The F-16 pilots of the 23rd Fighter Squadron, Spangdahlem AB, Germany, will be wrapping up their NATO deployment to secure the airspace over Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia in December. (DR, 10/13/05) During their 90-day tour, the 23rd’s aircraft and aircrews stood 24-hour alerts, patrolling more than 97,000 miles of airspace and keeping track of airborne threats. For the squadron’s maintainers that meant changing standard procedures. “A lot of the pins and covers we would normally keep in place until moments before takeoff are already removed,” said MSgt. Tracy Hath, a maintenance supervisor from Spangdahlem. “It forces our alert crew chiefs to be on their toes.”
Unit commanders are being told to separate service members who can’t shave their cheeks and chin for medical reasons for more than a year, according to new guidance from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
