Valiant Shield is done and the airmen at Kenney Headquarters in Hawaii believe the air operations portion went well. They orchestrated some 2,000 sorties from Kenney’ Pacific Air Operations Center for one of the largest joint exercises in the Western Pacific. Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula, the Kenney HQ commander, said the exercise was an opportunity to work out some of the “frictions” that arise in a joint combat environment, allowing planners to work out those challenges in advance.
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.