Leadership: April 7, 2002

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The Air Force has released a new study calling for a radical change in the way it does business. Previously, the focus of the Air Force was on gaining air supremacy (which would allow it to do anything else it wanted), and the "best and brightest" went into the fighter cockpits to conduct this fight. Now, due to technological and training superiority, gaining air supremacy over anyone (except, maybe, Israel) would be relatively easy. Moreover, unmanned drones will be taking over many of the most dangerous duties, such as destroying enemy air defenses. The study calls for reassigning the "best and brightest" to the Tactical Air Control Parties, and small staff and command groups that plan attacks on enemy targets and air defenses and then dynamically coordinate those strikes as they are made.--Stephen V Cole