The Defense Department named Air Force Lt. Col. Robert Bickel for the best in DOD for financial management initiative as an individual contributor. Bickel is the deputy director for USAF’s new Financial Management Center of Expertise at Buckley AFB, Colo. He is credited with most of the leadership effort to take the new center from conception to initial operational capability.
Less than a day after arriving in the Middle East, F-15E Strike Eagles from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. defended Israel from an Iranian attack in April 2024. DUDE flight, four F-15Es from the 335th Fighter Squadron, downed two dozen Iranian drones in roughly 45 minutes.