Local and state officials plan to fight a decision by the Air Force to permanently prohibit hikers, bicyclists, and horse riders from using a public road that crosses Vandenberg Air Force Base property to reach Point Sal Beach, reports the Santa Maria Times. The action apparently took effect in January, but local California officials found out “weeks” later. A statement from Vandenberg released last week noted “extreme safety concerns in the area.”
With the Air Force in the midst of its biggest testing boom in decades, the Maintenance Operational Test (MxOT) Division at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., is making sure those tests include an often-overlooked perspective: that of maintainers.