Air Force Uber Alles

Germany, Germany above everything,
Above everything in the world
--Deutschland über Alles
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Today it is the Air Forces' turn in the barrel.

Aside from the unfortunate choice of words in the new motto, "U.S. Air Force/Above All," the accompanying text is plain bad history. Advertising for the military is paid for by our hard-earned tax dollars, which is fine if the material is correct. This is not.

The ostensible recruiting advertisement says,

"The muscle of the U.S. Air Force is a powerful deterrent to would-be aggressors. No modern war has been won without air superiority, so the strength of our Air Force alone discourages potential threats. Today, many other countries are strengthening their air power and vying to take the lead. To stay on top, we must be faster, stronger and more forward-thinking than all the rest. The U.S. Air Force stands ready as the decisive force for the 21st century."

In 1975, the South Vietnamese government had one of the largest air forces in the world, so theoretically should have dominated the battlefield. But they did not.

The North Vietnamese, devoid of airpower and therefore lacking air superiority, still kicked South Vietnam off the face of the map. It was definitely regime change time without air superiority.

Ditto the Afghans who defeated the Soviet Army while the latter enjoyed air superiority.

The Americans were routed by the Chinese in Korea, who had no aircraft, only heavy artillery abandoned by retreating Americans. Eventually the U.S., even with its technological, armament and logistic superiority, only clawed its way back to a stalemate. There has been no peace treaty, so no formal end to this war. In that sense, it was the shape of things to come.

This ad is a lie. The Phony War on Terror (PWOT©) is a lie.

Both paid for with your tax dollars.