T
he Air Force’s much-touted expansion of its basic military training is on track to commence in October, with construction of the necessary new facilities nearly complete at Lackland AFB, Tex., Gen. William Looney, head of Air Education and Training Command, said Friday. Speaking before a crowd at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Looney said the new BMT course, which will run 8.5 weeks as opposed to the current 6.5 weeks, will emphasize more combat and expeditionary skills. He also said the service will announce “in the next few months” the location of its Common Battlefield Airman Training center. (Last fall, Looney had anticipated the announcement might come as early as last month.) Sites under consideration for this schoolhouse include Arnold AFB, Tenn., Barksdale AFB, La., and Moody AFB, Ga.
The U.K. and the U.S. will continue to enjoy access to the ports, airfield, and workshops at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean for at least another century, under a deal inked between the U.K. and Mauritius May 22.