The north runway at Ramstein AB, Germany, is undergoing reconstruction and work is ahead of schedule. The Air Force has undertaken a three-phase, $20 million refurbishment that will add 1,000 extra feet and allow heavier transports to take off when fully loaded, eliminating excess cargo flights. Ramstein had been primarily a fighter base, until the Air Force decided to close Rhein-Main AB, Germany, and shift the burden of airlift operations to its two other prime facilities in Germany—Ramstein and Spangdahlem. Current plans call for the work to be completed one week early – in late December rather than January 1, 2007.
House and Senate lawmakers say they’re hopeful Congress will pass a defense appropriations bill in the coming weeks to avoid a repeat of last fall’s government shutdown, with only having a handful of working days remaining before the Jan. 30 deadline. Yet legislations still have to release a compromise version of defense spending legislation, which will have to…
