A motivated group of Air Force Reserve Command airmen deployed to Balad AB, Iraq, recently spent 10 days turning a dingy and foul-smelling back shop into a fully functional avionics intermediate shop for the busy base. Reservists from Homestead ARB, Fla., cleaned and painted the floors, walls, doors, and ceiling of the shop and removed old junk that was taking up space, and built replacement shelves out of salvaged wood. With help from the civil engineering unit to fix the lighting, technicians can now use the shop to test F-16 line replacement units—doubling the avionics repair capability for critical F-16 operations, said Maj. David Nicholson, 332nd Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron commander.
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III is recommending that the military remove the prosecution of sexual assault and related crimes from the chain of command amid a Congressional push to reform military justice and an independent commission’s review of Defense Department policies. Austin, in a June 22 statement, said he…