navy E-6B Mercury aircraft using the Airborne Launch Control System. The airborne system is a “backup command and control system of the ICBM force,” the Air Force said.
The Reagan Test Site is equipped with telemetry, metric and signature sensors to collect data during the final phase of the missile’s flight, the Air Force said.
“This test validated the reliability, adaptability and modularity of the weapon system,” said Col. Dustin Harmon, 377th Test and Evaluation Group commander, the unit that oversaw the launch preparations. Missile maintainers from the 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren AFB in Wyoming provided support.
The Western Test Range at Vandenberg SFB serves as the testing ground for this critical effort. This launch is part
enjoyed, was deployed to Saudi Arabia for a spell and did two tours at Travis AFB.
The familiarity with the area was one of the reasons he chose to move to Solano County after he retired from working at Philadelphia International Airport and getting married. He had one son before his marriage.
“She gave me the decision to make (where to move), but there was no decision to make,” Aldridge said.
He has an associate’s degree in psychology and a bachelor’s in technical
of a series of routine and periodic activities crucial to assessing and validating the Minuteman III’s capabilities. These tests, conducted with stringent safety protocols, allow AFGSC to collect data.
The U.S. plans to phase out the Minuteman III beginning in 2029 with the expected deployment of the new $141 billion LGM-35A Sentinel ballistic missile system.
When armed, each Minuteman III carries a single nuclear warhead, with an estimated atomic yield equivalent to more than 300 kilotons of TNT, more than 20 times the estimated yield of the 15-kiloton bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II.
The U.S. currently plans to spend $1.4 trillion to modernize all three legs of the nuclear triad – land, sea and air – with new weapons systems.
In addition to the Sentinel ICBM, the Navy is awaiting delivery of the USS District of Columbia, the first of a new class of ballistic missile submarines.
The first boat of the $358 billion Columbia class of 12 boats is expected to be delivered in 2029, more than a year behind schedule, according to con-
management from EmbryRiddle Aeronautical University at Travis AFB.
Aldridge figures it was all his work for the American Legion, starting in Suisun City, that convinced folks to put his name up for being grand marshal of the parade.
He said he really did not get contacted by people he knew after it was announced, but when folks find out, they make a big deal of it wherever he goes.
Aldridge also served as keynote speaker at the preparade concert event at the Downtown Theatre.
gressional estimates.
The Air Force has received the first two B-21 Raider strategic bombers, which are undergoing flight tests at Edwards Air Force Base.
The program calls for 100 of the stealth bombers, with a total cost projected at $203 billion, according to congressional estimates.
to make sure military families have the flexibility they need to return gifts without stress.” The Exchange’s regular return policy allows returns from 15 to 90 days after purchase, depending on the item. If an item’s regular return window extends past Jan. 31, that date will be honored. Some exclusions apply. For more information, military shoppers can check with the Travis Exchange or call 800-527-2345 for online returns.
Tech. Sgt. Draeke Layman/U.S. Space Force file
An unarmed Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile launches during an operational test at at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Nov. 5.
United States, Philippines announce task force to counter aggression in South China Sea
Tribune ConTenT AgenCy
MANILA, Philippines — The United States and the Philippines are forming a new military task force, to be led by a general or admiral, aimed at deterring aggression in the South China Sea.
The task force was announced Oct. 31 by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ meeting of defense ministers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Hegseth and Teodoro did not say where the task force will be based or when it will begin operating.
The unit will be led by a brigadier general or rear admiral and include about 60 service members.
Sailors assigned to Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald man the rails while approaching the Royal New Zealand Navy Polar-class sustainment
“Task Force-Philippines increases efficiency in bilateral coordination, improves operational and exercise execution, and boosts humanitarian assistance and disaster response preparedness,” the fleet said in the statement. The task force will not
include new combat forces, offensive operations, unilateral deployments or permanent U.S. basing in the Philippines, according
vessel HMNZS Aotearoa in preparation for replenishmentat-sea during a Maritime Cooperative Activity in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, Oct. 30.
to the statement.
China, which claims nearly the entire South China Sea, seized the shoal from the Philippines in
2012 and has since declared it a nature reserve.
The U.S.-Philippine mutual defense treaty applies to forces from
either nation anywhere in the South China Sea, Hegseth said in Malaysia. The United States has not had permanent bases in the Philippines since 1992, but U.S. forces may operate from nine sites there under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.
