Airmen serving as “in lieu of” convoy drivers drove a total of more than six million miles in Southwest Asia last year, according to Air Force data. These airmen working in traditional Army jobs handled 393 convoys, during which they came under attack 138 times from small arms fire, rocket propelled grenades, and improvised explosive devices. (They also drove another 495 convoys within Kuwait.) And, if the Air Force’s senior personnel official, Lt. Gen. Roger Brady, is correct, more airmen would be diverted to ILO duty during President Bush’s plan to increase the number of soldiers and marines in Iraq.
The Air Force plans to add external weapons pylons on the B-1B bomber, both to increase the number of aircraft that can test hypersonic missiles and expand the Lancer’s loadout as USAF transitions to the B-21 bomber.