In modern warfare, air and space superiority is not just an advantage — it is the price of admission. Having it is the difference between life and death, and for the U.S., a necessary pre-condition to ensuring global stability and effective deterrence.

As a four-star general in the U.S. Air Force, I have spent my career preparing airmen to fly, fight, and win. My job demands ensuring they are trained and equipped to provide the president with credible fail-safe options in an increasingly turbulent world.

That mission has been a driving fixture for the Air Force since its inception in 1947. It is a goal that every American should embrace and be thankful for, even if he or she doesn’t realize why.

Owning the sky, being able to fly, and if necessary, successfully fight anywhere at any time has never been more crucial to our national security and the defense of our global interests. It is why we ask so much of our airmen. The price of failure in today’s world is unacceptable.

If you need proof, look no further than Ukraine — a war where neither side holds air superiority. The result has been a prolonged, brutal conflict with over a million military and civilian casualties and no clear end in sight. Russia’s grinding invasion, initially bolstered by overwhelming firepower, has been slowed and blunted by Ukrainian resistance, built on........

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