An Air Force Special Operations Command MC-130 crew inserts a European survey and assessment team into Congo and extracts 56 people, including 30 US citizens, from Brazzaville, Congo- in 23 minutes-in the midst of violent civil strike. Led by Lt. Col. Frank J. Kisner, the crew flew more than 13 hours over 3,656 miles and thwarted hostile gunfire. They received the 1997 Mackay Trophy.
The Senate Armed Services subcommittee on strategic forces heard testimony from the Defense Department’s top missile defense leaders and demanded to know why the Missile Defense Agency's proposed $9.6 billion fiscal 2023 budget will not yield more reliable defense against hypersonic weapons already being fielded by adversaries, including Russia on…