In the Korean War, there was a lot of emphasis on air-to-air combat as the F-100 Super Sabre was developed in response to the Soviet Union’s MiG-15.

Then in Vietnam, more emphasis started to be placed on the fighter jet’s air-to-ground role in support of the troops.

By the time we got to the wars in the Middle East, fighter pilots (I among them) found themselves flying missions pretty much exclusively air-to-ground. There wasn’t much of a threat in the air to speak of and Lord knows we had our hands full in training to find and hit targets.

In spite of the lack of significant air-to-air to our pilots in recent decades, we still train to stay sharp in air-to-air engagements as fiercely as ever. The reason? Because we never know which threat may be just around the corner and we don’t want to fall victim to the deadly killer of complacency!

We’ve talked quite a bit before about the need for power projection. It is simply not possible to count how many wars our nation has avoided simply by staying sharp in our technological development and in our training. That is what keeps us on top.

But the thing about being on top is that there is no shortage of people who will do just about anything to knock you off of the top. I hear all kinds of talk all the time about developments, both technological and political, in both China and Russia to where they may become threats again. Maybe it’s a possibility, maybe not. But one thing is for sure, I don’t intend to let you, the future of America’s air power, be complacent about it.

Try to imagine that you’re in the cockpit of an F-22 or F-35 and you see a Chinese-made J-20 in your sights. What will you do? How will you act? Your instincts in the cockpit will need to be laser sharp! You will need to know what you’ve been trained so well you could do it in your sleep!

Get a head start on your training with the Afterburner Club today and we’ll show you how to sharpen those instincts in the cockpit, in your career, and in your life!