The Air Force has awarded Bronze Stars to two explosive ordnance disposal airmen for their actions during tours in Iraq. TSgt. Michelle Barefield from Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., came under attack three times, took part in a gun battle, and took charge of the scene after an improvised explosive device killed one airmen and wounded another, sweeping for additional dangers and providing first aid. SSgt. Lawrence Lipinski from Little Rock AFB, Ark., disarmed more than 60 IEDs on 170 combat missions.
A new report from the Government Accountability Office calls for the Pentagon’s Chief Technology Officer to have budget certification authority over the military services’ research and development accounts—a move the services say would add a burdensome and unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.
