The Air Force brings a great capability to the nation versus nation fight, and that threat hasn't disappeared. As for ever better fighters, I would hate to see out matched technologically, because with the emerging economies in some developing nations, it is possible they will put more on the aircraft in the sky than we do. Once you stand down that infrastructure that develops our new planes, you'll lose that talent to other industries, and it will be hard to get that collective pool of talent back again.

Should the Air Force change to adapt to COIN? I'm not sure they need to change much. The C17 crews are working long hours and doing a tremendous job supporting the logistics of this fight. The A10's play a key role in the close fight today with their new capabilities, so they should probably throw more money at that capability.

The part about the Air Force that hard to defend is their civilian culture. Where do the weakest kids go? Of course they join the Air Force because they think it is easier than the other services (I'm talking enlisted). That mentality permeates the Air Force through and through, and the maturity of these kids will let you know when their 8 hour shift is up, and they don't play that dedication to mission like the Army and Marines. I want to apologize to the professionals in the AF that this doesn't apply to, but the professionals in the AF will tell you the same thing.

That is the lower end of the Air Force, unfortunately the highest end of the AF has a record of being corrupt, anti-joint, and have incomplete understanding of strategy. They'll sell their brother services out in a heart beat. They have a lot of pull in Congress because their projects bring a lot of money into specific districts, unlike standing up an Bde or two, or standing up a school that teaches cultural awareness, etc. That is nickel and dime, and won't buy congressmen a lot of support on in their district.

That is just the way it is.