Air and Army National Guard members of Arkansas’s 61st Weapons of Mass Destruction-Civil Support Team sharpened their rapid response skills in a weapons of mass destruction training exercise last week at Kirtland AFB, N.M. As part of a course at the Defense Nuclear Weapons School there, the anti-terrorism exercise required the guardsmen to find, identify, and safely contain a sample of radioactive material hidden in a trailer. DOD has fielded 40 Guard WMD-CSTs, working toward a total of 55 teams authorized by Congress.
The Air Force is spending heavily on F-22 improvements through the end of the decade, suggesting it may not retire the jet in 2030 as it previously planned. New sensors, fuel tanks, communications, and electronic warfare systems are among the upgrades that comprise the package.