Three airmen deployed to Tuzla AB, Bosnia, got to represent the Air Force as one of 12 teams from 14 nations competing in the Austrian-hosted Operation Winter games at Igriste-Vlasenica Ski Area in Bosnia. Each three-person team participated in several events, including a downhill, slalom run wearing flak jacket and helmet and carrying a rifle; 100-meter sprint to a firing range; shooting an air gun at targets; sprinting back up the hill to tag a teammate who sprinted down and tossed a dummy hand-grenade. The Air Force team comprised Lt. Col. David Lowe, Capt. Mark Arzate, and MSgt. Matthew Sheehan—the total of Det. 1, 401st Air Expeditionary Wing.
Contracts for F-35 airframes in Lot 18 and 19 should be signed in the spring, but an engine deal is still not in hand and could take months longer. The delays don't seem to be driven by anticipation of how the new Trump administration will influence the program.