The 451st Air Expeditionary Wing was redesignated the 451st Air Expeditionary Group during a transition ceremony held at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, last week. Maj. Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, commander of the 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force-Afghanistan, presided over the Jan. 13 ceremony, during which Col. Scott Campbell assumed command of the redesignated unit, according to a release. “Whether you are a part of the 451st as a wing or a group, never forget the proud heritage that rests on your left shoulder,” said Wilsbach. The Air Force activated the 451st AEG in 2002 as part of the Global War on Terror, but the group grew to a wing in 2009 because of its size and the requirements of the Air Force mission at Kandahar, said Mark Howell, the 451st AEW historian.
If the Air Force is in line for a big budget bump from President Donald Trump’s proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget in 2027, the head of Air Combat Command said he would make aircraft spare parts his top spending priority—but cautioned that more money to buy parts won’t equal a…
