Four para
rescuemen and two combat rescue officers with Air Force Reserve Command’s 304th Rescue Squadron, Portland, Ore., helped save three mountain climbers and a dog trapped on Mount Hood Feb. 18. The climbers and their dog—roped together—had fallen through a snowy overhang on a ridge. The pararescuemen searched, sometimes in whiteout conditions, for more than 12 hours, using a directional antenna to pinpoint a mountain locator unit the climbers had activated, and marked a safe trail for follow-on rescuers. On Feb. 19, climbers and rescuers walked out to where they could ride down the mountain in a Snocat.
Pentagon Task Force, FAA to Test Counter-Drone Laser
March 7, 2026
The Pentagon’s counter-drone task force announced it would conduct a high-energy laser test with the Federal Aviation Administration less than a month after the use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border prompted the FAA to shut down the airspace over El Paso, Texas.