Leaders of the 21st Special Tactics Squadron at Pope AFB, N.C., tell the Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer that the unit has half of the 50 enlisted Combat Controllers it is authorized. And, they say, more than half of the current enlisted group have less than four years experience. Air Force leadership is well aware of the problem and have begun encouraging more personnel to enter the critical battlefield airman career fields, ramping up training, but it takes extensive training—two years for combat controllers. (Read more about Battlefield Airmen.)
An important U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS command and control plane was among the aircraft damaged in a March 27 Iranian missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine.