SSgt. Roberto Short at Dyess AFB, Tex., has received a Bronze Star medal for “intelligence actions in Iraq.” • Prospective Air Force officers now undergo unarmed combat skills training as part of their Officer Training School curriculum, which includes more than 70 hours of overall expeditionary skills training. •The 53rd Airlift Squadron at Little Rock AFB, Ark., has ended its current run of 15 years—its history dates to 1942—as a C-130 training unit, which fell prey to BRAC 2005, but Air Mobility Command will resurrect the unit as one of its tactical airlift squadrons over the next few months.
The KC-Z4, a blended wing body tanker concept being developed by startup JetZero, could fuel larger groups of aircraft at longer range to hold more targets at risk, company officials say.