A host of Kansas and Air Force officials on Wednesday helped celebrate the ribbon cutting on the new intelligence center for the Air National Guard’s 161st Intelligence Operations Squadron at McConnell AFB, Kan. The Distributed Ground Station is new but the 161st has been performing intel processing duties since its parent unit, now the 184th Air Refueling Wing, lost its B-1B bombers. The squadron formed in 2003 and has practiced its trade at a variety of locations. BRAC 2005 has stripped the 184th ARW of its KC-135 tankers, but, in addition to its information operations mission, the wing will receive T-38 training aircraft. Sen. Pat Roberts told the ceremony crowd that the 184th has “resilience and adaptability.”
The Air Force displayed all the firepower it has amassed on Okinawa in an unusually diverse show of force this week. IIn a May 6 “Elephant Walk,” Kadena Air Base showcased 24 F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters, eight F-15E Strike Eagles; two U.S. Army Patriot anti-missile batteries near the runway; and…