Two airmen at the Contingency Operating Location Bilate, in Ethiopia, are the only Air Force members at the training facility where their assignment is to keep critical communications running between the remote, predominantly Army camp and the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa headquarters at Camp Lemonier, Djibouti, approximately 483 miles to the northeast. Air Force journalist SSgt. Francesca Popp reports that SrA. Jeremy Cole and A1C Steven Brumley maintain contact via radio, phone, and Internet.
Airmen and Guardians in the Active and Reserve component, as well as civilian employees, in “mission critical and high-risk populations” are now required to receive influenza vaccinations annually to “preserve force readiness,” according to a recent Department of the Air Force memo.