Airmen of US Air Forces in Europe are building up the command’s Theater Security Cooperation Program—an effort that reaches out to 91 countries in Europe, Africa, and Eurasia. The Theater Security Cooperation Branch at Ramstein AB, Germany, manages these country-to-country exchanges—about 500 last year. A group of Polish airmen came to Spangdahlem AB, Germany, recently to learn about how the Air Force maintains and repairs airfield pavements, including runways, taxiways, parking ramps, and aprons. TSC branch chief, Mike McMullan, believes such personal exchanges could aid future security agreements needed to fight the war on terrorism.
The Pentagon awarded a contract worth over $2 billion for the next batch of F-35 engines to Pratt & Whitney on June 5. The deal for Lot 17 F135 engines, totaling $2.02 billion, is expected to be completed by December 2025.