The aerial port airman at RAF Mildenhall, England, have somewhat of a dilemma: They work with a wide variety of aircraft that transit the base, but they have little chance to maintain their training with these aircraft. Consequently, they “mob” the transit aircraft or have to deploy to other bases to bone up on particular types, reports Air Force journalist Louis Arana-Barradas. The 727th Air Mobility Squadron, comprising some 150 US Air Force blue-suiters and 80 British civilians—who provide continuity—is a slave to world events, such as a short-notice Presidential stop or the hurry up effort to help deploy the base’s special operations airmen to aid Americans evacuating Lebanon, according to squadron ops chief Lt. Col. Tim Taylor. He says, “Our work is cyclical, it comes in waves.”
Pentagon Releases Cost of Living, BAH Rates for 2026
Dec. 30, 2025
The Pentagon will pay cost of living allowances to 127,000 service members in the continental U.S. in 2026, an increase of 66,000 members in 2025. Airmen and Guardians across the U.S. will also receive an average increase of 4.2 percent for their Basic Housing Allowance, compared to the 5.4 percent…
