Several hundred airmen at opposite ends of the country deploy to Southwest Asia for USAF’s Air and Space Expeditionary Force (AEF) 7 and 8. Base officials say that about 700 airmen—some on their second or third time in three years—will deploy from Eglin AFB, Fla. Another smaller group of airmen headed out from Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. The airmen include civil engineers, logisticians, and communications specialists, making up what USAF calls expeditionary combat support forces.
When the 119th Congress took office in January 2025, it counted a record seven former Navy SEALs among its members—and just one former Air Force fighter pilot. Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas), a former F-15 and F-22 pilot, says that must change to help the Air Force get the resources it…
