Officials at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, say they have drilled 302 airmen in basic combat skills, preparing them for deployment in Air and Space Expeditionary Forces (AEF) 9 and 10. The Air Force now expects all airmen deploying in AEFs to get rudimentary—about 19 hours worth—of training in convoy operations, rifle fighting, and dealing with improvised explosive devices.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
