Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Tuesday, May 13, 2025

The US Air Force is stripping most of the identifying information off of its biggest planes

The US Air Force is stripping most of the identifying information off of its biggest planes

Air Mobility Command has directed its refueling and cargo planes to obscure the majority of identifying information painted on the aircraft, citing national security concerns — an unusual move that is alarming to government watchdogs.

James Stewart, a spokesman for Air Mobility Command, told Military.com in an emailed statement that airmen's missions take them around the globe and often involve sensitive movements of cargo — the main reason behind the change.

"Understandably, we have concerns about the operational security impacts to these missions in the modern era of on-demand, real-time information," Stewart said. "Subdued paint schemes that limit identifiable information is one way we are taking a hard look at how we operate to ensure our ability to continue to deliver for America and our allies and partners around the world."

Air Mobility Command did not disclose other details in its statement, such as how many markings would be hidden on its planes and which ones it will apply to.

"Because of operational security concerns, we cannot provide specifics, though our aircraft will maintain markings as required by law," Stewart said in the provided statement.

A KC-46A aerial trank refuels a C-17.


The change in the paint schemes, first reported by Aviation Week, comes a little more than a month after Air Mobility commander Gen. Mike Minihan sent a memo to his service members telling them to prepare for a war with China and warning them that it could be coming as soon as 2025.

But despite AMC's stated justification of national security concerns, the new move to obscure some identifying info on planes is both alarming and puzzling to government watchdogs and transparency advocates.

Jason Paladino, an investigator for the nonprofit Project On Government Oversight, told Military.com in an interview Wednesday that, while it may be seemingly minor, the move is making information less available to the public for a seemingly unclear and unjustified reason.

"This is a data point that was previously available to the public that this command, it seems, is deciding for operational security reasons that it won't get into, that the public doesn't have a right to know, which I do think is concerning," Paladino said.

Air Mobility Command's aircraft — such as C-17 Globemaster IIIs, KC-135 Stratotankers and C-130 Hercules — are clearly identifiable as Air Force planes without the markings and, without a clear justification provided by officials for the change, Paladino said it's puzzling why they'd resort to tail markings and scrubbing unit numbers.

"At the end of the day, it's still very clearly an Air Force plane unless you're going to start painting them white or something," Paladino said. "My guess is, an experienced observer of military aircraft movements, this isn't gonna prevent them from [tracking]. It might make it a little difficult. But most of the people who really track this stuff aren't out there with cameras by the runways anymore."

A US Air Force C-130 with most of its markings removed at Rafael Hernández International Airport in Puerto Rico on February 25.


Some of these new subdued paint schemes are already on display. A February 2 Department of Defense photo from 92nd Air Refueling Wing of a KC-135 Stratotanker showed none of the typical tail and unit markings on the aircraft. A Feb. 23 photo from the 23rd Wing Public Affairs showed a C-130 with few markings other than the American flag.

The Project on Government Oversight has detailed numerous ways in which the Department of Defense has slowly obscured information to the public in recent years, ranging from less clarity on overseas airstrikes to troop deployments abroad.

Jodi Vittori, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and a professor at Georgetown University who specializes in government transparency, told Military.com in an interview Wednesday that this decrease in transparency from the Pentagon as a whole is alarming.

"The good governance community has seen transparency from the Department of Defense shrink over the years," Vittori told Military.com. "We're getting less and less information, not more, lately, and that's been a troubling and difficult issue for civil society organizations to be able to monitor their own military."

Minihan's memo, which was leaked in late January, highlights the mentality and war footing on which he's placed Air Mobility Command, which has historically been used as a support organization for combat operations.

But the four-star general explained in the memo he wants his airmen to have "the full understanding that unrepentant lethality matters most."

