Too many civilian employees have opted to apply for the proffered early retirement and cash buyout programs at Hill AFB, Utah, at least by official reckoning of the number the base can afford to let go. On the first day, there were more than 700 applications. The Washington Post reports that the number is up to 1,100, and there’s still a week to go. Base officials told the Post that they likely would only accept 350 applications—that is what they think will be the base’s fair share of the coming service-wide personnel cuts.
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.