On 7 May 2021, US Air Force Chief of Staff General Charles Q. Brown was called to testify before the House Defense Appropriations Sub-Committee.

The four-star general has been tapped to succeed General Mark Milley as the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Brown made clear that the US Air Force has gradually lost its technological edge, pointing out in particular that the ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) systems have not been modernized for over 20 years.

He observed that China and Russia have studied the US wars since 9/11 and have concluded that the role of citizens is as important as that of the military.

More importantly, he indicated that in the event of a great war today, the United States would not be sure of winning it.

General Charles Q. Brown had already sounded the alarm five years ago [1].

[1] "No Longer the Outlier : Updating the Air Component Structure", Lt Gen CQ Brown Jr., USAF Lt Col Rick Fournier, USAF, Air & Space Power Journal, Vol 30, Issue 1, Spring 2016.