During the latest Koa Lightning exercise, which featured B-52 bombers flying from Andersen AFB, Guam, to Hawaii, the bomber crews got to drop inert weapons on the Pele Bombing Range. TSgt. Steven Wilson reports that the aircrews received targeting information from joint terminal attack controllers on the ground. “Absolutely nothing beats dropping ordnance on a target in terms of training value, especially for our younger aircrews,” stated Col. Damian McCarthy, 36th Operations Group commander at Andersen. The bombers have been deployed to Andersen from Barksdale AFB, La.
Trainees in Basic Military Training and technical school no longer have the option to try alternate PT drills if they fail an initial assessment, according to a policy change the Air Force made in April. The move is part of a larger shift out of the classroom and into hands-on,…