Vice President Dick Cheney visited Offutt AFB, Neb., Tuesday, praising US Strategic Command and 55th Wing personnel and other military personnel for their displays of “courage and character,” which he said are the US military’s “decisive element” not its equipment. He commended “Team Offutt” in its role in the war on terror. The core of his remarks was the sentiment expressed by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to the American Legion, namely that the enemy at hand cannot be “ignored, or negotiated with, or appeased.” (Read Cheney’s remarks here.)
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
