US Pacific Command activated the airmen of the 36th Contingency Response Group from Andersen AFB, Guam, sending them to the area hit by the Feb. 17 mudslides to assess the situation for air support. The airmen, who were in the Philippines for the Balikatan 06 exercise, initially were put on 12-hour alert when the disaster struck. Officials say that many of the 36th airmen were among those who provided aid during the 2005 tsunami relief effort.
More than two dozen F-35 Lightning II fighters are heading to Kingsley Field, Ore., after Air Force Secretary Troy Meink signed the official record of decision to base the jets there on Oct. 5, clearing the last bureaucratic hurdle for the Air National Guard base to host the service’s third…