The airmen of the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath, England, have devised a new method to prepare and disseminate notices to airmen. The old process forced every flying squadron in the United Kingdom to work independently, duplicating work and leading to errors. Under the new approach, intelligence, airfield management, and current operations team to produce a database, from which data is automatically overlaid upon electronic maps. Officials say flight planning can be done in real-time and credit the Air Force’s Smart Operations 21 effort for giving birth to the initiative.
Air Force Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich assumed command of U.S. European Command on July 1, taking over the key assignment as the U.S. and its allies contend with a resurgent Russia and a grinding war in Ukraine.