Embedded Airmen Mentor Afghanis: T
here are some 150 airmen, comprising 20 teams scattered throughout Afghanistan, that are mentoring members of the Afghan National Army in communications, logistics, supply, medical skills, and training and education activities. Known as embedded training teams, the airmen are working alongside other NATO trainers to foster the skills needed to build the ANA, literally from the ground up. It’s a tough job, reports MSgt. Orville Desjarlais Jr. of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing, Bagram AB, Afghanistan, since many of the Afghan soldiers do not speak English and some cannot read or write.
B-52 Stratofortress bombers marked a new first in Operation Epic Fury when some of the BUFFs flew over Iran carrying JDAM-guided gravity bombs, according to people familiar with the matter. The development signals a weakening of Iranian air defenses and a new use for the venerable bomber in the nearly…