Air Mobility Command has reacted to the uproar created when the parents of a slain soldier said the airlines placed his casket on a cart with luggage by soliciting non-airline air transport services to transport “up to four caskets and four escorts per day from Dover AFB, Del., to various locations.” The Pentagon denied the mishandling claim, reportedly saying the Army had provided an escort for the casket and it was not moved with luggage. AMC expects to begin using a new carrier on Jan. 1.
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.
