Air Force units in the path of Tropical Storm Ernesto variously shifted their aircraft to other locations and closed operations. Charleston AFB, S.C., for instance, sent its C-17 fleet to Whiteman AFB, Mo., and Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, and closed its field but the Charleston C-17s kept flying their missions from their temporary homes. The Florida Air National Guard’s 125th Fighter Wing at Jacksonville sent its F-15s to Eglin AFB, Fla. Air Force Reserve Command’s 482nd Fighter Wing at Homestead ARB, Fla., had eight F-16s at Hill AFB, Utah, and another six Vipers went to NAS JRB Fort Worth, Tex. F-15s from Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., shared hangar space with F-16s at Shaw AFB, S.C.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
