Two airmen from the 509th Security Forces Squadron, Whiteman AFB, Mo., recently received Army Commendation medals for their actions while deployed to Ali Base, Iraq, for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Capt. Peter Lex was cited for the interview of an Iraqi that led to the recovery of more than 600 munitions—the same type used to build IEDs–not far from the base and for providing life-saving first aid to an Iraqi youth who was shot near the base. MSgt. Richard Stephens streamlined the base’s entry processing, conducted detailed inspections that uncovered 300 concealed weapons, aided an investigation that led to seizure of more than 450 weapons, and provided first-aid to contractors in a convoy ambushed off base.
A new report from the Government Accountability Office calls for the Pentagon’s Chief Technology Officer to have budget certification authority over the military services’ research and development accounts—a move the services say would add a burdensome and unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.
