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.
Amid a high-profile recruiting crisis, Air Force leaders and experts have increasingly noted the challenging long-term trends the service will face in enticing young Americans to sign up—decreasing eligibility to serve, less propensity to do so, and less familiarity with the military. But while those same leaders say there’s no “silver…