Andrews Radio Airmen Assist Globally: 
Air Force pilots landing at Yokota AB, Japan, set their radios to communicate with the ground operators on approach—who are actually halfway across the world at Andrews AFB, Md. Operators with the 789th Communications Squadron at the Centralized Network Control Station at Andrews use 14 high frequency ground stations located around the world to communicate with aircraft, providing air-to-ground communications for USAF aircraft flying around the world. The CNCS also assists with phone patches and message relay services, ship-to-shore communications, and emergency assistance for DOD users. Operators field calls for everything from requests for a command post to efforts to reach other aircraft.
National Guard adjutants general from nearly two dozen states have signed a letter to Congress seeking multiyear funding for the Air Force to purchase between 72 and 100 new fighter jets per year to modernize the total force.The letter, sent to Congress last week, stresses the need for the Air…