The Kentucky Air National Guard now has 56 airmen trained for the Air Guard’s first contingency response group, the 123rd CRG at Louisville. Kentucky declared its intent last year to create a CRG, units designed to establish bare base operations anywhere in the world, and plans to formally activate the 123rd in April. The first 56 of the 115-strong unit spent 22 days at Ft. Dix, home to the Air Force Expeditionary Center, completing training in air base assessment, initial airfield operations, force protection, and convoy and urban operations, among other skills. (Report by TSgt. Scott Sturkol)
The Senate passed its version of the 2026 National Defense Authorization bill late Oct. 9 with new language restricting retirements for B-1 bombers and E-3 AWACS. Now lawmakers from the House and Senate must set about resolving the differences between their two bills, which could lead to significant changes for…