An Air Force-led Provincial Reconstruction Team is building two bridges in Salang Valley, Afghanistan that will for the first time allow vehicle traffic to pass through the valley year round and will be the first time vehicles can reach a large marble quarry in the valley. The PRT, based at Bagram AB, Afghanistan, plans to finish construction in early November. “Opening this valley to year-round traffic will bring stability, security, and governance to a region that has been isolated for a very long time,” said Army Maj. Don Johnson, Parwan Province PRT leader. Local Afghans are so excited about the project that they laid a decent road leading to the bridges, Johnson continued.
Aircraft readiness will suffer if Congress does not approve some $1.5 billion worth of spare parts the Air Force requested in its annual Unfunded Priorities List, sent to Capitol Hill last week, Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin said.