USAF continues to provide what is now termed “in lieu of” personnel to handle work once done by soldiers. Among these new blue “soldiers” are more than 150 airmen of the 732nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron support the Army’s 181st Transportation Battalion, running convoy missions throughout Iraq. Some 25 percent of the airmen have supported the Army in this fashion before, says the unit’s commander, Capt. Richard Pike. Airmen in the unit come from backgrounds ranging from intelligence, to supply and vehicle maintenance, notes CMSgt. Shawn Keller, the unit’s enlisted manager.
The Air Force has finished modifying and testing the new VC-25B Bridge aircraft that will serve as a temporary Air Force One, the service announced May 1. All that’s left now is to finish painting the jet before it starts flying this summer.