Air Mobility Command played a major role in the Afghanistan evacuation in 2021 and continues to help deliver weapons and aid to Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
Michael Jordan to Serve as Analyst for NBA Games
Senate Democrats Move to Censure Trump Over Qatar Jet Gift
Hamas Releases Last Living US Hostage from Gaza Amid Ongoing Conflict
India and Pakistan Agreement on Ceasefire Amid Ongoing Tensions
Trump's Upcoming Middle East Trip Excludes Israel, Raising Concerns Among Israeli Officials
Trump's Upcoming Visit to Gulf Nations: Investment and Security at the Forefront
Cardinal Robert Prevost Elected as Pope Leo XIV, Marking a Historic Papacy
India-Pakistan conflict may be first test for Chinese military tech
Common Sense Returns to Britain's Legal System: UK Supreme Court Declares a Woman Is… a Woman
Warren Buffett to Step Down as Berkshire CEO After Nearly 60 Years
Trump Shares AI-Generated Image of Himself as… Pope, Prompting Outrage Reaction
Amazon Launches Satellite Internet Service Amidst Competition with SpaceX
Trump Administration Removes National Security Adviser Mike Waltz Amid Signal Chat Controversy
Massive Explosion at Iran's Bandar Abbas Port Linked to Suspicious Chemical Shipments
Pope Francis Laid to Rest in Rome as World Leaders Attend Funeral
Not Child’s Play: How Competitive Gaming Became a Global Economic Empire
California Surpasses Japan to Become the World’s Fourth-Largest Economy
Former U.S. Congressman George Santos sentenced to eighty-seven months for wide-ranging fraud
Israel Considers Limited Strikes on Iran's Nuclear Facilities Amid Diplomatic Efforts
Saudi Arabia Offers Max Verstappen Unprecedented Deal to Join Aston Martin
Global Pistachio Shortage Amid Rising Demand for 'Dubai Chocolate'
IMF Predicts No Global Recession Amid Trade Tensions
Removing the Political Rival Means Diminishing What's Remaining of Turkey's Economy
White House Investigates Security Breach After Journalist Accidentally Added to Secret Yemen Strike Chat
UAE Pledges $1.4 Trillion Investment Strategy in the United States
Revealing the Electromagnetic Characteristics of the Great Pyramid of Giza
Netanyahu Dismisses Shin Bet Chief Amid 'Loss of Trust' and 'Qatargate' Corruption Investigations Involving Netanyahu's Advisors
U.S. Approves $100 Million Precision Rocket Sale to Saudi Arabia Amid Ongoing Yemen Conflict
High-ranking ISIS Official Neutralized in Collaborative Operation in Iraq
Netanyahu Rejects UN Reports on Gaza as 'Untrue'
Six Americans Freed from Detention in Kuwait
Syria Wraps Up Military Campaign Amid Extensive Violence and Large-Scale Killings.
Trump Speaks Out on the Arrest of Pro-Palestinian Student at Columbia University
Demonstrations Break Out as Individual Ascends Big Ben with Palestinian Flag
Over 300,000 Refugees Expected to Return to Syria Amid Ongoing Crisis
Trump Urges Nuclear Talks with Iran as Tensions Escalate
US Launches AI Initiative to Track Foreign Nationals' Social Media for Terrorist Support.
US Initiates Direct Discussions with Hamas During Hostage Situation
US Government Dismisses Arab Leaders' Plan for Gaza Reconstruction
US Engages in Unprecedented Covert Talks with Hamas Regarding Hostages
Arab Leaders Approve $53 Billion Initiative for Gaza Reconstruction
Iran's Enriched Uranium Stockpile Reaches Levels for Six Nuclear Devices
Israel Indicates Willingness to Resume Military Operations in Gaza
Hamas Lets Go of Last Israeli Hostage as Part of Ceasefire Deal
Trump Adjusts Gaza Resettlement Plan Following Rejections from Regional Leaders
The negotiation teams of Trump and Putin meet directly, establishing the groundwork for a significant advance.
Israeli Minister Urges Hamas to Surrender and Depart from Gaza.
Iran Considers Moving Its Capital Due to Urban Difficulties
×