Every organization in the Air Force has energy overhead, said officials who attended the first US Air Forces in Europe energy facility conference at Ramstein AB, Germany. That could mean eliminating excess lighting, controlling heating and cooling levels, or fixing inefficient equipment. “If we don’t do something, we are going off a cliff,” said Col. Scott Jarvis, USAFE logistics, installations, and mission support programs division chief. Jarvis was referring to the relationship between the rising cost of energy and plateauing defense budgets. Installation asset optimization flight chiefs, base energy managers, and resource efficiency managers attending the Dec. 14-16 conference agreed it will take a cultural change to really see improvements with energy conservation across the force. The purpose of the conference was to improve the effectiveness of USAFE’s energy program through enhanced collaboration and management. (Ramstein report by TSgt. Francesca Popp)
The Islamic State’s Khorasan branch, responsible for the suicide bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members during the evacuation from Kabul, could develop the capacity to strike outside Afghanistan within “six to 12 months,” Undersecretary of Defense for policy Colin Kahl warned. Testifying to the Senate Armed Services Committee on…