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.”
The Air Force has embraced new technical approaches like open mission systems and rapid software updates for cutting-edge aircraft like the B-21 and Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Increasingly, though, the service is also working to apply these to its older, “legacy” aircraft, officials said this week.