US Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa officials activated the 764th Specialized Contracting Squadron at Ramstein AB, Germany, according to a base release. “Today, the 764th is the first specialized contracting squadron to officially stand up,” said Col. Mario Troncoso, Air Force Installation Contracting Agency director, who presided over the Oct. 2 ceremony. The squadron’s mission is “to provide acquisition support to all of USAFE-AFAFRICA for purchases worth more than $2 million or any amount that supports multiple locations,” states the Oct. 2 release. The squadron took over the functions previously executed by the 700th Contracting Squadron’s specialized contracting flight. Under an Air Force-wide realignment, specialized contracting flights are transitioning to squadrons and will fall under AFICA, states the release. The agency is headquartered at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. (Ramstein report by SSgt. Ryan Crane)
President Joe Biden previewed $800 million in new defense assistance to Ukraine, including “a new advanced Western air defense system,” in closing a NATO summit in Madrid that saw formal invitations offered to Finland and Sweden to join the alliance. Also during the historic summit, mention of China was added…