The 332nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel at Balad AB, Iraq, are performing an on-base mission and an off-base mission, reports Air Force journalist Maj. Richard Sater. On base, they respond to unexploded ordnance on the flightline, perform damage assessments and everything else usually associated with a “traditional” EOD. The off base mission has airmen standing in for soldiers for such tasks as responding to a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device on a main supply route or clearing roads for safe traffic. Oddly, the 332nd’s EOD flight works directly for a Navy unit, which in turn reports to an Army task force.
The Air Force on Jan. 6 released nearly a dozen photos of F-22 and F-35 fighters returning to Puerto Rico after supporting the raid to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro—the first official images of forces who participated in Operation Absolute Resolve.
