Members of the 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem AB, Germany, held the ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the re-opening of the base’s ground-controlled approach facility that now features a new air traffic control radar system, according to a base release. The facility closed in June for installation of the state-of-the-art Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System that supplanted the base’s 1980s-vintage radar, states the July 2 release. The ribbon-cutting took place on July 1. “The STARS system has a much higher capacity than the old system,” said MSgt. Ralph Miller of Spang’s 52nd Operations Support Squadron. For one, it is entirely digital, unlike its analog predecessor, giving controllers an enhanced sight picture and allowing them to provide greater detail to aircrews landing and taking off, states the release. “For our air traffic controllers, there is a major difference in quality of service they can provide to the customer,” said MSgt. Nathan Iseminger, chief controller. (Spangdahlem report by SSgt. Nathanael Callon)
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.