The one-of-a-kind Air National Guard unit assigned to Ft. Bliss, Tex., has an additional capability along with its heavy weapons role—sharpshooter. Among the Air Force’s some 270 sharpshooters, 12 of them reside within the Texas ANG’s 204th Security Forces Squadron. Their mission, said TSgt. Robert Johnson, the sharpshooter’s lead NCO and a former marine, is “to deliver long-range, precision rifle fire; enhanced observation and reporting in support of airbase defense and continuous airfield operations.” It is a skill, he added, for which “you always have to keep training.”
F-35As from the Vermont Air National Guard have deployed to Puerto Rico in recent days, continuing a major buildup of U.S. Air Force assets in Latin America aimed at combating drug trafficking and pressuring the regime of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
