The Clovis (N.M.) News Journal reports that Cannon AFB, N.M., will experience a “bumpy ride” for the next few years as the Air Force closes out F-16 operations at the base and turns it into an Air Force Special Operations Command facility. First, Cannon’s base workforce of active duty, civilians, and contractors will drop from nearly 4,500 to around 3,200. The AFSOC changeover then brings “rapid growth beginning in 2008. Long-term, the base workforce and family members should grow by around 17 percent above today’s total of around 8,900.
Earlier this spring, the 388th Fighter Wing proved just 12 Airmen can operate an F-35 contingency location, refueling and rearming the fighters at spots across Georgia and South Carolina. The demonstration, part of exercise Agile Flag 23-1, marks yet another proof of concept for the Air Force’s plan to send…