During a stop at Manas Air Base, Rice spoke to airmen of the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing and French and Spanish troops, thanking them for the way they “work together as a coalition—the way it should be.” Rice noted that the US has “strong allies in this fight,” which she said “is not an American fight but rather a fight of free peoples.” Her remarks struck home with SSgt. Sarah Byron-Smith, a 376th medic, who said, “I felt as though she, even at her level of power, had the right sight picture and knew what we were here to do.”
KC-46’s Refueling Boom Damaged While Refueling F-22s
July 8, 2025
A U.S. Air Force KC-46 tanker suffered damage to its boom while refueling F-22 Raptors off the coast of Virginia on July 8, Air & Space Forces Magazine has confirmed, with reported radio communication from the crew indicating the boom “detached.”