The Air Force said that 1st Lt. Sarah Small, 25, of Herndon, Va., was killed in a motor vehicle accident Sept. 19 while she was participating in Bright Star 2005 in Egypt. Two noncommissioned officers also in the vehicle were injured and taken to a hospital, where they were listed in stable condition. Small was a public affairs officer, assigned to the Air and Space Expeditionary Force Center, Langley AFB, Va. She had been on active duty since 2002.
The Air Force ramped up operations and maintenance spending to keep its F-35A fighters flying over the past six years, but readiness continues to lag behind goals, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.