US airmen—principally US Air Force aircrews—are finally getting a training range in South Korea after Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld reportedly threatened to close US air bases on the peninsula if additional training space couldn’t be provided. The Korean defense ministry plans to add a $3 million electronic scoring system at the Chikdo shooting range, reports the Korea Times. USAF already uses the range, which is on Chikdo Island off Kunsan, but has had limited access.
Trainees in Basic Military Training and technical school no longer have the option to try alternate PT drills if they fail an initial assessment, according to a policy change the Air Force made in April. The move is part of a larger shift out of the classroom and into hands-on,…