The one-of-a-kind Air National Guard unit at Ft. Bliss, Tex., now is engaged in training other Air Guardsmen for an upcoming tour in Southwest Asia. And, the 204th Security Forces Squadron, a heavy weapons unit with a cadre of sharpshooters, will be training more Air Guard airmen over the next couple of years, reports the El Paso Times. The 204th got the training assignment—not their first—because the training site at Creech AFB, Nev., is full of active duty airmen also training for SWA deployments. The current group of trainees comprises 200 airmen from seven states that will form the 376th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.