Air Force Gen. Norton Schwartz, commander of US Transportation Command, told coalition forces at Bagram AB, Afghanistan, last week that the kind of fight going on in Operation Enduring Freedom “cannot be effectively prosecuted from main operating bases.” Schwartz explained that such a “distributed fight” requires airlift, noting that it’s being provided from bases in Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkey, as well as Europe and the US. Whether the cargo is troops, food, water, ammunition, or medical evacuees, said Schwartz, “My impression is that the team is effectively supporting the folks that need it—the shooters.”
The Air Force has finished modifying and testing the new VC-25B Bridge aircraft that will serve as a temporary Air Force One, the service announced May 1. All that’s left now is to finish painting the jet before it starts flying this summer.