The Pentagon released the names of two military and one civilian members of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations killed in Iraq Nov. 1. The special agents were: MSgt. Thomas A. Crowell, 36, of Neosho, Mo.; SSgt. David A. Wieger, 28, of North Huntingdon, Pa.; and Nathan J. Schuldheiss, 27, of Newport, R.I. An AFOSI release states that they died of wounds from an improvised explosive device during operations near Balad Air Base. The three deployed to Balad from three different stateside bases: Crowell from Scott AFB, Ill.; Wieger from Travis AFB, Calif.; and Schuldheiss from Offutt AFB, Neb.
Army Building Up New Space Operations Branch
Oct. 15, 2026
The Army has long been dependent on space capabilities to navigate terrain, communicate in hard-to-reach areas, and identify and strike targets. Now, the service wants to deepen its space operations expertise and is making plans to expand its own cadre of operators in the coming years.