Airmen with the 56th Rescue Squadron, now calling RAF Lakenheath, Britain, home, have found it a “challenge” to find training locations for flying and jumping, SrA. Kristofer Abel, a pararescue jumper, told Lakenheath’s Jet 48 magazine. In fact, training in various locales is standard for PJs and other rescue airmen. One 56th RQS PJ, SSgt. Kipran Wise says PJs must constantly train to stay proficient. His recent training grounds included Austria, Spain, and the Sierra Nevada mountains in the US.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.