Air Mobility Command will station two C-17s at Ramstein AB, Germany, for four-month stints for the foreseeable future. The rotational deployment will give US Air Forces in Europe the capacity to move cargo more quickly into places like Africa, which is taking on more importance to the US military, and the Middle East, Stars and Stripes reports. Air Force Reserve Command will supply the C-17s and aircrews, the newspaper said on Jan. 31. The first C-17, from Charleston AFB, S.C., is already in place, having arrived in January. Its partner will arrive later this year from McGuire AFB, N.J., according to the newspaper. The rotational airplanes and aircrews will be known as the 779th Expeditionary Airlift Flight, or “C-17 Ram,” in base jargon. Ramstein is currently home to C-130s. USAFE will not be alone in having a C-17 presence on the European mainland as NATO is planning to operate three C-17s, if not more, in 2009 from Papa, Hungary.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth vowed to undertake far-reaching reforms on the way the U.S. military buys weapons, promising a sweeping overhaul of the way the Defense Department determines requirements, handles the acquisition process, and tests its kit. The fundamental goal, which Hegseth underscored in a 1-hour and 10-minute speech…
