The Air Force on March 21 flew its first non-stop aeromedical evacuation flight from Afghanistan to Germany, making it in just 10 hours compared to the three to five days such flights previously would consume by stopping over in Kuwait first. Journalist SSgt. Carlos Diaz reports that scheduling the medevac missions is the job of the patient administration division at the new theater hospital at Bagram AB, Afghanistan. Despite its expanded capability, the new facility must send some patients to larger hospitals, such as at Landstuhl, Germany.
Aircraft readiness will suffer if Congress does not approve some $1.5 billion worth of spare parts the Air Force requested in its annual Unfunded Priorities List, sent to Capitol Hill last week, Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin said.