The Air Force is reimagining the role of the A-10C attack plane, a counterterrorism mainstay, for a new kind of fight. Three Americans died when about three dozen al-Shabaab militants raided the U.S. compound at Manda Bay, Kenya, in 2020. It’s a “significant change to how we traditionally deploy support functions,” AFSOC spokesperson Capt. Savannah Stephens said. Women can apply to OTS while carrying a child and head to training six months after their pregnancy ends. Air Force leaders have sought a larger role in the joint force for several years. The Air Force says it’s having one of the toughest recruiting stretches of the past quarter-century. Space Force officials are also trying to bake personalization and flexibility into the assignment process. “It does have strategic implications, but I think that’s all to the positive,” Air Force Special Operations Command boss Lt. Gen. Jim Slife said. “Getting this right requires we move on expeditiously as possible to implement change, while also ensuring we do not rush to failure." A spike in engine torque can destabilize the Osprey after just one-millionth of a second. Load More