This week’s tour of Malmstrom AFB, Mont., by DOD officials has produced no definitive answer as to whether the base will pick up a new mission being sought by Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.). The Great Falls Tribune reports that seven officials from US Strategic Command and the National Guard Bureau looked over the facility Tuesday before proceeding to Helena for a chat with state National Guard officials. The Tribune also notes that lips were sealed as to what type of mission, now described as “classified.”
Dozens of fighter jets gathered at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida last week to kick off one of the service’s biggest air combat exercises despite the government shutdown. More than 50 aircraft and 500 personnel are participating in Checkered Flag 26-1.
