The end of a 14-year effort to complete environmental requirements related to 150 Minuteman II ICBM facilities throughout Missouri came to a close last week, when Air Force, EPA, and Missouri state officials met at Whiteman AFB, Mo., to sign an agreement transferring long-term stewardship of the sites to Missouri. TSgt. Matt Summers reports that the Air Force monitored and took samples from the sites, which USAF dismantled in the early 1990s under the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. Larry Erickson with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources says most of the sites will be used for agricultural endeavors.
The U.S., South Korea, and Japan flew an unusual trilateral flight with two U.S. B-52H Stratofortress bombers escorted by two Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-2s, and two ROK Air Force KF-16 fighters—both countries’ respective variants of the F-16—July 11. That same weekend, the top military officers of the three nations…