The Kentucky Air National Guard now has 56 airmen trained for the Air Guard’s first contingency response group, the 123rd CRG at Louisville. Kentucky declared its intent last year to create a CRG, units designed to establish bare base operations anywhere in the world, and plans to formally activate the 123rd in April. The first 56 of the 115-strong unit spent 22 days at Ft. Dix, home to the Air Force Expeditionary Center, completing training in air base assessment, initial airfield operations, force protection, and convoy and urban operations, among other skills. (Report by TSgt. Scott Sturkol)
Congress wants new engines in the F-35 fleet, with installs starting in 2027, according to language in the conference version of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act. The Air Force is to use at least one of the engines developed under the Advanced Engine Transition Program, but the Navy and…