U.S. Marines have trained alongside Philippine troops for much of this year. On Oct. 30 and Oct. 31, naval forces from the U.S., the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand conducted drills in Philippine waters, the U.S. 7th Fleet said Oct. 31. The exercise included the destroyer USS Fitzgerald, the Australian frigate HMAS Ballarat, the New Zealand sustainment ship HMNZS Aotearoa, the Philippine frigate BRP Jose Rizal and several aircraft, according to the release.
“The key pieces of these SBIs exist, but integrating them together is a technical challenge,” Cinnamon said. “Given the timeline required to ensure space-based interceptors are fielded soon enough to protect the U.S., waiting for a government contract isn’t feasible – using private money to accelerate the research and development is simply the right thing to do.”
But the risks are significant, he added, especially when it comes to the amount of money involved and the “short timeline” for the underlying technology to mature.
That drive to move quickly contrasts with how the major weapons programs often get their start, typically with Pentagon R&D funding for a prototype before becoming a pilot program. That is often where they get stuck, creating a mismatch between how much the Pentagon spends on research versus procurement, a Center for a New American Security report evaluating defense innovation spending points out.
“Traditionally, both initial steps are funded by the [Defense Department’s] research, development, test, and evaluation (RDTE) budget, although new defense companies are attempting to disrupt this process by building prototypes without formal requirements or DOD funds,” Carlton Haelig and Philip Sheers, CNAS fellow and research associate wrote in the report released this week. As research and development costs grow, “overall procurement spending has remained
stagnant, with many prototypes not yet entering full-scale production and fulfilling their procurement potential. In other words, the department is increasingly investing in research for sophisticated, leap-forward capabilities, but many such programs, from the Constellation-class frigate to the upgraded F-35, have fallen into a developmental cul-desac, failing to transition into procurement in large enough numbers to make a difference for U.S. warfighters,” the report states.
To break that cycle, some companies are working with the military, taking technologies directly to the operators who use them. It’s a tactic Textron is leaning into with its unmanned offerings despite the Army canceling key programs, including Future Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems.
“With that program not happening, at least in the way it was envisioned – that was a hit. But look, the reality is these brigades need ISR,” Textron CEO Scott Donnelly said during Thursday’s earnings call.
Donnelly said the plan is to “take these systems directly to the brigades, and they’ll drive that demand” per directions from Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George.
“So that’s what we’re doing right now. And that’s why I say, while FTUAS didn’t happen as a program, I do think that we will see a number of opportunities as we go out and sell that technology directly out to the warfighter,” he said, noting international interest and potential opportunities with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.
“There’s a lot of interest in a lot of the technology we’ve developed around FTUAS, and so that stuff will play out.”
Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach sworn in as 24th Air Force Chief of Staff
Secretary of the a ir force
Public a ffairS
ARLINGTON, Va. —
Gen. Ken Wilsbach was sworn into office as the 24th Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, Nov. 3.
Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink administered the oath of office. Wilsbach was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Oct. 30 by unanimous consent. “I want to welcome General Wilsbach as the 24th Chief of Staff of the Air Force,” said Meink. “With his vast experience
in the Pacific and as a com-
mander at all levels, he is the right leader for the Air Force. I also want to thank his wife Cindy for standing by his side throughout his career, and I look forward to their continued support and advocacy for our airmen and their families.”
Wilsbach, nominated by President Donald Trump in September, formerly commanded Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. He succeeds Gen. David Allvin. As the Air Force’s seniormost officer, the
CSAF is responsible for organizing, training, and equipping nearly 665,000 active-duty, guard, reserve and civilian forces. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Wilsbach and other service chiefs function as military advisers to the Secretary of War, National Security Council and the President.
In September, after his nomination, Wilsbach shared his intent to strengthen warrior ethos, build a more lethal force and advocate for airmen and their families.
In a letter to the force,
Wilsbach shared his vision of airmen’s enduring purpose: ‘Fly. Fix. Fight.’ He also stressed the need to maintain readiness, invest in modernization and solidify warrior culture. “Every airman, no matter their specialty, contributes to the generation of airpower to support the joint fight,” he said. “From the flightline to the cockpit, from logistics to networks, every part of our Air Force delivers combat power. Together, we afford our nation the ability to deter aggression and when necessary, to fight and win.”
Staff Sgt. Stuart Bright/U.S. Air Force file
Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink, left, swears in Gen. Ken Wilsbach as the new Chief of Staff of the Air Force at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., Nov. 3. Wilsbach was confirmed by the U.S. Senate with unanimous consent.
