The Minnesota National Guard revealed this weekend that some 200 airmen deployed to Balad AB, Iraq, from the Air National Guard’s 148th Fighter Wing at Duluth, Minn., will stay longer than their original 45-day tour—possible another 40 days. The Minnesota Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Larry Shelito, expressed his disappointment in a statement, but acknowledged, “This is a sound Air Force decision based on the available military resources in Iraq.” The Minnesota F-16 unit is on hold because its replacement has “an unexpected delay” not because of the recent surge in forces, according to the Guard statement.
The Department of the Air Force will establish a new center for artificial intelligence development, building on existing partnerships with MIT, Stanford University, and Microsoft, according to outgoing Chief Information Officer Venice Goodwine.