Six Air National Guardsmen who arrived in Iraq last fall from the Minnesota-based 148th Fighter Wing returned from their deployment to reveal they were among US security forces personnel that helped secure the courthouse where Saddam Hussein has been standing trial and to describe their work within the Baghdad international zone. Among insights they provided the Duluth News Tribune, one of the airmen, SSgt. Derek Bertram, said he recalled sitting and talking with Iraqi officials as informally as he would friends. He told the Tribune, “That tells e we are doing a positive job over there, all out of the 148th.”
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.