With the increasing call for Air Force personnel to handle jobs normally done by soldiers, the service has tasked Air Education and Training Command’s 2nd Air Force with oversight for training of these so-called “in lieu of” airmen. The ILO airmen go through Army ground combat skills training at one of 14 designated Army training locations around the country. While the airmen are under the tutelage of the Army, says Maj. Gen. Michael Gould, 2nd AF commander, his staff must oversee their needs.
A-10 Thunderbolt II attack planes in the Middle East are flying with fresh modifications as the Air Force looks to make the plane more versatile amid America’s ongoing blockade of Iranian ports and a tenuous ceasefire in the U.S. air war against Iran.