And It Sure Is Easier On The Pilots

The future of aerial warfare is UAVs. The writing is on the wall, but not everyone who reads it is happy.

Quoted in Politico, Joint Chiefs Chairman Michael Mullen told the Senate Armed Services Committee last week, "We're at a real time of transition here in terms of the future of aviation."
 
Mullen is among those who believe the military's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter could be the Air Force's last manned fighter jet or bomber. The implications are affecting not just active duty forces, but all the other segments of American society which have traditionally relied on a stream of used hardware and people trained to fly jets.

Lieutenant General Harry Wyatt, director of the Air National Guard, told the House earlier this month he's wondering what will happen to the supply of semi-retired F-35's he was counting on years from now. 

"Under the current Air Force plan, the Air National Guard is basically uncovered."
 
Presumably, missions currently flown by air guard units will be forced to follow the lead of the Air Force, and transition to a future filled with unmanned aerial vehicles.

FMI: www.dod.mil