Climbing Toward 50,000

April 9, 2008—The total number of sorties flown for Operation Noble Eagle since Sept. 11, 2001, has climbed to nearly 49,000, as of April 1. The 1st Air Force/Air Forces Northern-led operation has fighters, tankers, and reconnaissance aircraft on alert and on call around the nation and often calls upon the Civil Air Patrol, the one-and-only US Air Force auxiliary. In March, air reserve components once again flew the bulk of the sorties, both fighter and tanker, in the Air National Guard-led operation.

Verbatim

An Essential Role
“A credible and reliable nuclear deterrent is essential to our national security and it instills confidence in our allies and friends. And the Air Force has a continuing and essential role in this mission. Today thousands of America’s airmen ensure the readiness of this nuclear arsenal. They operate America’s missile fields and train to deliver weapons from nuclear-capable aircraft. They sustain the current nuclear weapon and delivery systems, ensuring the engineering integrity of all of [them.]”
—Air Force Secretary Michael Donley during a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, D.C., Nov. 12, 2008.

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Not Broken
“We had a good sit-down, face-to-face discussion. ... Without speaking for GAO, one of their senior folks sort of said, ‘Your system is not broken.’”
—Air Force Secretary Michael Donley on a recent meeting between USAF acquisition officials and Government Accountability Office representatives to discuss the service’s acquisition processes, during a CSIS presentation, Washington, D.C., Nov. 12, 2008.