The Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Gen. Michael Moseley, will present the first of the service’s new combat awards during a special public ceremony Tuesday at 8 a.m. at the new Air Force Memorial in Arlington, Va., just across from the Pentagon. Moseley plans to award Combat Action Medals to six airmen for their actions in a combat zone. The Air Force announced creation of the new medal in January of this year, saying it would “recognize the reality” that airmen are coming under enemy fire.
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.