U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates recommended to President George W. Bush that Gen. Norton Schwartz be nominated the next U.S. Air Force (USAF) Chief of Staff on June 9. As a pilot who has spent most of his career flying C-130s (including several special-operations variants) and held several special-operations commands, Schwartz would represent a break from what many have termed the "fighter mafia" — the cadre of fighter pilots that has had a monopoly on the top uniformed job in the USAF for some 25 years. When Gates asked for and received the resignations of Gen. T. Michael Moseley and USAF Secretary Michael Wynne on June 5, he cited specific issues such as the mishandling of nuclear weapons and a failure to provide adequate unmanned aerial vehicle assets for operations overseas. But more fundamental issues were and are at stake, which makes Schwartz's appointment significant.