The 772nd Expeditionary Airlift Squadron at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, has established another unit record for airdrops in a one-month period. This C-130J transport squadron completed 72 airdrops in March, eclipsing its previous record of 51 set in January. The 72 airdrops entailed more than 1.5 million pounds of cargo in nearly 1,100 bundles, according to Kandahar officials. “It’s rewarding to get up every day and be part of a team supplying the troops outside the wire,” said 1st Lt. Roger Knobeloch, a 772nd EAS pilot from Little Rock AFB, Ark. Excellent maintenance is key to keeping these transports flying. “Making this record was really a whole team concept. Everybody pitched in and did their part,” said MSgt. Michael Warlick, flightline expeditor with Kandahar’s 451st Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. Airmen from Little Rock and Keesler AFB, Miss., currently constitute the 772nd EAS. (Kandahar release)
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.