The Rip-stop Airman Battle Uniform will be available at select stateside bases and through the Army and Air Force Exchange Service online beginning in June, announced Air Force officials May 22. The lighter, cooler RABU has material made of a nylon-cotton blend and is treated with a wrinkle-resistant finish, said SMSgt. Kecia Uyeno, Air Force uniform programs and policies superintendent. It’s the same material as used with the old summer-weight Battle Dress Uniform, she added. “All industrial resources are now producing only the lightweight ABUs with no plans to go back and produce the heavyweight ABUs,” said Uyeno. The Air Force has given in-store priority to stateside bases in warmer climates, such as in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and South Carolina, said service officials. (Washington, D.C., report by TSgt. Jess Harvey)
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III visited Tbilisi, Georgia on Oct. 18 ahead of the NATO ministerial meetings in Brussels Oct. 21-22, and assured the aspiring NATO member that the U.S. is at its side. During the visit, Austin signed a defense memorandum to enhance deterrence amid continued Russian hybrid…