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.
A-10 Thunderbolt II attack planes in the Middle East are flying with fresh modifications as the Air Force looks to make the plane more versatile amid America’s ongoing blockade of Iranian ports and a tenuous ceasefire in the U.S. air war against Iran.