A combined force of active duty and Reserve airmen from Hill AFB, Utah, earlier this summer deployed the first complement of F-16 fighters to support operations in Afghanistan, according to a Sept. 20 commentary. Members of the active duty 388th Fighter Wing and Air Force Reserve Command 419th FW—as a newly formed associate unit—deployed together for the first time in 2007 to Southwest Asia, but, as we learn now, to support operations in Iraq. Airmen of the two Utah fighter wings have been providing close air support, including supporting the Afghan Presidential election on Aug. 20. Capt. Chris Seamans, with the 455th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, writes, “The war here is real and the men and women from Team Hill were not only ready for the challenge but set the standard for future units to maintain.”
In a show force over the Pacific, the U.S. conducted separate bilateral exercises with South Korea and Japan in response to North Korea’s May 24 ballistic missile test. The North’s test reportedly included an intercontinental ballistic missile, launched while President Joe Biden flew home from the region. Also on May…