Ladies, ladies, please, can't we all just get along?
Good professional airmanship to accomplish the missions as complicated as they were. It is a strategic shame that the Vulcan was not replaced. It was a great bit of 'getting the job done' to get the refueling sets back on and carrying out the mission.
My admiration for the RAF remains for its ability to get the most out of not much (quantity is what I mean in most cases, not quality, but there is some of that as well), and the big picture of keeping the Mirages close to home vs messing with the task force did pay dividends.
What can you bring to the table now? BTW, the USAF is drawing down by 40,000 + over the next couple of years with more cuts projected beyond that.
Soon, we will be in not much better shape than the RAF and then what? Will we have the ability to stand up to China in the coming decades? Stay tuned...........