The Reagan Buildup

摘要

If you check the tail number of an F-16, F-15, KC-10, or B-1, most likely it will show a year marked from the 1980s. Defense spending under President Ronald Reagan restocked the US Air Force with war-winning platforms that carried out a transformation from the late years of the Cold War to a new world order and the age of precision and information. One of the lasting legacies of the Reagan buildup was better airpower. The Air Force retired hundreds of old fighters and bought new fighters, bombers, tankers, and airlifters. "None of the four wars in my lifetime came about because we were too strong," Reagan said.