Why Airmen Don't Command

摘要

Ms. Rebecca Grant's article in the March 2008 edition highlights a startling facet of the current defense establishment: the continued absence of Air Force general officers among the ranks of geographic combatant commanders ["Why Airmen Don't Command," p.46]. Unfortunately, her article is based on dated information, poor assumptions, and provides the reader with inaccurate and invalid conclusions. Ms. Grant concludes a conspiracy of tradition and emotion has kept the Air Force out of geographic commands. She further concludes that for the Air Force to effectively place its officers in these commands, it needs officers with a deep understanding of ground operations or regional expertise. In actuality, the only conspiracy is that senior defense leaders and the Joint Staff work together to glean the most qualified nominee from a field of exceptional candidates.