The 314th Airlift Wing at Little Rock AFB, Ark., took delivery of its 14th and final new C-130J on February 27, completing the wing’s transition from the H model. Maj. Gen. James Hecker, commander of the 19th Air Force, delivered the aircraft, which is the 30th C-130J delivered across Air Education and Training Command. As an international C-130 Center of Excellence, the 314th AW supports both training and operational missions. Heckler believes housing the two mission sets together works well. “Our airmen training within AETC are able to look across the street or even the room and see the application of the training they are currently receiving,” Hecker said, according to a press release. The 314th AW is also home of the largest international flight training program in the Department of Defense, training pilots from more than 45 different countries.
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.