Lt. Col. Calvin Butts, who runs plans and programs at the Warner Robins ALC, recently assembled a team of 29 airmen and several soldiers, sailors, and marines to set up the first Joint Air Cargo Operations Team (JACOT) at Al Taqaddum AB, Iraq, a marine facility right in the heart of the Triangle of Death. The goal: move more cargo by air to cut down on the more risky enterprise of hauling supplies by truck convoy. The trick to airlift in such a place involves making things “lean”—such as getting aircrews to upload and download a C-130 in less than 20 minutes, said Butts. “You don’t have a better incentive to lean out and streamline your processes than when people are shooting mortars at you while you’re working,” he explained.
The Space Development Agency says it’s on track to issue its next batch of missile warning and tracking satellite contracts this month after those awards were delayed by the Pentagon’s decision to divert funds from the agency to pay troops during this fall’s prolonged government shutdown.
