Th
e airmen and soldiers who man the E-8C Joint STARS aircraft of the 128th Expeditionary Airborne Command and Control Squadron have exceeded 23,000 flying hours supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. The unit flies more than a dozen missions per week, each averaging from 10 to 12 hours. Many of the Air Force members—active duty and Air National Guard—have deployed multiple times. One mission crew commander, Maj. Dennis Dickerson, says that the demand for the platform continues to grow, as the crewmembers discover new capabilities daily on the “still relatively new” Joint STARS.
Golden Dome Details Begin to Emerge
Dec. 7, 2025
The Golden Dome air and missile defense shield to protect the United States will have some “operational capability” in 2028, the program’s leader said Dec. 6 at the Reagan National Defense Forum.
