A US Army infantry unit on patrol in an area southwest of Baghdad, Iraq, spots a presumed improvised explosive device and calls on USAF explosive ordnance disposal technicians to clear the area. The EOD airmen, part of the 447th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, roll out a Talon robot, equip it with a package of C-4 explosive, and remotely control it via laptop to the IED—boom, the C-4 explodes the IED.
Trainees in Basic Military Training and technical school no longer have the option to try alternate PT drills if they fail an initial assessment, according to a policy change the Air Force made in April. The move is part of a larger shift out of the classroom and into hands-on,…