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During the last decade, the US Air Force saw its status begin to wane significantly with respect to the other US armed forces, in part due to a change in the focus of American foreign policy, high costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the rise of powers such as China and India. However, fixation on certain narrow areas of military power and airpower over the years has made the Air Force, much more than the other services, unable to adapt easily to changing circumstances that affect its standing. Specifically, our service has failed to maintain its ability to conduct general military operations by having lost sight of the essence of airpower - gaining and maintaining air superiority. More to the point, it has never emphasized the projection of air-to-air airpower at intercontinental ranges, let alone with any persistence at those distances. Although this deficiency has negatively affected the status of the Air Force, more importantly, it has left the United States lacking in a key area.