The Air Force has inactivated the Force Protection Battlelab at Lackland AFB, Tex., as part of a money-saving effort that targeted all seven of its battlelabs. The Force Protection Battlelab, created in 1997, completed some 200 projects, including a pathogen detection device, credited with saving thousands of lives, reports Carolyn Lyon. A newly formed Force Protection Innovation Division under the Air Force Security Forces Center is expected to carry on some of that work.
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.
