Lt. Col. Lynden Skinner, deputy commander of the 341st Security Forces Group at Malmstrom AFB, Mont., has received a Bronze Star medal for his activities while deployed to Iraq. Skinner distinguished himself there as the joint defense operations center air force liaison officer to an Army artillery task force at Logistical Support Area Anaconda. In this role, he directed responses to more than 240 mortar and rocket attacks against the base, neutralizing more than 15 enemy mortar and rocket teams, while saving countless lives. His Army colleagues recommend him for the medal, which he received during an Oct. 24 ceremony at Malmstrom. “It’s a tremendous honor,” said Skinner, adding, “I didn’t expect this level of award and am very humbled to have been submitted for this.” (Malmstrom report by 1st Lt. Korry Leverett)
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III chaired a China-focused military briefing Oct. 27, part of a biweekly series of briefings with senior military commanders about China’s growing threat in the wake of an orbital hypersonic weapon test that elicited public worries from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. “What we…