Reps. Michael Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Sam Johnson (R-Tex.), Steve Pearce (R-N.M.), Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.), and David Wu (D-Ore.) all got a good look at the Force Protection Aerial Surveillance System during a recent visit to Balad AB, Iraq. Members of the 332nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron demonstrated how the force protection tool provides security by combining UAV technology with traditional force protection activities. “Desert Hawk,” as the program is known, was developed by Air Force Materiel Command in 2004 for deployment to Southwest Asia, as part of urgently needed force protection capabilities.
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,…