Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne, who visited airmen at Balad AB, Iraq, on Dec. 9, said during a town hall meeting that he is impressed with the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing’s mission statement: “Combat airpower for America, right here, right now.” He went on to say, “What I want to tell you all is years from now you’re going to get to say that you gave 30 million people the opportunity for freedom.” The airmen at Balad like those at Aviano AB, Italy, a few days earlier asked Wynne how long the “in lieu of” Army taskings would continue. Wynne repeated his explanation, asserting that airmen would continue to fill ILO taskings “at this particular time” but that it’s not an open-ended commitment.
The last remaining T-1 Jayhawk at JBSA-Randolph, Texas, took its final flight to the "Boneyard" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., on July 15. The 99th Flying Training Squadron will train pilots using T-6 and simulator until it gets T-7 Red Hawk in fiscal 2026.