By James M. Perry

President Harry Truman signed the National Security Act on July 26, 1947. Among other things, it set up the Air Force as a partner to the Army and the Navy. It was a big mistake.

I have a modest proposal -- break up the Air Force and distribute its parts to the Army and the Navy, just the way it was before July 26, 65 years ago.

The Air Force these days is in disarray, bogged down by sagging morale, sex scandals, procurement troubles, and even the physical fitness of its airmen.

The first thing to go would be the Air Force's intercontinental ballistic missiles, 450 of them bunkered at air bases in North Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming. "The massive nuclear arsenal we inherited from the Cold War is poorly suited to today's threats, including nuclear terrorism," President Obama said a year ago. Newly installed Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is on record calling for the elimination of the ICBMs.

The problem for the Air Force is that not many of its officers or airmen look forward to being assigned to any of these missile units in remote parts of the country, knowing that, with the end of the Cold War, it's highly unlikely anyone is going to rain nuclear missiles on the United States.

Not long ago, the Air Force suspended 17 of its missile-control officers at Minot, S.D., for laziness and incompetence that included leaving the door open so anyone could walk into their launch compartment. "We are, in fact, in a crisis right now," their commander said.

Airmen aren't really lazy or incompetent. They're just bored. Maybe that's why they are so fat; one report estimated that 12 per cent of them were clinically obsese. A few good Army or Marine Corps drill instructors could put that straight.

Next on the chopping black would be those proud old droop-winged B-52 bombers. The Air Force, starting in 1955, bought more than 700 of them; 85 remain on active duty today, with nine more in reserve. They too are Cold War veterans and should be retired with appropriate honors.

So what's left in our nuclear arsenal?

The Navy is what's left, with its 18 Ohio-class nuclear-powered boats, fourteen of them armed with 24 Trident ballistic missiles, four of them armed with as many as 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles. There are always four of them on station, armed and very dangerous.

What Air Force pilots seem to enjoy most is flying supersonic jet fighters. They could simply change uniforms and be top guns for the Army. Another mission is close-air support for troops on the ground, once performed with skill and courage by the old Army Air Corps. Its unpopularity with Air Force pilots today comes across in their attitude about the A-10 Warthog, a tough subsonic aircraft with a lot of armor and a powerful 30mm Gatling gun firing 3,900 rounds per minute. The Air Force wants to replace it with the super-expensive, supersonic F-35. Army pilots would be glad to fly the Warthog in close support of Army troops on the ground, just the way Marine pilots support their infantry on the ground.

The Air Force Academy could be turned into condos.

James M. Perry, a prominent veteran political reporter, is contributing regular observations for post-gazette.com. Mr. Perry was the chief political correspondent of The Wall Street Journal until his retirement. Prior to that, he covered national politics for the Dow Jones weekly, The National Observer.

A national conservative group concerned with immigration policy -- and critical of the Obama administration -- will run television advertisements in Pennsylvania and other states this holiday weekend.

A spokesman for Numbers USA said the group was still putting its  spot together but would be able to share it with the Post-Gazette soon. It likely involves an Obama-supported bill moving through the Senate granting a chance at citizenship to millions living illegally in the country.

FCC records show the group has bought airtime in the Pittsburgh market Sunday through the end of next week and in Ohio. The spokesman said spots are due to start in Kentucky tonight.

Woo-hoo! Summertime's here . . . along with cold and rain. It's been a weird year.

1. Summer means more bike riding, but as usual, beware -- Jon Schmitz pulled the records on the state's new law requiring motorists to give bikes a 4-foot buffer and found it's only been utilized 15 times statewide, including 2 in Allegheny County and none in Pittsburgh.

2. New federal info on what hospitals charge for various procedures shows how important it is for state government to endure UPMC and Highmark keep working together, Highmark argues.

3. This is the first time in a long while there hasn't been any Pittsburgh mayoral news . . . but if you're interested in that kind of thing you MUST revisit Andrew McGill's amazing breakdown of voting patterns and turnout citywide.

4. If you're headed out of town this Memorial Day weekend, at least roadwork will be halted at the Squirrel Hill tunnel and other places.

5. Weather's supposed to be awesome again by Monday, so when you're picking up your grilling proteins why not support some of Pittsburgh's mom-and-pop purveyors? There are plenty of good ones, including Tom Friday's Market, DJ's Butcher Block and of course good ol' Parma Sausage.

A day after taking heat for a video-taped remark that suggested he could not find Latinos to work for him, Gov. Tom Corbett told a business group it isn't easy living in the spotlight.

"There are a lot of good things about being governor, and there are some tough things about being governor, as you can well imagine," Corbett told an annual breakfast of the Harrisburg Chamber of Commerce and Capital Region Economic Development Corporation. "You kind of live in a fishbowl. Everything you say is just about recorded. Everybody parses it. Everybody takes it -- people can take it out of context, the opponents like to take it out of context."

It was the continuation of a notably vigorous response from the governor, whose office yesterday evening put out a statement saying Corbett's response to a question about about Latino staff members referred only to his immediate aides. The administration as a whole has nearly 1,500 Latino employees, and the governor has nominated at least three Latinos to leadership posts, the office said.

The remark -- exacerbated when Corbett added "If you can find one, please let me know" -- came a few weeks after the governor, during a recorded discussion about jobs and the Marcellus Shale industry, said employers reported difficulty finding workers who could pass a drug test.

Even as the governor criticized opponents for how they portray his remarks, he seemed particularly aware of the risk he could give them new opportunities At one point, while talking about the need to focus on educating students in science and technology, he said: "Because as I'm told, if you're an engineer, you're not out of work, and you're going to be able to find work."

Who knows if an image of Democrats' favorite new unemployed engineer flashed through his head, but he quickly followed up: "I'm sure there are some out, so those of you in the media, if you're here, I'm sure there are some out." 

Near the end, Corbett urged voters to focus on his actions.

"When people are going to judge me, when it comes to Election Day and they judge me, I truly hope they judge me on what we have done, what we have performed, what we have completed, what promises we have kept, and not how sometimes they want to twist and reinterpret the words that I say.

"Actions, not words," he concluded.