Eighth Air Force recently revived, for the first time in 15 years, Proud Shield/Giant Sword—better known as Bomb Comp—putting bomber aircrews, weapons loaders, and security forces through their paces, similarly to the Bomb Comps of Strategic Air Command days. For these new renditions, Proud Shield II/Giant Sword II, 8th AF inspectors visited various bomb units, marking what 8th AF boss Lt. Gen. Robert Elder Jr. called “the beginning of a great adventure celebrating the revitalization of the Air Force’s historic deterrence and defense mission.” Earlier this month, participants gathered at Barksdale AFB, La., to find out who won and share lessons learned. Taking top honors as best wing for Proud Shield II (bombing and navigation)/Giant Sword II (weapons loading) overall was the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess AFB, Tex. The Texas wing also was best wing for Giant Sword II, while Air Force Reserve Command’s 917th Wing at Barksdale took top honors for Proud Shield II. (Other winners are listed in this 8th AF report by Carla Pampe.)
The Pentagon has approved more military teams to deploy to mass COVID-19 vaccination centers as the push to vaccinate the public grows. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III on March 4 approved 10 more teams to deploy to help the Federal Emergency Management Agency run the vaccination sites, bringing the…