The logistics airmen at Balad AB, Iraq, have turned the base into a hub-and-spoke system that has streamlined the cargo delivery process within the theater. There are 96 aerial porters that are central to the endeavor because they essentially do the work of 500 similar airmen at major aerial ports in the states, according to their boss Capt. Karen Rupp. Their incentive comes from keeping ground convoys off the road and getting supplies directly to the warfighters.
The Department of the Air Force is consolidating more than 50 programs supporting its efforts to create a vast battle network into a single $4.5 billion contract vehicle to streamline software and technology integration.
