The head of Air Combat Command 
said Tuesday that he sees no reason not to declare the first F/A-22 Raptor squadron ready for initial operational capability in December as planned. Speaking at AFA’s Air & Space Conference in Washington, D.C., Gen. Ronald Keys said: “The test is, can you do something with them? And, I will have enough on hand that I could send a dozen overseas for some meaningful period of time.” The squadron at Langley AFB, Va., has eight fighters and gets roughly two more each week. By December, Keys said, the unit should have 18, with the appropriate number of fully trained pilots. Keys maintains there’s no need to wait for the completion of the follow-on test and evaluation, which started during the summer, to declare IOC.
U.S. Puts 8,500 Troops on Alert for Europe Deployment
Jan. 24, 2022
The U.S. military told 8,500 troops in the continental U.S. to prepare to deploy to Europe for a potential Ukraine contingency within five days, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby announced Jan. 24. These troops would be the U.S. contribution to a 40,000-member NATO Response Force being organized in response…