The Air Force announced Monday that 2nd Lt. David J. Mitchell, 26, of Amherst, Ohio, was the pilot killed in the March 14 crash (see below) of an F-16 from Luke AFB, Ariz. Mitchell, who was from the Ohio Air National Guard’s 180th Fighter Wing in Toledo, arrived at Luke last November to begin the base’s Basic Course Fighter Training program, which trains both active and reserve pilots. He had a total of 237 flying hours, with about 26 in the F-16.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.