Officials at MacDill AFB, Fla., are predicting that the construction boom at the home of US Central Command, US Special Operations Command, and Air Mobility Command’s 6th Air Mobility Wing will see the “biggest spurt of growth” next fiscal year. Base journalist Nick Stubbs reports that the base will spend about $193 million in 2008 on new construction and improvements, including a 96-room dormitory, new PharmaCare facility, and expansions for CENTCOM and SOCOM, which have been in the works for awhile. The building boom also includes facilities to house Air Force Reserve Command’s 927th Air Refueling Wing, moving from Michigan. The base also is getting some new housing.
In the wake of a major Chinese military shakeup, the head of U.S. Space Command warned of China’s “breathtakingly fast” advances in space during visits to Japan and South Korea. Gen. Stephen N. Whiting’s trip to the Indo-Pacific is his first overseas visit since taking command of SPACECOM in January.