Letters

No Injuries After C-17 Catches Fire at JB Charleston

April 12, 2021

No one was hurt when a C-17 caught fire after landing April 9 at Joint Base Charleston, S.C. Seven crew members and one passenger were returning from an overseas mission when the C-17 landed at the base and caught fire, causing substantial damage to the Globemaster III. Videos and photographs…

Pilot Mixed Up MQ-9 Controls in June 2020 Crash

April 12, 2021

An MQ-9 pilot pulled a wrong lever as the Reaper was taking off in Syracuse, N.Y., causing the remotely piloted aircraft to lose fuel supply and crash in June 2020, according to an Air Force investigation. The MQ-9 was “significantly damaged” at a cost of $6.085 million in the crash…

Hawaii F-22s Wrap Up Deployment to Japan

April 9, 2021

F-22s and Airmen from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, forward deployed to Japan for almost one month to train with Japanese and U.S. Marine Corps aircraft as part of a “dynamic force employment” operation. The Raptors from the Active-duty 19th Fighter Squadron and Air National Guard 199th Fighter Squadron deployed…

Utah KC-135s Deploy to the Middle East

April 9, 2021

Utah Air National Guard KC-135s and Airmen deployed to the Middle East on April 5-6 to support combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq and Syria. The four KC-135s and 120 Airmen from the 151st Air Refueling Wing will support Operation Inherent Resolve—the ongoing fight against the Islamic State group, Operation…

Biden to Request $715 Billion for DOD, Eliminate the OCO Account

April 9, 2021

President Joe Biden will request $715 billion for the Pentagon in his first budget request in office, about a $10 billion increase from the 2021 enacted budget but below the sustained growth military officials have asked for. Notably, Biden’s budget...

DOD Announces First Steps to Address Extremism After Stand Downs

April 9, 2021

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III on April 9 announced interim steps to counter extremism in the ranks following Defense Department-wide standdowns to discuss the issue, including updating DOD guidance on what defines extremist behavior and updating questionnaires that prospective service members take. In the aftermath of the Jan. 6…

USAF Assesses Damage from Destructive Winter Storms

April 9, 2021

Winter storms caused more than $4 million in damage to Air Force Global Strike Command bases, with 28 total Air Force installations impacted by the weather earlier this year. AFGSC in an April 6 news release outlined the damage that several of its bases received during the winter storm: F.E.…

Ellsworth B-1s Fly Direct to Aegean Sea

April 8, 2021

Two B-1B Lancers returned to Europe for a bomber task force flight on April 7, shortly after USAF bombers returned home from the continent after a deployment. The Lancers from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., flew directly to the Aegean Sea and returned home in a 12,000 nautical mile round-trip…

USSF Unveils Space Systems Command’s Structure

April 8, 2021

The Space Force’s new Space Systems Command will oversee the new service’s acquisition and launch services under one command, with the soon-to-be-former Space and Missile Systems Center serving as its headquarters. Space Systems Command, one of three commands within the Space Force, will officially stand up this summer after a…

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