The Pentagon on Sept. 5 released the name of an airman who died on Sept. 4 near Bagram AB, Afghanistan. MSgt. Patrick D. Magnana, 38, of Martinez, Calif., did not die in a combat-related incident. He was assigned to the 31st Medical Squadron at Aviano AB, Italy.
The Air Force awarded a $13.08 billion contract to the Sierra Nevada Corporation on April 26 for its Survivable Airborne Operations Center aircraft, the successor to the service’s E-4B “Doomsday” plane. Like the E-4B, officially called the National Airborne Operations Center, the SAOC will be meant to withstand a nuclear attack and keep…